UK Walk-through Exhibit Updates 2023

gentle lemur

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Recently I have been able to visit a number of UK collections and it seem that the current pattern with the reopening of these exhibits, after the lifting of the bird flu restrictions, is quite patchy and some information on zoo websites is out of date. I realise that the individual zoo threads contain these details, but I think it might be handy to keep all the information in this single thread.
I will add the name of the zoo, the date visited, the open walk-throughs (including houses with free-flying birds) and then the closed ones. Please add to the list if you can help to keep it up to date.

Newquay (19th April): Tropical House - Open. Gems of the Jungle - Closed.
Drayton Manor (25th April): Jewels of Oz - Closed.
Chester (27th April): Tropical Realm, Monsoon Forest, Latin American wetland aviary, Bali aviary & Sumatra aviary - all Open. Tsavo aviary - Closed (for redevelopment).
Hamerton (28th April): Outback aviary - Open.
Cotswold (29th April): Madagascar - Open. Tropical House & Waterfowl lake - Closed (the woodland path is open as far as the wolves).
 
Banham Zoo (21st April): Flamingo Walkthrough.
 
Wild Place Project (12th March): Lemur walkthrough - Open
Longleat (18th December): Lemur walkthrough - Open
Meerkat walkthrough - Open
Rainbow Lorikeet walkthrough - Open
Sloth house* - Open
Koala house* - Open
Family Farmyard* - Open
Butterfly house - Closed for redevelopment
Whipsnade (7th April): Lemur walkthrough - Open
Butterfly house - Open
Hullabazoo Farm* - Open


*Contentious as to whether these are true walkthroughs, but given there are no barriers between visitors and animals I'm going to class them as such.
 
London (15th April) - Lemur walkthrough - Open
Monkey Forest - Open
Clore Rainforest - Open
African bird safari - Closed
Gorilla bird aviary (can't remember the name) - Closed

Can anyone confirm if the Bird House is open yet?
 
Noah’s Ark Zoo 29th April
- bird / small pond area walkthrough closed
- chickens (and some goats) walkthrough closed
 
London (15th April) - Lemur walkthrough - Open
Monkey Forest - Open
Clore Rainforest - Open
African bird safari - Closed
Gorilla bird aviary (can't remember the name) - Closed

Can anyone confirm if the Bird House is open yet?
The two walkthroughs in the Blackburn Pavilion bird house are open. :)
 
PAIGNTON

Desert House: closed
Lemur Wood: open, but lemurs not currently allowed free range.
Kangaroo walkthrough: closed.
 
Marwell (as of 16th April)

Tropical House - Open

Fur, Feathers and Scales - Open

Wallaby walkthrough - Open

Walkthrough aviary at the bottom of the wallaby walkthrough - Open

Penguin Cove - Open (not a walkthrough exhibit but access had been restricted due to avian flu. The restrictions have now been lifted).

Also noting that Lemur Loop remains closed but that never reopened as a walkthrough following the covid pandemic.
 
PAIGNTON

Desert House: closed
Lemur Wood: open, but lemurs not currently allowed free range.
Kangaroo walkthrough: closed.

*edit:

Desert House: closed for now, will likely reopen soon as avian flu restrictions have lifted.
Lemur Wood: open, and lemurs have been and are still allowed free-range when staffing/volunteer numbers allow. A volunteer told me that the ring-tailed lemurs haven’t been allowed into the woods over the last year due to an ongoing stomach bug, but the red ruffed lemurs have been allowed out consistently over that period.
Kangaroo walkthrough: closed indeed, as the residents of the enclosure prefer not having people in there with them
 
I went to Blackpool last week and the wallaby walk through was open.

I didn't go through it but am sure the lemur walk through was open too as the feed time was on the feed/demonstrations board and saw people in there (although it might not be open all day)

The lorikeet/rainbow landings was due to reopen this weekend again at selected times



Yorkshire Wildlife Park the lemur and wallaby walkthroughs were both open when I was there at Easter
 
does anyone know if the borneo longhouse is open at twycross???
Was there last Sunday and it was still closed couldn’t see any movement in there either, the lemur walk through is also closed there for obvious reasons
 
*edit:

Desert House: closed for now, will likely reopen soon as avian flu restrictions have lifted.
Lemur Wood: open, and lemurs have been and are still allowed free-range when staffing/volunteer numbers allow. A volunteer told me that the ring-tailed lemurs haven’t been allowed into the woods over the last year due to an ongoing stomach bug, but the red ruffed lemurs have been allowed out consistently over that period.
Kangaroo walkthrough: closed indeed, as the residents of the enclosure prefer not having people in there with them
Edit:
Paigntons Red Ruffed Lemurs have not been allowed to ‘consistently’ free-range.
 
Hoo Zoo/Farm

Visited today, the lemur walkthrough open
The Lorikeet Loop walkthrough still closed
 
I believe all the London Zoo walkthroughs other than the African Bird Safari are open . (That includes the Meet the Neighbours Gorilla Territory aviary).
 
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