Chester Zoo If you could, how would you change Chester Zoo!

PaleoMatt said:
I believe I saw a post before of someone wanting Maned Wolves in SOTJ. Also the tree kangarros and pademelons are moving to islands. I don't know when you last visited but the aquarium had an update recently and looks better than ever. I know many have said the aquarium should go but I think I am too nostalgic for that building :p I wouldn't mind seeing it be connected to the giant otter viewing area and making it a bit larger with the area nearby, I think it could become one of the zoo's most popular exhibits (It's already a favourite among kids, especially 'nemo').
Click to expand...
That would be me regarding the wolves.
 
Before anyone goes any further with species for the current lion enclosure, it's (currently) already earmarked as an extension of the play area as soon as the lions vacate.
 
SMR said:
Before anyone goes any further with species for the current lion enclosure, it's (currently) already earmarked as an extension of the play area as soon as the lions vacate.
Click to expand...

First the Fountain Gardens...
Then the Lions...
What will be next?

The Nissen Hut? :P

But seriously, where will the lions be going? Does the zoo have any plans or is it still up to our speculation?
 
@PaleoMatt I'll have to check it out again next time I head up! To be fair, we'd been to Blue Planet the day before so maybe we'd been a little spoilt. I think partially Chester Zoo is suffering by it's own success. After Islands and the other more recent "themed" areas the older houses and exhibits show their age even more. It's the same everywhere though I suppose. Nice to know the tree kangaroo is coming on show any case. You're right though, the children will always have to have their "nemofish" and "dories", but the other common thread I've noticed with children in relatively small aquariums is the willingness to label any relatively large fish a shark. Might be nice to bring some smaller carpet sharks in front and centre to satisfy that demand and showcase some variety of what qualifies as a shark - size and teeth not being the be all and end all.
Likewise @Charlie Simmomds with the giraffes, just a bit spartan, but again giraffe paddocks the country over suffer from that. Good shout on the maned wolves by the way. I think they still had some when I first went when I was very very young and I remember them as a highlight of the trip.
 
BillEel said:
I think they still had some when I first went when I was very very young and I remember them as a highlight of the trip.
Click to expand...

They had maned wolves until around the mid noughties so you probably did see them. I personally never saw a maned wolf at Chester, don't know why but they just didn't like me much! :p And additionally they were housed where the butterflies are now, didn't think too much of that trade! ;)
 
SMR said:
Before anyone goes any further with species for the current lion enclosure, it's (currently) already earmarked as an extension of the play area as soon as the lions vacate.
Click to expand...

Will it have an area where we can play Top Trumps?

:rolleyes:
 
Maned wolves were kept at Chester between 1997 and 2006.

Brum said:
They had maned wolves until around the mid noughties so you probably did see them. I personally never saw a maned wolf at Chester, don't know why but they just didn't like me much! :p
Click to expand...

It's a well kept secret Brum, but they were Villa fans :p
 
This thread is a good read, with suggestions from the sublime to the ridiculous. To suggest Chester should have a white tiger is, well, rather missing the point of Chester Zoo, and I really don't think there is a need for cutting and pasting of exhibits around the zoo.

As some have suggested, there are some things that can be done, quickly and relatively cheaply. Ditch the current marketing; replace it with something more tasteful. Bring the visitor into a quality experience rather than a tacky one. Make sure the breadth and depth of the collection are brought to visitors' attention with thorough sineage, maps and a guidebook. This can be done without taking the fun out of everything. Quality, and entertaining a family, are not mutually exclusive.

Keep on building as they always have, keep growing and evolving, but make quality the watchword. And remember the spectacle is in the animals on show. They are what visitors come to see above all else, so make it as comfortable as possible for them to do so.
 
NigeW said:
This thread is a good read, with suggestions from the sublime to the ridiculous. To suggest Chester should have a white tiger is, well, rather missing the point of Chester Zoo, and I really don't think there is a need for cutting and pasting of exhibits around the zoo.

