As Chester zoo is now regarded as the single best collection of animals in Great Britain, i thought to myself, partcularly in the mammal collection, what groups of mammals were missing or absent from the collection, to give the visiting public to the unofficial national zoo, a full flavour of the mammals.
MONOTREME - Australian echidna
MARSUPIAL - Perhaps tree kangaroo in an extended islands in danger
INSECTIVORE - A tenrec species displayed alongside lemur in an indoor exhibit.
CHIROPTERA - Perfect
Flying lemurs are unavailable to any zoo, tree shrews are already present, and elephant shrew could become available.
PRIMATE - A dwarf lemur or some other prosimian species in the bat exhibit (i thought that was the original intention), lemurs apart are fine, perhaps red titi in with the marmosets, a few guenon species such as owl faced or diana, one maybe mixed again with the mandrill, hamadryas babbon in with the Grevy's zebra. Also a i think a langur species should be housed in or near RORA.
A rarer species of gibbon, perhaps golden cheeked or pileated to replace the lars.
Gorillas will be taken care of in a few years time.
XENARTHA - Giant anteaters to go in with the capybara and tapir, and maybe an armadillo species somewhere in the jaguar house.
I think i will skip the Lagomorph
RODENT - The collection is building up really well, no additions there
No cetaceans for the zoo
CARNIVORES - Perhaps the dog collection could be added to, with African hunting dogs proposed for next year, i would like to see perhaps black backed jackal or even European or Iberian wolf exhibited.
Another bear species would be good, i think sloth bear would complement the Asian plains and Asian elephants nicely.
ratel, wolverine or giant otter too, or spot necked otter in with the red river hog.
A hyena species too
The cat collection could do with some bolstering too, with say a lynx species, sand cat, Temminck's cat, margay or Pallas cat.
larger cats, a leopard species, snow leopard or clouded leopard.
PINNIPED - A non eared seal species like grey or common seal or perhaps Baikal seal in the canal!!!!!!
ELEPHANTS - Perfect
Aardvark in somewhere around the Tsavo rhino exhibit as well as a group of hyrax.
SIRENIA - manatees for which a new exhibit would need to be built from scratch, so unlikely, unless the management can secure a couple of west African manatee for the new heart of Africa exhibit.
PERISSODACTYLA - The horses and zebra are well catered for at Chester with 3 species, as well as an outstanding collection of rhino, Mlayan tapir or another species of south American tapir.
ARTIODACTYLA - The best swine collection in the UK with 4 species, the zoo needs a hippo species, there has been talk for a few years of a new common hippo lake (heres hoping), plenty of representative camelids.
Deer, i would like to see a small species like musk deer or even a chevrotain to join the pudu, larger deer replace the common reindeer with forest reindeer, and an Asian species like white lipped or barasingha, giraffes and kin excellent, antelope are well represented but add in a duiker species, a wildebeest and a gazelle, an Asian wild cattle species to complement the anoa, such as gaur or banteng.
Along with African cape buffalo too.
And where the hoofstock is severly lacking is the sheep and goat and goat likes,
a Chinese exhibit with perhaps bharal and goral, or even a takin species, musk oxen too, markhor or an ibex species.
And thats me wasted 10 minutes of every members life, now let the criticism pour in
MONOTREME - Australian echidna
MARSUPIAL - Perhaps tree kangaroo in an extended islands in danger
INSECTIVORE - A tenrec species displayed alongside lemur in an indoor exhibit.
CHIROPTERA - Perfect
Flying lemurs are unavailable to any zoo, tree shrews are already present, and elephant shrew could become available.
PRIMATE - A dwarf lemur or some other prosimian species in the bat exhibit (i thought that was the original intention), lemurs apart are fine, perhaps red titi in with the marmosets, a few guenon species such as owl faced or diana, one maybe mixed again with the mandrill, hamadryas babbon in with the Grevy's zebra. Also a i think a langur species should be housed in or near RORA.
A rarer species of gibbon, perhaps golden cheeked or pileated to replace the lars.
Gorillas will be taken care of in a few years time.
XENARTHA - Giant anteaters to go in with the capybara and tapir, and maybe an armadillo species somewhere in the jaguar house.
I think i will skip the Lagomorph
RODENT - The collection is building up really well, no additions there
No cetaceans for the zoo
CARNIVORES - Perhaps the dog collection could be added to, with African hunting dogs proposed for next year, i would like to see perhaps black backed jackal or even European or Iberian wolf exhibited.
Another bear species would be good, i think sloth bear would complement the Asian plains and Asian elephants nicely.
ratel, wolverine or giant otter too, or spot necked otter in with the red river hog.
A hyena species too
The cat collection could do with some bolstering too, with say a lynx species, sand cat, Temminck's cat, margay or Pallas cat.
larger cats, a leopard species, snow leopard or clouded leopard.
PINNIPED - A non eared seal species like grey or common seal or perhaps Baikal seal in the canal!!!!!!
ELEPHANTS - Perfect
Aardvark in somewhere around the Tsavo rhino exhibit as well as a group of hyrax.
SIRENIA - manatees for which a new exhibit would need to be built from scratch, so unlikely, unless the management can secure a couple of west African manatee for the new heart of Africa exhibit.
PERISSODACTYLA - The horses and zebra are well catered for at Chester with 3 species, as well as an outstanding collection of rhino, Mlayan tapir or another species of south American tapir.
ARTIODACTYLA - The best swine collection in the UK with 4 species, the zoo needs a hippo species, there has been talk for a few years of a new common hippo lake (heres hoping), plenty of representative camelids.
Deer, i would like to see a small species like musk deer or even a chevrotain to join the pudu, larger deer replace the common reindeer with forest reindeer, and an Asian species like white lipped or barasingha, giraffes and kin excellent, antelope are well represented but add in a duiker species, a wildebeest and a gazelle, an Asian wild cattle species to complement the anoa, such as gaur or banteng.
Along with African cape buffalo too.
And where the hoofstock is severly lacking is the sheep and goat and goat likes,
a Chinese exhibit with perhaps bharal and goral, or even a takin species, musk oxen too, markhor or an ibex species.
And thats me wasted 10 minutes of every members life, now let the criticism pour in
