Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2023
- Thread starter Moorhunhe
- Start date
Not necessarily, as she is separate she can be very hard to spot at times.
CONTRACTOR FOR NATIONAL SCIENCE & CONSERVATION CENTRE AT TWYCROSS ZOO (HINCKLEY AND BOSWORTH BOROUGH COUNCIL) - Contracts Finder
Found an updated document on the new science centre, orangutan exhibit, few new things on the doc firstly the tender is now closed and they are reviewing the candidates which I’m sure there will be a few if the budget is good enough. They have also increased it to 13 million on its budget and given start and end dates, the start being mid May this year but I would imagine physical works on site wouldn’t start till a while after and an end date of the end of next year. Hopefully though the animal exhibits can be completed sooner and be ready Easter 2024. Once the tender is granted though I hope they will share the information with there visitors, perhaps with a big billboard at the entrance instead of the ridiculous over size zoo map by the guest info, just to give them an insite into the millions being invested and that things will improve over the next few years
Found an updated document on the new science centre, orangutan exhibit, few new things on the doc firstly the tender is now closed and they are reviewing the candidates which I’m sure there will be a few if the budget is good enough. They have also increased it to 13 million on its budget and given start and end dates, the start being mid May this year but I would imagine physical works on site wouldn’t start till a while after and an end date of the end of next year. Hopefully though the animal exhibits can be completed sooner and be ready Easter 2024. Once the tender is granted though I hope they will share the information with there visitors, perhaps with a big billboard at the entrance instead of the ridiculous over size zoo map by the guest info, just to give them an insite into the millions being invested and that things will improve over the next few years
It’s kind of annoying that through the levelling up scheme, the zoo are forced to use a usual Gov contractor. So the development is almost certain to run over schedule, budget and be full of set backs.
But great there is some, albeit much slower than originally anticipated, progress now.
But great there is some, albeit much slower than originally anticipated, progress now.
Yes I’m sure it will but let’s no forget this is probably the largest single project investment in a Uk zoo ( except the island project at Chester ) and it’s happening at Twycross of all places and they are getting it for free
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
Looking at the drawing plans for this on their website, the main campus and accommodation will be on unbuilt land just south of the zoo. The Orang-utans looks like they will be on where old Chimp enclosure and Lemur walkthrough are now, as well as on some unbuilt land.
Do you know if the Gorillas and Bonobos will still be getting new enclosures as part of this project?
I am wondering if they will be moving the Tufted Deer into another part of the zoo.
I also hope that some other smaller species will be part of the plans.
Do you know if the Gorillas and Bonobos will still be getting new enclosures as part of this project?
I am wondering if they will be moving the Tufted Deer into another part of the zoo.
I also hope that some other smaller species will be part of the plans.
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https://twycrosszoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/tz-vision-2020-brochure-online.pdf To date this is all is know about the center and there future plans as noting has yet been submitted for planning, I’m not sure if they have to follow the normal procedures as this is government lead, I would think so but who knows
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
So given Chimp Haven is relatively recent and that design suggests another Chimp exhibit, does that mean they will end up with two groups, or will it be a whole new build ?
The chimp exhibit shown in the concept art is Chimp Eden. This new development will sit alongside it.
With the new gorillas islands in between, which of course begs the question why wouldn’t you build the gorillas first and build out of the zoo rather than building two new exhibits either side then dig the area up again in between them
I assume it will be Kayan yes, I did think maybe she would go there, how did you find out? Have they posted somewhere?
Somebody visited and saw her and a keeper from Twycross
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
- I made my first visit to Twycross yesterday and it was quite successful as far as first ever visits go, and there were many highlights. I arrived in the afternoon, so didn't have as much time as I could of, but I still managed to get round the whole zoo excluding the Gruffalo area.
- After not managing to see any Snow Leopards through the side window after a brief look (this stayed the same through other attempts in the visit- do they have an off-show second enclosure?), I went over to Gibbon Forest first. It was easily one of the biggest highlights, as I was aware of it previously, but after yesterday it became one of my very favourite exhibits that I've seen in person in recent memory, through a combination of features.
- I managed to get pretty good views of all 4 species of great ape, and I can't wait for when they all have high level enclosures with National Science and Conservation Centre developments in the coming years.
- Speaking about new exhibits, the other more recently opened spaces also impressed me. As I said Gibbon Forest was probably my favourite exhibit, but Chimp Eden and Giraffe Savannah also stood out.
- Overall, it was a pretty good visit, and I can definitely see myself going back fairly frequently, possibly as soon as the summer, as it is the closest zoo for me that I can get into for free with my Colchester pass (apart from Colchester itself, of course).
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
Glad you had a nice day Rajan.
In response to the bold comments above.
On a quiet day, the Gruffalo area is quite nice and they have Goats, Owls and Snakes down there. I suspect at some stage they will have a fox of some description too.
They have two Snow Leopards but surprisingly they have not yet been fully integrated, so they rotate. They have a small offshow area you can't see at all, but I mean its small and the larger paddock will only have access for one of them at present, so if it choses to stay indoors you wont see it. The male is the more active of the two and its worth looking above the viewing window to the right on the ledge, as he often likes to lay down there and watch over the zoo, and makes it easy not to see him, unless you walk up the path towards the Gruffalo land.
The last twice I've been to Twycross, the Gibbons didn't have access outside to the Gibbon Forest which I agree is impressive, did they have outside access yesterday?
Were the Nyala out in the Giraffe section with the Giraffe? As have never seen them mingle together and its impossible to get photos of them through the mesh at the other end.
You may want to check, but as far as I know, Twycross only allow one free visit with a pass from a zoo, I am not sure how they police this, but if they scan your card or record the number it could come up that you've used it before there. Like I said, I don't know how they police this, but I know on my letter from Chester and Edinburgh, on both it says one free visit to Twycross.
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
- Thanks for the summary, hopefully I will get round to it next time, it was a case of it understandingly being lower priority than the great apes and other more exciting species and modern developments.
- Yeah I guess I was just unlucky with the Snow Leopards, still a beautiful enclosure though!
- At the very least the Northern White Cheeked Gibbons had access outside as i got a few photos, not sure if I saw any other species though and the balcony/walkway on the right from the entrance was closed for maintenance.
- The Nyala were separate from the Giraffe (which were inside anyway) in their own enclosure and I managed to get a few decent photos through the mesh.
- I was going off what I had seen on the Colchester website that said Chester was the only zoo limited to one visit, but I'll bear it in mind, and I don't mind waiting until next year to visit again, that's when all the exciting stuff will happen, and there's many other zoos I could visit in the meantime.
