South Lakes Wild Animal Park South Lakes
- Thread starter Kifaru Bwana
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I've not been to the place even though I go to the Lakes quite a lot (mostly the north end around Keswick). It's quite remote from anywhere unless you're staying in the Barrow or Kendal area.
The website immediately strikes me as being a bit 'unprofessional' and some of the mixed exhibits sound strange. I think the planning of the zoo expansion has also been badly thought out (witness the debacle over the car park which was expanded without planning permission, igniting a long-running battle with the local council which Mr Gill finally won last week).
However there certainly appears to be a commitment to conservation. I think I'm right in saying Mr Gill is the EEP studbook holder for several of his marsupial species, and the tiger projects they are funding in Sumatra are very commendable. I would be interested to see the accounts - I bet they plough a lot more money into in-situ conservation than some of the more 'respected' zoos (but then again it always helps if your owner is a multi-millionaire to begin with!)
The website immediately strikes me as being a bit 'unprofessional' and some of the mixed exhibits sound strange. I think the planning of the zoo expansion has also been badly thought out (witness the debacle over the car park which was expanded without planning permission, igniting a long-running battle with the local council which Mr Gill finally won last week).
However there certainly appears to be a commitment to conservation. I think I'm right in saying Mr Gill is the EEP studbook holder for several of his marsupial species, and the tiger projects they are funding in Sumatra are very commendable. I would be interested to see the accounts - I bet they plough a lot more money into in-situ conservation than some of the more 'respected' zoos (but then again it always helps if your owner is a multi-millionaire to begin with!)
the photo on the website of the hippo with mandrills was certainly an interesting one, and he obviously has a lot of macropods which is good
Zooboy,
I know the story, but what is actually the latest on the inquiry into the Mareeba debacle? Has it been formalised? Is someone or are multiple individuals held accountable for what went wrong?
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
They used to be a BIAZA member but i think they left under a bit of a cloud around the time the rhino got out and had to be shot the main road,they re-applied to join in 2005 or2006 and were turned down.The park has some very good ideas and the animals are in very good condition but they seem to have more than their fair share of problems.I have meet and spoken to David Gill a few times and have always found him to be very talkative person who has very strong opinion of whats right and wrong,within the zoo world.
3 big hippos...7 hippos total (5 pigmies and 3 commons)
Lol, as Zoo Boy says below, 5+3 actually does equal 8. I should have noticed that too!
Lol, as Zoo Boy says below, 5+3 actually does equal 8. I should have noticed that too!
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Like someone trying to murder the owner....
Does anyone know yet if that was a simple 'breakin' or did the perpetrator have other agenda?
Does South Lakes have a masterplanning? What is it destined to house in future? Which new species? Does the zoo have more park exhibits or is it more biotope range? How are the enclosures sited in the landscape?
Many people wish he'd gone to that much trouble with his failed attempt in Queensland! Much more would have been better of course. Still, he's as far away from here as can be now, that's the main thing
Many people wish he'd gone to that much trouble with his failed attempt in Queensland! Much more would have been better of course. Still, he's as far away from here as can be now, that's the main thing
Woh! Another big fan...
This guy sure has some admirers... Someone said South Lakes looks like a 'flat pack' zoo. I've seen numerous photos and it does look rather as if its all been thrown together in a great hurry. I think perhaps thats its main fault, that its been developed too rapidly. But hey, I've never been so is that fair comment?
Yep, that's the feeling I got from looking at photos. I like the description of the 'flat pack' zoo...
I think it has probably grown faster than any other comparable sized UK zoo- probably because Mr Gill has a lot of money available to put into it. But he does seem to have a few problems too, primarily with escapees (and carparks).
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