Dartmoor Zoo Developments on Dartmoor

have I metioned before they want to get fishing cats? well anyay one of the keepers came from port lympne or howletts (or somewhere with fishing cats!) and they're hopeful they'll be able to get fishing cats
 
It says that on the website.
I wonder where they'd go...
 
"sarah, for instance, has unique and direct experience of the fishing cats at Port Lympne Zoo, who were so impressed with her that they said a breeding pair could come with her to DZP, just as soon as we can build them a suitable enclosure."
- Page 167 of We Bought A Zoo
"The reccomended minimum size for their enclosures, for instance, is 45 square meters. the australians had provided 85. we could give them 160. Why not? we have the space."
-page 183
"i had a hunch where the best place for this would be, in what i still liked to call the 'giraffe field', but now is 'the small cats field', wherre it borders onto the walk-in-enclosure containing the flamingo lake"
"a natural spring bursts out from boggy ground to babble into the lake amidst a thicket of brambles and overgrown exotic plants."
- page 184 :D
 
Interesting idea... I also think they should improve the other enclosures first though.
 
Does management have something of an action plan regarding the run-down zoo. I know that Chester Zoo assisted with zoo designs and refurbishment. Anyone of you has any idea what the immediate future plans are?

What does the refurbishment of Dartmoor Wildlife Park entail?
What species will the zoo concentrate on (is the lynx and fishing cats the way to go)?
 
The lynx are still there, and the owner (Ben) wants to get giraffe, eles, gorillas etc.
However, they really don't have the room eles, but maybe giraffes.
 
jelle said:
Does management have something of an action plan regarding the run-down zoo. I know that Chester Zoo assisted with zoo designs and refurbishment. Anyone of you has any idea what the immediate future plans are?

What does the refurbishment of Dartmoor Wildlife Park entail?
What species will the zoo concentrate on (is the lynx and fishing cats the way to go)?
Click to expand...

I wrote some of the plans for the immediate future at the start of this thread: Coatis, Lynx and reptile house (which does not seem so immediate;)).

I think the lynx will be coming on-show quite soon as when i was there they had almost finished dismantling the old puma enclosure. Also, the keeper i spoke to implied that they would start work on the new enclosure asap as the lynx has already been in quarantine for 18 months.

I haven't heard anything about the fishing cats and they weren't building anything where their enclosure will supposedly be.
 
foz said:
"sarah, for instance, has unique and direct experience of the fishing cats at Port Lympne Zoo, who were so impressed with her that they said a breeding pair could come with her to DZP, just as soon as we can build them a suitable enclosure."

This never happend? Port lympne never made such an agreement, and Sarah no longer works at the park.

Most of the staff featured in the series 'bens zoo' have left or been dismissed.
Click to expand...
 
once ben settles down, i think he realise that maybe giraffes and gorillas arent the best idea at the moment, give it another few years
 
Tigerlemurguy said:
once ben settles down, i think he realise that maybe giraffes and gorillas arent the best idea at the moment, give it another few years
Click to expand...

I don't think the owners where thinking that they would get giraffes overnight!

He clearly stated in the programs in the future he may like to get some off these animals. Before he can do that he needs to improve the current enclosures.
 
taun said:
I don't think the owners where thinking that they would get giraffes overnight!

He clearly stated in the programs in the future he may like to get some off these animals. Before he can do that he needs to improve the current enclosures.
Click to expand...

sorry didnt make that clear, and yes tottaly. But it is nice to see that things are improving :)
 
The posted photos of this place are uniformly awful. What is the point of keeping animals in such utterly unimaginative and ugly enclosures?
 
They're not that bad.
Give the guy a chance, he's only been there a year or two, and the place was a hell hole before he got there.
 
I agree, without ben the zoo would have been gone and the animals either passed on or put down i suppose, you have to remeber with the financial troubles that improving the zoo could take some time.
 
To be fair no , zoo looks brilliant in mid winter with lots of muddy paddocks . The new Tapir House does not look bad .
 
The problem here is that they have inherited a lot of old enclosures. Without razing them to the ground and building afresh (at probably impossible expense) they will always look outdated, even if tidied up and improved. I think it must be very much an uphill struggle to bring this zoo up to a higher standard.
 
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