The most recent London Zoo Animal Inventory lists about forty different species of reptile and amphibian, as at 1st January 2023, some of which (e.g. Komodo dragon and giant tortoise) are not housed in the Reptile House.
ZSL London Zoo London Zoo News 2023
- Thread starter Kalaw
- Start date
It looks from this like they're broadly sticking with the species list from the original plan - if so the reduction in overall species numbers is relatively slight and all the notably interesting stuff is retained. Take that as a win..!
For those with a passing interest in such matters, James Wren, Executive Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Engagement is leaving ZSL after 14 years service.
The Reptile House will finally close for good on October 31st.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
I regret that I won't be able to visit this weekend, but am grateful that on my most recent visit in August I made a point of visiting this historic building one last time, and appreciating it more than ever.
It's a very special place, and I particularly loved its taxonomic arrangement, with each row of the house being devoted to a certain group (snakes, turtles, crocodiles etc), something which is rarely seen in zoo exhibits these days. I strongly suspect that the amphibian row with the brook salamanders, midwife toad tadpoles, caecilians, dart frogs and the giant salamander is the reason for my fascination and admiration for amphibians.
One positive is that, after years of listening to my father and other family members, who visited London Zoo regularly as a child, tell stories of the animals and exhibits they saw at the zoo growing up that are now things of the past, I now have a story of my own to tell future generations. A fairly selfish reason to be happy for something closing down, I will admit!
I will miss this building dearly, but have faith in ZSL to make its replacement worthwhile, and as such, I look forward to it more than ever!
Very sad; can only hope that good alternative use of the building will follow.
Does closure on the 31st mean that the new reptile building will open the following day?
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately not. It will open some time this winter, but the exact date is not yet known.
There appears to be a lack of definite information regarding the opening of the new Reptile House. December has been mentioned but so has Feb 2024. This build appears to be well behind original schedule
It will take some time to move reptiles from the old building to the new one and let them settle in
Crate training has been a regular occurrence for the crocodile and the staff have been training the Chinese Water Salamander to take food from a container which can be closed. I believe the water monitor is moving to an area near the Komodo dragon entrance door
It’s more that London have decided to only open exhibits now when all is finished and animals have had time to settle, which is a sensible approach, rather than try to stick to a specific opening date.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Devoting large indoor spaces to just one species when there is room for multiple is one of my main criticisms of ZSL, so another species in the Komodo house is more than welcome. I am assuming that you are referring to the entrance by Outback, in which case that probably explains the development on the empty enclosure there which I attached a picture of upthread, but I vaguely recall at one point one of the Komodo enclosures near the reptile house in end was sectioned off to house tortoises (I believe juvenile Galapagos), so perhaps it could be that. I do worry which the other enclosure is a slight downgrade on the current one in terms of size...
Fully understand that reptiles must be given a chance to settle. However, it was apparent that London Zoo wanted the new reptile house opened in 2023.
The old listed bear pits (concrete rubble) needs delisting, having this amount of wasted land in a small city zoo is un utter waste that could be put tp far better use.
If you’re referring to the Mappins, I agree. I’d love to know if anyone’s actually asked what exactly is the long term plan for this area. Surely it must be a regular topic of conversation at the AGMs? Maintenance costs alone must be astronomical.
I was there yesterday and there are very few animals left. The largest one is the crocodile. The only snakes left are the Emerald Tree Boas. There were 4 species of lizards, most amphibians and turtles.
Would there be anyway at all to make the back parts of the Mappins usable again? A sort of restoration allowing for caprines to be exhibited there again could look quite nice though it would require a lot of work.
Yes I was referring to the Mappins, I can't see what use a bunch of old crumbling concrete is of any value what so ever, yes its old but where's the value? in a small city zoo with limited space?