South Lakes Wild Animal Park South Lakes discussion thread

bigcat speciali said:
A very silly person and rather insensitive to the previous matters and death of a keeper at the same location. I also note that Dave Gill has posted pictures of the Giant Otter but without any mention to the pups and hand rearing. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?....422862793740.196426.620948740&type=1&theater
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Is the tiger supposed to be able to access that position?
Is it secure in that position?

If the answer to either question is a No then Gill's reaction seems highly inappropriate.
 
"This gave the keepers a bit of a shock yesterday morning !! part of all the new displays for the new Safari Zoo. There are tigers lions bears hippos and many more all around the zoo to enjoy." (with smiley face)
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It may be a plastic tiger and other plastic animals, the plastic tiger standing on the roof of the tiger den, looking out onto the new train tracks and on the side of the tiger house sits a sign saying "Hand Feed Big Cats". Given that it is the same building that Sarah McClay's death occurred and given that Gill has said: "This gave the keepers a bit of a shock yesterday morning !!" Then it is wholly offensive, it is foolish and in bad taste if not perverse. I would not like to be the late keeper's family viewing that and its comment and, the staff must also feel somewhat repulsed by it.
 
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And the reply from Dave Gill is:

"I just saw some comments on another page about this Fibre glass Tiger that amaze me. We have had statues, carvings models of All sorts of animals for years and because I move this Tiger where he lived on a high shelf for many years in the Gift, shop...via my house where he spent a short while in between .... to the New Way Kambas Tiger Reserve as part of the whole new facility for our 3 real Sumatran Tigers it was said to be tastless or somehow stupid? Is having a hippo sculpture by the hippos , or a Giraffe by the giraffes or a bear by the bears or a rhino by the Rhinos.... I could go on and on.... stupid or tasteless ? All the new displays are going up this week and next week on all the areas and all we are doing is highlighting the Sumatran Tiger as prominantly as we can to raise funds for our 40 staff in Sumatra risking their lives everyday to protect the last wild Tigers . There is also another wooden sculpture of a Tiger full size near the Jaguars and a full size Lion at the entrance to greet everyone ! smile emoticon The staff love it and so do our visitors the only reason some of the sculptures are high up is that they are protected from damage from visitors trying to ride them and breaking off tails etc ! smile emoticon Keep smiling everyone... the SAFARI ZOO is moving into a new era and it is all getting so much more for everyone !"
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He has missed the point completely, it is not the silly daft plastic creatures that he adorns his park with, it is the fact that he made a very pathetic and cruel if not dangerous remark about how this gave his keepers a bit of a shock. His comments and picture are offensive and silly, given that a keeper died within the housing and within his park, which he blamed the female for but then recanted because of all the grief he got. However, as we know, Dave Gill is famous for his petty and very narcissistic personality, it is not us he rants to but his worshipers, who are either unaware of the death of the keeper and its circumstances and or they are too warped with their deep passion for the megalomaniac.
 
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I've merged your two posts so that it is easier to see what you are replying to, and fixed the quote boxes.

By the by, as a rule I think you *could* stand to post fewer quotes from Gill - we all already know what he is like, after all - but in this particular case I agree with you that he is being rather insensitive, and that his indirect reply to your concerns posted on Facebook proves he has no conception or understanding of *why* you have raised these concerns.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I've merged your two posts so that it is easier to see what you are replying to, and fixed the quote boxes.

By the by, as a rule I think you *could* stand to post fewer quotes from Gill - we all already know what he is like, after all - but in this particular case I agree with you that he is being rather insensitive, and that his indirect reply to your concerns posted on Facebook proves he has no conception or understanding of *why* you have raised these concerns.
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Fully agree and thanks
 
Crazy idea but can't we just have news about South Lakes rather than discussions about things David Gill has said, done or implied? We all know he's far from perfect but I come on this forum to hear about jaguars, monkeys and leopards not to hear about 'he said this....' or 'he's posted this...' maybe just start an anti David Gill thread and be done with it cus it's getting boring to be honest
 
SHAVINGTONZOO said:
So I (now) understand.

So not dangerous. Just puerile, childish and deeply insensitive.

IMHO
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the tiger itself, no. Lots of zoos have animal models or statues by the relevant enclosure (I don't know if South Lakes does elsewhere in the zoo or not).

