The Good, The Bad, And The Surprisingly Well Done - Thoughts On An Afternoon In Lincolnshire

pipaluk said:
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park
I thought this was one of the worst UK zoos I have been to when I visited in 2018! I thought tiger set up was totally unacceptable! Not so great, just my opinion
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Get that as it is a bit of an arrangement. It’s one of those slightly sad reflections that it’s probably a better situation for the tigers when there are less of them (12 I think at one point to currently 7 who form some sharing groups). Generally though I thought it compared to other collections I’ve visited and the one enclosure that I thought would benefit from being more natural and probably out in the other half of the zoo vs where it is was the leopard (which is a personal opinion I don’t claim leopard expertise!).
 
I assumed all the tigers there were ex circus, so had enjoyed very limited space in the past and this was an improvement. I didn't see the indoor space, which in itself may have been an improvement for them, and if I remember correctly (unlikely) this was only viewable as an extra in order to raise funds. I have only been once and am in no rush to return, although that is partly because of the re-entry policy.
 
littleRedPanda said:
...although that is partly because of the re-entry policy.
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What re-entry policy? What am I missing here?

pipaluk said:
Lincolnshire Wildlife Park
I thought this was one of the worst UK zoos I have been to when I visited in 2018! I thought tiger set up was totally unacceptable! Not so great, just my opinion
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I think the main tiger enclosure is fine, in fact it's great but I do agree that the off-show holding does look small from the glimpses you get and the rotation system isn't optimal.
 
Brum said:
What re-entry policy? What am I missing here?


I think the main tiger enclosure is fine, in fact it's great but I do agree that the off-show holding does look small from the glimpses you get and the rotation system isn't optimal.
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The main tiger enclosure is OK yes, but it is the fact that it was the only enclosure for up to 12 tigers which had to be rotated. They would have been better to have 2 or 3 smaller outdoor enclosures imo, that's my main issue with it really.
 
littleRedPanda said:
When I went, you couldn't leave and then re-enter.
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Ah right, think that policy might have been abandoned now as there are signs saying that if you wish to smoke then the smoking area is in the car park, didn't say anything about not being able to re-enter afterwards.

pipaluk said:
The main tiger enclosure is OK yes, but it is the fact that it was the only enclosure for up to 12 tigers which had to be rotated. They would have been better to have 2 or 3 smaller outdoor enclosures imo, that's my main issue with it really.
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And it's a fair issue, especially when they have the space to do exactly that. Maybe they knew some of the tigers were getting on so investing a small fortune (relative to the collection) wasn't worth it? No insight here, just thinking out loud...
 
pipaluk said:
The main tiger enclosure is OK yes, but it is the fact that it was the only enclosure for up to 12 tigers which had to be rotated. They would have been better to have 2 or 3 smaller outdoor enclosures imo, that's my main issue with it really.
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I completely agree! This is one of the reasons I'm kind about the Ark's enclosures. Surely its better to give all of your animals adequate space to use all the time, than let them have access to a fantastic enclosure sometimes and the rest is spent in a tiny space? I don't like animals being rotated in enclosures unless they are all a decent size.
 
Brum said:
Ah right, think that policy might have been abandoned now as there are signs saying that if you wish to smoke then the smoking area is in the car park, didn't say anything about not being able to re-enter afterwards.


And it's a fair issue, especially when they have the space to do exactly that. Maybe they knew some of the tigers were getting on so investing a small fortune (relative to the collection) wasn't worth it? No insight here, just thinking out loud...
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I think that’s a good thinking out loud as they haven’t added any more as some have sadly died and so perhaps the long term intention is to have a smaller group who move around less / not at all. As it is with the two groups of females out together and then two males it’s a lot less swapping than when there were 12. 12 seems a massive amount (7 indeed is a lot).

Are there other collections with so many permanent tigers? I can’t recall seeing places with more than 3/4 excluding cubs. I did think when there that it would be lovely for a pride of lions.
 
Brum said:
Ah right, think that policy might have been abandoned now as there are signs saying that if you wish to smoke then the smoking area is in the car park, didn't say anything about not being able to re-enter afterwards.
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Lafone said:
That wasn’t in place last weekend as I popped back to the car to get my fleece. The exit is not staffed so went to the entry desk first to check it was ok - hadn’t occurred to me they’d not let me back in!
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It was back in 2017 that I visited, along with The Ark with the intention of going here first, then Ark and then back here again to catch different tigers. There was a sign at the entrance stating no re-entry which annoyed me at the time.
 
I’ve personally done one of the Tiger Tours and the inside is pretty large. I would say each of the dens is something like 1.5x the size of the indoor at Hamerton to give an idea of size.

