ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2012

pipaluk said:
If it's that they want then surely it would be easier & cheaper to just stroll around regents park? People go to the zoo to see animals that they can't see in their local park or woods! At the risk of repeating what i've said in the past, London really should make better use of the limited space it does have, the mappins, the offshow Clore, large areas underused on both sides of the canal are unacceptable. There is no point in having a nature walk or bird watching in a zoo located in a massive public park either. Everyone i speak to who has visited in the last 5 years after a gap of 20 plus years is totally underwelmed by the experience. It saddens me that when people ask me to recommend a zoo, i avoid suggesting London, unless its during winter when the indoor areas make it more competitive.
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I'm sure it's on their to do list. Things take time and money. It seems to be one MAJOR project every couple of years but I don't reckon that will be their next major project.
 
By and large I am - on the contrary - rather pleased with ZSL/Regent's Park and its exhibits. Up and above, I do feel their animal collection is much more varied than in some zoos with a more general emphasis on say large ungulates like Marwell (which is good in its on right and character). So, I just do not follow your logic there.

Sure, there are a low points to name for ZSL/Regent's Park and the Australian exhibit .. is rather meagre (but TMM is more an attempt at an aesthetically pleasing fill-up before it is redeveloped into something more permanent). And there is no large cases of funds lying about the place.

But you are talking an established and historical inner city zoo ... what do you expect. And also one that receives nil support off the City or Crown to develop the estates.

If I had one wish: I would like the area to have been bigger (speak to the Crown ... and let them have say 10 acres extra off the park)>
 
stulch said:
I thought I saw them last Saturday (Mountain Chicken Frogs), but I might be wrong!
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I was! :) I think they are talked about in one of the videos running there though (I can't confirm though as the tv is currently off!)
 
What place/zoo is used as a typical destination for animals donated to the British royal family? Prague zoo is sending a young Great white pelican as a gift to the British queen and I would like to know where it will be placed. London Zoo or elsewhere?
 
As a complete guess, either London, Whipsnade or Edinburgh - the first two belong to the Royal Zoological Society of London, the latter to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. Highland Wildlife Park also belongs to the latter, but pelican would not fit their remit.
 
zoogiraffe said:
It could also go to one of the Royal Parks in London as I believe atleast one of the keeps a few Pelicans!
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Good point ZG. St James' Park has(or did have) Pelicans and its nearer the Royal Places than the Zoo so it could end up there. I wonder why they want to send a single bird though- unless its been requested as a mate for another?
 
St. James's Park has had Pelicans for hundreds of years. Prague zoo sent a pair of the same species (Eastern whites) in 1995, and may have sent others in the past. One of the Prague birds died last year leaving three birds (two Eastern Whites and an American White). There were also one or two brown pelicans until around five or six years ago. They have no cold-weather area as far as I know as I've seen them on their rock in the lake during snow and ice.
 
I didn't know St James Park ever had Brown Pelicans: lack of suitable winter shelter might make them hard to maintain, as I have a feeling they are less hardy than the much larger Whites [of both kinds].
 
johnstoni. said:
Prague zoo sent a pair of the same species (Eastern whites) in 1995, and may have sent others in the past. One of the Prague birds died last year leaving three birds (two Eastern Whites and an American White).
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So presumably the 'gift' is also to make up the number again, even if the species ratio isn't quite right?
 
FBBird said:
I didn't know St James Park ever had Brown Pelicans: lack of suitable winter shelter might make them hard to maintain, as I have a feeling they are less hardy than the much larger Whites [of both kinds].
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Brown Pelican has a more 'tropical' distribution I think, so that might tie in with your theory.
 
If Prague sent pelicans to St James pk preciously then that would seem most likely destination. Can't remember what species are at London Zoo, but don't think Whipsnade have any?
 
According to Zootierliste, London Zoo has eastern or great white pelicans (Pelcanus onocrotalus). The zoo has received some pelicans from St James's Park, especially when park visitors are distressed when the pelicans start eating pigeons or ducklings.
 
Camel Enclosure

It doesn't look like they've got a lot more to do for the Camel Enclosure. Where there looks like there is no fence (the Casson side) there are in fact two lower fences with a moat in between. Whether they would move in in the spring, by Christmas or before is most probably a different matter though.

I've added another photo to show the moat.
 

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I visited today. The amphibian wing is very interesting and will probably become even more so once it's completed. Sardinian brook salamanders are a nice addition to the research area (currently also featuring Majorcan midwife toads and Lake Oku clawed frogs).

I was very disappointed that the cloud rats are no longer on display in the nocturnal area, and was told that they won't be going back on-show. A great shame.
 
I've very glad I managed to see the cloud rats in August, then :)
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Any reason given?

Will they leave the collection? :confused:
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When I asked about the enclosure I was just told they'd been "moved out". Malagasy giant jumping rats will be replacing them once the enclosure is refurbished. The keeper I asked was busy working on the brown rat enclosure, so I couldn't get more details; perhaps someone else on here knows more?

Given the fact that they had three (?) breeding pairs off-show for several years, I hope that they're still in the collection. Still, they were definitely a highlight of my zoo visits over the past two years.
 
When I visited in August I recall being told they had 2.1 cloud rats in total.
 
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