Another fairly broad topic, with various possible lines of discussion along which decisions and votes can be made - TROPICAL FORESTS.
So, which collection fares better in your opinion?
So, which collection fares better in your opinion?
British Isles Cup Redux - League B - Bristol/Wildplace vs Marwell
- Thread starter TeaLovingDave
- Start date
Six votes in the other match already but none in this one? 
I do hope people have realised I posted two threads!
I do hope people have realised I posted two threads!
Here are some species lists if it helps (though I doubt it will given they both have exactly 24 rainforest mammals...)
Bristol:
Okapi
Red-river hog
Red-bellied lemur
Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Agile gibbon
Aye-aye
Azara's agouti
Black and Gold Howler monkey
Blue eyed black lemur
Colombian spider monkey
Common squirrel monkey
Comoros flying fox
Golden lion tamarin
Golden-headed lion tamarin
Goodfellow's tree kangaroo
Java mouse deer
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Lion tailed macaque
Negros warty pig
New Guinea ground cuscus
Pygmy slow loris
Six-banded armadillo
Western lowland gorilla
Western pygmy hippopotamus
Marwell
Asian small-clawed otter
Binturong
Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Capybara
Collared peccary
Common squirrel monkey
Cottontop tamarin
Dark cusimanse
Eastern bongo
Golden lion tamarin
Golden headed lion tamarin
Java mouse deer
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Lowland anoa
Northern narrow-striped boky
Okapi
Pygmy marmoset
Red ruffed lemur
Siamang
Silvery marmoset
South American tapir
Western pygmy hippopotamus
Western sitatuga
White-faced saki
Potentially interesting to note that over half of the Bristol list is made up of primates!
Will try and post some enclosure pics later but might never get round to it...
)Bristol:
Okapi
Red-river hog
Red-bellied lemur
Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Agile gibbon
Aye-aye
Azara's agouti
Black and Gold Howler monkey
Blue eyed black lemur
Colombian spider monkey
Common squirrel monkey
Comoros flying fox
Golden lion tamarin
Golden-headed lion tamarin
Goodfellow's tree kangaroo
Java mouse deer
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Lion tailed macaque
Negros warty pig
New Guinea ground cuscus
Pygmy slow loris
Six-banded armadillo
Western lowland gorilla
Western pygmy hippopotamus
Marwell
Asian small-clawed otter
Binturong
Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Capybara
Collared peccary
Common squirrel monkey
Cottontop tamarin
Dark cusimanse
Eastern bongo
Golden lion tamarin
Golden headed lion tamarin
Java mouse deer
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Lowland anoa
Northern narrow-striped boky
Okapi
Pygmy marmoset
Red ruffed lemur
Siamang
Silvery marmoset
South American tapir
Western pygmy hippopotamus
Western sitatuga
White-faced saki
Potentially interesting to note that over half of the Bristol list is made up of primates!
Will try and post some enclosure pics later but might never get round to it...
I haven't been to either for a while, but I remember Marwell having a tropical house that was certainly respectable but nothing overly spectacular. Bristol, meanwhile, had a really nice bird and butterfly house, and then there was Bug World, one of the best insect houses I've ever seen (and I really REALLY don't like insect houses, namely because I don't like tarantulas) and it started with a nice little tropical section which I thought was really nice.
Also, never been to Wild Place.
Also, never been to Wild Place.
@pipaluk - as someone who - in recent years - has been even more critical of the direction Marwell has taken than I have of Edinburgh, I think it would be informative for the purposes of the current discussion to hear from you why you have voted 2-1 for Bristol; in other words, what are the aspects which mean that Marwell - despite its decline - is still worthy of earning a point
I'm not really sure Marwell does necessarily deserve a point but Bristol is the winner here so I voted 2-1 and waited for someone to persuade me why it should be 3-0.@pipaluk - as someone who - in recent years - has been even more critical of the direction Marwell has taken than I have of Edinburgh, I think it would be informative for the purposes of the current discussion to hear from you why you have voted 2-1 for Bristol; in other words, what are the aspects which mean that Marwell - despite its decline - is still worthy of earning a point
On mammals it had already been said it was a tie number wise, though I think Bristol's list is slightly more impressive - Aye Aye, tree kangaroo, agile gibbon, gorilla of those that aren't duplicated spring to mind.
I don't think this category is probably Marwell's weakest against Bristol : primates, birds, misc mammals, ectotherms, it would be an easy 3-0 Bristol but although Bristol is better in this one, I need convincing Marwell's collection is 3-0 inferior. Maybe 2 1/2 to 1/2 is more accurate
Jungle Man
Well-Known Member
Here are some pics of the enclosures from animals mentioned in this list:Here are some species lists if it helps (though I doubt it will given they both have exactly 24 rainforest mammals...
