adrian1963
Well-Known Member
Arrived at the zoo at about 10.05am the weather was bright but chilly, there was a large cue at the entrance to the shop were you pay to enter the zoo.
On entering the zoo itself I was greeted by a large group of school children about 100 in totals it appears to be 2 school outings, other than these children there appears to be not to many other people at the zoo at this time.
I started by taking photographs of the flamingo’s these were not quite so active as they were the last time I came to the zoo, they were all out in the enclosure and the waterfall was working on some visits the waterfall is not working (don’t know reason for this)
On my way round past the Columbian Black Spider Monkeys and Macaques on too the Grey Owl, Snowy Owl and then past the Raven (Jill) and Burrowing Owls up to the junction were you can turn first right and take the path either to the Reptile House or to take second right and go to the Penguins I decided to go straight o. As you do you will come across 2 small avarices on your left aviary 1 contains a pair of Kookaburra and aviary 2 contains a pair of Scoops White Faced Owls, then you turn right to the Bear pits (Tec ton triple enclosures) these now house the Asiatic Black Bear (Inca) and the third enclosure houses the Sumatran Tiger (Sarah) both of these animals are now retired from any breeding programmes due to their age, when the time has come and both have pasted on the zoo have already made it clear that they intend to bring in younger animals and have a breeding programme once again.
The middle enclosure was once home to the infamous Polar Bears this enclosure no longer houses any animals and is not going to in the foreseeable future.
When you leave this area via the steps down the side of the old toilet block you have the Snow Leopard enclosure straight in front of you this is a fairly modern building and at present holds one male Snow Leopard, walking on down the hill you have the Bush Dog enclosure on your right hand side there are currently 3 Bush dogs in this enclosure.
Walking round the enclosure you will see the Lynx enclosure on your right and the Rothschild Giraffe enclosure straight in front of you, the Lynx enclosure has been modified over the last few years and now has a walk in tunnel that leads to the middle of the enclosure so you can get a great look at the animals and feel what it’s like to be inside the enclosure.
The Rothschild Giraffe enclosure I’m sad to say has not improved that much over the years this is due to lack of ground to expand into, The Giraffe house itself isn’t too bad as Giraffe houses go but I don’t want to see the group expand to much as to make the house to small.
Walking just past the path to the Giraffe house on your right we have the Red Panda’s and I would like to say this is one of them enclosures where you have to look really hard to find the animals in it because of vast amount of shrubs and trees and climbing equipment a little tip if you can’t see the Panda’s from down here then when you get up the top by the Discovery Centre if you go to the Primate houses at the rear there is another vantage point and this is much better to see the Panda’s in the trees.
As we continue our journey round the zoo we come to the Western Grey Kangaroo’s and Wallabies enclosure this is on your left a fair sized enclosure with a small amount of shrubbery and a night time bedding shed at the front.
Next up we have the Tapir’s, Mara and Capybara enclosure this is quite a large enclosure with a pool and some grass (not a lot) and gravel with the occasional log in the enclosure, on your right we have the Yellow Mongoose enclosure this is quite a nice enclosure with heated lamps and some rocks along with a few small logs and tubes. Just past this we have the Parma Wallabies this is one of the old enclosures that has hardly been modernised since it was first built yet it is still a fairly good enclosure for these wallabies.
Directly behind you as you look at the Wallabies is the Babarusa enclosure (these are one of my favourite animals) this is a enclosure that has a small amount of shrubs and a fairly small area of wet ground along with a fair amount of grass next to this we have the first picnic area and around the picnic area we have a few avarices these contain such birds as Pink Pigeon, Hottentots Teal, Azure Magpie, Common Rhea, Sacred Ibis, Waldrapp, Little Egret and many more.
On the right as you are at the Picnic area there are the Barbary sheep in an enclosure that could do with a little work as it’s slightly bare of shrubs and other plants.
Next to the Sheep are the famous no shows the Porcupines on my many visits over the years I have only ever managed to see these in their enclosure once but they can be viewed through the window on the side of the night enclosure. Next to this we have the Otters enclosure still waiting to have the Otters reintroduced to it, this as a dense shrubbery and waterfall into a pool at the bottom of the steep incline within the enclosure.
As we continue round the zoo we have to go up a set of steps/slope for the wheelchair and budgie users at the top we have 3 small aviaries these contain a few parrots Macaws and Cockatoo’s at the very top we have the old Tropical House/Bird House if you turn to the Left this leads to the Lemur Wood Walk Through.
