South Lakes Wild Animal Park South Lakes 2011 news

[Pertinax]

2) The female Bears are starting to mature enough to breed, Snoopy the male was showing a lot of intreats in one of the females following her every move.

I believe all the Bears have been fully mature for a long while. Some(all?) of the females may also be on contraceptives, but even if not I think its unlikely they would breed successfully with the existing den arrangement and number of animals(both bears and others) altogether in one enclosure.

 

[beckiv1234]

The owner David Gill said during the talk " Mona and Zamora are starting to mature whilst Zepita is on contreceprtive".

 

[Pertinax]

The owner David Gill said during the talk " Mona and Zamora are starting to mature whilst Zepita is on contreceprtive".

Okay, I'm sure he knows better than I do but all those Bears have been at SL for how many(?) years already and I imagine a female is mature at say, four or five years of age. I would also still be rather dubious about them breeding successfully under the current conditions with a mixed exhibit etc. but I hope they will do so in due course.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Also, the two male Giraffes were with the whole group(1.3)Peralta Giraffes.

Bad, bad ... man!

 

[Chlidonias]

Okay, I'm sure he knows better than I do but all those Bears have been at SL for how many(?) years already and I imagine a female is mature at say, four or five years of age.

sexual maturity is reached at 4 to 7 years apparently (says Mr. Google)

 

[Pertinax]

Anyone remember which year the four female Bears arrived at South Lakes?

 

[Chlidonias]

Anyone remember which year the four female Bears arrived at South Lakes?

I couldn't find that out by Googling, but I did happen across this Belfast Zoo. If you go down to the zoo today? which says that the bear Alice from South Lakes is 12 years old.

 

[Pertinax]

I suspect they are all over twelve years old then as they all arrived there the same time/year. The four bears are two pairs of sisters I believe.

Presumably Pair 1. Alice(at Belfast) & Mona
Pair 2. Zamora and Zepita.

On the South Lakes Website at the time it announced their arrival and there is still something about it on the current website, but not as new arrivals obviously so is no longer dated. It was a good long time ago though.

 

[Chlidonias]

certainly all sexually mature at any rate (in fact its interesting that in 2008 our angry friend yorik was claiming in one of the threads here that two of the bears were pregnant)

 

[lechweoryx]

A Belted Black and white ruffed lemur has been born 30/4.

Also the Black and white ruffed lemurs had 3 offspring in May.

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[Nisha]

The local council will tomorrow (26th July) decide to give or refuse approval for the park's expansion plans.

The park's facebook page also confirms that are Elephants are no longer part of this plan.
http://www.nwemail.co.uk/home/three...cess-fears-1.861134?referrerPath=home/columns

 

[kaytronika]

The council have refused permission.

David Gill has posted a lengthy message on Facebook.

North West Evening Mail | News | Zoo boss hits out at council decision

 

[Jordan-Jaguar97]

Ntombi the female Rhino is definialtey pregnant!

 

[Paulkarli08]

Had to laugh at the link from his/the park's facebook page about how he suggests 'only 2 white rhino were born in European collections in the last year'. Funnily enough, I can count 5 being born.... just in the UK!

He really needs to stop bigging himself up!

 

[Javan Rhino]

Had to laugh at the link from his/the park's facebook page about how he suggests 'only 2 white rhino were born in European collections in the last year'. Funnily enough, I can count 5 being born.... just in the UK!

He really needs to stop bigging himself up!

If we mean year as in the last 12 months, then Knowsley themselves had 2-3 late last year. If he means from January onwards then I don't know how accurate he is being.

However, 'in the last year' suggests the last 12 months, or in 2010, both of which make Knowsley's viable. If he meant since January 2011, then surely it would be worded as 'only 2 white rhinos have been born so far this year in European collections.' - That's my way of looking at it.

 

[Pertinax]

he really needs to stop bigging himself up!

I'm still a bit dubious about the 'nearly mature' female Spectacled Bears -which we think must be at least 12 years old by now! (They arrived as part grown bears circa 2002 AFAIK)

I am also intruged by the idea of a Zoo owner running a Zoo from a long distance away while living in America. I guess he must do a lot of commuting, or is the zoo nowadays run by a complete team in his absence?

Of course Gerald Durrell was also away from his Zoo a lot, living in France, where he wrote his books to fund the Zoo, while it was run largely by his management team in his absence.

 

[TARZAN]

I'm still a bit dubious about the 'nearly mature' female Spectacled Bears -which we think must be at least 12 years old by now! (They arrived as part grown bears circa 2002 AFAIK)

I am also intruged by the idea of a Zoo owner running a Zoo from a long distance away while living in America. I guess he must do a lot of commuting, or is the zoo nowadays run by a complete team in his absence?

Another 'absent owner' was Gerald Durrell of course- he spent quite a lot of the time living in France, where he wrote his books, while the Zoo was run largely by his management team.

One of the reasons I think Gerald Durrell spent time at his villa in France was for the peace and quiet, free from distractions allowing him to concentrate on writing the books and thus banging the drum about his great cause, also time travelling overseas giving lectures, fund raising etc. I agree it does seam strange for an owner of a zoo in Dalton in Furness to be residing in America, most zoo founders in the U.K. have usually lived permanently in a house on the zoo grounds, and I am sure they would not have had it any other way.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

If we mean year as in the last 12 months, then Knowsley themselves had 2-3 late last year. If he means from January onwards then I don't know how accurate he is being.

However, 'in the last year' suggests the last 12 months, or in 2010, both of which make Knowsley's viable. If he meant since January 2011, then surely it would be worded as 'only 2 white rhinos have been born so far this year in European collections.' - That's my way of looking at it.

I am not sure if it is the zoo management, or journalism at large ..., but I agree that it can be rather misleading or at least leading on from ...

At the end of the day glad for another rhino in later stages of pregnancy.

 

[MRJ]

Another 'absent owner' was Gerald Durrell of course- he spent quite a lot of the time living in France, where he wrote his books, while the Zoo was run largely by his management team.

Gerald Durrell was not an "absent owner". By the time he had the house in France he was the Honorary Director of a not-for-profit conservation organisation. His books were his living, and a substantial support for the JWT especially in the early days. I'm only saying this because otherwise there is the impression of a landlord or boss extracting a rent from afar, which was never the case with Durrell.

 

[Pertinax]

Gerald Durrell was not an "absent owner". By the time he had the house in France he was the Honorary Director of a not-for-profit conservation organisation. His books were his living, and a substantial support for the JWT especially in the early days. I'm only saying this because otherwise there is the impression of a landlord or boss extracting a rent from afar, which was never the case with Durrell.

I certainly didn't mean to give that impression as I do fully realise the reasons for him living in France a lot of the time. 'Absent owner' was probably not the best phrase to use on my part, so I have rephrased that post.