Hanwell Zoo Hanwell Zoo

MagpieGoose

MagpieGoose

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
The zoo will have a rebrand going from Brent Lodge to Hanwell Zoo
"From BRENT LODGE to HANWELL ZOO

From the 1st of April 2017, ‘Brent Lodge Park Animal Centre’ will be rebranded as ‘Hanwell Zoo’.

Since the Animal Centre’s conception, 42 years ago, we have been a free to enter facility. However, rising costs and reductions in council subsidies mandate our zoo to introduce a small fee to facilitate our viability and ensuring it thrives into the future: £2.50 for adults, £1 for 3-16 year olds, under 3’s free, £15 adult season pass, £10 concess...ion season pass. These fee’s, amongst other revenue generating activities, will assist the zoo in becoming a self-sustaining and self-governing entity.

We will also introduce a ‘Friends of Hanwell Zoo’ membership, which will entitle members to further discounts.

A capital grant was awarded to us recently to help facilitate changes which will assist with this transition and will enhance our visitor experience. This is currently being used to develop:

- A new entrance and gift shop.

- A new play area and interactive learning opportunities.

- New bathroom facilities.

- New species spaces: Including capybara, tamarin and flamingo.

- New butterfly and reptile house.

- New experiences

- A fuller event programme and a more interactive experience.

- Also, a new website will be launched with the rebranding.

As always, our focus is conservation and community. Our work with community groups and with some of the world’s rarest animals will continue and grow.

We would like to thank all of our staff, volunteers and Ealing Council for all the hard work and dedication it has taken to provide this service over the past 42 years. And thank you to our visitors, who we trust will support us in our next stage of development."
 
An inserting development. Last time I visited it had wound down a bit from its former self.
Whilst it has always had a free element it has not always been entirely, it once had a pay to enter part with douroucouli, some reptiles and invertebrates and indoor viewing of the capuchins. The council also ran a smaller facility at Walpole park that consisted of a few aviaries.
 
12 Caribbean Flamingo have arrived from Chester Zoo. 2:0 Capybara have also arrived at the Zoo.
 
Hanwell Zoo have received 3 Frilled Lizards from Cotswold Wildlife Park. They have been named Beau, David and Katie after the longest serving keepers.
 
I had absolutely no idea this was here and my parents live about 30 minutes walk away! Will definitely check it out this bank holiday!
 
Little pocket zoo within walking distance from where i live.
Takes 20 minutes to walk around (without the kids).Small team of staff..
Would have liked to imagine they'd expand out into the parkland,utilize the old stable block,but small funds probably inhibit this.?

Disappointed by the seasonal butterfly ( & reptile) house...
It infuriated me that idiot visitors often left the door wide open and let butterflies escape.I managed to catch and return a Blue Morpho & an Owl Butterfly,and again on 2nd & 3rd visit i had to close the door after them. No one paid attention to the 'Keep Door closed sign,and the comment to a keeper,was a reply :''Oh,that always happens.We can breed more.'' No good if there's no butterflies to show.?

And the little enclosure area (Little Egrets,Sacred Ibis,Herman's Tortoise) i seemingly permanently shut & locked.

On a lighter note. Capybara sharing with Patagonian Mara (and Brown Rats)
 
Eric said:
It infuriated me that idiot visitors often left the door wide open and let butterflies escape.I managed to catch and return a Blue Morpho & an Owl Butterfly,and again on 2nd & 3rd visit i had to close the door after them. No one paid attention to the 'Keep Door closed sign,and the comment to a keeper,was a reply :''Oh,that always happens.We can breed more.'' No good if there's no butterflies to show.?
Click to expand...
Poor animal management - how hard is it to put an automatic closer on a door? Also most butterfly houses have vertical plastic strips over the doors to deter escapees.
 
Just a little snippet of news for this tiny zoo. Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec has arrived.
 
Spent just over an hour at this little zoo this morning. Nice little place, but for such a small zoo there were a surprising number of no-shows. Will upload photos to the gallery later today
 
Just a snippet : They are renovating the old boiler room to house aquariums. There two small aquariums hosting Clownfish,hermit crab and red-tailed black shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor)
 
Eric said:
Just a snippet : They are renovating the old boiler room to house aquariums. There are currently two small aquariums hosting Clownfish,hermit crab and red-tailed black shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor)
Click to expand...

...with further tanks to be added,mainly for Southeast Asian waterlife
 
I took a stroll down to Hanwell Zoo recently to have a snoop at this new little aquarium house. It's a one room building,currently houses just two tanks unevenly placed in a wood box on a counter,and it's clear that they should be filling up that sparse space soon.No good just leaving two oddly placed tanks with clown fish,neon and bleeding heart tetra and another fish I can't id (will post images soon).

The little tropical house/butterfly house seemed to have it's temperature way up too high and too oppressive for most visitors.It being a warm day,i came out in a sheen of sweat and steamed up glasses. And the dwarf mongoose enclosure seen from within it,had flimsy plexiglass window which rattled everytime the door was closed.

Too much is given over to a children's play area when there are play areas,an inflatable slide and a maze outside the little zoo,and it seems most children forego the animals as soon as they see the play area. I'm all for in-zoo play areas but not if it distracts too heavily on a zoo or collection trying to educate children on conservation. But it's great that they are 'attempting' to counter act this by setting up an education centre soon.

It seems the keepers are keeping within the confines of the zoo perimeter with regards to my query of any vague chance of expanding out into the park (Brent Lodge Park).They building a new enclosure,likely for the lemurs?. Likely they have no funds or permission to expand out. Shame,..the old stable block would be a great way of greatly expanding the collection and it's usage

Oh,and the little entrance fee has been raised to £3.50
 
A little bit of January 2020 news,is that they have added Hamerkop/Hamerkopf to the avian collection.
 
The zoo have received their first species of cat, a 16 year old Margay, moved in for his retirement. They say he hasn't been named yet, which seems odd for an older animal, which presumably had a name before he moved!

Hanwell Zoo
 
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