Javan Rhino's Summer Break

Javan Rhino

Javan Rhino

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Hi everybody, me and AgileGibbon set out for our Summer zoo tour on Saturday (can't wait) and we're heading into the south-east. The plans are at the moment:

Sat 4th: Whipsnade
Sun 5th: RSCC
Mon 6th: Port Lympne

(Howletts and Wingham probably Thursday and Friday, though these two aren't set dates)

Sat 11th: Marwell

Can anybody give any info at all on these places? How to cut costs, what to look out for, who else is going to these places on these days etc.

I've done a fair bit of research and have some ideas on what to keep an eye open for, and have seen maps of some of the places, but I wondered if anybody had any other info from first-hand experience?

If the campsite has Wi-Fi I'll update this thread through the next week, if not will have to do it all in one go :D
 
If you're a member at Chester you should get in Marwell free (reciprocal rights).

I believe that Howletts & Port Lympne usually do some kind of linked deal (i.e. visit one and you get a discount at the other). In the past, I've seen brochures for them which offer a pound, or two, off.

You can also save a few pounds by not paying the gift aid price (for those zoos that are charities).

If the budget streches to it I'd take the car into Whipsnade. If there's two of you it doesn't work out that much more expensive than paying car parking and then extra to both catch the train around the Asian Reserve which you'll have to do if you want to see evertything (which I assume you will).

Top tip for RSCC would be to be prepared to hang around and do a few circuits to ensure you have a good chance of seeing everything. It's also worth talking to Todd, the owner, if he's about -he's usually friendly and enthusiastic to talk to interested parties (and there's an outside chance a few doors to behind the scenes might open).

Howletts, route-wise, is fairly straightforward it's just a big loop which can be done two or three times in a day (depending on how long you spend watching the Gorillas -and you will). I believe the best times for the small cats tends to be late afternoons. Study the map carefully as there's cages everywhere in nooks and crannies that can quite easily be missed (African Wildcat comes to mind). Be prepared for a few no-shows, it's the nature of the place.

Port Lymne used to have no perfect (or even just straight-forward) route. It's probably "easier" now you can't visit most of it on foot:( but like Howletts be prepared for a few no-shows (and possibly no access to certain species:mad:).
 
Thanks Shorts, I'll bear that in mind :) - there will be 4 of us for Whipsnade and I'm not too fussed about the drive around - everything I want to see there seems as if you can get on foot (not too bothered about doing the whole collection as I'm limited to funds and time, so I have prioritised a few things, such as hippos and sloth bears).

Will keep an eye out for Todd at RSCC, my main hope for there is the ringtail mongoose and the rusty spotted cat and kittens.

Have already been instructed about hidden cages at Howletts - incidentally the African wild cat exhibit was the example given :D
 
My tips:
  • don't miss the views at Whipsnade, particularly from the penguins and the viewpoint by the white rhinos
  • my Whipsnade favourite species are the gaur and the wolverines
  • get to Howletts early if you can, turn right at the entrance and go past the hunting dogs, then between the dholes and the bongo, turn left when you reach the rhino and continue until the path ends at the best viewpoint for the elephant herd - if you're lucky, you will arrive as they are entering the paddock to feed. It's a wonderful sight and sun should be behind you for good photo opportunities.
  • try not to miss any of the langurs at Howletts or the Heck's macaques or the ratels or the Pallas' cats
  • make sure agile gibbon sees how attractive moloch gibbons are :)
  • at Marwell, look for the dama gazelles, the sable antelope, the fossa and the takin. I like the snow leopard and lemur enclosures too.
Wingham & RSCC are not very far apart - I've never been to Wingham and only once to RSCC, so I can't say much about them. In my opinion, Port Lympne is even better for gorilla watching than Howletts - plus it has some wonderful primates - sifaka, golden-bellied mangabeys, drills and even broad-nosed gentle lemurs - but there have been a lot of changes since I last visited.
Enjoy your trip!

Alan
 
Javan Rhino-A tip to luck out for is that the Lynx are very secretative the best time to view them is earlier morning or before you leave when I visited in December I saw them at these times also the same goes for the Brown Bears although they may be more active now.Enjoy your visits.
 
I ran into Todd by coincidence at RSCC but you may not be so lucky. Try to get to him via other means before you go to avoid disappointment. True, he is friendly and happy to talk about the place and what he's planning to do with it.

