Marwell Wildlife Marwell Zoo News 2024

Social media confirmation of the new arrival

Welcome to the world little one!

We’ve welcomed another gorgeous new arrival in the form of a Hartmann’s zebra foal born during the early hours of Wednesday 23 October.

The gangly youngster was soon getting to grips with its new legs under the watchful eye of mother, Marula.
 
NMM said:
This discussion has made me realise that Marwell's decision several years ago to reduce animal numbers to 3 or 4 per species and not hold large herds may have deeper consequences. The larger groups and more frequent births would have helped to prevent this scenario where you have a shortage of one gender.

Mountain zebra wasn't one of their larger herds, but they did have more than they have held recently.
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Absolutely. These low numbers are not sustainable medium term, unless a number of collections are working together - regardless of formal programmes or not.
 
ZooNews2024 said:
Absolutely. These low numbers are not sustainable medium term, unless a number of collections are working together - regardless of formal programmes or not.
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That's the crux of it. They get to a low point numbers -wise and then there becomes a shortage of one sex or the other, it can sort of creep up unsuspecting, and so suddenly the population is in trouble. I hope Hartmann's in the UK will not now experience this but a new stallion or two seems needed to redress the balance.
 
Would be great to see some other hoofstock imports too, especially the Beisa and Arabian Oryx. However Marwell Focousing, I personally feel the imports of Giraffes would be the best, however I understand there are issues transporting them due to Brexit etc.

Male Bongo, Roan Antelope & Hartmanns also needed.
 
Plus a female Rothchild's giraffe, female snow leopard and male amur tiger. They also need to do something with lesser kudu if they don't want the species to disappear from the UK. Some comments here have also suggested something needs to be done with the addaxes too due to a fluke run of male births. I suppose that when animal numbers get low enough, a freak run of births being predominantly one gender can get you into the mess the UK is now in with mountain zebra.

I was hoping we would shortly start to see new species or new developments that give an indication of the direction Laura Read intends to go in. Instead it looks like there is a lot of work to do maintaining existing species.
 
NMM said:
Plus a female Rothchild's giraffe, female snow leopard and male amur tiger. They also need to do something with lesser kudu if they don't want the species to disappear from the UK. Some comments here have also suggested something needs to be done with the addaxes too due to a fluke run of male births. I suppose that when animal numbers get low enough, a freak run of births being predominantly one gender can get you into the mess the UK is now in with mountain zebra.

I was hoping we would shortly start to see new species or new developments that give an indication of the direction Laura Read intends to go in. Instead it looks like there is a lot of work to do maintaining existing species.
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I'm presuming from the start of next year Read's "mark" on the zoo will begin, this year seems to be mainly finishing the developments of the Cretney era of the zoo. However, I expect a few more developments will occur this year, the new crayfish area, another Binturong possibly and hopefully some replenished groups, e.g. a male bongo and some giraffes.

However, it is great to see how marwell has developed over the last few years - upper management seem to have got that it's easier to renovate closed areas than build from scratch (Bush Dog, caracara, thriving through nature) so let's hope that this will transfer into the future, abs that breeding success such as that of the Sitatunga & Banteng will repeat itself with additional species.
 
NMM said:
Plus a female Rothchild's giraffe, female snow leopard and male amur tiger. They also need to do something with lesser kudu if they don't want the species to disappear from the UK. Some comments here have also suggested something needs to be done with the addaxes too due to a fluke run of male births. I suppose that when animal numbers get low enough, a freak run of births being predominantly one gender can get you into the mess the UK is now in with mountain zebra.

I was hoping we would shortly start to see new species or new developments that give an indication of the direction Laura Read intends to go in. Instead it looks like there is a lot of work to do maintaining existing species.
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I think after the last director its is going take a while ,under him antelope numbers crashed and species like Sable, Nyala, Gemsbok, Waterbuck, went from Marwell , I think you are going to give the new director time and I think some species will go hopefully next year there will be a plan for the animal collection, but some of the buildings need replacing Hippo house for one and again its going to be down to money, events like the Xmas Glow become important for the money they bring in at a quiet time ,I am optimistic but only time will tell.
 
okapis said:
I think after the last director its is going take a while ,under him antelope numbers crashed and species like Sable, Nyala, Gemsbok, Waterbuck, went from Marwell , I think you are going to give the new director time and I think some species will go hopefully next year there will be a plan for the animal collection, but some of the buildings need replacing Hippo house for one and again its going to be down to money, events like the Xmas Glow become important for the money they bring in at a quiet time ,I am optimistic but only time will tell.
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Agree completely. I think we will see some regrettable species losses because there is so much to fix that it is impossible to do everything. Agree about the semi-aquatic mammal house. In my opinion it does feel dated.
 
Regarding the giraffes there must be 1 or 2 females in the UK that could be breeding material?

Hope they import more from abroad but guess things were put on hold whilst Ruby was pregnant.
 
I was at Marwel yesterday. I was impressed with the new Tropical House. One species in there which was new to me was Texas Leaf-cutter Ant. A new colony has recently been set up and only one ant was visible. It made a nice change from the usual Atta cephalotes seen everywhere else. The highlight for me though was seeing the Beisa Oryx and 5 bongos.:D
 
Today was a day enjoyed at Marwell. Not enough thoughts I would say to fill an essay, but here were some of mine...
-I think the entrance area is one space of the zoo that could do with more love. There is what remains of the duck pond, the usurped cheetah area, the empty former marabou area ... all feel to me a little unloved, though I do appreciate what is being done. I think if any part of Marwell needs decent change it should be this area. That said there are a few empty enclosures around, namely one of the old Red Panda pits, the former coati roundabout, that side of the South Road ... but these may be thought as secondary.

-Somehow Wild Explorers feels even emptier than it used to. And that's saying something for a space that always felt a bit of dead air! I don't even know why. Maybe there used to be screens but now not? Or it was simply less crowded? Beats me.

-I have said before how Marwell could do more with pedagogical materials. And on visiting today there does seem to be a good bit of that going around. There are signs about the native species which live at Marwell to look out for, the native plants, where different animals might be if you can't find them, I was impressed by much of what I saw. And the signage material of Life Among the Trees, the Clouded Leopards and new Snow Leopard extension in particular is very good. But what I do feel is that the signage quality isn't always equal. With particularity, the okapi house, mongoose house and most animal exhibits stand out to me as lacking a bit in this regard. Though what is curious is that there aren't even location signs for numerous exhibits, most notably Fur, Feathers and Scales [old Encounter Village area] to tell where one is, though on the map it's still called this of course.

-It seems possible to view the blesboks but not very well.

-The Lego dinosaur adjacent blesboks is still there for a second year and seems a permanent fixture now.

Overall it was enjoyed. And I look forward to seeing what improvements Read will bring in 2025!
 
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