ZooChat Challenge UK 2012

[pipaluk]

Those with longer memories might think you could self-certify on the last named species!

After I posted I thought about whether it meant that me seeing the polar bear was doubtful or if it was me who could be doubtful about something,being a polar bear!It's so ironic and very sad that the 2 most difficult species for anyone living in the southern half of UK to see are ones I almost took for granted for all but 2(after chi-chi) of my first 17 years! Although only London had Pandas, plenty of others had Polar Bears

 

[IanRRobinson]

After I posted I thought about whether it meant that me seeing the polar bear was doubtful or if it was me who could be doubtful about something,being a polar bear!It's so ironic and very sad that the 2 most difficult species for anyone living in the southern half of UK to see are ones I almost took for granted for all but 2(after chi-chi) of my first 17 years! Although only London had Pandas, plenty of others had Polar Bears

In 1975 it would have been possible to see Polar Bears at London, Whipsnade, Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Bristol, Chester, Dudley, Glasgow, Flamingo Land and (in a particularly horrible exhibit, fit only as a holding area for waders) Thorney Wildlife Park. I can't imagine any other widely kept star draw has ever vanished so fast from the UK's animal collections.

Three of those collections have closed, and I can't see that most of the others would have the wherewithal to keep the largest terrestrial carnivore well. I do hope, however, that one day someone might bite the bullet and build a state-of-the-art Polar Bear exhibit at Whipsnade.

 

[zooman64]

In 1975 it would have been possible to see Polar Bears at London, Whipsnade, Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Bristol, Chester, Dudley, Glasgow, Flamingo Land and (in a particularly horrible exhibit, fit only as a holding area for waders) Thorney Wildlife Park. I can't imagine any other widely kept star draw has ever vanished so fast from the UK's animal collections.

Three of those collections have closed, and I can't see that most of the others would have the wherewithal to keep the largest terrestrial carnivore well. I do hope, however, that one day someone might bite the bullet and build a state-of-the-art Polar Bear exhibit at Whipsnade.

There IS one group of star animals whose sudden disappearance from the UK zoo scene was as rapid (and even more complete) than that of the Polar bear, and that is cetaceans, of which the Bottle-nosed dolphin was, of course, quite a common sight in UK collections until relatively recently. One wonders what other species or group of animals we now take for granted will one day be a rare or unknown sight in Britain.

 

[pipaluk]

In 1975 it would have been possible to see Polar Bears at London, Whipsnade, Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Bristol, Chester, Dudley, Glasgow, Flamingo Land and (in a particularly horrible exhibit, fit only as a holding area for waders) Thorney Wildlife Park. I can't imagine any other widely kept star draw has ever vanished so fast from the UK's animal collections.

Three of those collections have closed, and I can't see that most of the others would have the wherewithal to keep the largest terrestrial carnivore well. I do hope, however, that one day someone might bite the bullet and build a state-of-the-art Polar Bear exhibit at Whipsnade.

Didn't Chessington have them at that time too?

I think you're right,although several zoos in England have the space,its unlikely they would have the will.
Whipsnade would be the most likely,unless somewhere rescues some from a sub-standard east european zoo.

 

[zooman64]

Chessington did indeed have Polar bears. Unusually (for UK collections at any rate) their pool was glass-fronted, to enaqble underwater viewing of the bears.
The problem with Polar bears is that historically zoos tried (and failed) to recreate the bear's Arctic habitat using that most unsympathetic of building materials, concrete. And no way does a concrete expanse with an oblong pool resemble the Arctic. They should be treated as just another bear species. After all, they diverged from other bears to become adapted to a polar existence relatively recently. I can't see what's wrong in giving Polar bears a big paddock with grass, bushes and - heresy of heresies - trees. They may not encounter trees in the Arctic but, given the opportunity, even Polar bears enjoy climbing.

 

[IanRRobinson]

I remember Doug Richardson once described the traditional Polar Bear enclosure as being built for furry seals when it should have been for white Brown Bears.

Can anyone else envisage the old Downs Paddock at Whipsnade (behind the site of the Lion and Tiger enclosures) as being HWP style area for Polar Bears?

 

[Pertinax]

In 1975 it would have been possible to see Polar Bears at London, Whipsnade, Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Bristol, Chester, Dudley, Glasgow, Flamingo Land and (in a particularly horrible exhibit, fit only as a holding area for waders) Thorney Wildlife Park.

I would have seen them at all of these bar Glasgow and Thorney. From memory IMO the best of all these mediocre enclosures would have been Chester's, which was at least quite spacious and a bit more interesting in its layout design.

The 'downs' paddock you mention at Whipsnade- is that where the White Rhinos are?

 

[IanRRobinson]

In 1975 it would have been possible to see Polar Bears at London, Whipsnade, Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Bristol, Chester, Dudley, Glasgow, Flamingo Land and (in a particularly horrible exhibit, fit only as a holding area for waders) Thorney Wildlife Park.

I would have seen them at all of these bar Glasgow and Thorney. From memory IMO the best of all these mediocre enclosures would have been Chester's, which was at least quite spacious and a bit more interesting in its layout design.

The 'downs' paddock you mention at Whipsnade- is that where the White Rhinos are?

