Chester Zoo Islands - Opening and impressions

So the verdict?

This is an AMAZING addition to the zoo!

Only approx 1/3 of the footprint is accessible on foot right now, although you can see the majority of the outside areas from the boat trip. As SMR has mentioned only warty pigs are moved over, with cassowary on view tomorrow.

All other animals will be moved in over the comings days and weeks.

It looks like anoa will be next as their enclosure nearly finished. Banteng enclosure looks amazing with huge wallow pool adjacent to the river - but still work being carried out so I guess we are at least a week or so away. Bali starling temple still has lots of work to complete it - netting to finish and no planting at all. This looks a couple of weeks away from completion too.

The orang netted enclosure is amazing with some stunning artificial trees. Macaque enclosure also looks fantastic. Babirusa exhibit needs some planting but is very spacious.

With so few animals to view the highlight for me was the boat trip. A stunning level of detail and incredible planting make this a "must do" in my opinion. When all the animals move over this will give an incredible view and really interesting perspective.

The amount of detail that's gone into this is unparalleled. the zoo suggest an hour or so dwell time in Islands - you'll need longer to appreciate it all,

There is still A LOT to be completed so manage your expectations over the coming week ur WELL DONE Chester it hasn't disappointed!

Will try and gety photos in the gallery over the weekend.
 
Could someone please put up a map of islands in the gallery so we can get some perspective on the size. Providing the maps aren't subject to copyright of course.
 
I didn't actually take the boat ride, by the time I'd got that far there was a huge queue (there were technical difficulties with the boats first thing) but it does look like a "must do" when the enclosures around it are complete.

What we saw today was a good hour's experience, and you can probably double that when Sumatra is open, the closer one gets to the Monsoon Forrest the bigger it looks.

FYI I did put some images up during the day, but as discussed not in the gallery here (in case people want to avoid them) but on Twitter instead.

http://www.twitter.com/stuartmrobinson
 
The Chester Zoo App has been updated to include Islands, including a vague looking map.
 
Umm... Given that our profiles can (and do) include a link in every post, I've no idea why someone would be chastised for such a trivial thing.
 
I put a link to my blog page and was told I was not allowed by 2 mods and 3 other people.

I would prefer to be allowed to do a link to my blog has it refers to all my visits to both captive collections and Nature reserves.

I wasn't having a go at you SMR just wanted to see if the Mods who had a go at me would do the same here.

Isn't it about time we had a video area to upload our media?

Will anybody put any images from today in the gallery please.
 
wow is all i can say .. can only repeat what others have said about each island ... we didn't have a snack on the island due to the toilets not working and just a sample menu ... those going on Monday onwards the menu will be the proper one i was told by one of the staff , It's just a shame that the facilities weren't ready in time for the previews

All in all i personally can't wait to all the animals will be in their new homes
 
Here are my first impressions.
It might have been better to have had a few more days of working up before the Member's Preview days. That would have given time to move a few more animals and do a bit more work on the boats and the water supply. However a project as large and complex as Islands is never going to open fully on Day 1 or to avoid glitches and teething problems in its early days.
There were a lot of people there today, many members, a lot of zoo staff and plenty of people in hard hats and high-vis jackets working away in the sections that are not yet open.
Obviously you have to use some imagination to see the potential of the unoccupied (and in some cases incomplete) exhibits and to see the plants as they will look after a couple of months of growth. But you can appreciate the layout of the enclosures and the paths and bridges between the different areas and on a beautiful warm and sunny day it certainly didn't look or feel like north west England: I will soon post photos to show how true this statement is :)
There were problems with the boats this morning and the queue was so long I baled out and went round on foot first. But I then rejoined the queue when it was shorter and I was very glad that I did. From the boat we had a totally unobstructed and eye-level view of a couple of the warty pigs that had come down to the water's edge. As the enclosures are filled up, you will also be able to see cassowary, banteng, tigers (through wire), orangs (both through wire and unobstructed), crested macaques and anoa from the boat. My advice is to sit on the starboard side if you can ;)
The other impression is the sheer scale of the Monsoon Forest - it is high, wide and handsome, from the outside at least. Remember that nothing on this scale has been constructed in a British zoo before. It has to accommodate a very wide range of species, with very particular requirements, safely and securely for the animals, the zoo staff and the visitors. Architects and builders are used to building houses, schools, factories and hospitals: there are lots of rules and requirements but there is plenty of guidance and expertise available too. The Monsoon Forest will be something else entirely - just looking at the outside helped me to appreciate the scale and ambition of this project. It is not surprising that a structure of this complexity takes longer to complete than everyone hopes. The date that has already been mentioned in this thread may turn out to be accurate, if everything goes well it could be open by the end of August, although perhaps without every species in place. Or it could take longer. We will have to be patient, but all the staff who have been inside are saying it will be wonderful.
One final point, there were a lot of zoo staff in attendance today, all dressed in new, bright blue polo shirts. Every one of them, from our favourite curator to the newest temporary guide was smart, smiling, helpful and positive and they took a real interest in what the visitors were saying. Good show!
See it for yourself. If you go in the next few days, be ready to use your imagination, as I said before. If you prefer to wait until there is more to see, that's fine too. But I think that when everything gets sorted it's going to be in a different class to every other zoo exhibit in the country.

