Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Zoo News 2024

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I think that the elephant was Meena.Interestingly it shows the bears in their ravine but the scene of the Asian black bear,I think was of the bear in the small bear enclosure which was situated further down, opposite the now chimps outside enclosure.
 
Does anyone know if there was anything kept on the top of this cylindrical shape in the wooded area at the start of the giraffe enclosure (when walking up the hill from the entrance)?

The keepers know it as the ‘Water Tower’, but didn’t know if anything was on top. The gates suggest an aviary of some type????
 

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I don't remember ever seeing anything there and, to be honest, I've been visiting for about 60 years and never noticed it before!
 
Does anyone know if there was anything kept on the top of this cylindrical shape in the wooded area at the start of the giraffe enclosure (when walking up the hill from the entrance)?

The keepers know it as the ‘Water Tower’, but didn’t know if anything was on top. The gates suggest an aviary of some type????
I have also been a visitor to Dudley since the 1960s and even worked there, but for the life of me I couldn't remember anything around there so I have checked my guidebooks from 1937 and there was what was called a kennel in that area. It was mentioned throughout the 1940s and 1950s but by the 1960s it had disappeared. Wether that was a kennel,I have no idea. Hope this helps.
 
Dudley Zoo have just announced the birth of eight Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) kits born to parents Grace and Spruce. They were born in an underground den in the exhibit and have started to emerge more and more over the last few days, so we’ll have to wait and see how many there are all in all.

Dudley Zoo & Castle on Instagram: "We’re incredibly excited to announce the birth of our first ever litter of adorable Arctic fox cubs – just in time to meet our half term visitors! Under the watchful gaze of mum, Grace and dad, Spruce, the cubs emerged from an underground burrow over the last few days, much to the delight of staff and a few lucky guests who have already managed to glimpse our new arrivals. Keepers have so far spotted eight cubs, also known as kits, but as Arctic fox litter sizes can vary, there may be more to appear. DZC Carnivore Section Leader, Sam Grove, said: “We’re thrilled to see the cubs out and about exploring the habitat and their arrival is extra special as it’s the first time we’ve bred Arctic foxes here at DZC. “We believe the cubs are now around six-weeks-old and have been tucked away in underground tunnels with mum since birth. “Both Grace and Spruce are first time parents, but they’re both doing incredibly well, with dad busy guarding the burrow entrance and taking food to mum.” Two-year-old Grace arrived at DZC in November 2022, while Spruce, aged one, joined her in October last year. Sam added: “Since we re-introduced Arctic foxes to the collection in 2019, they’ve proved to be a really popular species with visitors, who we know will be as excited to see the babies as we are.” Arctic foxes are a monogamous species and will mate for life. Gestation is around six weeks and they can have two litters in a year, with the babies sporting a dark velvety coat."
 
That's great! When I visited last week there was a barrier with a sign saying it's to give them privacy during breeding season.
 
Wow 8 of them. They are absolutely adorable!

Dudley Zoo have just announced the birth of eight Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) kits born to parents Grace and Spruce. They were born in an underground den in the exhibit and have started to emerge more and more over the last few days, so we’ll have to wait and see how many there are all in all.

Dudley Zoo & Castle on Instagram: "We’re incredibly excited to announce the birth of our first ever litter of adorable Arctic fox cubs – just in time to meet our half term visitors! Under the watchful gaze of mum, Grace and dad, Spruce, the cubs emerged from an underground burrow over the last few days, much to the delight of staff and a few lucky guests who have already managed to glimpse our new arrivals. Keepers have so far spotted eight cubs, also known as kits, but as Arctic fox litter sizes can vary, there may be more to appear. DZC Carnivore Section Leader, Sam Grove, said: “We’re thrilled to see the cubs out and about exploring the habitat and their arrival is extra special as it’s the first time we’ve bred Arctic foxes here at DZC. “We believe the cubs are now around six-weeks-old and have been tucked away in underground tunnels with mum since birth. “Both Grace and Spruce are first time parents, but they’re both doing incredibly well, with dad busy guarding the burrow entrance and taking food to mum.” Two-year-old Grace arrived at DZC in November 2022, while Spruce, aged one, joined her in October last year. Sam added: “Since we re-introduced Arctic foxes to the collection in 2019, they’ve proved to be a really popular species with visitors, who we know will be as excited to see the babies as we are.” Arctic foxes are a monogamous species and will mate for life. Gestation is around six weeks and they can have two litters in a year, with the babies sporting a dark velvety coat."
 
Dudley Zoo have just announced the birth of eight Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) kits born to parents Grace and Spruce. They were born in an underground den in the exhibit and have started to emerge more and more over the last few days, so we’ll have to wait and see how many there are all in all.

Dudley Zoo & Castle on Instagram: "We’re incredibly excited to announce the birth of our first ever litter of adorable Arctic fox cubs – just in time to meet our half term visitors! Under the watchful gaze of mum, Grace and dad, Spruce, the cubs emerged from an underground burrow over the last few days, much to the delight of staff and a few lucky guests who have already managed to glimpse our new arrivals. Keepers have so far spotted eight cubs, also known as kits, but as Arctic fox litter sizes can vary, there may be more to appear. DZC Carnivore Section Leader, Sam Grove, said: “We’re thrilled to see the cubs out and about exploring the habitat and their arrival is extra special as it’s the first time we’ve bred Arctic foxes here at DZC. “We believe the cubs are now around six-weeks-old and have been tucked away in underground tunnels with mum since birth. “Both Grace and Spruce are first time parents, but they’re both doing incredibly well, with dad busy guarding the burrow entrance and taking food to mum.” Two-year-old Grace arrived at DZC in November 2022, while Spruce, aged one, joined her in October last year. Sam added: “Since we re-introduced Arctic foxes to the collection in 2019, they’ve proved to be a really popular species with visitors, who we know will be as excited to see the babies as we are.” Arctic foxes are a monogamous species and will mate for life. Gestation is around six weeks and they can have two litters in a year, with the babies sporting a dark velvety coat."
Cool species! Do they participate in the Scandinavian recovery program for Arctic fox (viz Skansen Zoo project in Stockholm)?
 
On March 9th, the zoo announced they acquired (0.6) domestic guinea pigs named Ariel, Aurora, Belle, Dory, Jasmine, and Rapunzel which are on display in the Farm Barn.

New arrivals | Have you spotted our six new guinea pig girls in the farm barn? Say hello to Ariel, Aurora, Jasmine, Rapunzel, Dory and Belle! If you're on TikTok,... | By Dudley Zoo | Facebook

On March 29th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (1.0) domestic reindeer named Bruno to Wild Discovery in Lancashire.

Wild Discovery

On April 3rd, the zoo announced they built a new exhibit for their (0.1) domestic goose (breed not specified) named Derek, complete with a new indoor house and large outdoor area/pool as well as an enclosed outdoor space with a smaller pool.

Dudley Zoo

On June 6th, it was announced that the zoo transferred (4.0) yellow-breasted capuchin monkeys named Chops, Clint, Deet, and Doyle to Drusillas Park in East Sussex.

Drusillas Park


On June 15th, the zoo announced that (0.1) giraffe Josie is finally exploring the paddock expansion area for the past couple days, after almost a year since it opened.

Dudley Zoo
 
The visitor numbers for 2023 have been released, so I've updated the graph...

upload_2024-6-27_20-20-15.png

Only a slight improvement on 2022. The zoo states their target for 2023 was 310,000, but they missed this target due to a slow start to the year and wet weather in March and July.
 

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