No - on same side of Escarpment Avenue as old big cat pits, just downhill from the Tigers. A group of Scimitar-horned Oryx were kept there for a while in the 1980s prior to their being sent to Tunisia for re-introduction, and I think a flock of domestic sheep may have been kept there more recently.

The White Rhino. Roan antelope and Waterbuck are kept in Spicer's Paddock.

 

[pipaluk]

In 1975 it would have been possible to see Polar Bears at London, Whipsnade, Belle Vue, Edinburgh, Bristol, Chester, Dudley, Glasgow, Flamingo Land and (in a particularly horrible exhibit, fit only as a holding area for waders) Thorney Wildlife Park.

No - on same side of Escarpment Avenue as old big cat pits, just downhill from the Tigers. A group of Scimitar-horned Oryx were kept there for a while in the 1980s prior to their being sent to Tunisia for re-introduction, and I think a flock of domestic sheep may have been kept there more recently.

The White Rhino. Roan antelope and Waterbuck are kept in Spicer's Paddock.

I've been thinking for some time that the area on that side of Escarpment Avenue should be used for something, there's a very large area unused. Polar Bears would be an excellent idea! It's strange to think that area was one of my favourite parts of the zoo as a youngster, now its empty!

 

[Pertinax]

I thought I knew Whipsnade pretty well but I don't immediately recollect this area. Pity the poor Scimitar-horned Oryx in that exposed site but the location would certainly sound suitable for Polar Bear.

P.s. I think Spicer's Paddock is properly named Spicer's Field?

 

[Javan Rhino]

After a trip to Edinburgh I'm now on 5 species:

Spectacled bear [Chester]
European brown bear [Whipsnade]
Sri Lankan sloth bear [Whipsnade]
Sun bear [Edinburgh]
Giant panda [Edinburgh - and my first ever ]

Even if I can't get the 8, this challenge has encouraged me to visit Edinburgh much sooner than I thought I would and to see the species I've wanted to see from childhood, so thank you Shorts for giving me the motivation to do Edinburgh as a day trip, and thank you RZSS for giving me all three species that I've constantly wanted to see from childhood [Koala, polar bear and giant panda].

Now, if they can just add walrus, beluga and manatee to the collection

 

[Javan Rhino]

After a trip to Edinburgh I'm now on 5 species:

Spectacled bear [Chester]
European brown bear [Whipsnade]
Sri Lankan sloth bear [Whipsnade]
Sun bear [Edinburgh]
Giant panda [Edinburgh - and my first ever ]

Even if I can't get the 8, this challenge has encouraged me to visit Edinburgh much sooner than I thought I would and to see the species I've wanted to see from childhood, so thank you Shorts for giving me the motivation to do Edinburgh as a day trip, and thank you RZSS for giving me all three species that I've constantly wanted to see from childhood [Koala, polar bear and giant panda].

Now, if they can just add walrus, beluga and manatee to the collection

Make that 6 with American black bear at Woburn

 

[IanRRobinson]

Re-reading this thread makes me wonder if the remaining black bears, of both species, are going to be replaced by Dudley and Woburn respectively. They must all be elderly animals now.

Does anyone imagine it's likely that anywhere in the UK or Ireland would be likely to hold them in the future? It wouldn't surprise me if the answer was "no".

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Odds of somewhere getting Asian black bears at some point in future are better than somewhere getting American black, I suspect - most zoos seem to be heading towards geographic theming, and the range of the Asiatic Black is much more amenable to this kind of theming. Can't really imagine a zoo having a "North American" themed zone.

 

[IanRRobinson]

Agreed, but they're quite big animals. Those zoos that have made tentative steps back towards the challenges of bear keeping have chosen to go for the smaller Spectacled and Sun Bears.

Marwell and Twycross have got the space to keep bears, but (bar a few months before Marwell actually opened) have never done so. Paignton hasn't kept bears in decades, and the current London management doesn't seem that way inclined. Where does that leave with over 30 acres and currently no bears?

I like Asiatic Black Bears, a species that I don't think I've ever really seen done well. But I'd be mildly surprised to encounter them in the UK or Republic in another five or ten years' time. Unless Woburn re-theme "Navajo Trail", perhaps?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Oh, I'd be surprised if they were around in a decade too - but I'd be even more surprised if American Blacks were.

Sad, considering the only American Blacks are impossible to see if you lack your own transport and rely on public transportation - even if those at Woburn live for a while yet, I doubt I'll be getting to see them.

 

[zoogiraffe]

Right just thought I had better just say that I'm now on 5,having seen the American Black Bears at Woburn,or if you prefer to call them the name on the back of the postcard of one on sale in the shop,African Black Bear!!!!!!!!

 

[Chlidonias]

Right just thought I had better just say that I'm now on 5,having seen the American Black Bears at Woburn,or if you prefer to call them the name on the back of the postcard of one on sale in the shop,African Black Bear!!!!!!!!

maybe its an African-American bear!

Going through the thread it appears Javan Rhino is leading the pack with six species (needs to get to Highland for the polar bear and Dudley for the Asiatic black bear), with zoogiraffe in second place with five species. Fancy that.

 

[bongorob]

I also have five species.

 

[Jordan-Jaguar97]

I'm on one

Spectacled Bear- 31/03/12- Chester Zoo

I hope to get South Lakes, Dudley, Edinburgh and possibly Highland done in Winter.