African Wildcat enclosure at Howletts is at the picnic area; you won't miss it if you keep that in mind. I didn't see any cats in it though.

See some pictures in the Port Lympne gallery for discussions about what they have taken off exhibit or rush you past at the speed of light (Brown Hyenas and Golden-bellied Mangabeys for instance).
 
I think Port Lympne opens at 10am? The last two years I have gone straight down to the small cats and saw both the indian wildcat and rusty spotted cats, which were fed between 11am-12noon. Both rare species, so I would advise talking the (now longer) walk down there and hanging out for a while then work your way back up to the safari ride for the afternoon. This should be the opposite tack of what most visitors do, so a good way to avoid the crowd.

If you do happen to meet up with the owner of RSCC, and you think of it, can you please ask if there are any concrete plans to bring in the rumored marbled cats? Tell him there is a zoo volunteer from America who would fly out just to see them.
 
I'll say a bit about Marwell, shall I!

To see most things at Marwell you literally have to walk around most the park, sadly there aren't many short cuts. There's a free road train which you may wish to use, specifically if you are going to certain exhibits in a limited amount of time.

I usually go around the zoo anti-clockwise, starting with the snow leopards and lemur area. Don't miss the gibbons, the tropical house, encounter village (reptile house and walk through), okapis, the desert houses (carnivores and hoofed) and finally the Africa exhibits, including the cheetahs and Into Africa, you may get to see the giraffes being fed. Its a lot of walking, so be prepared!

Enjoy your tour!
 
At both Howletts and Port Lympne, the small cats tend to be fed around 4pm. This is by far the best time to see them, so for any particular species you are having trouble seeing, give them a try between 4 and half-past. ;)
 
I always do the same as JamesB when I visit Marwell and walk around anti-clockwise. My last visit was 2009 and there were some crocodile newts in the takin house, so take a look inside even if the takin are out.
 
bongorob said:
I always do the same as JamesB when I visit Marwell and walk around anti-clockwise. My last visit was 2009 and there were some crocodile newts in the takin house, so take a look inside even if the takin are out.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the takin house has been closed to the public for some time :(
 
Review of Whipsnade

Visited Whipsnade on Saturday (4th June) - a decent place with some nice things, but there were certainly many areas that could be improved.

The Good
- Nice selection of species, including gaur, Sri Lankan sloth bear and common hippopotamus

- Great deal of space for many things

- Interesting shows, including the sea lions and elephants (though not a fan of the free-contact idea, it was quite something to observe)

- For the expense of everything else, it is easily the cheapest guide book (and one of the better quality guide books) I've ever bought at £2.

- Nice views.

- Nice to see so many Indian rhinos, including the two youngsters.

The Bad
- Too spaced out. It seemed like they could have been much more effective and efficient with the space they had. Paddocks bigger than anything I've seen anywhere else for about 5 oryx? With either massive mixed exhibits or huge increases in herd size they would have been stunning (the scimitar-horned oryx paddock could have held at least 25-30!). Also, what's with the mile-long stand-offs? A particular offender was the moose enclosure, I could hardly see the moose and had I not been specifically looking for it I wouldn't particularly have noticed.

- Parts looked cheap. For a zoo of it's age and fame it had a completely different feel to places like Chester, Edinburgh or Colchester. All wood and wire, very little glass viewing or attractive theming, just paddocks with a cheap, ugly fence. The sloth bear enclosure was not a patch on Chester's Spectacled bear enclosure for example.

- Maybe a touch pricey for what it is. It's too old fashioned and doesn't feel like the sort of 'Modern Zoo' I've come to expect from somewhere that brings in the money and fame of ZSL.

In summary - a decent place and was certainly worth a visit, though I don't think it's a zoo that I could visit on a regular basis. It's a shame, because with the space Whipsnade has and (I assume) the money, it has massive potential. It just needs ZSL to stop using it as a dumping ground for their large animals and spending some more money on it, rather than pouring their funds into London alone.

Overall score: 7/10

(photos going into gallery)
 
Javan Rhino said:
Visited Whipsnade on Saturday (4th June) - a decent place with some nice things, but there were certainly many areas that could be improved.

