Longleat Owner and Management

[CJB]

Like many I fell under the spell of Ben Fogle's and Kate Humble's t.v. series at Longleat. And I now read here of all the rare animals they exhibit there.

But then I wonder what the management is really all about. Money and financial greed I guess - as usual.

First there was the scandal of breeding (inbreeding) fluffy lions cubs to attract the hoi paloi who love cuddling and photographing such animals. A scheme not much better than that going on in South Africa for trophy hunting. We've also witnessed this exploitation at Chiang Mai Day & Night zoos. And re: tigers at the (now closed) Tiger Monastery. Shear exploitation.

Longleat lions destroyed after rise in pregnancies

One person commented: "You are a disgrace. You allowed them to breed and then destroyed these healthy lions. I was a regular visitor but I wont becoming back [sic]."

Another asked: "Why did you not move them or stop the breeding when you knew it would be a problem? This is disgusting and makes me feel sick that these beautiful animals were killed."

Lately there has been this dishonest scam by the management. I refer to this article....

Strictly Come Dancing in voting scandal after Longleat boss offers to pay for staff's vote | Daily Mail Online

Just how dishonest is the owner & management?

Frankly isnt it about time the owners and management of Longleat started to become more professional. I fear for the wild life they are exploiting.

Certainly I would expect Ben and Kate to be shocked at the shenannigans going on there.

 

[Richie Hell]

He offered to pay for some phone calls. Hardly a scandal. It's only an entertainment show and it is not at all representative of Longleat's ability to care for it's animals.

This may a case of don't feed the troll, but it's also a case of don't read the Daily Mail

 

[Benosaurus]

First there was the scandal of breeding (inbreeding) fluffy lions cubs to attract the hoi paloi who love cuddling and photographing such animals. A scheme not much better than that going on in South Africa for trophy hunting.

West Midlands Safari Park are no better where, at least in the past, marketing has been the top priority and the welfare/conservation of some animals has been the least of their concern.

Namely the massive overbreeding and inbreeding of their white lions, some surplus of which have ended up in a Japanese circus via animal trainers/dealers at Heythrop. I was shocked when I visited one year to see just how many white lions they had on site in such a short amount of time. The white lions were heavily marketed of course and the public came rolling in.

Also the "Big 5" marketing campaign where they brought in leopards and Cape buffalo, to add to their existing rhinos, elephants and lions, and put them in really substandard enclosures. The tiny leopard enclosure was particularly bad. They literally used the space that was once a guinea-pig walk-in encounter type enclosure for children in the farmyard area. I remember talking to a keeper at the time who admitted it was really bad. All the leopards would ever to do is constantly pace up and down by the windows.

The indoor accommodation for a lot of WMSP's ungulates, particularly the elephants and hippos, is also far too small and grossly outdated and has been that way for decades.

There are some very good safari parks who do very good work, but why do some get away with certain aspects for so long? For some reason safari parks seem to receive far less scrutiny and criticism from the public than any zoo.

 

[Brum]

For some reason safari parks seem to receive far less scrutiny and criticism from the public than any zoo.

I'd say that safari parks face less scrutiny due to the illusion of freedom granted by being held in larger enclosures than the public see in regular zoos. I guess it makes people not notice the poor enclosures or housing because they've just seen some ungulates in a 40+ acre paddock. I've got nothing to back this up, but it makes sense to me.

 

[Pertinax]

I'd say that safari parks face less scrutiny due to the illusion of freedom granted by being held in larger enclosures than the public see in regular zoos. I guess it makes people not notice the poor enclosures or housing because they've just seen some ungulates in a 40+ acre paddock. I've got nothing to back this up, but it makes sense to me.

I would say you are correct about that. Safari Parks have always given(and traded on) the apparent illusion of freedom of their animals to visitors who then don't notice the often substandard indoor and offshow holding areas. Unlike zoos where indoor accomodation is usually viewable to the public and therefore necessarily both of a higher standard and open to more scrutiny. For example, I often wonder if the very basic Hippo indoor area at WMSP, which resembles a garage, even has a pool, or if, so one that can contain them all at once?

 

[Zoonut]

Like many I fell under the spell of Ben Fogle's and Kate Humble's t.v. series at Longleat. And I now read here of all the rare animals they exhibit there.

But then I wonder what the management is really all about. Money and financial greed I guess - as usual.

First there was the scandal of breeding (inbreeding) fluffy lions cubs to attract the hoi paloi who love cuddling and photographing such animals. A scheme not much better than that going on in South Africa for trophy hunting. We've also witnessed this exploitation at Chiang Mai Day & Night zoos. And re: tigers at the (now closed) Tiger Monastery. Shear exploitation.

Longleat lions destroyed after rise in pregnancies

One person commented: "You are a disgrace. You allowed them to breed and then destroyed these healthy lions. I was a regular visitor but I wont becoming back [sic]."

Another asked: "Why did you not move them or stop the breeding when you knew it would be a problem? This is disgusting and makes me feel sick that these beautiful animals were killed."

Lately there has been this dishonest scam by the management. I refer to this article....

Strictly Come Dancing in voting scandal after Longleat boss offers to pay for staff's vote | Daily Mail Online

Just how dishonest is the owner & management?

Frankly isnt it about time the owners and management of Longleat started to become more professional. I fear for the wild life they are exploiting.

Certainly I would expect Ben and Kate to be shocked at the shenannigans going on there.

What I have always had concerns about is longleat, Woburn, and Windsor safari parks where in collaboration with the Chipperfields?. Does anybody know if decendence still have any influence over these parks, I know it's an odd question just something that bothers me.