Had a fun day at Dudley today. No one had received the memo about not visiting the zoo it seemed and it was really busy. The construction outside the zoo continues at pace. Despite the large number of people there were still some quiet spots and people spread around the site.
Didn't catch sight of the Wolverine kits but did see Helga and the male Floki engaged in some noisy mating in the shelter box. Helga saw Floki off after the mating was over and some chasing ensued. Dudley having signage that's at least 10ft high didn't stop the Wolverines being variously labelled Bears, Wolves, Skunks and Red Pandas as I stood there, but the informative talk helped those who attended it identify them.
There was an 'animal under veterinary care' sign up at the tiger enclosure and Joao the male Sumatran tiger had a visible healing wound low down on his left side but was wandering about and actively jumping onto the platforms.
Was great to see the Bushdog family with pups outside enjoying the sunshine and I also got lucky with the Orang family having the day access to the large climbing enclosure, offering great views. There was a talk and feed too, quite the treat. Was nice to see the (new to me) aviary next to the Orang house occupied by Green Aracari and a few other updates since I was last there with renewed fencing for the Spider Monkeys and outside enclosure renewal for the Coppery Titi Monkeys.
Some aviary swaps had also gone on since my last visit, with the Violet Turaco moving from the aviaries near the Wolverines to the updated bird area opposite the sloths, now sharing with the Palawan Peacock Pheasant. Indian Peafowl now in the old aviary. Much improved views of the Turaco as a result Some nice bird mixes continue in the refurbished aviaries including some Black Headed Weavers (which I don't recall being in the large aviary last time); they were busy getting their breeding plumage on.
In the neighbouring aviary were Red Billed Pintail, Baikal Teal, Satyr Tragopan, Mindano Bleeding Heart Dove and Bali Starling. So some nice birds to look at and not busy there. The Lorikeet walkthrough area was closed, assume for bird flu precautions.
The Painted Dog area looks to be well under way now with landscaping and what look like final touches going in including a large water feature and holding area outside the house. Popped some pictures in the gallery including some panos to show the space such as the left hand area below. Hopefully the planting will allow for space to hide in the end.
On a travel related note (nothing to do with the zoo of course) two of the EV charging sites nearest to the zoo have had all their cables nicked / chainsawed off and are now unusable. Shame to see. Newer charging on the M5 South at Frankley though, for those seeking electricity on the move.
