Dartmoor Zoo First Visit to Dartmoor Zoo

I have to admit i was a little surprised at the number of animals they had compared to enclosures - we seen more empty enclosures than anything else.

I completely understand that they are a work in progress and we did chat to some volunteers and workers all who seemed helpful and friendly, in fact one of them went to hunt down Benjamin Mee so he could sign my book even though it was his day off haha.

I have seen the pictures and news reports etc about Zebedee, Zak and Spot so it is strange they have disappeared/not been mentioned or seen.
 
SmallestGiraffe said:
I have seen the pictures and news reports etc about Zebedee, Zak and Spot so it is strange they have disappeared/not been mentioned or seen.
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Well, I suggest you ask them again what happened to them- if you provide the names they'll know you know they had them.
 
I also remember South Lakes announcing they were to recieve zebra last February, did these materialise or disappear like the ones at Dartmoor?
 
Hmm ... seems there are quite a few mysterious zebras then haha!
Could South Lakes be bringing them in as part of the extension? Certainly never seen them around the park!
 
South Lakes have yet to receive any Zebras...

The Dartmoor ones did arrive on site (from Longleat) so what later happened to them is a mystery
 
Returned The other week for a second visit. They do a 'boomerang' ticket for January. Pay full price, keep your receipt & ticket for free entry within 30 days.

The weather was not to great and most animals hid away during the day. The toilets were absolutely disgusting! The Zoo was fairly quiet I went in the Loo's at 10:40. They clearly had not washed for at least a day. The floor was covered in mud, the hand soap was still off the wall, but the cubicle door had been fixed so it now closed and locked properly.

I came up beside a volunteer by the Jaguar. She asked me would I like to know more about Jaguars. Not to be rude I said okay, she read straight from a card and not from her own knowledge.

Now, a bit more serious has to be student rudeness. The Zoo has students who are studying there on courses, several of them were acround the zoo. Between the Tiger and Cheetah enslosures is a path for the open front view. I was stood here with two students near me when a member of staff approached in one of those small tractors. I pushed up against the wall, leaving plenty of room for him to get through. The student rather rudely turned to me and said ''You'd better move'' whilst glaring at me like I was a complete idiot. Not to argue I walked up around. The tractor drove by, with metres to spare and the driver hopped off by the end gate, then started to come back a minute later. Two people had gone to where I was standing. They pushed up against the wall, leaving plenty of space. The students mouthed off about them rather loudly ''Bloody idiots, you know they're idiots.'' Not very nice, they might only be students and not official staff but they wore the uniforms, not a very good representation of the zoo to be honest.

I can't really say why but something just didn't feel right about the place. I can't exactly put my finger on the reason why. I spoke to another Paignton Zoo & Exmoor Zoo regular and she said she felt the same way as did others she'd spoken to. As I walked around I felt so uneasy... It was just such an odd feeling.

I may go back, but only next year, just to see the animals, they themselves are brilliant. However the rest of the place is just to negative, I'd rather go to Paignton and Exmoor Zoo, They are far better in my personal opinion.
 
Drago said:
Josie the Lioness was roaring quite a lot at Tazmin the Siberian Tiger in the next enclosure. Watching her get fed was entertaining to watch. She had a donkeys head chained up a tree. She first tried pulling it down by her forepaws and finally by laying on her back and swinging back and forth briefly.
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I've only just seen this thread, and I came across this part in the first post. Are donkey heads a common enrichment item in UK zoos? I personally have no issue with it but it would surely be a bit distressing for many children (and no doubt certain adults) to see a donkey's head hanging in a tree! I mean it's not just a big hunk of meat or even a leg, it's an actual donkey's head.
 
Drago said:
I came up beside a volunteer by the Jaguar. She asked me would I like to know more about Jaguars. Not to be rude I said okay, she read straight from a card and not from her own knowledge.
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Why don't they just put all the information she read from her card onto a display label/board, so people can just read it themselves? :confused:
 
Chlidonias said:
I've only just seen this thread, and I came across this part in the first post. Are donkey heads a common enrichment item in UK zoos? I personally have no issue with it but it would surely be a bit distressing for many children (and no doubt certain adults) to see a donkey's head hanging in a tree! I mean it's not just a big hunk of meat or even a leg, it's an actual donkey's head.
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I was at zoo a while back where at the tiger talk, we were told they had ceased the practice of talks & feeds for the lions & tigers because the sight of the meat would cause distress to some visitors. If those visitors were upset by a leg or something else resembling what they might cook for their sunday lunch, i can't imagine the reaction to a donkey head!! I've never seen a head in an enclosure at any zoo i've been to.
 