As some have suggested, there are some things that can be done, quickly and relatively cheaply. Ditch the current marketing; replace it with something more tasteful. Bring the visitor into a quality experience rather than a tacky one. Make sure the breadth and depth of the collection are brought to visitors' attention with thorough sineage, maps and a guidebook. This can be done without taking the fun out of everything. Quality, and entertaining a family, are not mutually exclusive.

Keep on building as they always have, keep growing and evolving, but make quality the watchword. And remember the spectacle is in the animals on show. They are what visitors come to see above all else, so make it as comfortable as possible for them to do so.
Click to expand...

This. A thousand times this.

A seriousness of purpose.

How can a zoo with no guidebook really claim to be educational?
 
Time for a less realistic fun idea :P

Demolish Mongoose Mania and make a new themed enclosure for the Oriental small-clawed otter for children with tunnels to see underwater. However we can't simply remove Mongoose Mania from the zoo of course, it's too fun! Move it to the Meerkat enclosure and build a new enclosure similar to the one for the Aardvarks opposite for the Porcupines. The Meerkats can have a new enclosure built on Miniature Monkeys. The other enclosure would either be an extension for the Meerkats with a tunnel linking them or an enclosure for Black-footed cat (A small cat species for the zoo, also on the site of the old cat house). Alternatively the indoor viewing areas could become vivariums for venemous snakes such as Black mamba but I don't know how easy it would be to keep them in there. The monkeys could then possibly move to somewhere in the Tropical Relam (maybe reopen one of the old corridors as a 'monkey corridor' or possibly move them into the large hornbill aviaries and give them the outdoor area the gorillas once had while still allowing the Red River Hogs half. The Oriental smal-clawed otter enclosure could be turned into an aviary complex for some of the birds in Realm of the Red Ape to allow for more space but I don't know if they would work well outside.
 
I've thought of a few new things. The enclosure that currently holds male onagers should be spruced up to hold an animal for the forest zone but I'm unsure on species maybe clouded leopard in my wildest dreams.

The owl aviaries should be given some love and updated as well as a few new species of owl it souls also be given the name diagon ally as a Harry Potter reference.

The amazons need a few more species in those aviaries to make them worth while to visit, bring in some more South American birds such as toucans chestnut billed in my opinion and move over the arcari, putting in some other species into that aviary in the tropical realm.

Jacarna birds should join the species in the wetlands aviary as well as the return of pelicans. Here I would also bring in something like marabou stork or shoebill stork. I would also for tsavo bring in normal guineafowl to couple the crested species.

The naked mole rats should be put into the okapi house into a interesting and educational exhibit that can avoid tapping of glass as much as possible.
 
Charlie Simmomds said:
I've thought of a few new things. The enclosure that currently holds male onagers should be spruced up to hold an animal for the forest zone but I'm unsure on species maybe clouded leopard in my wildest dreams.

The owl aviaries should be given some love and updated as well as a few new species of owl it souls also be given the name diagon ally as a Harry Potter reference.

The amazons need a few more species in those aviaries to make them worth while to visit, bring in some more South American birds such as toucans chestnut billed in my opinion and move over the arcari, putting in some other species into that aviary in the tropical realm.

Jacarna birds should join the species in the wetlands aviary as well as the return of pelicans. Here I would also bring in something like marabou stork or shoebill stork. I would also for tsavo bring in normal guineafowl to couple the crested species.

The naked mole rats should be put into the okapi house into a interesting and educational exhibit that can avoid tapping of glass as much as possible.
Click to expand...
Jacanas would not be appropriate for the wetland aviary. They are not cold hardy, would not show themselves well, and could not be fed appropriately in a large multi-species exhibit.
 
FBBird said:
Jacanas would not be appropriate for the wetland aviary. They are not cold hardy, would not show themselves well, and could not be fed appropriately in a large multi-species exhibit.
Click to expand...
Also, pelicans, if present, would eat them.
 
FBBird said:
Jacanas would not be appropriate for the wetland aviary. They are not cold hardy, would not show themselves well, and could not be fed appropriately in a large multi-species exhibit.
Click to expand...
Ah right my mistake I always thought they'd look nice there but I was clearly wrong.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top