ITV 3 part series; London Zoo

Pertinax said:
If that is pretty much the extent of their 'circus-style' demonstration performances then I think a few minutes per day spent obeying commands to demonstrate their flexibility,( e.g.the 'standup' is used to demonstrate their reach) is quite acceptable and nothing like 'circus life' 24/7. Working elephants in SE Asia spend far more time doing 'unnatural' activities.
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I thought that the demonstration had 'touches of the circus' rather than was like a circus. I do understand why the training is necessary. But lying underneath an elephant - a bit OTT (or perhaps underTT)?
 
That's nothing, Miss Brenda on Sir Robert Fossett's Circus would lie underneath lead elephant Dum Dum after being carried around the ring by her and her friend Sara in their trunks , and later hang by a leg held firmly in the mouth of the elephant, all this after appearing in the shows "My Fair Lady" high school horse presentation as Eliza Doolittle,
 
Gigit said:
I thought that the demonstration had 'touches of the circus' rather than was like a circus. I do understand why the training is necessary. But lying underneath an elephant - a bit OTT (or perhaps underTT)?
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I know they have come under some critisism on here in the past for their 'boot camp' style of training, but I guess to have free contact you must be absolutely in control of your elephants. I think it is perhaps very risky but the plus side is it does allow the Elephants a more varied lifestyle-at Whipsnade their day is pretty varied and active. As for lying under the Elephant, I guess they just like to show off a bit- I just hope it doesn't squash him one day though...:(
 
Komodo Dragons- I did wonder if the female was really gravid as surely if she laid and buried eggs (even if it was at night) there would be some sign of activity/digging where she had deposited them, and eggs to find if they had been laid.
 
Pertinax said:
Komodo Dragons- I did wonder if the female was really gravid as surely if she laid and buried eggs (even if it was at night) there would be some sign of activity/digging where she had deposited them, and eggs to find if they had been laid.
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I thought so too. Given how hard they were having to hack through the compacted earth to explore, I thought it was improbable that there were actually eggs buried there.
 
Maisie said:
I thought so too. Given how hard they were having to hack through the compacted earth to explore, I thought it was improbable that there were actually eggs buried there.
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We were all thinking the same things! And why not put a camera up to record any egg laying? Easier than digging up the exhibit.
 
It could well have been done to give the Komodo story an ending if it had no other outcome!
 
Did anyone spot the enclosure plan on the wall during the pre-Dublin visit gorilla team meeting? I couldn't tell what it was.
 
Shirokuma said:
Did anyone spot the enclosure plan on the wall during the pre-Dublin visit gorilla team meeting? I couldn't tell what it was.
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I noticed that too, looked like it had a fairly large pool in the middle :confused:
 
I dunno if that was a general conference room, or just something on the gorilla section. If anybody does know, maybe that would narrow it down?

Also, having studied A-Level Media Studies, that rainbow over the Indian rhino calf was no accident :p
 
It reminded me of the hippo exhibit plan that was in the entrance site on the 2007 masterplan (see the developments thread). Course they need to build the new entrance for that to happen, so I dunno. :p

Otherwise a brilliant episode and a fitting conclusion to a very interesting series, loved the footnote of Mjukuu's baby at the end. :)
 
Agreed Zambar, brilliant episode, my highlight was seeing the screening around the gorilla enclosure at Dublin, this enclosure as we all know is not ideal, but surely enhanced by some imaginative screening on the glass, leaving the gorillas perhaps feeling a little less exposed.
 
See attached as point of reference. Presumably "Corrall?" is a spelling error.
 

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Could it be the new penguin development (or a newer or older version?). I can see the word 'Macaroni's' on the whiteboard, and I seem to remember in the other thread a mention of this being one of the new penguin species coming to London (well, in the plans anyway).
 
The attached capture is a 1920×1080 frame, so unless your viewport is that size the ZooChat interface will downsize the image. In which case the text reads:

Location of filter plant
Corrall? (sic)
Feeding area
VIP area
Isolation / weaning
Hand-rearing facility
Planting
Macaroni's (sic)

They're not so hot on their spelling or punctuation at ZSL these days... but then, they probably didn't count on a bunch of ZooChatters examining their white boards.
 
SMR said:
They're not so hot on their spelling or punctuation at ZSL these days... but then, they probably didn't count on a bunch of ZooChatters examining their white boards.
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Obviously never spoken to Tim then ;p. A man who knows, we will try and analyse everything :D
 
This is a version of the penguin pool on the whiteboard, but it is not current. The room is a general animal management meeting room. Whiteboard gate...solved!
 
Ooh, there's a whiteboard in episode 1 where I remember catching 'Binturong' written on it. Any chance of a screencap so we can spot the dodos and pandas written on it? ;)
 
Maisie said:
The thing that's struck me most about this series is how much intervention there is by the keepers, be it rushing in to the vultures (and I also wonder why the egg wasn't replaced with a dummy egg and incubated earlier), digging for komodo dragon eggs, or stepping in to handle the newborn elephant calf.
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As far as i know, the king vulture parents make calls to the egg to prompt it to hatch which is why its not as simple as removing the egg and replacing it with a dummy. The Komodo eggs also have to be dug up because adult komodo dragons are well known for eating their young. They are also arboreal when they are juveniles for this precise reason, meaning that if they were to hatch on exhibit they may prove difficult to find as they'd all be up trees, if they are not eaten by the parents first.
 
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