UK trip: what rare species to look out for?

IceQueen

IceQueen

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Hi all,

We're leaving for the UK on monday and we will visit some zoo's. I was wondering what rare species to look out for that can only be seen in the UK or rarely be seen in the rest of western Europe.
We will be going to: Rare Species conservation centre, Marwell, Twycross, Hamerton, Howletts, Port Lympne.
We won't be doing this trip again for a long time, so I don't wanna miss anything.
Aardwolf is ofcourse high on the list, hopefully we will get to see them at least in one of the 3 zoo's that keep them.
But what other rare beauties can we see on this trip?
 
There are Amur Tiger cubs at Howletts so make sure you see them they are great to watch :) - Also make sure you see Little Boy the old Tiger at the front hes a great tiger he will come and say hello :),
Basically try and see as many Cat and Primate species at Howletts and Port Lympne you can it may involve alot of patience but to get a glimpse of the animal you are waiting for is a great sight :)
Also the Gorillas you will definately not miss them but again they are fantastic to watch got stuck there for hours last time just watching them :)
Have a great time,
 
Litlle red fruit bats at the rare species conservation centre are th only in europe, new guinea singing dogs (agian at the conservation centre), banded langurs (at howletts, only ones in europe), jaguarundi (hamerton) oncilla (hamerton) coquerels mouse lemur (at marwell, the only ones in europe) - based on zootierliste
 
At Howletts don't miss the Grizzled Leaf Monkeys (Presbytis comata) and Sumatran Leaf Monkeys (P. melalophos): these are the only ones outside Southeast Asia.
At the RSCC the Smooth-coated Otters are a must-see.
I think Twycross still has 1 Crowned Guenon and 1 Phayre's Langur - probably the last examples of their kind in Europe.
 
Riziki said:
There are Amur Tiger cubs at Howletts so make sure you see them they are great to watch :) - Also make sure you see Little Boy the old Tiger at the front hes a great tiger he will come and say hello :),
Basically try and see as many Cat and Primate species at Howletts and Port Lympne you can it may involve alot of patience but to get a glimpse of the animal you are waiting for is a great sight :)
Also the Gorillas you will definately not miss them but again they are fantastic to watch got stuck there for hours last time just watching them :)
Have a great time,
Click to expand...

I would not class these as rare species? :confused:

Moloch Gibbons at Howletts & PL
Amur Leopards at Twycross
Francois Langur at Twycross
Red Titi Monkey at Twycross
Michie’s tufted deer at Twycross

Also not being that familiar with western European zoo's am sorry if these are quite common.

Am a mammal fan but hopefully someone can fill you in with some of the birds and reptiles.
 
No longer Coquerel's dwarf lemurs at Marwell, but the Black wildebeest (White0tailed gnu) are now on show. Not sure on what US collections you have visited, but other Marwell species that may be notable to you are Somali wild ass, Amur leopard, Fossa, Takin, Nyala, Congo buffalo.
 
Hi all,

thnx for all the answers, it's all noted! :)

I like carnivores, so it's good to know there are tigercubs in Howletts.
Too bad from the Coquerel's dwarf lemurs, lemurs are very high on my favorites list.

@ Taun, those species aren't common in the rest of Europe, although I see 3 of them every week in Blijdorp, but it will be nice to see them in other exhibits.

@ zooboy: I'm from the Netherlands, so I have not seen any US collections (yet). ;)
 
dont miss the clouded leopards at howletts, pumas at rscc, sun bears at rscc, snow leopards at marwell, howletts and port lympne, bonobos at twycroos, and already mentioned, the gorillas and all of the primates and monkeys at howletts/Port Lympne
 
I've never been to Hamerton, but otherwise my personal recommendations for the most interesting species and best displays are:-
  • gorillas at Howletts & PL obviously
  • fossa at RSCC
  • langurs, gibbons, black howler monkeys & marmosets at Twycross
  • okapi, Somali wild ass, fossa, takin & snow leopard at Marwell
  • African elephants, langurs, ratel, lion-tailed & Heck's macaques at Howletts
  • crowned sifaka, broad-nosed gentle lemur, drill & Asian buffalo at PL
I never seem to have much luck with seeing small cats properly, but Marwell, Howletts & PL have nice species. Enjoy your trip!

