Chester Zoo Visits Winter

Just a quick update from my visit today. The toilets near the monorail station(Lions/Tigers and Ark Restaurant) were closed today as was the path from the Hawk Owl to the path on the monorail side. They were updating I think. And also the hut from next to the Face Painting is now no more as it was removed today. I am not sure what if anything is going in its place.
 
The pottery studio (next to the face painting) was scheduled to be another café, but that was a while ago so things might have changed. The area occupied by the old toilet block opposite Spirit of the Jaguar is going to be a covered picnic area.

You might have noticed that the Cheshire Ice Cream kiosk outside the Tsavo Café has also been removed, and that area is being developed too.
 
SMR said:
The pottery studio (next to the face painting) was scheduled to be another café, but that was a while ago so things might have changed. The area occupied by the old toilet block opposite Spirit of the Jaguar is going to be a covered picnic area.
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I was talking about the Ice cream Hut that was in between the Face Painting and Lions. As I say I am not sure what the plans are for that now empty space.
 
Cheetah fan said:
I was talking about the Ice cream Hut that was in between the Face Painting and Lions. As I say I am not sure what the plans are for that now empty space.
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I know the bit you mean, alongside where someone with no horticultural talent whatsoever has spent the last two weeks trying to create some sort of log "garden" (and I use the term loosely).

Apparently a lot of the catering around the zoo is about to change, so it's likely that the removal of the ice cream kiosks is part of that. If they were both Cheshire Ice Cream, then perhaps their contract has been renegotiated.
 

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SMR said:
I know the bit you mean, alongside where someone with no horticultural talent whatsoever has spent the last two weeks trying to create some sort of log "garden" (and I use the term loosely).

Apparently a lot of the catering around the zoo is about to change, so it's likely that the removal of the ice cream kiosks is part of that. If they were both Cheshire Ice Cream, then perhaps their contract has been renegotiated.
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Hope that they continue to sell Cheshire Ice Cream at the zoo, it is a wonderful thing on a 30 degrees summers day when you have to contend with millions upon millions of girlguides to get a half-decent view of anything (and then when you do get a good view they push in infront anyway, often shoving past when the camera's not on it's quickest shutter speed!)
 
SMR said:
I know the bit you mean, alongside where someone with no horticultural talent whatsoever has spent the last two weeks trying to create some sort of log "garden" (and I use the term loosely).

Apparently a lot of the catering around the zoo is about to change, so it's likely that the removal of the ice cream kiosks is part of that. If they were both Cheshire Ice Cream, then perhaps their contract has been renegotiated.
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Isnt that a bit harsh! :D The new garden isnt fantastic, but its not terrible. Hopefully, this area will be 'kinder on the eye' during the summer months.
 
Javan Rhino said:
Hope that they continue to sell Cheshire Ice Cream at the zoo, it is a wonderful thing on a 30 degrees summers day when you have to contend with millions upon millions of girlguides to get a half-decent view of anything (and then when you do get a good view they push in infront anyway, often shoving past when the camera's not on it's quickest shutter speed!)
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Are you sure you are old enough to remember a day at Chester when the temperature reached 30 degrees?
 
Paix said:
Isnt that a bit harsh!
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No, from a horticulture standpoint it's bloomin' awful. It's actually a poor attempt at a Victorian stumpery - the most famous contemporary example of which is probably at Highgrove - except it's lacking the architectural use of the old logs and any interesting plants. They could've taken a lead from the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, who created a stumpery at RHS Tatton that included some really unusual hostas, japonica and a good collection of ferns.

One thing a stumpery is good for is native wildlife; hopefully this one, being located in a fairly busy area, won't suffer because of it.
 
Ok I now know what is happening in that part of the zoo. The toilets are being renovated and updated. It will still be toilets. They are only working on the Disabled and Baby Changing side as the rest were open today. And the Face Painting is going to be Cafe so I guess the space where the ice cream hut was will be outdoor seating. As for the "Stumpery" I have to say its poor and I find the flower bed near at the flag pole much better example of gardening at Chester.
 
Just a quick note from today the two reticulated pythons were off show today. Work is being done on their exhibit. Elephants were kept inside most if not all of the day.

Thought rather that adding more pics to the gallery i would put link to my flickr site containing a couple of pics from today.

Flickr: Lee McCarthy's Photostream
 
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News from today was that during last night, the strong winds damaged the roof of the Tropical Realm and one of the skylights (roughly above the waterfall) was blown out. Luckily the keepers managed to place netting over the hole before the birds became active, and based on a head count during the morning, all the pairs had been accounted for. The keepers couldn't be 100% sure about the flocking birds, but hadn't spotted anything missing.

A bunch of helium balloons from the gift shop were tied to the top of the maintenance cherry-picker to dissuade the birds from investigating until the skylight can be replaced.

The wind also felled one of the large willow trees along the canal on the opposite bank from the buffy-headed capuchins.
 

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You should have given this its own thread - Daring mass big cat escape at Chester foiled by string!
 
Visited today for the first time in what must be approaching six months now (an unusually long time for me), not the nicest weather wise, but on the plus side, not a great deal of other visitors about so I wont complain too much.

Not that much to report back on, it's either already been posted about, is of little interest or is old news to most of you.
The Pelican aviary was looking even emptier than I expected now that the bulk of the waterfowl collection has gone. A shame of course but I look forward to seeing what they fill the aviary up with again.
Very nice addition to the collection in the Lion Tamarins, and I caught my first glimpse of the Temmincks Tragopan. Owl aviaries looking much better after refurbishment too.

The Chats and Brown Breasted Barbets have been seperated from the Turacos and Congo Peafowl in the Realm I noticed, splitting up what was possibly my favourite mixed aviary. For the best of course, there really wasnt enough space for all of them. I also noticed the Red & Yellow Barbets are back in the Realm once more but are now free-flying. Despite a great increase in flying space I actually got one of my best views of them yet.

Bit bird heavy I admit, but a lot of the larger mammals were (very wisely) staying indoors. The west zoo paddocks in particular were looking rather empty.
 
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