Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens News from Thrigby Hall
- Thread starter Badgerman91
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littleRedPanda
Well-Known Member
saw it today. typically adorable
The snow leopard cub is female and has been named Aurora, she was born on 18 May 2022.
Dos anyobe know what happend to Hogar who used to live in Big Cat Sanctuary. He isn't listed in the overview of their leopards but I can't find anything about him since he fathered two cubs there.
Amur Leopard Hogar moved inn December 2020 from Big Cat Sanctuary to the Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Went to Thrigby for the first time today. Spent half a day (went to Africa Alive for the other half) to maximise time on the east coast! It was very quiet (advantage of taking a day off outside school holidays I guess)
I enjoyed the walk through indoor aviary with the prevost squirrels in their runs around the space.
Was also good to see a variety of small mammals like the tree shrews and Tamiops squirrels who were in two locations (one near the entrance and one on the back of the walkway over the Sulawesi created macaques).
There were a few different aviaries with tragopan in them too so assume they’ve had some breeding success. I enjoyed the various aviaries though all very wood and wire / garden fence in appearance they are pretty effective. The lake with the different birds was also a good space. You don’t often see so many varieties of pheasant in one place.
The house for the alligators and crocodiles has some huge and interesting specimens with good viewing on different levels - there’s something breathtaking about really large reptiles. A couple of ‘wow’ moments. Good variety of snakes etc though I didn’t find the signage very instructive. There are quite a few signs with news articles on crocodiles eating people in whole or part - guess that’s for the ‘they are going to kill you’ thing for the kids.
The otters were asleep in their space which seemed ok but not very imaginative. The red panda was in the tree - it’s always niceto see red pandas given access to really high trees.
Enjoyed the primates and the different types of gibbons and macaques. I hadn’t seen the crab eating ones before so that was great. The Sulawesi macaques were active and had two younger / juveniles who were playing about. Some good viewing across the water there.
The enclosures are a slightly odd design for the other primates and the leopards up that end of the park - not seen that linked circular wire construction before. The different walkway heights offer good viewing though and all the animals seemed very accustomed to people being in close proximity at different levels. The different gibbons are interesting and the group of Lar gibbons were leaping about.
The leopard enclosures for Amur and snow leopards are also slightly odd looking but it was nice to see the young snow leopard - there was some feeding going on.
At the other end of the park the Sumatran tiger enclosure is a bit more conventionally constructed and again lots of walkways at heights to see them from different angles. I haven’t seen that done like that before and it’s effective and interesting. I was surprised to be able to get so near the tigers on the top platform with no stand offs - a couple of people trying to put hands through the mesh and wire - the tigers seemed unconcerned but I don’t think I’d have tried to stroke one as a couple of people were doing! Both handsome looking cats.
The walkthrough aviary and ‘cat cloister’ area for the cats / civets was interesting although I have to say I was slightly taken aback by the size of the clouded leopard enclosure. Unless I was missing a bit it seemed to lack space and height in comparison to enclosures in other places. The leopard was lying around - I’ve never been as up close to one before and have never thought of them as very ‘near the glass’ sort of cats. Not many places to hide I suppose. I always caveat a comment with I’m not remotely an expert on keeping carnivores - I’m just comparing between zoos.
The Scottish and Eurasian wildcats were no shows (I was hoping to see the latter but well..cats) but the Asian leopard cats were active and that was a treat.
Overall an interesting collection. Some unusual species and a few firsts for me. A few of the enclosure spaces look quite dated though the animals looked relaxed and it didn’t feel like an unhappy place. Bit far to make my regular list but worth a visit.
I enjoyed the walk through indoor aviary with the prevost squirrels in their runs around the space.
Was also good to see a variety of small mammals like the tree shrews and Tamiops squirrels who were in two locations (one near the entrance and one on the back of the walkway over the Sulawesi created macaques).
There were a few different aviaries with tragopan in them too so assume they’ve had some breeding success. I enjoyed the various aviaries though all very wood and wire / garden fence in appearance they are pretty effective. The lake with the different birds was also a good space. You don’t often see so many varieties of pheasant in one place.
