I think the blesbok are to be mixed with the batchelor giraffes.
I've seen this suggested a few times - there's certainly an antelope house for that area in the plans so
something will be mixed with the bachelor giraffes - but also they've always given the impression in marketing that (at least some of) the Blesbok will be in the main paddock eventually. Possibly the antelope house in the bachelor paddock is for, well, bachelors..!
Looks like there are 4 (?) large paddocks to the right of the entrance, on the map between the Eastern White Rhino on the left and Aardvark on the right. Is that just for the rhinos? Couldn’t find the planning documents.
These are the existing Eastern
Black Rhino paddocks that are being integrated into the new section (as are the wild dog enclosures and Tsavo aviary, for instance).
Do you know the reasoning behind this? It just seems a bit odd.
I would guess it's to assist "normals" (as opposed to we zoo nerds) to see everything.
Yeah, it's a design decision, and not unique to Chester - it controls visitor flow, allows sightlines to be predicted more clearly, produces an easy circular route for first time visitors and allows them more options in terms of storytelling in the exhibit. Even things like placing toilets and kiosks are easier when you know roughly how long ago people will have passed the last one.
It's also a bit of a pain if you're a regular visitor who might want to zip back and forth without doing the whole thing, it's true - but the actual pathways for this are quiet economic so a 'full tour' should be a fair bit less walking than Islands, for instance, and it seems pretty well laid out to enable you to cut between areas within the zone.