pipaluk said:
I was at zoo a while back where at the tiger talk, we were told they had ceased the practice of talks & feeds for the lions & tigers because the sight of the meat would cause distress to some visitors. If those visitors were upset by a leg or something else resembling what they might cook for their sunday lunch, i can't imagine the reaction to a donkey head!! I've never seen a head in an enclosure at any zoo i've been to.
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I have, numerous sheeps heads in the now closed Seaburn Zoo at Sunderland, the feeding of pigs heads was also quite common food for lions and tigers on the circus. It is now a different era, I can also remember sheep and pig heads hanging on hooks, on display in butchers shop windows, people would no doubt be horrified at this today. The old joke, customer in butcher's shop "I would like a sheep's head please, and could you leave the eyes in to see us through the week"
 
pipaluk said:
I've never seen a head in an enclosure at any zoo i've been to.
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Back in the 1950-60's era, Bristol zoo routinely fed all their Tigers and Lions with (chiefly) Horse and Cattle heads- it was a staple part of their diet. I don't know when it ceased but as we all become more and more squeamish and divorced from the realities of death etc, I'm sure this practice won't be seen again!
 
Pertinax said:
Back in the 1950-60's era, Bristol zoo routinely fed all their Tigers and Lions with (chiefly) Horse and Cattle heads- it was a staple part of their diet. I don't know when it ceased but as we all become more and more squeamish and divorced from the realities of death etc, I'm sure this practice won't be seen again!
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I have to admit, my comment about never seeing an animals head in a carnivore enclosure was based on my experience over the last 15 years as a regular zoo visitor, if there were heads fed in the 70s, it hasn't disturbed me enough to remember it!
 
It probably was actually a Pony head. On my last visit (but after witnessing the feed visit) I heard a keeper say they get there meat from the Dartmoor Pony Cull. It was certainly a brown pony/horse/equine head and hanging from the tree. But it wasn't dyed blue, horse meat usually has to be dyed blue to stop it getting in the human food chain. So heads must not be dyed then? The Wolves received Horse/pony legs dyed blue.

They do have fact cards up, the volunteers have there own cards to read from, but most of what she said was already available any way. So a bit odd in my opinion.

Saying that, I don't really care what they do. I won't be going back in a rush due to the run down state of the place and mouthy students. The only new things I saw there was the new branded vehicles and a big shiny silver caravan (can't remember the name of the type) by the Mee's house.
 
TARZAN said:
I have, numerous sheeps heads in the now closed Seaburn Zoo at Sunderland, the feeding of pigs heads was also quite common food for lions and tigers on the circus. It is now a different era, I can also remember sheep and pig heads hanging on hooks, on display in butchers shop windows, people would no doubt be horrified at this today. The old joke, customer in butcher's shop "I would like a sheep's head please, and could you leave the eyes in to see us through the week"
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Tarzan
Do you have any photos of Seaburn zoo at all? I remember lions and monkeys but that is about all.
I can also remember the game dealer in Newcastle's Grainger market with whole dear hanging up, along side ducks and rabbits they also sold pre packed oven ready crows and rooks as well as seagull eggs. It never botherd me I used to stroke the dear skin as they hung there.
We now live in an age of detachment from death and nature, though a lot of people are quite happy spending hours on computers etc happily killing each other and other "people"
 
About 8 years ago I was doing a cat feed and had a horses head in a crate it was cut in half and so it could be dusted with vits and minerals but there was a cover over the crate.

As I wheeled the crate into the enclosure in a wheelbarrow a member of the public asked what was inside, I thought nothing of pulling the cover off and saying "half a horses head!" .... I think if her eyes widened anymore they would have fallen out of her head!
 
dean said:
Tarzan
Do you have any photos of Seaburn zoo at all? I remember lions and monkeys but that is about all.
I can also remember the game dealer in Newcastle's Grainger market with whole dear hanging up, along side ducks and rabbits they also sold pre packed oven ready crows and rooks as well as seagull eggs. It never botherd me I used to stroke the dear skin as they hung there.
We now live in an age of detachment from death and nature, though a lot of people are quite happy spending hours on computers etc happily killing each other and other "people"
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Sorry Dean, I have no photos at all of Seaburn Zoo, but if you look on Facebook, Sunderland in Pictures, there are some on there. Regarding the Grainger Market in Newcastle, your previous mention of a leopard on display in Robinson's pet shop, was this their shop that they currently have in the Grainger Market or premises they had elsewhere in Newcastle?. Seaburn Zoo had a plentiful supply of sheeps heads from the slaughter house which was only about a mile away from the zoo at Fulwell. It also has now closed, about 9 years ago, on it now are houses that sell for about £800,000 plus, I understand several premier division footballers live there, When I drive passed it now I often wonder if the people who have these houses are aware of what actualy stood on this ground, and if they were, would they have still bought the house!!
 
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