This enclosure is a very good piece of work it has wild Tree Growth, Ropes Climbing Frames, Heat Lamps, a Pool the Lemurs they have inside this walk through are Black and White Ruffed, Ring Tailed, Black and Collard they all seem to get on really well and don’t seem to mind the general public invading their living area.
As we leave the walk through we are faced with a choice of paths one to the right and one straight on, we’ll take the one straight on to the right you may be lucky and see the lions as you have the second picnic area. Down in the right hand corner we have the front end of a land rover this is just under the Old Tropical House and forms part of the fence to the enclosure, you can sit in the front seats and watch the lions but be warned it’s very low down to the ground and people who have problems with their backs may not want to try this out.
As we walk past the Old Tropical House (now a small play area for the children) you have a look out hut which looks out over the new and much improved Asiatic Lion Enclosure this hold 1 male and 2 females at present, it as a sand pit (heated) a climbing frame, a few very large logs and a small running set of pools.
Next along we have another direction change on the right we have an area that holds some sheep these change from time to time but this area is a very large free ranging enclosure with all that you expect from a hilly environment. If you take the path that leads off to the left you will come to the Hunting Dogs this enclosure used to be the Lion enclosure, they have added 2 viewing areas one is through a large window within the boundary fence and the other is through a small tunnel that leads inside the enclosure, you can see the Dogs close up and is great for photographers to use. The enclosure as a good array of well grown shrubs and a small pool there is also a large area of grass all around the enclosure.
We carry on around on this path and we come to the Orang-utan House this as just been refurbished at the rear and a good job as been done (if you can remember what it used to be like then you’ll agree) there are 3 levels within the indoor enclosures and the enclosure on the left as a small indoor viewing area, if we go up the side of the path next to the House then it leads us to the infamous outdoor area of this Display this needs a little work (enough said on this matter).
Back down to the Orang-utan House indoor viewing areas we turn right and this leads to the White Lipped Peccary they have a small group in this enclosure which was grassed over when they arrived but is no longer they have a mud hole and old logs in the enclosure it’s not a bad size and we have a large viewing window about half way along the outer boundary fence next along we have the Reindeer enclosure this is a great breeding herd of reindeer and could do with a larger enclosure this one is adjacent but could do with slight improvements (2 new young so far this year)
Part 2 to follow
On entering the zoo itself I was greeted by a large group of school children about 100 in totals it appears to be 2 school outings, other than these children there appears to be not to many other people at the zoo at this time.
I started by taking photographs of the flamingo’s these were not quite so active as they were the last time I came to the zoo, they were all out in the enclosure and the waterfall was working on some visits the waterfall is not working (don’t know reason for this)
On my way round past the Columbian Black Spider Monkeys and Macaques on too the Grey Owl, Snowy Owl and then past the Raven (Jill) and Burrowing Owls up to the junction were you can turn first right and take the path either to the Reptile House or to take second right and go to the Penguins I decided to go straight o. As you do you will come across 2 small avarices on your left aviary 1 contains a pair of Kookaburra and aviary 2 contains a pair of Scoops White Faced Owls, then you turn right to the Bear pits (Tec ton triple enclosures) these now house the Asiatic Black Bear (Inca) and the third enclosure houses the Sumatran Tiger (Sarah) both of these animals are now retired from any breeding programmes due to their age, when the time has come and both have pasted on the zoo have already made it clear that they intend to bring in younger animals and have a breeding programme once again.
The middle enclosure was once home to the infamous Polar Bears this enclosure no longer houses any animals and is not going to in the foreseeable future.
When you leave this area via the steps down the side of the old toilet block you have the Snow Leopard enclosure straight in front of you this is a fairly modern building and at present holds one male Snow Leopard, walking on down the hill you have the Bush Dog enclosure on your right hand side there are currently 3 Bush dogs in this enclosure.
Walking round the enclosure you will see the Lynx enclosure on your right and the Rothschild Giraffe enclosure straight in front of you, the Lynx enclosure has been modified over the last few years and now has a walk in tunnel that leads to the middle of the enclosure so you can get a great look at the animals and feel what it’s like to be inside the enclosure.
The Rothschild Giraffe enclosure I’m sad to say has not improved that much over the years this is due to lack of ground to expand into, The Giraffe house itself isn’t too bad as Giraffe houses go but I don’t want to see the group expand to much as to make the house to small.
