Chester Zoo Chester Zoo Discussion and Questions 2022

I visited Chester Zoo last week, on 4th March, my first visit in twelve years. It wasn't exactly a planned visit, I was in Chester for a couple of days mostly to visit Blue Planet Aquarium, and decided at the last minute I would go to Chester Zoo the day after. As a result, I only had a few hours and didn't manage to get around the whole site, not even half of it I don't think, but I still had a good time. My favourite things there were the elephants, lions, butterfly house and Spirit of the Jaguar.
I had to skip Islands and most of the zoo's south section entirely, which I was sad about because this was my first visit since before Islands was built. There were unfortunately a lot of no-shows, including many species I was really hoping to see like the giant anteater, Andean bears and okapi.
With all that said, I definitely will return to Chester Zoo next year, and perhaps split it over two visits.
 
Glad you had a good visit however youd be very lucky to see the anteaters because in my opinion chester have some of the least active anteaters in the UK since 2010 which was the year they arrived at Chester I've probably seen them around 5 times
 
hari Jones said:
Glad you had a good visit however youd be very lucky to see the anteaters because in my opinion chester have some of the least active anteaters in the UK since 2010 which was the year they arrived at Chester I've probably seen them around 5 times
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Notoriously hard to spot. I too didn't see them when I visited a few years back.
 
hari Jones said:
Glad you had a good visit however youd be very lucky to see the anteaters because in my opinion chester have some of the least active anteaters in the UK since 2010 which was the year they arrived at Chester I've probably seen them around 5 times
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Jambo said:
Notoriously hard to spot. I too didn't see them when I visited a few years back.
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That's definitely something I've noticed with giant anteaters in other zoos, it's been a very long time since I've actually seen one. This is the third time I've been to a zoo that has them, but haven't been able to spot them anywhere.

Other than skipping Islands, the most disappointing thing about my visit is not getting a photo of Napo in Spirit of the Jaguar (my visit was a few days after the blak Goshi died). As I entered the indoor viewing area the Napo was sitting on the rock close to the first window in a nice photogenic pose, but as I was getting my phone out of my pocket he ran off into the foliage, and I didn't see him again for the rest of the visit. Despite that, Spirit of the Jaguar is a great exhibit, I like the ceiling rope set-up for the sloth (but I do wonder if the sloth has ever lost its grip and fell in the fish tank), and it was the first time I've ever seen bush dogs.
 
Jambi said:
That's definitely something I've noticed with giant anteaters in other zoos, it's been a very long time since I've actually seen one. This is the third time I've been to a zoo that has them, but haven't been able to spot them anywhere.

Other than skipping Islands, the most disappointing thing about my visit is not getting a photo of Napo in Spirit of the Jaguar (my visit was a few days after the blak Goshi died). As I entered the indoor viewing area the Napo was sitting on the rock close to the first window in a nice photogenic pose, but as I was getting my phone out of my pocket he ran off into the foliage, and I didn't see him again for the rest of the visit. Despite that, Spirit of the Jaguar is a great exhibit, I like the ceiling rope set-up for the sloth (but I do wonder if the sloth has ever lost its grip and fell in the fish tank), and it was the first time I've ever seen bush dogs.
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Giant Anteaters at Longleat are very visible
 
hari Jones said:
Glad you had a good visit however youd be very lucky to see the anteaters because in my opinion chester have some of the least active anteaters in the UK since 2010 which was the year they arrived at Chester I've probably seen them around 5 times
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I must just be lucky, I’ve often seen them doing laps of both the small and large enclosures on my visits (which are few and far between).
 
I have to say, I see the anteaters at Colchester more than I have previously at the moment, but I don't normally see the anteaters that often.
 
hari Jones said:
I mean in the first ever episode of slotz the presenter said that before he came to chester he loved in a bachelor group in Saville also if I remember correctly didn't one of the elephants hate Aung bo when he first arrived and the keepers moved her on
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@hari Jones you are correct when Aung Bo first arrived,there was a Cowe called Jangoli. Jangoli didn't gel with Aung Bo so she moved to Madrid.
 
Jambo said:
It's a shame as she was a proven breeder and represented a different matrilineal from Thi's which is now the only line part of Chester's herd (aside from Maya who's non breeding).
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She only has had three calves all male. Here first was in 1998 but was stillborn, her second was Po Chin born in 2000 and is sire to several calves two of them stillborn, and Tunga who was born in 2004 but died in 2017
 
Jambo said:
It's a shame as she was a proven breeder and represented a different matrilineal from Thi's which is now the only line part of Chester's herd (aside from Maya who's non breeding).
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The next few years could be good opportunity to bring in a new bloodline while the nucleus of the herd has been reduced to a young cow and her two female calves.

