Chester Zoo Chester Zoo Discussion, Speculation & Questions 2019
- Thread starter FunkyGibbon
- Start date
I believe they are still there, they may end up keeping them as a foundation for the bachelor herd for the resort area.
They are kept offshow.
Does anyone know if the Grandidier's vontsira and the antsangy are going on display in the near or distant future?
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
As probably the only zoochatter to have seen both species multiple times off show at Chester,I will confirm that they currently have no plans to put either species on show in the near or distant future.Your best bet of seeing them would have been a walk and talk,that I used to sort out for zoochat but sadly that will not happen for the foreseeable future!
It's a pity that Chester has very little display space for smaller mammals. This is unlikely to change soon as there are 4 major building projects under way at the moment:
- reconstruction of the Monsoon Forest (ready in about a year)
- building the new off-show holding area (described as larger than Bristol Zoo at the AGM)
- completing the new lion enclosure (ready this autumn)
- building a new works yard beside the Lecture Theatre
It's a pity that Chester has very little display space for smaller mammals. This is unlikely to change soon as there are 4 major building projects under way at the moment:
Don't hold your breath
- reconstruction of the Monsoon Forest (ready in about a year)
- building the new off-show holding area (described as larger than Bristol Zoo at the AGM)
- completing the new lion enclosure (ready this autumn)
- building a new works yard beside the Lecture Theatre
Quicker to go on holiday to Madagascar, it seems. About as expensive as a train from London to Chester too...
But you don't need vaccinations before you go to Chester
Question: are there any short term plans for the soon to be vacated lion enclosure? I can't tell whether it falls under 'Forests' or 'Zoo Heritage/UK.' Presumably if it falls into the former category it will be redeveloped, whereas if the latter - and it is the only enclosure which still contains WW2 tank traps and is thus of some historic interest - it will simply be restocked.
I am going for a lie down.
In a darkened room.
I may be some time.
For context:
- there will be no net reduction of animals on show from this (in fact, all being well it should see an increase of one mongoosey species on show - either (hopefully) a new, Asian species with the lions or the Dwarfs relocated and something (perhaps something Malagasy..!) replacing them
- there will be no net reduction in either number or size of animal enclosures - it's one in, one out - and the zoo's total size will increase
- the lions' new enclosure is intended as an early phase of a future zone (as happened with the wild dogs/hyrax etc and Grasslands) so will lay the foundations for future developments in the new expansion area as well as those near the Oakfield
- one of the stated reasons for moving the lions out of that area now is the amount of disturbance there is shortly to be nearby, so it's perhaps understandable that they don't want to replace them with other animals just now
So while I personally would love that area to quickly become home to Dhole or Maned Wolf or Brown Hyaena or Tibetan Fox, it's hard to feel too aggrieved by this, surely?
Additional context:
It's worth also mentioning for the purposes of reference that the new lion enclosure has a really large dead space before reaching the viewing windows, so the enclosure footprint is not as large as it seems from the other side of hedge. There are also some disappointing design aspects, such as no clear view of the lions as one would have at YWP for example, as the raised "hill" isn't high enough to provide a view over the barrier.
But wouldn't it be lovely to see the zoo's footprint increase, and have a larger number of on-show animals rather than just one small side exhibit being the net gain?
It's worth also mentioning for the purposes of reference that the new lion enclosure has a really large dead space before reaching the viewing windows, so the enclosure footprint is not as large as it seems from the other side of hedge. There are also some disappointing design aspects, such as no clear view of the lions as one would have at YWP for example, as the raised "hill" isn't high enough to provide a view over the barrier.
It would, yes, but the chorus of despair on this website any time there is the slightest suggestion a zoo might not immediately use every last piece of land for animals, even when it's unconfirmed and could be temporary and there is no loss of holdings and they've even explained why they don't want animals there for now, is rather wearying at this point. And it's every time, even at a zoo like Chester that is actively expanding and bringing things in.
@Maguari The chorus are quite entitled to their opinion whether you or I find it wearying or not. Personally, I can appreciate both sides of the argument and the widely differing views, from people who are excited to see an expanding perimeter come what may and dislike all legacy enclosures, to those who might not actually be able to walk huge distances between exhibits.
I feel like I'm having words put in my mouth here now - you are certainly well aware that none of that is what I said. In a discussion forum I believe it is fairly usual to express one's own opinion, rather than having to exhaustively list all the other acceptable ones. All my point was was that we go through this every time a spare bit of land comes free and is (reported to be) used for non-animal-keeping purposes as though any other use of land is unthinkable in a functional tourist attraction.
(as an aside, I would posit that the way to deal with the walking distance issue is to help people not able to walk long distances gain access to the zoo with practical route planning, transportation and access facilities, rather than to ensure the zoo is kept small...)
The aims here as far as I can see are to move the lions to a more modern enclosure (with better indoor housing (and viewing) and where they are not surrounded on all sides by visitors) and to enable them to be out of the way of works that will taking place in the Jubilee Square/Stable Block area and in the area that they are ultimately intended to be in long-term planning.
These are perfectly solid objectives and there's reason for anyone to act as though the sky is falling because the old enclosure isn't already confirmed as being restocked with other animals.
And, to reiterate, I certainly do want to see the number of on-show animals at Chester increased and have commented on another thread recently that having visible animals is in my experience the most important thing for most zoo visitors, nerd or otherwise. But visible animals in places that are suitable. And if the zoo feels that this site isn't suitable in the short/medium term because of noise or because they need access through or whatever, then that is fair enough and they are entitled to use the land for something else.
For people who are not good at walking long distances then book a scooter a week or so before going most collections have these scooters these days