Also whilst the group are on rotation there are 3 sections of outside area and then the large paddock. The smaller sections are no smaller than the holding area again than Hamerton’s who also don’t mix their pair. They may look long and narrow but they allow outside access at all times and have a platform and the tigers can look out into the big paddock.
The large paddock is separated for the 3 groups (2,2,3) so they all have large outdoor access every day.

If you look at Highland for instance, that group is divided and split access to main paddock and the indoor/ outdoor holding is a lot smaller than Lincolnshire offers, so whilst 2 groups have access to their indoor and holding , and one group has access to outdoor, holding and indoor, it is rotated so all get paddock access daily.

This also means you are far likely to see Tigers outdoors as the groups in their times use it. If they say had 2/3 and had full access all day, if they stayed in holding or indoor, you wouldn’t see them.

The indoors are large, the holding area for each of the three groups is larger than most and same size as Hamertons female holding area and bigger than Highland and many other zoos for that part.

Lincs is not small by any means and most tigers in captivity are separated with half the group only access indoor and holding whilst one in a large paddock, even Woodside do this and the holding area at lincs is bigger than Woodside.

There are some exhibits at lincs which are small, the Tigers including inside and holding is most definitely NOT one of them.

As for no re-entry policy, I’ve never had an issue with this anywhere. Keep your receipt, and if you go out, when you go back in, show a payment receipt. All admissions are per day, so technically with a proof of payment nowhere could prevent re-entry.
 
The Ark has taken delivery of a large quantity of wood this week in preparation for building a new nocturnal exhibit for kinkajous, thanks to donations towards the cost of this project. Another incentive to visit again next year if anyone needs one!
 
Lafone said:
This is a really interesting thread so far thank you for spending your time to create very readable reviews with lots of detail!

Adding the wolds (which I’ve never been to) to my ‘worth a trip’ list. Thank you.

Not adding the ark - I do like good exhibitry and as a non expert visitor it appears to me that really good enclosures make for happier animals. Though I do want to see some artic foxes so hunt continues for those in an easier to reach place!
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Hammerton had quite a few arctic foxes last year when I went and very cute they were.
 
Sand Cat said:
I don't have any direct connections to the Ark but as a fan of the place I feel that I have to challenge a few aspects of your review of the place. I accept that we all have different opinions and that's fine, but I would like to present a few answers to some of what I see as rather harsh criticisms.

First of all, I think any review of the place ought to mention that it is a rescue zoo - virtually all of the residents are exotic pets which have been abandoned, confiscated or signed over by people who thought that having a raccoon, fox, serval, caiman or whatever as a pet was a brilliant idea, before reality hit home. Granted the enclosures look very home made - because they are - but more professional-looking exhibits would cost far more to build, leaving less funds and meaning less animals in need of a home could be accommodated. I think that, considering the limited budget, most of the enclosures are very good. They generally offer the animals a fair bit of space, and things to do. The enclosures are functional and do the job they are meant to do. 'Trash Panda Towers' is a fairly new addition by the way, and replaced an earlier raccoon enclosure which served its purpose for a few years but was seen as less than ideal, and was replaced when funds allowed. Hopefully others will be replaced or improved in due course.

Again, I take issue with your criticism of kids toys in animal enclosures: if it keeps the animals stimulated, what's the harm in it? The priority here is to give the animals a good life, not to build a zoo that will rival Chester. More natural or tasteful enrichment activities, again, cost more money. A lot of toys and stuff is donated by members of the public and is well used and appreciated. Again, note that most of the residents came from the exotic pet trade, so it could be argued they are more 'pet' than 'wild animal', which could partly justify them having toys - e.g. a serval who lived in a single room in a house for 2 years. I'm sure that polytunnel is a massive improvement and probably seems like a palace by comparison!

By all the means, Ark Wildlife Park is not perfect - I agree with you about some of the enclosures, the Palm Civet in particular really needs more space and should be a high priority IMO. But I unashamabledy love the place, warts and all, and couldn't let your post go without presenting my own thoughts. For anyone reading this and feeling confused, if you get chance, visit the place and make your own mind up. Worst case scenario, you'll almost certainly get to see some nice unusual species, and the money your contribute by visiting might just help to improve some of the animal enclosures.

Thanks for reading! Oh, and I'm looking forward to the final review of Lincolnshire Wildlife Park as I've not visited it since it was the National Parrot Sanctuary.
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I have only visited The Ark once a couple of years ago but I agree with you. Although not the most aesthetically pleasing place, you are right that it is mainly a rescue facility. I’m sure that if the residents could talk, they would definitely prefer their accommodations to being kept in cages or bedrooms. I took the grandkids and they loved it. There are a nice selection of rarely seen animals which I found interesting.
 
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