The house for the alligators and crocodiles has some huge and interesting specimens with good viewing on different levels - there’s something breathtaking about really large reptiles. A couple of ‘wow’ moments. Good variety of snakes etc though I didn’t find the signage very instructive. There are quite a few signs with news articles on crocodiles eating people in whole or part - guess that’s for the ‘they are going to kill you’ thing for the kids.
The otters were asleep in their space which seemed ok but not very imaginative. The red panda was in the tree - it’s always niceto see red pandas given access to really high trees.
Enjoyed the primates and the different types of gibbons and macaques. I hadn’t seen the crab eating ones before so that was great. The Sulawesi macaques were active and had two younger / juveniles who were playing about. Some good viewing across the water there.
The enclosures are a slightly odd design for the other primates and the leopards up that end of the park - not seen that linked circular wire construction before. The different walkway heights offer good viewing though and all the animals seemed very accustomed to people being in close proximity at different levels. The different gibbons are interesting and the group of Lar gibbons were leaping about.
The leopard enclosures for Amur and snow leopards are also slightly odd looking but it was nice to see the young snow leopard - there was some feeding going on.
At the other end of the park the Sumatran tiger enclosure is a bit more conventionally constructed and again lots of walkways at heights to see them from different angles. I haven’t seen that done like that before and it’s effective and interesting. I was surprised to be able to get so near the tigers on the top platform with no stand offs - a couple of people trying to put hands through the mesh and wire - the tigers seemed unconcerned but I don’t think I’d have tried to stroke one as a couple of people were doing! Both handsome looking cats.
The walkthrough aviary and ‘cat cloister’ area for the cats / civets was interesting although I have to say I was slightly taken aback by the size of the clouded leopard enclosure. Unless I was missing a bit it seemed to lack space and height in comparison to enclosures in other places. The leopard was lying around - I’ve never been as up close to one before and have never thought of them as very ‘near the glass’ sort of cats. Not many places to hide I suppose. I always caveat a comment with I’m not remotely an expert on keeping carnivores - I’m just comparing between zoos.
The Scottish and Eurasian wildcats were no shows (I was hoping to see the latter but well..cats) but the Asian leopard cats were active and that was a treat.
Overall an interesting collection. Some unusual species and a few firsts for me. A few of the enclosure spaces look quite dated though the animals looked relaxed and it didn’t feel like an unhappy place. Bit far to make my regular list but worth a visit.
19-year-old female Sumatran Tiger, Dua has been PTS:
It is with heavy hearts... - Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens
It is with heavy hearts... - Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens
Lafone
Well-Known Member
That's a shame though a good age for a tiger. Saw her on my visit in May - must be a sad time for her keepers.
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Lafone
Well-Known Member
Visted Thrigby on Friday, had a good couple of hours wandering around after visiting Amazona Cromer. The similarities between the two zoos were pretty striking in terms of enclosure and tropical house design, particularly in the way the larger cats are accomodated.
Noticed that one of the enclosure that is out of use in the cat area had had some work since I visited previously.
Saw the eurasian wildcat which I had not seen before.
Was good to see a couple of Fulvous tree duck ducklings in the walkthrough pond and aviary as had not seen those before.
The crab eating macaques were no longer in the enclosure at the end of the zoo near the Reeve's muntjac. Gibbons were in it and signed instead and I couldn't see them anywhere else. Not sure if they have left the collection.
Noticed that one of the enclosure that is out of use in the cat area had had some work since I visited previously.
Saw the eurasian wildcat which I had not seen before.
Was good to see a couple of Fulvous tree duck ducklings in the walkthrough pond and aviary as had not seen those before.
The crab eating macaques were no longer in the enclosure at the end of the zoo near the Reeve's muntjac. Gibbons were in it and signed instead and I couldn't see them anywhere else. Not sure if they have left the collection.
Sadly, the two female crab-eating macaques - Asing and Istri - were euthanised separately a few weeks ago.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
That’s sad to hear. Shame for the keepers. An unusual species to see.