Alan
 
Jackwow said:
Is having a snack important?!
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To some it is, and on a day like yesterday lots of fluids are important. Remember, Islands itself is going to be huge, and it's quite a long walk from the nearest kiosk (which is by the hunting dogs).
 
Two questions (that may of been answered already),

1. Is The Islands going to be home to new species or just relocation of existing species?

2. Is The Islands built on new land or has part of the existing zoo been demolished for it?
 
Jackwow said:
Two questions (that may of been answered already),

1. Is The Islands going to be home to new species or just relocation of existing species?

2. Is The Islands built on new land or has part of the existing zoo been demolished for it?
Click to expand...
New and relocated species, and built on land owned by the zoo but not previously used for on-show exhibits.

There is a lot of information in the extensive, older Islands thread.
 
Jackwow said:
Is having a snack important?!
Click to expand...

Like SMR said , Yes it is sometimes , yesterday was around the 80 degrees mark and could quite easily pass out if you haven't had anything to eat or drink !!!! Also after looking round a very large zoo it's good to have rests now and again
 
Very much enjoyed the preview today, and at first glance I can't find much to criticise that can't be covered by 'it's not finished yet'. It looks like it will be very good indeed when finished. In terms of animals we only saw warty pigs, but labels are up for cassowary and anoa - the latter were still visible in their old enclosure but couldn't see the former in either location.

Islands merchandise on sale in the main shop includes a range of specially-made 'Islands at Chester Zoo' cuddly toys, including Sumatran Orang-utan, Sumatran Tiger, Sunda Gharial, Southern Cassowary, a very accurate Visayan Warty Pig and a rather punk-looking Bali Starling.

For those on the preview tomorrow, I recommend the Rendang Burger. :)
 
Maguari said:
In terms of animals we only saw warty pigs, but labels are up for cassowary and anoa - the latter were still visible in their old enclosure but couldn't see the former in either location.

For those on the preview tomorrow, I recommend the Rendang Burger. :)
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Cassowarys were being kept inside their new house on Friday, I was told they would have access outside from yesterday but maybe they were being acclimatised a bit longer?

....yes agree the rending burger was really tasty!!
 
ChesterZooFan said:
Cassowarys were being kept inside their new house on Friday, I was told they would have access outside from yesterday but maybe they were being acclimatised a bit longer?
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There seemed to be a member of staff specifically monitoring the cassowary and warty pig enclosures (but not, say, the anoa or babirusa ones) so I suspect that they were in there but just still settling in and not coming out to play.

I've put up a few photos in the gallery for those who want to see them (I know some people are avoiding them!).
 
gentle lemur said:
One final point, there were a lot of zoo staff in attendance today, all dressed in new, bright blue polo shirts. Every one of them, from our favourite curator to the newest temporary guide was smart, smiling, helpful and positive and they took a real interest in what the visitors were saying. Good show!
Click to expand...
I would agree, and I've never seen so many zoo staff in one place. If I had stopped and talked to everyone I know, I'd still be in there now! The blue uniforms are a little confusing though as there's now no way of telling any job roles apart.

One thing I didn't like however, was the "spin" put on the unfinished elements by some staff members. One presenter - who I don't know - tried to tell me that all the unfinished elements were like that so that members could see how the exhibit was being constructed. When I suggested they were just running a little late given the size of the project, she said that wasn't the case at all.

Please, credit us with a little intelligence.
 
SMR said:
I would agree, and I've never seen so many zoo staff in one place. If I had stopped and talked to everyone I know, I'd still be in there now! The blue uniforms are a little confusing though as there's now no way of telling any job roles apart.

One thing I didn't like however, was the "spin" put on the unfinished elements by some staff members. One presenter - who I don't know - tried to tell me that all the unfinished elements were like that so that members could see how the exhibit was being constructed. When I suggested they were just running a little late given the size of the project, she said that wasn't the case at all.

Please, credit us with a little intelligence.
Click to expand...

There were A LOT of new zoo volunteers in Islands over the launch weekend. I chatted to quite a few of them - seems they have been recruited especially with Islands in mind to assist and support the paid staff.

Most of them were very charming and knowledgeable and were well versed on why there have been so many delays ("our animals come first and so we have and to stagger the opening to ensure all enclosures are perfect for their welfare"). I overheard a couple of worrying conversations (one guy telling the guest about the zoos history and how it opened in 1952!!!??). I wonder whether the person you spoke to was a volunteer hence their lack of understanding or misjudged intention.

Friday morning was the first time any of the volunteers had access to the Islands site so it may take them a while to build up their knowledge.
 
ChesterZooFan said:
(one guy telling the guest about the zoos history and how it opened in 1952!!!??).
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Presumably because the zoo gates installed for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee say 1952-2012 on them - just a shame that those dates are nothing to do with the zoo! :D
 
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