A young colleague of mine has shown me on his mobile phone a visit he and his family have recently made to Flamingo Land, N. Yorkshire. Their young Jack Russell terrier is trying to have a go at a tiger at the glass of its enclosure, the tiger is just standing there expressionless while the Jack Russell is trying to attack the tiger. This has made me wonder if Flamingo Land is now the only zoo in the U.K. that allows visitors to take their pet dogs onto the premises. I remember in the seventies taking my own dog into Scarborough Zoo and Marineland and also Cricket St. Thomas where my first cocker spaniel was amazed at the sight of Twiggy the elephant., I haven't visited a great many zoos on the continent however I do recall a visit to Munich zoo several years ago where visitors were allowed to take their dogs in on a lead of coarse. So is Flamingo Land the only zoo in the U.K. where visitors can take in dogs or are there others where this is allowed, if not in the present but perhaps been allowed in the past?
No dogs allowed
- Thread starter TARZAN
- Start date
That rings a bell, I am sure my second cocker spaniel, Penny, came with us on a visit about twenty years ago.
why on earth would a zoo allow people to bring their pet dogs onto the premises? There's all sorts of possible problems that could arise. I can't think of a single Australasian zoo that would find that acceptable.
I've always found it odd, but I suppose there might be an ecomonic imperative - there could be a few extra visitors in it - and it avoids dogs being shut in cars all day. I suppose if they've been letting them in for years then they can't have found the problems too bad!
Me too- probably because its so unusual to see. That time at Arnhem was the first ever I'd seen it I think. It was a hot summer day- those dog owners would probably have stayed home if they had known the zoo didn't admit dogs.
But I'm surprised its allowed anywhere actually- from a safety and health/disease angle.
As you say, I'd have thought a dog wandering about was both a source of potential stress to the residents and a potential disease vector (to say nothing of what might come out of the dog!). But I can only assume the zoos that do have found they can manage this well enough to make it workable.
This is my view, it could turn nasty if a dog slipped its lead and got hold of a bird,capybara etc, also god forbid a dog got into an elephant enclosure, I would think chimps would become agitated at the sight of dogs, however as you say the zoos that allow dogs must manage this well enough, by the way I wouldn't take dogs into zoos now if it was permissible,as walking around with three cocker spaniels now would be something of a hand full.
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Have you ever owned a dog? If so, you might have experienced how hard it can be to combine both taking the dog with you as much as possible (as, given the social nature of most dogs, you should) and visiting places other than the local barren dog run. Therefore, you would not consider it odd, but rather welcome any opportunity allowing you to take your dog with you (may it be the holiday trip, the restaurant, the zoo or in some cases, the cinema).
In fact, not being able to take your dog with you can be a knock-out criterion when deciding where to go to; at least in my circle of dog-owning acquaintances, friends and family.
In my opinion, a well-trained, well-behaved and healthy dog causes less problems in a zoo than the far more numerous noisy unruly children, animal-teasing chavs, aggressive stroller-moms or animal-(force)feeding older ladies. As for the disease-spreading risk (f.e., Echinococcus granulosus): alas, humans (and stray cats/wild foxes) might be more problematic in this regard (like in the case of spreading multi-resistent TBC, originating from East European prisons, or Toxoplasmosis...).
Some animals (like leopards) actually appear to consider the presence of dogs as a positive stimulus, interrupting their routine boredom.
Last but not least: by requesting an admission fee for the dog, an additional income for the zoo is created. Best example: Hannover Zoo => 9€/dog.
In its German version, zoo-infos.de even has a special map displaying zoos where dogs are / are not allowed in.
► Zoo-Infos.de ◄ - die Zoo-Datenbank
Obviously the animal residents at Zoos where Dogs are allowed are fully used to seeing them, so that there is little or no stress factor experienced on their part- unless there's an 'accident' of course. It might be a bit stressful for a Dog though- zoo visitors with dogs will be strolling looking at exhibits, and walking long distances on a lead at a controlled pace in warm weather can be very taxing for a Dog, they prefer to trot as a more efficient means of locomotion. But obviously its far preferable to being left in a fast-heating Car.
I suppose the disease risk(as vectors of disease to the Zoo's animals) is no more of a danger than the Foxes which must enter almost all Zoos everywhere at night, and which probably enter many animal enclosures too.
I would never take a Dog into a zoo, but then I never take Dogs in towns or other places where they have to walk or stand for long periods on leads for the reason I mentioned above.
I suppose the disease risk(as vectors of disease to the Zoo's animals) is no more of a danger than the Foxes which must enter almost all Zoos everywhere at night, and which probably enter many animal enclosures too.
I would never take a Dog into a zoo, but then I never take Dogs in towns or other places where they have to walk or stand for long periods on leads for the reason I mentioned above.
Pootle
Well-Known Member
You took the words out of my mouth.
When I was a child/young teenager I would regularly go on family days out, which just about every time included 'the dog' a well trained and good natured black Labrador jumping in the back of the car. One place we regularly visited with the dog was the now (sadly) closed Southport Zoo. Southport where smart in their allowance of letting dogs in as it without doubt drove their visitor numbers up, as being near a beach, and parks, lots of dog owners would be in the vicinity of this small zoo. Two fond memories I have is of our dog seeing a lion and becoming the biggest coward ever by trying to hide behind who ever was holding her lead and then her being nose to nose with an otter (they where fascinated by each other) - you where allowed to feed the otters (food bought at zoo entrance) at Southport in those days.
So, I believe a good dog is better than a rule breaking or ignorant human at a zoo.
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Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
As for the stress: depends on the dog. I kept some that clearly enjoyed walking around the zoo, while others soon got bored and wanted to leave. Same is true about taking dogs elsewhere; some tolerate and even enjoy it, others don't.
My current dogs are mainly interested in watching the guinea pig/rabbit "peepshow" at the petting zoo(s); the rest of the zoo is of no interest to them.
I don't think foxes "must" enter zoos (and most zoo staff members would agree with that), but they surely pose a bigger threat to most of the zoo animals (maybe with the exception of the unfortunate fox that strolled into the snowleopard enclosure at Wilhelma Zoo...).
It doesn't. "Dogs are allowed entry to the theme park but are NOT ALLOWED access to the zoo area of the park."
Flamingo Land - Terms of Admission
Well the dog I saw with the tiger on my friend's mobile phone was taken on Saturday this week, that is a fact, if the dog should not have been in the zoo area I could not say, however judging by the photograph posted recently of the baby giraffe, may I suggest that they could be confusion between the boundary of the zoo/ theme/amusement park area, incidently nobody came up to my friend and his family while in the zoo area asking them to leave and return to the fair ground with the dog.
That is the law, guide dogs and assistance dogs are allowed where other pet dogs are not
The conditions of entry are clear.
If the dog is looking through the glass of the tiger enclosure, then it was in the zoo. That enclosure is not adjacent to the theme park.