Tell that to South Lakes.
Sounds like a fair enough way of keeping penguins on show during the refurb works.
ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2010
- Thread starter Shirokuma
- Start date
Tell that to South Lakes.
Sounds like a fair enough way of keeping penguins on show during the refurb works.
If this litter is successful(or when one is anyway) I wonder if that means some will go later to Whipsnade? The London enclosure can't accomodate too many. Whipsnade have not had Hunting Dogs for many years now(their enclosures used to be to the right of what is now the beginning of the Asian Plains drive through.)
Or because these females came from H/PL they may want any surplus returned to them.
volvox
Well-Known Member
Well, I shall keep you posted on that if I hear anything. Two of the males have gone back to Port Lympne anyway, to keep things a bit more peaceful in the enclosure. So there are currently just two males and two females (and for all I know, a litter of pups as well by now).
Maguari, tell me about the penguins in South Lakes. You imply it's a walkthrough? I'm intrigued!
Maguari, tell me about the penguins in South Lakes. You imply it's a walkthrough? I'm intrigued!
Thanks. Interesting that two of the males have gone to Port Lympne. This will give presumably PL some fresh unrelated dogs in their groups as ZSL's 4 males didn't come from there but from Eastern Europe.
Interesting too that ZSL and Howletts/PL seem to be having more contact regards exchanges now- this was previously almost unheard of!
Yup. Well, walk-in. There's a little gate and you can just walk in. A bit pointless really as you can get perfectly close enough from outside the exhibit.
This photo from Al illustrates it perfectly: http://www.zoochat.com/212/penguin-exhibit-south-lakes-wild-animal-38702/
To be honest I'm being a bit unfair by picking on them as there are plenty of other penguin walkthroughs that are not rigidly monitored. (Is there continual monitoring at Living Coasts? I suspect not but I couldn't swear to it)
As someone who's not likely to cause trouble I much prefer unsupervised walkthroughs, but of course there will always be times that's not possible, unfortunately.
volvox
Well-Known Member
Yes, London Zoo has an identical story which I always assumed was true! Thanks for the photo, Maguari.
Pertinax: perhaps I was wrongly informed about the hunting dogs. I was told the males were being "returned" to Port Lympne so assumed that's where they originated, but you sound sure they came from Eastern Europe, so I expect you're right.
Pertinax: perhaps I was wrongly informed about the hunting dogs. I was told the males were being "returned" to Port Lympne so assumed that's where they originated, but you sound sure they came from Eastern Europe, so I expect you're right.
Panthera Puss
Well-Known Member
That's a common 'folk tale' among zoos; there's a version of it at nearly every zoo with penguins!
The pesky fellows do get into some unusual places, and it's ever so hard to find them again
I'm sure I remember that correctly from when they arrived. I remember at the time thinking how Port Lympne had loads and was nearby in Kent but ZSL had to go much further afield to get them.
Penguin, Shop Extension & New Exit Plans
Oohh look what i've found:-
Westminster City Council
You need to click on view supporting documents on the right hand side near the top and then you can see all the plans, documents etc. (you may have to tick a box and click another (submit) box to get there).
The 2nd, 5th, 7th and 15th of the Drawings (as they are listed) are plans from above.
The 9th drawing down is an artists impression.
The background papers are also worth a read especially the Design and Access Statement (11th down from the very top).
There is also a draft London Zoo Masterplan from 2007 there!!!!
I hope this link works as i've never done one on here before (and my maths is right!).
Oohh look what i've found:-
Westminster City Council
You need to click on view supporting documents on the right hand side near the top and then you can see all the plans, documents etc. (you may have to tick a box and click another (submit) box to get there).
The 2nd, 5th, 7th and 15th of the Drawings (as they are listed) are plans from above.
The 9th drawing down is an artists impression.
The background papers are also worth a read especially the Design and Access Statement (11th down from the very top).
There is also a draft London Zoo Masterplan from 2007 there!!!!
I hope this link works as i've never done one on here before (and my maths is right!).
Hi, I am a new-ish user so...hello. Anyway, just thought I would mention that the original hunting dogs definitely came from Poland.
That's a common 'folk tale' among zoos; there's a version of it at nearly every zoo with penguins!
