Chester Zoo Z magazine

bongorob

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Earlier this year there was a thread about Z magazine, but i vcan't find it. So I started a new one.

It was 1993 that only three magazines were produced as a cost cutting meaure. There were also 3 issues in 1987. The arrival of the autumn 1987 was delayed and the decision was made to combine the autumn and winter issues.

My thoughts on the new issue (Autunm 2021)

I always await my copy of Z Magazine with anticipation, yet I am usually disappointed. Autumn 2021 is no exception.

I would like far more information regarding the animals in the zoo, I feel that this issue is almost a begging letter. We want money, and to hell with any of you actually interested in the zoo's animal collection. I think the conservation aspect of Z Magazine is way over the top.

Also far too few scientific names are printed.

I dislike the zoo font intensly. It looks as if it is written by a five-year-old.

Front cover and back cover, Primates.

pages 2 and 3 At least it is zoo relevant content. However I think Her Majesty's government has far more important things to do than to worry about zoos keeping elephants.

pages 4 and 5 A nice introduction to a new species, but it's Primates again.

pages 6 and 7 More primates. It's overdoing things I think.

pages 8 and 9 Hand-rearing of birds has been done many times before.

pages 10 Primates again! At least the magazine has got it right this time, they are of breeding age. The last 'breeding' pair that arrived were far too old.

page 11 An okay artice apart from the part which says "birds or pheasants". Are pheasants not birds?

page 12 Pointless.

page 13 no intereted

page 14 interesting, but why a picture of a botanist and not an adequate picture of the plants he is conserving?

page 15 Four out of the five species depicted are not identified.

pages 16 and 17 not interested

pages 18 and 19. Is there any point in this photo when Spectacled Bears are not featured in the magazine.

pages 20 and 21 not interested. However I read that 100-150 staff are involved each night. Yet the zoo can't stay open late in the summer because they have no staff available!

pages 22 and 23 not interested. I know a couple who wanted to get married in the zoo, but it was way too expensive. Not everyone who lives in Cheshire is a footballer earning millions of pounds a year.

page 24 Another interview with the chef. Is it a zoo magazine, or a food and drink magazine?

page 25 not interested

page 26 not interested

page 27 not interested

pages 28 and 29 what has this got to do with the zoo?

pages 30 and 31 Junior Members pages, I have no problem with that.

pages 32 and 33 BIAZA awards, mildly interested

page 34 Looks as if Members meetings are improving

page 35 not interested.
 
Earlier this year there was a thread about Z magazine, but i vcan't find it. So I started a new one.

It was 1993 that only three magazines were produced as a cost cutting meaure. There were also 3 issues in 1987. The arrival of the autumn 1987 was delayed and the decision was made to combine the autumn and winter issues.

My thoughts on the new issue (Autunm 2021)

I always await my copy of Z Magazine with anticipation, yet I am usually disappointed. Autumn 2021 is no exception.

I would like far more information regarding the animals in the zoo, I feel that this issue is almost a begging letter. We want money, and to hell with any of you actually interested in the zoo's animal collection. I think the conservation aspect of Z Magazine is way over the top.

Also far too few scientific names are printed.

I dislike the zoo font intensly. It looks as if it is written by a five-year-old.

Front cover and back cover, Primates.

pages 2 and 3 At least it is zoo relevant content. However I think Her Majesty's government has far more important things to do than to worry about zoos keeping elephants.

pages 4 and 5 A nice introduction to a new species, but it's Primates again.

pages 6 and 7 More primates. It's overdoing things I think.

pages 8 and 9 Hand-rearing of birds has been done many times before.

pages 10 Primates again! At least the magazine has got it right this time, they are of breeding age. The last 'breeding' pair that arrived were far too old.

page 11 An okay artice apart from the part which says "birds or pheasants". Are pheasants not birds?

page 12 Pointless.

page 13 no intereted

page 14 interesting, but why a picture of a botanist and not an adequate picture of the plants he is conserving?

page 15 Four out of the five species depicted are not identified.

pages 16 and 17 not interested

pages 18 and 19. Is there any point in this photo when Spectacled Bears are not featured in the magazine.

pages 20 and 21 not interested. However I read that 100-150 staff are involved each night. Yet the zoo can't stay open late in the summer because they have no staff available!

pages 22 and 23 not interested. I know a couple who wanted to get married in the zoo, but it was way too expensive. Not everyone who lives in Cheshire is a footballer earning millions of pounds a year.

page 24 Another interview with the chef. Is it a zoo magazine, or a food and drink magazine?

page 25 not interested

page 26 not interested

page 27 not interested

pages 28 and 29 what has this got to do with the zoo?

pages 30 and 31 Junior Members pages, I have no problem with that.

pages 32 and 33 BIAZA awards, mildly interested

page 34 Looks as if Members meetings are improving

page 35 not interested.
Now I want to know which primates they are :D When Paignton deigned to provide magazines, they started off informative and gradually degenerated into photos with very few words, so were not really missed when they stopped :(
 
The magazine has got worse and worse over the years. Oh for the days of the monthly Zoo News which could be bought by visitors and listed recent arrivals, births/hatchings etc.
 
The magazine has got worse and worse over the years. Oh for the days of the monthly Zoo News which could be bought by visitors and listed recent arrivals, births/hatchings etc.
I suspect like many zoos they probably think that such events are now covered, even if only in more casual form, in their Facebook posts etc? Its a great pity I'd agree.
 
Hi Gigit.

The Primates are front cover Sumatran orang utan and baby. Also pages 6 and 7.
pages 4 and 5 Coquerel's Sifaka.
pages 10 and 11 Cotton-topped Tamarin. Actually I quite like these, Chester's first breeding occured in 1986 on 19th February, which is my birthday.
Back cover Chimpanzee and baby.
 
Z magazine is so terribly poor, its not even a magazine really, not in the truest sense. It just feels like a corporate advertorial brochure. It arrives, I think, "Great, the zoo mag". Then I flick through it, underwhelmed, it lies on the kitchen worktop for a couple of days in case the family want to look through (they rarely bother), then it goes in recycle. The fact that its not at all collectible says it all.

I could just take an e-copy, but I kind of feel that's letting the zoo off the hook.

There is so much going on in a collection like Chester that could be written about, and illustrated. A wasted opportunity to engage their audience.

The photography is very good sometimes. That's the only positive I'm afraid.
 
I only usually read the first part which sometimes has information on new developments but other than that it is mostly uninteresting as far as I'm concerned.
 
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