Bristol:
Okapi
Red-river hog
Red-bellied lemur
Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Agile gibbon
Aye-aye
Azara's agouti
Black and Gold Howler monkey
Blue eyed black lemur
Colombian spider monkey
Common squirrel monkey
Comoros flying fox
Golden lion tamarin
Golden-headed lion tamarin
Goodfellow's tree kangaroo
Java mouse deer
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Lion tailed macaque
Negros warty pig
New Guinea ground cuscus
Pygmy slow loris
Six-banded armadillo
Western lowland gorilla
Western pygmy hippopotamus
Marwell
Asian small-clawed otter
Binturong
Black-and-white ruffed lemur
Capybara
Collared peccary
Common squirrel monkey
Cottontop tamarin
Dark cusimanse
Eastern bongo
Golden lion tamarin
Golden headed lion tamarin
Java mouse deer
Linnaeus's two-toed sloth
Lowland anoa
Northern narrow-striped boky
Okapi
Pygmy marmoset
Red ruffed lemur
Siamang
Silvery marmoset
South American tapir
Western pygmy hippopotamus
Western sitatuga
White-faced saki
Potentially interesting to note that over half of the Bristol list is made up of primates!
Will try and post some enclosure pics later but might never get round to it...
Bristol:
Black and Gold Howler Monkey outdoor enclosure.
Black and Gold Howler Monkey indoor enclosure.
Brown Spider Monkey indoor enclosure.
Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth and Six-banded Armadillo enclosure.
Lion-tailed Macaque indoor enclosure
Lion-tailed Macaque Outdoor enclosure.
Negros Warty Pig enclosure
Agile Gibbon indoor enclosure
Agile Gibbon island
Gorilla Indoor enclosure.
Aye-aye and Malagasy Jumping Rat enclosure
New Guinea Ground Cuscus enclosure. (Also shared with Brush-tailed Bettong)
Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo enclosure. Photo from 2018.
All of these photos were taken by @MagpieGoose except for the Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo enclosure picture, that was taken by @zoogiraffe . More pics from Bristol and Wildplace, Marwell coming in next posts.
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
I would have probably voted Bristol in this cup due to the mammalian species from the tropics kept being representative of just a bit more in terms of biogeographic regions.
Not sure about Marwell but they may have the edge over Bristol with birds or herps.
Not sure about Marwell but they may have the edge over Bristol with birds or herps.
Birds, I'm not sure about, but definitely not herps
Bristol has perhaps the best reptile house in the UK these days.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Birds, I'm not sure about, but definitely not herps
When I visited almost two decades ago now it was pretty impressive even back then so it must be amazing now.
To be fair, one of the main things making it the best reptile house in the UK is the steady decline of the one at London
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
To be fair, one of the main things making it the best reptile house in the UK is the steady decline of the one at London
Yes, London just didn't impress me, quite a nice range of species and many of top conservation concern but it did have a sort of fading glory type feel to it (ZSL in general).
Well, I suspect I'd have chewed someone's arm off to see it as it was even two decades ago (assuming that is when you last saw it)
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Well, I suspect I'd have chewed someone's arm off to see it as it was even two decades ago (assuming that is when you last saw it)
You mean London or Bristol ?
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
London
Well I was in London last year and did pay a couple of visits to ZSL but I did first visit the zoo way back when I first visited Bristol which would have been in the early 2000's.
I honestly can't remember anything about the reptile house except that they had some crocodiles that I believe were New Guinean instead of the Phillipine crocodiles they now have (not 100 % sure about that though and they may have been the same that are currently kept).
Strangely enough I really can't remember anything else about London zoo except that there were chimpanzees still kept in those strange looking barred enclosures (that appear to have now left the collection), some diana and Hanuman langur monkeys (that were still there last year) and the Clore pavilion had more species like armadillo (and I think wombats maybe ?) and looked very different from the current building.
Overall I have much stronger memories of Bristol and its collection and being impressed by the zoo in general. I think if I was to pay a visit now I would still prefer Bristol to London.
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Actually the langurs present now are a relatively new arrival, coming to the zoo when Land of the Lions opened, and are genus-level hybrids as is the case for almost all "Hanuman" Langur in Europe. The ones present in the early to mid 2000s were purebred Sri Lanka Grey Langur (Semnopithecus priam) and were actively phased out by the collection by the end of that decade if memory serves me correctly.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
It sounds like ZSL through and through to phase out a purebred species and bring in a breeding group of some hybrids, LOL, well can't say I'm suprised at all.