Can anyone confirm whether this has ever happened? Two memories I have from the news during my 1970's childhood was a Giraffe "falling over" and not being able to get up and a schoolchild stealing a penguin from a zoo. The first is obviously true (Marwell) but I've never traced the second to any concrete facts -I swear it was a news story but I am very aware of how memory plays tricks (and feeds urban myths).
The nearest I can think of is the Black-footed Penguin that went missing from Amazon World a few years back but, whilst I can't recall all the facts, I don't think any schoolchildren were implicated.
the child stealing a penguin in a backpack is an urban legend that has been doing the rounds for many decades (in various countries around the world including the UK, USA, Australia and NZ). The character in the urban legend actually started as a mentally-disabled person taking a penguin in a backpack, and morphed into a child later in the telling.
Thanks for that. The mentally-disabled person angle definitely fits the urban myth mould (where prejudiced against minorities are often shown doing stupid/ridiculous things).
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
Thank you for this Stulch - there are some very interesting documents here.
The designs for the penguin area are not revolutionary, but they look good and certainly a vast improvement on the current enclosure. What is very interesting is the species list for this exhibit: Humboldt penguins, to fit in with a nascent South American theme (well, it's fairly close to the macaw aviary, and then if you go further south you hit the anteaters and the squirrel monkeys but it's all pretty tenuous), but then there are also areas marked on the map as being for fairly penguins and macaroni penguins. As neither of these has thrived in Europe before now, this would be an interesting move. And what would become of the zoo's current group of African penguins?
Such questions are, I suppose, academic - until the actual building work starts. Is there a definite date for this? Or is it another 'hoped for' development? It is a shame, in some ways, that this will mean the delay of the much-needed tiger enclosure, but it will, presumably, be a much less expensive development - and will also tidy up a corner of the zoo which has not been very satisfactory for a long while (since the departure of the old crow aviaries, possibly).
The planning documents have some fascinating background, and some tremendous old photos. Really worth a look. Most fascinating of all is the 2007 masterplan. As is the way with these things, it bears little resemblance to the way things have actually gone - but it is surprising that something so recent has already been diverged from so markedly. The penguin thing isn't on there for a start (although something quite interesting featuring penguins alongside other South American birds - including skuas - and mammals is); the recently built giant tortoise house does not feature (and if they are still chasing a South American theme for the east side of the zoo, why was that built in what is deemed to be the Indonesian area? or will its use change?). And there's no mention of what has since happened to the Children's Zoo, with its ghastly Animal Adventure makeover. Other things that caught my eye: the Snowdon Aviary down as an "African Forest canopy Walk-through" for colobus monkeys and turacos, and the Mappin terraces down as either "Wild China" (takins? pandas?) or Madagascar (on current form, this would surely just be a walk-through for ring-tailed lemurs). Pygmy hippos on the site of the current entrance (but no mention of bringing okapis into that area too to complete the African forest theme, along with the gorillas). The three-island pond to be netted over and transformed into a Indian Wetland could be fun too. And giant otters mentioned as well. Mind you, I suppose the chances of any of this happening are practically zero - even if the funds were available, it's probable that everything would have changed anyhow. I still cherish my poster, from the period after the closure crisis in the early 90s, which has a fantastic drawing of the zoo of the future. Looks nothing like the zoo of today, it has to be said, 20 years on.
That's fascinating because the two middle-aged women I heard at Marwell described it as their neighbour's relative's daughter with learning difficulties.
Back on topic, these documents are great to see, especially the penguin species mentioned - any thoughts on from where the zoo would source the penguins? - and the masterplan. Lots to absorb.
@ sooty mangabey, my understanding is that the penguin, shop and exit development are going ahead with a completion date in time for Easter 2011. The penguin removal process is going ahead as mentioned above.
Can you elaborate on the poster's drawing of the zoo of the future? I haven't seen this, sounds very interesting.
Loved the masterplan, 'Wild China' on the mappins eh? Regarding the 'child stealing a penguin' urban rumour lets look at the facts. Penguins may seem cute and cuddly but like most animals can be dangerous especially to someone that has no experience of handling penguins. But for them to be able to put it a backpack and to leave the zoo without anyone noticing seems too far fetched.