Just to clear up after receiving some messages asking. The new developments I was referring to were not meaning the new entrance, hotel etc. This was talking about new animal developments in that area
Yorkshire Wildlife Park Yorkshire Wildlife Park News 2020
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Just to clear up after receiving some messages asking. The new developments I was referring to were not meaning the new entrance, hotel etc. This was talking about new animal developments in that area
I’m visiting on New Year’s Eve so I’ll be reporting anything new, also if anybody has any questions and I’ll see if I can answer them after the trip.
Would be interested to see if the sealion enclosure is finally ready,when I last spoke to someone from whipsnade they said the move would happen end of this year/early next year.
Holding pen is almost complete. Main pool nowhere near at the moment
Considering this move was meant to happen back in April I'm surprised it's nowhere near complete.
Quite! Does make you wonder where the sealions were going to be housed had the move gone through!
That’s a bit of a tease. At least give us a clue what the 2 new species are.
It's often best (and polite) to let zoos announce new arrivals when they're ready
Whilst I've been guilty of this in the past, I'm much more careful now.
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Just leave it till zoo is ready to announce please!
Echoing some of the comments that follow yours, I won't be revealing I'm afraid. I am in a very lucky position of working in the industry at a separate collection. As part of a keepers job, they will often hear and see other collections plans, and speak to friends who work in other collections about what is happening. Whilst I enjoy sharing what I can, there is an unwritten rule of not sharing other zoos info on a public domain as that particular zoo probably won't want that info shared until they are ready. Plus, the industry is very small as large as it may seem and naturally everyone talks so you will always get found out for sharing info which is usually then a black mark against your name. Both species as well as their "other plans" will likely be announced come spring time anyways so not too long to wait
Probably best just to keep it to yourself altogether in future - you are inviting people to question and try to find out for themselves by 'teasing' news.
Agree entirely. I really think this website should have a written rule forbidding the “I know something but I won’t say” or “I know something you don’t know” thing.
It’s quite common and adds nothing to the forum or community. If you can’t say something then don’t tease it, just keep quiet.
In all due respect, my original post teased nothing. I reported that work was coming on well on the sea lion pool which is a common question asked on here, I reported it was busy for the illuminations and said there was ongoing work in the new expansion. I stated there was two new species in, but didn't even say I knew what the species were. I may have just been told two new species were in and thats that. How many times have people on these forums been told something by a keeper and reported on these forums without the full story or knowledge? Even on my follow up post directly after, I didn't even state I knew of the species coming in, just that there were more animal developments. Pretty much the same sort of stuff that is posted on these forums regularly.
My long post this evening was clarifying in response to a comment made, why I would not share direct info, out of respect for the collection.
If people want to get funny about not finding info out there and then and not having patience to wait for the zoo to do it when they are ready then I cannot control that.
I'd rather it done the official way rather then talking of plans that may yet change such as the earlier post of sea lions arriving in April of this year, or even worse passing info out that may not end up being true at all which again I see all too often on here.
As I said - if you want it done the official way then probably best to just let the collection announce what they want when they want. You said the new species are not visible and I don't think YWP have released any information about this themselves have they? So you most defintiely are 'teasing' news - unless of course I have missed something the park has posted?
The wording / tone of your post led me to believe you knew more and it is clear from your subsequent posts that you have in fact gained this knowledge from a position of being in the industry. That is a bit different to guests reporting what they have observed on a visit or been told by a keeper. That is not 'inside knowledge' - which is what you have the benefit of as per your own comments:
Genuine question - if these new species are in no way visible to the public and the park has not released any information about them then where is the line of you being able to share 'what you can' about them?
Regardless of all of the above - I look forward to the park sharing their news. Something to look forward to in the new year!
All of my information that I was told on that day, was told to me by a keeper after asking what is happening at the moment. No different to what you have stated. Yes maybe they opened up more as I was visiting from another zoo but it was all still through asking. How is that any different to a guest asking as you have put? My "inside knowledge" I very very rarely share. I have been shown many a project in zoos that is upcoming that I have not shared in any way, shape or form on public forums. This comes back to my point that I stated about the unwritten rule.
