I think this was just for the activities that they are holding throughout the year, which they have already announced. I can’t see anything else referring to the summer?
Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter pendraig_milnerae
- Start date
A big baby or calf perhaps?
Without wanting to put a dampener on people's excitement, "something big" could just be animatronic dinasours, hopefully not but there's always the possibility
Hmm so the dik dik won’t be there interesting …
Pandaboi
Well-Known Member
I saw them yesterday out and about so they are still at the zoo and in the same enclosure. Unless they left today.
Last edited:
Twycross has now had there planning permission granted for the new orangutan / science centre area
23/00948/FUL | Development of new animal enclosures and associated infrastructure, new lecture theatre, education block, education facilities, substations and associated residential block and lodges, new access from Orton Hill, new car park, landscaping and other associated works (following the demolition of some existing buildings). | Twycross Zoological Park Burton Road Norton Juxta Twycross Atherstone Leicestershire CV9 3PX
23/00948/FUL | Development of new animal enclosures and associated infrastructure, new lecture theatre, education block, education facilities, substations and associated residential block and lodges, new access from Orton Hill, new car park, landscaping and other associated works (following the demolition of some existing buildings). | Twycross Zoological Park Burton Road Norton Juxta Twycross Atherstone Leicestershire CV9 3PX
Just looked at the plans for the new Orang-utan house and I noticed it features 4 vivarium's.
That’ll be very cool, new herptiles or invertebrates are always a win. There’s also the matter of the other enclosures in the development, like the new otter enclosure next to the main orangutan enclosure. In particular, there’s the three new animal enclosures at the north end, two of which are connected according to the plans, though they make a point of not saying what they might be for.
Does anyone have any ideas? The two connected ones are definitely for something arboreal, most likely a primate, but the lower fence suggests it could be something else like a binturong or tree kangaroo. The other enclosure seems to be for something terrestrial and hoofstock-like, but also has a large water feature, so that may be for a suid of some sort? In any case I’d love to hear other people’s suggestions.
Just to note I was there on 18th Feb and although the dik-dik signage was still up the indoor enclosure appeared completely stripped out and the pophole was locked closed. There were no animals at all to see between the tortoises and the rhinos if you walked round that path by the old owl aviaries - just a succession of very unsubtly-covered up empty enclosures (owls, bush dogs, martens, guenons...). Bluntly, it looks terrible!
It would be a real shame if the dik-dik left the collection, especially after so many animals leaving over the last few years. Hopefully the boost provided by the NSCC will allow for the less-loved areas of the zoo to receive some much needed rejuvenation.
Charles
Well-Known Member
I remember a while back someone said tree kangaroo and babirusa
I guess you could add the Borneo Longhouse area too? I've watched the steady decline of inhabited enclosures in that whole area for some time now. Twycross always looks pretty awful in winter but sounds even worse this time around.
Yes indeed. And with no flamingos out in winter either, along that whole side of the zoo (about a third of the developed area and half of the 'main' zoo, excluding Himalaya and Gruffalo), other than the far ends of the rhino/giraffe+nyala paddocks there are only the tapirs, Diana Monkeys, penguins, the back of the zebras, the small monkeys house and the two monkey enclosures next to it, and the tortoises on show. A total of ten species, rising to eleven when the flamingos come back. And it kind of feels like they think no-one will notice, despite the logical route round the zoo forcing you past all the very obvious blanked off buildings. And this isn't even the area with development imminent, that's over the other side taking out a big chunk there as well.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
It’s very noticeable down that end and I’d contrast with somewhere like Beale that has smaller engaging animals like arctic foxes, banded mongoose, prairie dogs, tortoises etc in good spaces for the species with activities and good planting in that sort of ‘row of things’.
What I quite liked is that the foxes are adjacent the reindeer pen. So theoretically either species could have a glance a the other; almost like the wild situation!
I can’t help but think something is going on in that area, it’s strange to me for them to be concentrating on the exodus of the enclosure around there it’s strange both the dik dik and bush dogs both I would imagine are cheep to run species but good to see at any zoo would leave with out good reason also given there successful breeding they have had of the dik dik. A while back on the original master plan, thought this seams to have evaporated there was a phase two to the rhinos and though it was never explained what this was given the close proximity to there paddocks this may be coming to fruition. As far as imminent developments go, who knows as they don’t advitise the ones they are doing very well as is, they for all we know might put planning permissions in for the area tomorrow. Personally I would like to see all those dated exhibits flattened along with the lower rhino paddock which I’m sure has never been used, and converted to either a couple of large exhibits or an array of ten or so smaller exhibits of staple zoo species to regenerate and make the area interesting again.
I do wonder if their current entry charges reflect the fact there are so many empty exhibits in that part of the zoo, which is effectively defunct currently from your description. Or maybe the majority of visitors simply don't notice and are content wih what they do see.