johnstoni
Well-Known Member
Fishers were housed in the late 70's/ Early 80's. Asiatic Black Bears were at Howletts until the 70's.
Although it is easy to be nostalgic about the parks, given that they were a well-kept zoological secret in relative terms, the enclosures have been much improved since the early days.
I don't agree that the primate cages are that bad. They are set in woodland, and are larger than most zoo cages you'll see. Large species such as the Drills will destroy large trees over time. However, the open primate enclosures are very good.
The elephant housing at both parks is still terrible. In the winter, the elephants spent most of the day inside, which is unnaceptable in those sheds. As Pertinax points out, the Asiatic Elephant legacy at Port Lympne is one of constant and repeated failure, involving keeper, neonatal, prenatal and adult deaths. Having said all this, the concrete yards were the only outside enclosure for the Africans in the old days at Howletts, now they have two sand yards and two grass paddocks, plus the group dynamic is fantastic. New calves aren't even that newsworthy these days, a testament to their breeding record.
At Port Lympne, the safari reserve may seem commercial, but I don't think there will be an enclosure like that in the UK for some time. Seeing giraffe able to disappear into trees to browse is a rewarding sight. A 100-acre zoo enclosure is really progressive in the UK.
The Honey badgers just got old, they were left with single animals at both parks and so I guess the better enclosure was the Howletts one.
Although it is easy to be nostalgic about the parks, given that they were a well-kept zoological secret in relative terms, the enclosures have been much improved since the early days.
I don't agree that the primate cages are that bad. They are set in woodland, and are larger than most zoo cages you'll see. Large species such as the Drills will destroy large trees over time. However, the open primate enclosures are very good.
The elephant housing at both parks is still terrible. In the winter, the elephants spent most of the day inside, which is unnaceptable in those sheds. As Pertinax points out, the Asiatic Elephant legacy at Port Lympne is one of constant and repeated failure, involving keeper, neonatal, prenatal and adult deaths. Having said all this, the concrete yards were the only outside enclosure for the Africans in the old days at Howletts, now they have two sand yards and two grass paddocks, plus the group dynamic is fantastic. New calves aren't even that newsworthy these days, a testament to their breeding record.
At Port Lympne, the safari reserve may seem commercial, but I don't think there will be an enclosure like that in the UK for some time. Seeing giraffe able to disappear into trees to browse is a rewarding sight. A 100-acre zoo enclosure is really progressive in the UK.
The Honey badgers just got old, they were left with single animals at both parks and so I guess the better enclosure was the Howletts one.