The Good
- Nice selection of species, including gaur, Sri Lankan sloth bear and common hippopotamus

- Great deal of space for many things

- Interesting shows, including the sea lions and elephants (though not a fan of the free-contact idea, it was quite something to observe)

- For the expense of everything else, it is easily the cheapest guide book (and one of the better quality guide books) I've ever bought at £2.

- Nice views.

- Nice to see so many Indian rhinos, including the two youngsters.

The Bad
- Too spaced out. It seemed like they could have been much more effective and efficient with the space they had. Paddocks bigger than anything I've seen anywhere else for about 5 oryx? With either massive mixed exhibits or huge increases in herd size they would have been stunning (the scimitar-horned oryx paddock could have held at least 25-30!). Also, what's with the mile-long stand-offs? A particular offender was the moose enclosure, I could hardly see the moose and had I not been specifically looking for it I wouldn't particularly have noticed.

- Parts looked cheap. For a zoo of it's age and fame it had a completely different feel to places like Chester, Edinburgh or Colchester. All wood and wire, very little glass viewing or attractive theming, just paddocks with a cheap, ugly fence. The sloth bear enclosure was not a patch on Chester's Spectacled bear enclosure for example.

- Maybe a touch pricey for what it is. It's too old fashioned and doesn't feel like the sort of 'Modern Zoo' I've come to expect from somewhere that brings in the money and fame of ZSL.

In summary - a decent place and was certainly worth a visit, though I don't think it's a zoo that I could visit on a regular basis. It's a shame, because with the space Whipsnade has and (I assume) the money, it has massive potential. It just needs ZSL to stop using it as a dumping ground for their large animals and spending some more money on it, rather than pouring their funds into London alone.

Overall score: 7/10

(photos going into gallery)
Click to expand...

I would like to think Whipsnade has a different feel to it as opposed to Chester, Edinburgh, Colchester, it's a different concept, I do not think Whipsnade is just a dumping ground for the larger species, I am grateful for the society to have the fore sight to open this park eighty years ago as it allows Z.S.L. to still have elephants, rhinos, common hippos etc. I do not think you are alone in stating that you think some of the enclosures are too big, you may find Gerald Durrell's comments on this subject to be of interest in his book Beasts In My Belfry, written when he worked for a year as a trainee keeper as a young man, you can get this book on Amazon for coppers, well worth the read.
 
Aw, JR - basic but spacious exhibits is exactly what Whipsnade does well. That's why they've got exhibits for bears, wolverines, mixed Asian deer and others that are among the best in the UK. It was meant to contrast with London Zoo - that it feels different to an urban zoo and has ma-hoo-ssive amounts of space for both animals and visitors is sort of the point! :D

The Sloth Bear enclosure isn't as good as Chester's Specs but arguably the Brown Bear exhibit is even better!

I really like Whipsnade - mostly because it feels like nowhere else! I really wouldn't wnat multi-million pound developments all over the place. It needs to keep that 'roomy' feel.
 
TARZAN said:
I would like to think Whipsnade has a different feel to it as opposed to Chester, Edinburgh, Colchester, it's a different concept,
Click to expand...

Maguari said:
It was meant to contrast with London Zoo - that it feels different to an urban zoo and has ma-hoo-ssive amounts of space for both animals and visitors is sort of the point! :D
Click to expand...

Ha - great minds...
 
I can see it's supposed to be different, and I think it's just because it's not my cup of tea that I think it looks 'cheaply' constructed.

I loved the idea of it being open, but I just think they haven't quite done the idea justice. After all, what would look better? A white dot of an oryx somewhere on the horizon, or 30+ grazing and making use of the paddock. I think it could really benefit from a shift around. The massive paddock with the white rhino, could the giraffe and roan be moved to there? That's another massive space then for more brilliant enclosures for more stunning animals.

I'm not against Whipsnade in the slightest, and my post may come across as that, all I think is the idea that with so many animals to conserve they could make better use of the space to put a few more in. They have great breeding results going by the guide book (cheetahs and rhinos), and it would be nice to have seen that against a wider spectrum of species.

Hope all that makes sense :s - of course, this is all a matter of opinion, I've grown up around Chester so expect the great exhibits where half of the exhibit is based outside of the enclosure with the theming.

Much more positive view of RSCC and Wingham to follow :D
 
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