ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Cheetah Rock

[Pertinax]

Forgot to comment on Cheetah Rock. Another good exhibit similar to the 'Lions of Serengeti' There is a fancy public viewing enclosure with similar glass window etc. Much of it has obviously been designed to give the Cheetahs full view of the herd of Nile Lechwe in the adjacent paddock. Not sure if this is good enrichment or will be terribly frustrating for them. Also an offshow 'breeding centre' is situated directly behind the Hippo house- this is much more basic- a number of rectangualar wire runs and dog kennel-type shelters- a sort of Cheetah 'Guantanamo'

 

[JamesB]

sounds a great exhibit sadly i wont be visiting whipsnade for a few years as my last visit put me off, but with all these new exhibits (lemurs, bears, rhinos and cheetah) i might have to visit some time soon

 

[Pygathrix]

What put you off last time?

 

[JamesB]

its a nice zoo but im a more of a primate person and was let down by the lack of variety there but cheetah rock sounds appealing to me

 

[ZooMania]

I agree the primate collection is rather weak isnt it.

 

[Pertinax]

I agree the primate collection is rather weak isnt it.

Its always been almost nonexistent apart from chimps and the lemurs.

 

[MARK]

Its always been almost nonexistent apart from chimps and the lemurs.

Years ago they did not even have the Lemurs

 

[CZJimmy]

Its always been almost nonexistent apart from chimps and the lemurs.

and the odd new world monkey species

 

[taun]

Ah yes but from my understanding of whipsnade is that it is a rather large (Safari like) zoo. Therefore exhibiting primates seems to go out of the window in this setting, unless you have large groups of baboons similar to what safari parks use for there primate exhibit.

It is a shame because they could give the primates more space than any zoo could but potential could be lost to view in a large enclosure and that would be a negative view from paying customers.

 

[JamesB]

seeing as it belongs to the zsl i thought it would have alot more variety there but i was wrong but it was a nice day out at parts

can someone tell me what happened to the pygmy hippos there as the zoo inventory says they no longer live at whipsnade

 

[CZJimmy]

seeing as it belongs to the zsl i thought it would have alot more variety there but i was wrong but it was a nice day out at parts

can someone tell me what happened to the pygmy hippos there as the zoo inventory says they no longer live at whipsnade

As has already been said, there is only so much variety of primates that can be kept in such a large area, but still be visible to the public. Whipsnade is more of a hoofstock/large animal zoo and the primates which they do have are bonuses.

I believe it was said on the forums somewhere that the pygmy hippos died. (Stand to be corrected there though)

 

[JamesB]

well i guess its my fault because i didnt reseacrh the park before i visited but i still thought they could make the park more varied

 

[Writhedhornbill]

They have Temminck's hornbill, Gaur, sloth bear and Indian rhino. What more could you want!

I really like the temminck's hornbill, and I'll have to make a trip down to see them soon

 

[gentle lemur]

They have Temminck's hornbill, Gaur, sloth bear and Indian rhino. What more could you want!

Don't forget the best brown bear and wolf exhibits in the UK (probably) and a breeding herd of Asian elephants.

Alan

 

[JamesB]

well the sloth bears werent there when i went, and didnt get a chance to see the wolves, will do next time

btw, does cheetah rock feature any other animals other than chetah (like reptiles or something) ?

 

[kiang]

A must see report from the BBC, featuring the new cubs, and more, with a look behind the scenes at the off show breeding area.

BBC News - How Whipsnade Zoo bred rare cheetah cubs in captivity

 

[catinthehat]

that is definitely a must see report! absolutely fascinating that they give the cheetahs free rein to choose their own mate and nice to see behind the scenes, especially considering that you can only catch a glimpse of some of the pens from by the hippo house. This video shows how much more extenisve all those pens are!