devilfish
Well-Known Member
I visited this place last week for the first time and thought I'd write a little bit about it.
This small centre is tucked away in Ealing (in London) but its species list on zootierliste, and its enclosures, are quite impressive considering. I was quite pleased with my visit - entry is free except for the very small butterfly house, which is open for a limited period daily (not just weekends, as shown on the website). They're in the middle of implementing an ambitious masterplan at the moment, so I feel it might be unfair to post a lot of information which will fast become outdated. Phase one of three of the masterplan seems to be nearing completion, with phase two already underway, I think. I was pleased with the animal centre's spacious and nicely finished enclosures for fairly minor species (e.g. domestic animals, budgies, cockatiels, mara) and nice displays of more intriguing animals. They're bringing in new animals at the moment (prairie dogs due within the next few weeks) and already have a couple of rarer species on display.
Signage is ok, but a lot of animals lack signs, including the bleeding heart doves, crested partridges, several ducks, and a Gray's piping-guan. There's also a new parma wallaby in an enclosure between the mara and the new prairie dog enclosure. A lake is maintained for waterfowl, and being in a large park there's quite a lot of wildlife on the site - I saw plenty of ringnecked parakeets, and a frog in the capuchin enclosure (unfortunately the capuchin saw it too.)
I ended up spending a lot longer than expected here, and it made a very pleasant afternoon out. Sorry I can't be more accurate, but I think things are changing quite rapidly so I'm not sure what's being altered in the near future. I'll be back soon to see how it's developed and I'll upload some photos too.
This small centre is tucked away in Ealing (in London) but its species list on zootierliste, and its enclosures, are quite impressive considering. I was quite pleased with my visit - entry is free except for the very small butterfly house, which is open for a limited period daily (not just weekends, as shown on the website). They're in the middle of implementing an ambitious masterplan at the moment, so I feel it might be unfair to post a lot of information which will fast become outdated. Phase one of three of the masterplan seems to be nearing completion, with phase two already underway, I think. I was pleased with the animal centre's spacious and nicely finished enclosures for fairly minor species (e.g. domestic animals, budgies, cockatiels, mara) and nice displays of more intriguing animals. They're bringing in new animals at the moment (prairie dogs due within the next few weeks) and already have a couple of rarer species on display.
Signage is ok, but a lot of animals lack signs, including the bleeding heart doves, crested partridges, several ducks, and a Gray's piping-guan. There's also a new parma wallaby in an enclosure between the mara and the new prairie dog enclosure. A lake is maintained for waterfowl, and being in a large park there's quite a lot of wildlife on the site - I saw plenty of ringnecked parakeets, and a frog in the capuchin enclosure (unfortunately the capuchin saw it too.)
I ended up spending a lot longer than expected here, and it made a very pleasant afternoon out. Sorry I can't be more accurate, but I think things are changing quite rapidly so I'm not sure what's being altered in the near future. I'll be back soon to see how it's developed and I'll upload some photos too.
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