taun
Well-Known Member
If zoos have to get there licence from the local authority then, surely its there reponsibility too make sure they do something about it???
West Midland Safari and Leisure Park West mid
- Thread starter KJ
- Start date
If zoos have to get there licence from the local authority then, surely its there reponsibility too make sure they do something about it???
Does that involve a compulsory vetinary inspection? If so, no self- respecting vet should okay those conditions. The problem is they sometimes don't know/ aren't aware what is or isn't normal for wild species. Hippos naturally live(normally) in flowing rivers and large lakes in CLEAN water- sometimes so clear they can be seen walking along the bottom.
Have you tried keeping hippo's water clean though?
I've just done my work experience, and had to clean out the Pygmy hippo pools. They were indoors and filtered, and each pool only had one hippo in.
Two hours later you would have had no idea they had been cleaned.
The lake at WMSP does get cleaned every so often, but it would be impossible to keep the lake water clear.
However I do agree that the land area is a bit small.
I've just done my work experience, and had to clean out the Pygmy hippo pools. They were indoors and filtered, and each pool only had one hippo in.
Two hours later you would have had no idea they had been cleaned.
The lake at WMSP does get cleaned every so often, but it would be impossible to keep the lake water clear.
However I do agree that the land area is a bit small.
1. I appreciate its totally impossible to keep Hippo water clean as they **** in it anyway. Many/most hippo exhibits I've seen have dirty water with dung floating in it etc- it is a problem for zoos and they are rarely able keep them in clear water without hugely expensive filtration or running water, though it is being done with some of the newer underwater viewing exhibits. But I don't think any zoo should exhibit them unless they can keep the water at a TOLERABLE level of cleanliness.
2. Do they regularly drain the Lake at WMSP? I have never seen Hippos living in BLACK water anywhere before- it looked and smelt poisonous...
3. The Land area is very poor- a small grass paddock would be desirable- but I feel its less an issue than the water quality. (Longleat has a much bigger stream-fed lake with only a couple of Hippos, no apparent problem there).
I can imagine its a huge undertaking- maybe I went when a clean-out was well overdue.
A pity they can't give them the extra land too, if its easy to extend the existing area.
taun
Well-Known Member
True, be great if they would move them off to another zoo with better facilities.
or in the mean time reduce the size of the herd, but then again they seem to get a lot of mileage in their pr of having one of the largest if not the largest herd of hippo in Europe.
the thing is though, marwell's pygmy hippos will produce no where near the amount of waste which WMSP's large group of common hippos would.
I believe they're all female except maybe one young male. A number have been bred there but there's no adult male in the group now..
The 'pool' is actually a narrow Lake which seems to be connected to a bigger one below it(not accessable to the Hippos). It is situated in a rather scruffy small valley behind the main amusement area and easy to miss.
the lake must be about one hundredth(or thousandth?) the size of Longleat's!!
taun
Well-Known Member
And the rest
Plus longleat provides there hippos with a fair size field to get out onto. Maybe they could swap the groups round.
Although isnt there a kind of barrier at longleat to keep the hippos going up to the part of the lake where the boats dock? I suppose there would have to be, would be chaos if not. As far as i remember the sealions can get over the barrier to the hippos side, because they are regularly seen sitting on top of ther hippos!
True, if only they could breed some 'white' hippos they might become more of a priority!!
