What Is Missing From Your Local Zoo

[adrian1963]

As I go to my local zoo every 10 days I have got to know a few keepers pretty well and we were having a little chat the other day on what could be done with very little work needed.
I then said to them that the zoo (Dudley) really lacked a good collection of deer, I feel it is made for deer as there is a great amount of spare land on a incline and this could suit many species of deer
This would also help keep the vegitation down as well and give the general public something to study as they went round the zoo other than the regular animals
Now what about your local zoo what do you think is missing fromt he zoo and would cost very little to bring in but would be adventagious to both the zoo and the general public.
Can't wait to here your ideas

 

[toucanwalk]

Twycross is missing a flock of chilean flamingos who nest once in a while!

 

[zoogiraffe]

Twycross is missing a flock of chilean flamingos who nest once in a while!

Nice to see somebody has found something different than Twycross´s breeding record with primates to kick them with!

 

[Rita DY1]

It's very difficult to think of something that does not have cost and location implications so I suppose this is nothing more than a wish list for Dudley
- a walk through butterfly house
- twilight zone for bats

 

[Javan Rhino]

I think the Tsavo aviary at Chester is brilliant, so I'm going to say more zoos should have variations on the theme of walk-through aviaries for smaller birds.

The cheapest idea, and one I would look at, is more British Wildlife. I don't know how well it would work, but you could have a couple of paddocks with Red Deer and Wild Boar, an aviary for Red Squirrels and a hide looking onto bird feeders etc. You could also have beehives, 'wild areas' to attract bees and butterflies, hedgehog hides and bat boxes with webcams and piles of branches, leaf litter, corregated iron etc for wild hedgehogs, grass snakes etc.

I have never seen a grass snake, and considering I live in the country, I would assume they are a rare sight. Its rare to see even hedgehogs and badgers.

 

[Paix]

Rodents, Rodents, Rodents. Most rodents are easy to house, and are easy to house. A great number of Squirrels can be kept outside (including Ground Squirrels) and both make interesting, active exhibits.

Smaller rodent exhibits can easily be intergrated into larger indoor exhibits. Most zoos lack Rodents in their collection, I believe Chester have less than 10 species on show.

Although, I notice that all Rodent enclosures at Chester, may it be the Capybara, the mystery Agouti in the Parrot aviary, or even the small Acacia Rat and African Pygmy Dormice, all get attention from the public. Many even crouch down to view the tanks.

Why are Rodents not represented more often in UK collections!

 

[bugs]

You could also have beehives, 'wild areas' to attract bees and butterflies, hedgehog hides and bat boxes with webcams and piles of branches, leaf litter, corregated iron etc for wild hedgehogs, grass snakes etc.

This is kind of what Colchester Zoo are doing with their nature area. It has been worked on and has been establishing for a couple of years now.

From the zoos website:

"Nature Area Development

In an exciting new development Colchester Zoo has recently acquired 1.2 hectares of land to the south of the zoo site. Colchester Zoo aims to manage this land as a conservation area, enabling visitors to see a range of native wildlife species and highlighting local conservation issues. Colchester Zoo have been collaborating with the Essex Biodiversity Project to design a nature trail around this site, running through the riverside marshland and providing close up views of the Roman River. Numerous species already inhabit the site like Celery-leaved buttercup, Bog Stitchwort and Yellow Flag, as well as the locally rare Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly and birds like the Song Thrush and Turtle dove. Using a design created by the Essex Biodiversity Project, Colchester Zoo will create more wetland areas, hopefully increasing the diversity and abundance of invertebrate fauna and thus encouraging more foraging birds to the site. Colchester Zoo’s nature area is now under development as planning permission was approved by the council. Work is continuing and likely to be completed in time for the summer of 2010, with a series of board walks around the area and hides for bird watching."