Great age for her, was Dua a purebred Sumatran?
Yes she was. Born at Dublin in March 2004
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
The zoo no longer holds Owlston's Civets, with the pair they held passing away earlier this year.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Had an enjoyable morning at Thrigby today (afternoon at Africa Alive).
The enclosure I'd noted above as being refurbished on a previous visit in cat cloisters is the outdoor space for the owston's palm civet
I saw the back of it having a nap so can hardly claim to have had a good view (sign not view pictured).
Elsewhere in the cat cloister area, the sign for the Eurasian wildcat was gone.
The work around the tiger enclosure had made progress since I was last there with new fencing installed around the refitted second area.
The male tiger was having some enrichement with a good amount of growling and spitting. A nice reminder of how tigers are vs how domestic catlike they can look napping in the sun.
On my other visits the area with the bridges and the binturong / birds was being refubished and I couldn't go in. That was now open and new bridges installed. The black headed Ibis, Demoiselle crane, bar headed geese, egyptian geese, white fronted geese, little egrets, white stork and javan peafowl were showy (including being on the walkway itself over the aviary) and there were a couple or more of each which was nice to see.
Elsewhere the porcupine enclosure appeared to be empty and one group of Tamiops squirrels were next to the Sulawesi macaques but the other group near the entrance were no longer there. Had good sightings of most of the other animals including the snowleopards.
There were more free flying birds in the forest / tropical house than on my last visit, a noisy group of hill mynahs (not signed) a pair of red whiskered bulbol and a very pretty white crested laughing thrush. A red vented bulbul was also signed but not seen. Unsigned but wandering around were roul roul patridge and a pink necked green pigeon. Nice space to watch the birds.
The enclosure I'd noted above as being refurbished on a previous visit in cat cloisters is the outdoor space for the owston's palm civet
I saw the back of it having a nap so can hardly claim to have had a good view (sign not view pictured).
Elsewhere in the cat cloister area, the sign for the Eurasian wildcat was gone.
The work around the tiger enclosure had made progress since I was last there with new fencing installed around the refitted second area.
The male tiger was having some enrichement with a good amount of growling and spitting. A nice reminder of how tigers are vs how domestic catlike they can look napping in the sun.
On my other visits the area with the bridges and the binturong / birds was being refubished and I couldn't go in. That was now open and new bridges installed. The black headed Ibis, Demoiselle crane, bar headed geese, egyptian geese, white fronted geese, little egrets, white stork and javan peafowl were showy (including being on the walkway itself over the aviary) and there were a couple or more of each which was nice to see.
Elsewhere the porcupine enclosure appeared to be empty and one group of Tamiops squirrels were next to the Sulawesi macaques but the other group near the entrance were no longer there. Had good sightings of most of the other animals including the snowleopards.
There were more free flying birds in the forest / tropical house than on my last visit, a noisy group of hill mynahs (not signed) a pair of red whiskered bulbol and a very pretty white crested laughing thrush. A red vented bulbul was also signed but not seen. Unsigned but wandering around were roul roul patridge and a pink necked green pigeon. Nice space to watch the birds.
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Thanks for comments
Scottish Wildcats are being moved around in attempt to give Clouded more room at moment and male is off show.
2nd part of Tiger enclosure was opened this morning. Work on new holding area and den to begin soon. There is one male porcupine left and Tamiops are waiting to move back into their summer quarters by gate. New pairs of Hill Mynas in forest house from Birdworld hopefully will breed. No longer have Red vented Bulbul so sign has been missed and the dove is remaining Sulawesi(Yellow. Fronted)Ground dove which will hopefully be paired up this year.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info on the dove! My error.
The tiger enclosure area looked like a good change and the male was certainly up and about! Was fun to see him (and hear the noise).
The hill mynas were super fun to watch - hope they do really well for you. I thoroughly enjoy a free flight space and trying to find the perching spots for the birds, it's a great way to spend time.
The Mynas certainly are. Great repertoire of sounds and calls. One of them mimics voice of a female keeper which adds great confusion when you’re working in their alone