Not in the e-mail, and even in the published plans there is just a lowish, squarish building in plan and section. It will be a little larger and further up the hill than the zebra's stables and hardstanding: but I can't see anything about the outdoor enclosure, so I have no idea about the area, barriers, furnishings etc.
I guess it will end up something like Port Lympne's Guinea Baboon enclosure( the big grassy outdoor one with accompanying house with viewing windows), perhaps a little more 'fancy' in design though....
I remember the Paignton Baboon rock being built...
My only grouse with it is that unlike most of the older and European ones, you can't lean/look over the wall and see what they are doing when they are down in the lower/moated areas, so a fair amount of the enclosure is 'blind'. I guess it was for 'H & S' reasons that they put flowerbeds/bushes in between.
Yes, I agree. However, it is possible to stand on the side of the enclosure between the tortoises and the rock to see part of the blind spot.I remember the Paignton Baboon rock being built...
Are there many wapiti left in the UK? Last I checked there were a few odds'n'sods at a farm in Wiltshire, and a few scattered around elsewhere
No very few...I can't think of any zoo that still has them apart from the Scottish Deer Centre which does have them on their map and animals list..
People would have fed the baboons incessantly, and it's a huge fall risk.
Indeed, I actually think they will have to Hotwire some of the existing trees & foliage to create ‘islands of green’ and then add substrates everywhere else. It would then mirror the zebra paddock opposite and be more like their Arabian Peninsula habitats?
So the Zebras no longer have any grazing? I know this is probably deliberate as grass is really a too- rich diet for Mountain Zebras and Wild Asses, which are semi-desert dwellers, and it can causes laminitis, as well as the soft ground leading to hooves growing too long and requiring frequent trimming. I think the hoof issue was one of the main ones in deciding their move. I guess their 'grazing' now is essentially hay though.
Re. Ratites - at the time, only a couple of years ago, Paignton had representatives of all the ratites, including the kiwi and tinamous, which are still there, but now, the Rhea & Emu have left.
The zebras now use hay bags. There is no grass in the old giraffe paddock. It is unlikely they will be allowed access to the new giraffe (ex ele paddock) area anytime soon. The giraffe still haven’t ventured into it yet and are not really visible as their house is closed.
I saw a photo on Facebook yesterday showing that they had finally crossed the threshold in to the elephant enclosure - they didn’t go far but it’s a step in the right direction.
That’s absolutely fantastic news, thank you.