All going well, Indali and Riva will be full grown a decade from now and have formed a tight cohesive bond with their mother that would make it challenging for incoming elephants to break into.

Aside from the genetic advantages, it’d allow the herd to grow faster than what could be achieved by waiting for the juveniles to mature and make use of the bull they currently have on site.
 
Mr.Ivory said:
She only has had three calves all male. Here first was in 1998 but was stillborn, her second was Po Chin born in 2000 and is sire to several calves two of them stillborn, and Tunga who was born in 2004 but died in 2017
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By the time of her departure she was 44, and so that probably contributed to the fact they decided to send her away.

Zoofan15 said:
The next few years could be good opportunity to bring in a new bloodline while the nucleus of the herd has been reduced to a young cow and her two female calves.

All going well, Indali and Riva will be full grown a decade from now and have formed a tight cohesive bond with their mother that would make it challenging for incoming elephants to break into.

Aside from the genetic advantages, it’d allow the herd to grow faster than what could be achieved by waiting for the juveniles to mature and make use of the bull they currently have on site.
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Once Anjan gets a little older, i'd like to see Chester send off Aung Bo, and then import another female and a new bull. This would allow Chester to introduce a second matrilineal line, and also give Indali and later Riva, the opportunity to breed naturally in the future.
 
Jambo said:
Once Anjan gets a little older, i'd like to see Chester send off Aung Bo, and then import another female and a new bull. This would allow Chester to introduce a second matrilineal line, and also give Indali and later Riva, the opportunity to breed naturally in the future.
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This would work providing the extension goes ahead.
 
Yes hopefully Anjan has made it through the danger stage for herpes and now riva has made it to the vulnerable stage hopefully she can get through and if she does catch it hopefully she'll be a fighter like indali
 
hari Jones said:
Yes hopefully Anjan has made it through the danger stage for herpes and now riva has made it to the vulnerable stage hopefully she can get through and if she does catch it hopefully she'll be a fighter like indali
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Anjan is three years and nine months old. While the highest rate of mortality is in elephants aged two to four, it’s not until they’re eight years old that they’re regarded as being past the danger stage and as such Chester Zoo would do well to remain vigilant in routinely testing all their calves for this virus (as they do).
 
Zoofan15 said:
The next few years could be good opportunity to bring in a new bloodline while the nucleus of the herd has been reduced to a young cow and her two female calves.

All going well, Indali and Riva will be full grown a decade from now and have formed a tight cohesive bond with their mother that would make it challenging for incoming elephants to break into.

Aside from the genetic advantages, it’d allow the herd to grow faster than what could be achieved by waiting for the juveniles to mature and make use of the bull they currently have on site.
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Why do? You now have a full matrilineal line at Chester Zoo and no need to bring in others? Besides, contrary to the EEP polixy which ATM is reducing breeding now as more elephant become surplus and current spaces are at a limit.

There are though a few UK zoos that IMO do need a quick fix breeding success to have elephants long term though.
 
Zoofan15 said:
The next few years could be good opportunity to bring in a new bloodline while the nucleus of the herd has been reduced to a young cow and her two female calves.

All going well, Indali and Riva will be full grown a decade from now and have formed a tight cohesive bond with their mother that would make it challenging for incoming elephants to break into.

Aside from the genetic advantages, it’d allow the herd to grow faster than what could be achieved by waiting for the juveniles to mature and make use of the bull they currently have on site.
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Unless indali ends up like her mum sundara and ends up inbreeding with her dad just like sundara did with upali who was her dad and also sundara was still quite young when she gave birth to hari who was her first calf she was only around 8 years old when she gave birth to him
 
hari Jones said:
Unless indali ends up like her mum sundara and ends up inbreeding with her dad just like sundara did with upali who was her dad and also sundara was still quite young when she gave birth to hari who was her first calf she was only around 8 years old when she gave birth to him
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I think it has been mentioned that this is unlikely to happen as Chetser Zoo can monitor when Indali is cycling and that will not be for a few years. I believe it has also been covered that inbreeding is not as bad as some people may think, contrary to popular belief, although still not ideal.
 
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