Alan
 
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Some birds which may be of interest

Marwell
Slender-billed Conure

Twycross
Cayenne Lapwing
Black-winged Ground Dove
Thick-billed Parrot
Montserrat Oriole

Hamerton
Black Spur-winged Goose
Himalayan Snowcock
Palm Nut Vulture
Hooded Vulture
Striped Owl
 
I think most of the 'must-see' animals have already been mentioned, but for Hamerton these are extreme rarities in the UK at least:

*Oncilla
*Jaguardundi
*Corsac Foxes
*Black-Backed Jackals
*Siberian Weasels
*Aardwolves
*Collared Lemurs

Please note that some species are not very well labelled at Hamerton; I've been twice and didn't even know they still had the weasels, and I saw a jackal by pure luck! Based on past experience you should be able to see the Corsac Foxes and Collared Lemurs without too much trouble as they have absolutely loads of them!

Oh and as someone else mentioned, the Phayre's Langur at Twycross (assuming it's still there) is a must-see, as I think it's the only example outside Sri Lanka. Look out for the baby elephant too if it's out!
 
Just a quick note about the Crowned Guenon at Twycross,it share an outdoor enclosure with a pair of Hamlyns Monkey,so as a result when the Hamlyns are outside the Crowned is shut in,there is no viewing from the inside of the house it lives in,so try and look through the windows into the house at the back of the enclosure to see either these species depending on who has the outside.
 
If you are planning to head up to Norfolk then Pensthorpe Nature Reserve is well worth a visit. This isn't bias on my part either, but, Pensthorpe has a lot of Exotic birds including a large selection of Cranes, many of which are endangered or under threat.
 
The Hawk Conservancy Trust in Weyhill has the only two captive on show Great Bustards in the UK. (Not counting the reintroduction program in Wiltshire) defiantly worth a look. Truly fantastic birds. They also have a pair of white Tailed Sea eagles. I believe they still classed as rare. Not forgetting they have one of the only Oriental White Backed Vulture's left in the country.
 
Thnx again for the help.

We've had a lot of fun visiting the UK zoo's we selected, we're probably coming back next year to visit some other zoo's:)

I've made a list of animals we saw for the first time in the 6 zoo's I'd mentioned in this thread. We've been to over a 100 zoo's, so it's pretty rare to see something new, but we've seen a lot of new animals:

Rare Species Conservation Centre:
- Aardwolf (saw all 3 of them, beautiful animals!)
- Sambirano Bamboo lemur (we have them in a small zoo in Holland, but I don't like the zoo, so I haven't been there since they arrived)
- Owston’s palmcivet (didn't see it unfortunatly)
- Smooth coated otter

Marwell:
- Cusimanse

Twycross:
- Aardwolf (saw it walking around in the outside enclosure)
- Allen’s swampmonkey (probably saw it in Mulhouse, but can’t remember)
- Black-tailed marmoset
- Crowned guenon (saw it in the quarantine behind a window)
- Lesser spot-nosed monkey
- Lowe’s guenon (maybe seen it in Beauval, but can’t remember)
- Phayre's Langur
- Scottisch wild cat (seen the european one, but not this subspecies)

Hamerton:
- Aardwolf (didn't see them)
- Collared lemur
- Some big American donkeys? never seen them before

Port Lympne
- Grey bamboo lemur (didn't see it, unfortunatly)
- Guinea baboon
- Moloch gibbon
- Indian desert cat
- Scottisch wild cat

Howletts:
- Moloch gibbon
- Banded leaf monkey
- Grizzled leaf monkey
- Indian desert cat
 
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