This has also been taken out of context, I was not talking about sharing what I can about these species. Re-reading my post, you can see there is no mention of "sharing what I can" of these species or the Yorkshire news. It was in regards to any news in general that I am able to share with keepers or zoos consent, literally the same as any one else on this forum often does if they can.
I'm not overly sure why these comments of mine have been singled out in this way. I have done absolutely no different to many posts on this forum in terms of news. Is it because I'm a keeper and should be spilling news? Is it because people have no patience and feel obliged to know every bit of information on a zoo they can?
If I saw what I had put, I'd be excited to know what has been brought in. I certainly wouldn't get funny over being "teased" or not. I feel we have far more to worry about in the world at the moment
I'm honestly not singling you out - my original reply was a genuine suggestion that if you want to avoid questions and speculation etc then it is best not to go down the route of giving half news (i.e. 'teasing' news). You can take the suggestion or not - it was not intended as any kind of insult which is how you seem to have taken it.
I've also not intentionally taken anything out of context. You're posts are giving somewhat mixed messages in terms of you being lucky to have the benefit of inside info which the unwritten rule says you should not share (I'm paraphrasing obviously) but on the other hand your conversations with zoo staff being no different to any other guest.
I don't think you should be spilling news at all which I'd say is clear from my suggestion of spilling less. I am also not one of the people who felt the need to PM you / ask for more info either so hopefully you can see I don't feel obligated to know anything. If you re-read the last sentence of my post then you'll see I AM excited to hear the news when YWP release it...
Hopefully we won't have to wait too long.
Pantherinae
Active Member
The past year has seen a lot of change at Yorkshire Wildlife Park...
2020 Review
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Looking forward to 2021 at YWP!
2020 Review
January
- Allis, the oldest lioness at the park, passed away... her son Ares was paired with lioness Julie
- Swamp wallabies arrived at Wallaby Walkabout
- Wildling, a wallaby rescued by the park in 2019 after being shot and left for dead, gave birth to a joey named Aruma
February
- 10th anniversary of Lion Rescue
- Rasputin the Polar bear was introduced, after arriving from France
- Roloway monkeys were introduced - the only individuals of this species in the UK
- Red howler monkeys were introduced to the collection
March
- The park - like all others across the UK - was forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic
April
- Elizabeth, the Bactrian camel, gave birth to a calf called Marvin
- Almost two weeks later, Bactrian camel Darcey gave birth to a calf called Merlin
May
June
- The first exhibit of the new expansion was opened - Experience Ethiopia - introducing Spotted hyenas and Gelada monkeys
- Kirk's dik-dik were introduced to the park, followed by the birth of Mr Pistachio
July
August
- Victor the Polar bear passed away aged 22
- Himalayan Pass was officially opened, introducing Red pandas and Smooth-coated otters
- A critically endangered Visayan warty piglet was born
September
- Two Spotted hyena cubs were born to mother Granada and father Speedy
- Progress towards Eastern black rhino breeding, as male Makibo and female Najuma met eachother for the first time
October
- Male Roloway monkey Kumasi was born to mother Kayla and father Rafiki - the first Roloway monkey birth recorded in the UK
November
- All change at Project Polar: Polar bears Nissan and Pixel left the park heading for France, so that Nissan can play an active role in the European breeding programme
- Polar bear Hamish arrived from Scotland
- The Rescue and Rehabilitation Reserve (dubbed Project Polar 2) was left vacant after Polar bear Rasputin left the collection, moving to Estonia
December
- Polar bear Luka arrived from Germany
- Polar bear Sisu arrived from Finland
- The park saw high levels of attendance during this month, largely thanks to the Winter Illuminations event
Looking forward to 2021 at YWP!
Anyone know where this Wallaby came from? Could it have been a descendant from the now-extinct(?) feral Peak District population, or an escapee from somewhere?
Not a pleasant story, but: Wallaby Shot And Left For Dead
The wallaby was living wild near Windsor Castle in Berkshire, if that means anything regarding the former wild populations.
Some people... Obviously not from Yorkshire then.