ZSL London Zoo Tiger Trouble at ZSL

[gentle lemur]

I think I'm right in saying that zoos with charitable status now have to receive a donation, on top of the entrance fee, before they can ask a visitor if they will allow the zoo to reclaim tax under the Gift Aid scheme.
So it's not really fair to beat the ZSL with this particular stick.

Alan

 

[taun]

I think I'm right in saying that zoos with charitable status now have to receive a donation, on top of the entrance fee, before they can ask a visitor if they will allow the zoo to reclaim tax under the Gift Aid scheme.
So it's not really fair to beat the ZSL with this particular stick.

Alan

You are correct there and I don't blame any charity trying to get some more money.

 

[markun]

I remember speaking to a keeper shortly after the gorilla enclosure opened last year and he said that one of the next big projects was a redevelopment of the big cat enclosures but he didn't go into any details and had to go before I could ask for more info so perhaps things have been on the drawing board for some time...

 

[Pertinax]

I remember speaking to a keeper shortly after the gorilla enclosure opened last year and he said that one of the next big projects was a redevelopment of the big cat enclosures so perhaps things have been on the drawing board for some time...

I think I've heard something similar so the current tiger problem won't be the only cause for redevelopment.

 

[JamesB]

is it just tigers, lions and serval currently in the collection? thanks for the news markun

 

[ZooMania]

Yeap. Compared to a few years back when the zoo housed Amur, Clouded and Persian Leopard, Sand Cats and Lynx. Primates now live in their enclosures whilst the Servals live in the old Sand Cat enclosure.

 

[johnstoni]

I think I'm right in saying that zoos with charitable status now have to receive a donation, on top of the entrance fee, before they can ask a visitor if they will allow the zoo to reclaim tax under the Gift Aid scheme.
So it's not really fair to beat the ZSL with this particular stick.

Alan

Sorry, you got the wrong end of that stick...I mean that to launch a huge public appeal for funds for an enclosure when visitors have been paying donations specifically for tigers on top of their entrance fee is asking alot.....yes the extra donation is for in situ conservation, but we again come back to the issue of needing £5 million to create two tiger paddocks. It's unneccessary, disingenous to ask the public to pay for something essential at an inflated price, and unethical to drag out a process which could be solved sooner if less cost and fanfare was insisted on by ZSL.

 

[Pertinax]

but we again come back to the issue of needing £5 million to create two tiger paddocks. It's unneccessary, disingenous to ask the public to pay for something essential at an inflated price, and unethical to drag out a process which could be solved sooner if less cost and fanfare was insisted on by ZSL.

I tend to agree with you that a good Tiger enclosure could be constructed for a fraction of this cost. Unfortunately London's current ethos seems to be that the enormous sum alone spent on the building work justifies the product- whatever the quality of the end result.

 

[johnstoni]

Cynically, I would say it will be lots of floor-to-celing glass, harsh acoustics in public viewing areas, and limited platforms to keep it looking 'themed' as an indonesian forest.
(The howletts tiger platforms are gloriously ugly, especially those almost-vertical 'ramps' in the paddocks where the sumatrans now are, but the tigers seem to make great use of them). I can't see London going for these or lots of mesh, remember 'the bars are coming down', right? As to whether they'll craft little water features and planted areas/barriers to reduce pacing, remains to be seen. Even with the current design making long stretches to pace unavailable, they still seem to do it even in the tightest spots.
I would be over the moon if, even for £5 million, a howletts-style paddock complex appeared on the south bank with the tigers able to look out over the canal all day on platforms.

 

[Chris79]

ZSL should knock heads with RZSS, who have just managed to build what is apparently the biggest tiger enclosure in Europe (and by early accounts, one of the best) for £400,000 - less than a tenth of London's budget.

If they are planning a new exhibit on the site of the Cat Terraces then I can see why the costs would be somewhat higher. They'll have to demolish the existing exhibit and no doubt pay the professional fees of a design team to come up with something of "architectural merit", which always seems to be an unnecessary priority for urban zoos. (Creating a nice, simple fenced exhibit on the North Bank would presumably be cheaper.)

 

[CZJimmy]

If anyone visits London, could anyone take a picture of the north bank area where people want the tiger enclosure? I didn't have time to go on the north bank on my last visit, so i can't quite picture the total area being talked about here.

Thanks in advance!

As someone suggested earlier, opening up into 3-island pond will greatly increase the area available to tigers and with a little work, some more indonesian primates could be kept in the cat terraces.