ZSL Whipsnade Zoo review 08/08/09

[mammalguy]

i went to whipsnade zoo yesterday gt there bout 11ish and i made the following observations which i will relay by sections

asia
the cranes by the sloth bears were out in their paddock and the sloth bears were at the top end of their enclosure snuffling on some wood in their exhibt the onagers were grazing in their exhibt as were the camels , yaks and pere davids deer . the przewalski horses were bein fed dry food think they have a pregnant mare , the indian rhino females were in their wallow and the male was in the old house in the yard both gaurs were out grazing . and the tigers were chilling

elephants

the elephant females were out in the paddock eating and the baby was with her mum nd aunty and emmet was over the back of the paddock

africa

the rhinos were all out eating with 1 in the yard chilling , the giraffes were also in the yard but had access to the outside paddock , the lions were asleep under a tree and the meerkats were digging and the red river hogs were in their house and the sitaunga were resting in their paddock , the cheetahs were asleep in the grass and the grevy zebras were out eating and the bongos were under a tree , the waterbuck were also visible in the rhino paddock

europe

both lots of bison were out resting and eating saw the praire dogs in the american bison enclosure and the reindeer were wandering round behind the stag and the silvery marmosets were out in thier cage but not free roaming saw the otters eating and the red panda walking round the ground of its enclosure and the bears and storks were chilling as were the chimps and lemurs the farm animals were all out and about apart from the two bigger donkeys and the rabbits . liz the sealion wasnt in the demonstration but dom and salt was . nothing much to report about the discovery centre

birds

saw the half past one bird show and they flew zazu , gonzo , bonnie and clyde , timbo , richard and the macaws . the penguins were still goin through the moult and the flamingoes were enjoying their lake

 

[macca]

i was also at whipsnade yesterday for my first ever visit. judging by your report, i seem to have missed part of the zoo - where are the prairie dogs, american bison, silvery marmosets and reindeer?

 

[Maguari]

The American Bison are further down past the Penguin Pool - on Bison Hill (they've been kept in that paddock more or less since the place opened, give or take the odd break). The prairie dogs are free-roaming but tend to hang around the same area. The Reindeer have a paddock more or less opposite the White Rhino House, in the woods at the top of the downs. If I remember rightly, the Silvery Marmosets are in a cage with the capacity for them to be free range, between the old elephant house (the lemur walkthrough) and the otter/Red Panda bit.

All of them quite easy to miss, in truth!

 

[CZJimmy]

All of them quite easy to miss, in truth!

Indeed.

There isn't actually a path for the american bison enclosure and you have to wander on the downs behind the penguin enclosure. I missed them on my first visit and was the only person watching them on my second.

 

[macca]

now i understand why i managed to miss them. i didn't find the map particularly helpful and it seemed to miss off a lot of the animals. at least i know where to look on my next visit!

 

[bongorob]

I've been visiting Whipsande annually since 1989 and I still manage to get lost.

 

[mammalguy]

I've been visiting Whipsande annually since 1989 and I still manage to get lost.

i know it by the back of my hand

 

[Pertinax]

the indian rhino females were in their wallow and the male was in the old house in the yard

Does anyone know what the situation is with the indoor bathing pools in the new House? I'm surprised the male is currently in the old house- is this temporary?

 

[mammalguy]

Does anyone know what the situation is with the indoor bathing pools in the new House? I'm surprised the male is currently in the old house- is this temporary?

i pressume maybe with the male rhino they keep him seperate and mix with the girls for breeding that is if it was the male it looked like a guy and its been in there since it opened and the rhinos do use the indoor pools judging by water colour

 

[Maguari]

now i understand why i managed to miss them. i didn't find the map particularly helpful and it seemed to miss off a lot of the animals. at least i know where to look on my next visit!

The current map is a bit useless if you don't know the place well but want to see everything. I don't understand why the American Bison aren't shown, even if they had to do it with a little arrow to show it was off the page.

 

[Pertinax]

i pressume maybe with the male rhino they keep him seperate and mix with the girls for breeding that is if it was the male it looked like a guy and its been in there since it opened and the rhinos do use the indoor pools judging by water colour

Recent photos in the Gallery do show the bull(Hugo) is in the old quarters. But last summer he was the only occupant of the new house. It seems they have still not had all three adults(plus the two calves) in adjacent stalls in the new house so now the females use it, he is back in the old area.

The website said the female rhinos would not go in the new indoor pools, though the male would. One reason I heard suggested was the access slope was not to their liking.

 

[mammalguy]

just a quick addition to my first review

the sailfin lizard exhibit in the discovery centre was blacked out and the indoor sealion pool that the public cant see was covered over with wood and only saw two sealions

 

[monkeyworld]

Were all the female elephants togther then or were their two separate groups ?

 

[mammalguy]

Were all the female elephants togther then or were their two separate groups ?

yeah i think so it might just have been mum and aunty

 

[Pertinax]

Were all the female elephants togther then or were their two separate groups ?

They cannot all be together as two of them do not get on- so always kept in two groups.

 

[monkeyworld]

which two do not get on ?

 

[Pertinax]

which two do not get on ?

Cannot remember their names. If you searched many of the threads/posts about Whipsnade elephants you might find the answer, but someone may tell you first.

I think it is the two dominant females from the two original (Whipsnade & London) subgroups.

 

[kaz]

one of the females from london herd was moved to another collection, perhaps this was the one your talking bout?
all the females were kept together before the new baby was born, the keeper said they are keeping them separate because euan is a bit too boisterous with the baby so they only have them together when the keepers are nearby.
dont know if this helps or not......

 

[Pertinax]

one of the females from london herd was moved to another collection, perhaps this was the one your talking bout?
all the females were kept together before the new baby was born, the keeper said they are keeping them separate because euan is a bit too boisterous with the baby so they only have them together when the keepers are nearby.
dont know if this helps or not......

I've looked on the Asian Elephant website and Whipsnade is stilllisted with all four adult females(+Karishma from Twycross) Such a transfer would normally be shown here, as the birth of the new calf is already listed.

Do you know where the female that was moved went to, or when? Could it be Woburn? There has been no news about this on this Forum either.

 

[MARK]

Is there ever any news about Woburns elephants?