The comment on Facebook, I would agree yes.
 
RTB1987 said:
Crazy idea but can't we just have news about South Lakes rather than discussions about things David Gill has said, done or implied? We all know he's far from perfect but I come on this forum to hear about jaguars, monkeys and leopards not to hear about 'he said this....' or 'he's posted this...' maybe just start an anti David Gill thread and be done with it cus it's getting boring to be honest
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Yes it is boring, I agree, but I also think it is quite difficult to have any kind of sensible thread about South lakes without an element of "Gill bashing" incorporated, just being honest.
 
From Dave Gill's Facebook Page
Just letting you all know that due to my health we have decided to sell our Ranch and our Home in Wyoming , USA and consolidate here in the UK and at our home in Peru.
We absolutely loved our home there and some of the best days of my life have been spent high in the Rockie Mountains on my horse.
But life is short and times change and whatever the future brings I want it to be as special as it possibly can be
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he hasn't mentioned this place all summer, considering this is where he wanted to retire and spend the rest of his life.Just a thought and i could be wrong (i usually am) did he get a criminal conviction for the ibis escaping and if so would this bar him from entering the usa?
 
Yes, Gill was given a criminal conviction and he appeared in court, this does affect who is allowed into the USA, anyone even from a speeding fine has to apply to the US Consulate in London but 99.9% of such cases are not taken forward and given access into the USA. One wonders if this has anything to do with the court case and paying for his lawyers as well as the USA entry system.
http://london.usembassy.gov/niv/add_crime.html
 
South Lakes:
The Board of Directors wish to publicly thank all the SAFARI ZOO staff for their exceptional performance and dedication during this summer . We have doubled our visitation and today was the busiest day in the Zoo's 21 year history . We also wish to thank every single visitor for supporting us and showing the deep and passionate commitment to our conservation missions. This dramatic increase in the number of visitors has contributed a huge amount of extra funds to protect the habitats of the rarest animals in the world. We continue to work tirelessly to provide you with the safest, most interactive and most educative Zoo visit in the UK !
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This last sentence must be a April Fool's joke
We continue to work tirelessly to provide you with the safest, most interactive and most educative Zoo visit in the UK !
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I don't think the family and staff nor friends of the late keeper would agree nor the keeper who came off the ladder whilst on the tiger feeding pole, or the rest of failures within the park.
 
Meet Edward..... the first of our new group of Bactrian Camels that arrived today. He is a young Male and has lots of growing to do yet. He came from Germany along with more Nyala antelopes to form our breeding group for the future. ...we should also mention some other rather elegant new arrivals ... Wild Turkeys.... they will be Free Ranging around the SAFARI ZOO so watch out for them !
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If the pictures of the camel and its enclosure is to go by, then it won't be long before injuries to the camel and others will take place.
 
South lakes....

And if those Wild Turkeys go over the fence, he'll end up shooting them.
 
bigcat speciali said:
If the pictures of the camel and its enclosure is to go by, then it won't be long before injuries to the camel and others will take place.
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how so? Because there are some rocks on the ground? Camels can negotiate around small rocks. Believe it or not, occasionally rocks occur on the ground in the wild too.
 
Chlidonias said:
how so? Because there are some rocks on the ground? Camels can negotiate around small rocks. Believe it or not, occasionally rocks occur on the ground in the wild too.
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Indeed, in the wild various terrain is negotiated by various hoofed animals and the like. However, the rocks as seen are from what we call in the UK dry stone dyke (not gay) or walls, notably called via the used names: Double Dyke; Boulder Dyke; Galloway Dyke; Caithness Dyke; Durham Dyke; etc. Within the enclosure the walls have degraded, fallen and are in a dangerous manner where injury to both animal and human can be implied. With various tree species also within the enclosure which may or may not be dangerous (picture is not of great quality as to say), no tree guards and with the lack of correct tree management (see Management of the risk from falling trees or branches) for such risk assesment, then there is a greater risk for both human and animal. Given the current and past issues Dave Gill has been in trouble for, you would expect the man to have greater foresight and a better perspective on such matters, especially as he is currently in court for such various said breaches of health and safety and others. But anyway the enclosure as used for the camel is not good enough and fails to be seen as anywhere as good enough for modern zoo practices within the UK.
 

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