Chester Zoo Which of these mammal species would you like to see at Chester?

Which of these species would you like to see at Chester Zoo?

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Fallax

Fallax

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Five years ago I made a thread asking people what species they would like to see at Chester, I was quite new to ZooChat at the time but after accidentally stumbling upon that old thread before I decided I would create a new iteration of it in the form of a poll. I have chose five iconic mammal species and the simple question is which would you like to see at Chester the most in the future?
 
Mayki said:
Five years ago I made a thread asking people what species they would like to see at Chester, I was quite new to ZooChat at the time but after accidentally stumbling upon that old thread before I decided I would create a new iteration of it in the form of a poll. I have chose five iconic mammal species and the simple question is which would you like to see at Chester the most in the future?
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All of them, please.
 
I have friends who have visited Chester but have not been personally - it made me wonder what animal would most add to an experience for them.

My first thought was gorillas -- they seem like a pretty major zoo animal to be missing out on, they are popular with visitors, high conservation value... but this is a zoo that has three ape species already! There are also already two bears, which made the polar bear and panda feel a bit more redundant.

I settled my answer on the California sea lion, or some other pinniped species -- while the zoo has apes and bears, the pinniped group is a rather large one to miss out on, they are delightful for visitors to see, and there is not a great number of 'coastal' species so it would be a unique habitat. They feel the most distinctive from what is already present in the collection.
 
I think I'm right in saying (unless plans have changed) that Western lowland gorillas and pygmy hippos are part of the future master plan at Chester Zoo. Pinnipeds are among the main mammals missing from the zoo, but I would prefer either an earless seal or one of the more unusual eared seals (like Northern fur seal) over the California sea lion.

Of course, there are many other mammals I would rather have over any of these five - a species of hyaena, a gazelle or an on-display small cat would all be preferable, personally speaking.
 
Has to be giant panda for me. I made my first and only visit to London Zoo in 1966 and was sooooooooo excited at the prospect of seeing Chi Chi. Unfortunately, when we got there, she was in Moscow being introduced to An-An. I've never got over the disappointment!
 
I said Giant Panda, purely because I've never seen one! I can't see Chester ever having them, though. To be honest I'm not overly bothered about any of the others - I agree with DesertRhino150 about small cats, and any fox species would be lovely.
 
I think that Giant Pandas would be a step in the wrong direction for Chester Zoo. For the most part, I get the impression that imports at Chester are done with conservation in mind; seeing as the Giant Panda has already benefited massively from conservation initiatives, working with species that have not been such fortunate would be a better decision for Chester to make. While the above statement is quite subjective, all things considered, I don't really want to see pandas at Chester any time soon.

Gorillas would be great (and are most likely going to arrive in future developments), but they are not a priority for me seeing as Chester already holds three species of great ape. Pinnipeds would be a great addition to Chester, but not a California Sea Lion. The species is already held at 14 zoos, several of which (Colchester, Blackpool and Yorkshire to name a few) have provided excellent enclosures for the species, and it is Least Concern in the wild.

So at the end of the day, it came down to Polar Bear or Hippopotamus. Both are Vulnerable in the wild and decently rare in UK zoos, although in both cases the polar bears are more so. I would love to see both species as Chester, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be the Hippopotamus, as I feel as though Chester could do a lot with the species; they have the money for underwater viewing, a feature sadly lacking in the British Isles, and a good indoor area. And does Chester really need three species of bear? Overall, as tempting as it is to vote for Polar Bears, I have decided upon the Hippopotamus.
 
Jonfla said:
Common Hippo, in the Congo Buffalo paddock with access to the canal.
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Now you have made me imagine hippos having access to the part of the canal that goes under the nearby bridge and using the former howler islands as grazing islands. That would certainly be a sight! I could imagine a solid group of five or six in that space if we ignore the actual structural safety and barriers :p
 
I agree with DesertRhino150, Sand Cat and Dassie rat - would love to see more small cat species at Chester.
 
Agree with those who do not see a real role for the five suggested species at Chester; I would prefer something with a real conservation role; Panay Cloudrunner or Sumatran Rhino if they were available for conservation breeding (if only...) . For a more realistic suggestion, what about Giant Armadillo, or Tibetan Fox, or either Echidna, or Solenodon, or Manatee, or Pangolin, or....
 
I don’t think any of those should be ‘next’ on the list as they’re already, relatively, well represented. Rather, I’d like to see a focus on Middle Eastern/Asian species & subspecies like the Arabian Cheetah, Arabian Leopard, Mhorr Gazelle, Nubian Ibex & Striped Hyena.
 
For me it's got to be the Hippopotamus. If/ when they eventually tackle the African Forest section they could phase out the Congo Buffalo (or move it elsewhere) and then add Hippos and Nile Lechwes to the paddock and as Fallax said give the hippos access to the old howler island so they are not always confined to be with the lechwes
 
I voted for Hippopotamus.

5 mammal species I'd like to see have all been considered by Chester Zoo.

Iberian Lynx
Pygmy Hog
Goitered Gazelle
Gerenuk
Saiga.

I don't think I've seen any of them, although I may have seen the last two species when I was a toddler, Belle Vue and Whipsnade.
 
I very much agree. Hopefully the gerenuk will come in Heart of Africa. I have a full speculative plan if you like of Chester. In about 15 years time they could repurpose the boardwalk near the bats as well as the old cheetah enclosure to be a Europe section with Iberian Wolves and Lynxes, Wild Boar, Many Deer, Bison, Golden Eagles and if we're lucky Bears and Wolverines. Also, i know its a bit much to have both species of hippo in close proximity to each other, but if the tropical realm was redone and the red river hogs had an indoor more jungly space, would pygmy hippos be able to share the space with them? Just a thought.
 
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