Walking just past the path to the Giraffe house on your right we have the Red Panda’s and I would like to say this is one of them enclosures where you have to look really hard to find the animals in it because of vast amount of shrubs and trees and climbing equipment a little tip if you can’t see the Panda’s from down here then when you get up the top by the Discovery Centre if you go to the Primate houses at the rear there is another vantage point and this is much better to see the Panda’s in the trees.
As we continue our journey round the zoo we come to the Western Grey Kangaroo’s and Wallabies enclosure this is on your left a fair sized enclosure with a small amount of shrubbery and a night time bedding shed at the front.
Next up we have the Tapir’s, Mara and Capybara enclosure this is quite a large enclosure with a pool and some grass (not a lot) and gravel with the occasional log in the enclosure, on your right we have the Yellow Mongoose enclosure this is quite a nice enclosure with heated lamps and some rocks along with a few small logs and tubes. Just past this we have the Parma Wallabies this is one of the old enclosures that has hardly been modernised since it was first built yet it is still a fairly good enclosure for these wallabies.
Directly behind you as you look at the Wallabies is the Babarusa enclosure (these are one of my favourite animals) this is a enclosure that has a small amount of shrubs and a fairly small area of wet ground along with a fair amount of grass next to this we have the first picnic area and around the picnic area we have a few avarices these contain such birds as Pink Pigeon, Hottentots Teal, Azure Magpie, Common Rhea, Sacred Ibis, Waldrapp, Little Egret and many more.
On the right as you are at the Picnic area there are the Barbary sheep in an enclosure that could do with a little work as it’s slightly bare of shrubs and other plants.
Next to the Sheep are the famous no shows the Porcupines on my many visits over the years I have only ever managed to see these in their enclosure once but they can be viewed through the window on the side of the night enclosure. Next to this we have the Otters enclosure still waiting to have the Otters reintroduced to it, this as a dense shrubbery and waterfall into a pool at the bottom of the steep incline within the enclosure.
As we continue round the zoo we have to go up a set of steps/slope for the wheelchair and budgie users at the top we have 3 small aviaries these contain a few parrots Macaws and Cockatoo’s at the very top we have the old Tropical House/Bird House if you turn to the Left this leads to the Lemur Wood Walk Through.
This enclosure is a very good piece of work it has wild Tree Growth, Ropes Climbing Frames, Heat Lamps, a Pool the Lemurs they have inside this walk through are Black and White Ruffed, Ring Tailed, Black and Collard they all seem to get on really well and don’t seem to mind the general public invading their living area.
As we leave the walk through we are faced with a choice of paths one to the right and one straight on, we’ll take the one straight on to the right you may be lucky and see the lions as you have the second picnic area. Down in the right hand corner we have the front end of a land rover this is just under the Old Tropical House and forms part of the fence to the enclosure, you can sit in the front seats and watch the lions but be warned it’s very low down to the ground and people who have problems with their backs may not want to try this out.
As we walk past the Old Tropical House (now a small play area for the children) you have a look out hut which looks out over the new and much improved Asiatic Lion Enclosure this hold 1 male and 2 females at present, it as a sand pit (heated) a climbing frame, a few very large logs and a small running set of pools.
Next along we have another direction change on the right we have an area that holds some sheep these change from time to time but this area is a very large free ranging enclosure with all that you expect from a hilly environment. If you take the path that leads off to the left you will come to the Hunting Dogs this enclosure used to be the Lion enclosure, they have added 2 viewing areas one is through a large window within the boundary fence and the other is through a small tunnel that leads inside the enclosure, you can see the Dogs close up and is great for photographers to use. The enclosure as a good array of well grown shrubs and a small pool there is also a large area of grass all around the enclosure.
We carry on around on this path and we come to the Orang-utan House this as just been refurbished at the rear and a good job as been done (if you can remember what it used to be like then you’ll agree) there are 3 levels within the indoor enclosures and the enclosure on the left as a small indoor viewing area, if we go up the side of the path next to the House then it leads us to the infamous outdoor area of this Display this needs a little work (enough said on this matter).
Back down to the Orang-utan House indoor viewing areas we turn right and this leads to the White Lipped Peccary they have a small group in this enclosure which was grassed over when they arrived but is no longer they have a mud hole and old logs in the enclosure it’s not a bad size and we have a large viewing window about half way along the outer boundary fence next along we have the Reindeer enclosure this is a great breeding herd of reindeer and could do with a larger enclosure this one is adjacent but could do with slight improvements (2 new young so far this year)
Part 2 to follow
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