ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2013

I may be perverse, but I think that the only part of the Lion Terraces that is fit for its current purpose is the lion enclosure itself. It's not particularly attractive, but it's not a bad size (remembering how lazy lions are) and it uses the sloping site quite well.
I agree with Pertinax that the primates deserve better, particularly the Francois' langurs. I also think that Regents Park should have a good exhibit for at least one smaller cat species, and perhaps a smaller dog species too.
Could this be achieved by smartening up the lion enclosure and modifying the rest of the Lion Terraces without too much demolition or new building?

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
Could this be achieved by smartening up the lion enclosure and modifying the rest of the Lion Terraces without too much demolition or new building?
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As I've said several times in the past about this enclosure, what I would like to see happen is the Watermoat be filled in completely- that would get rid of much of the 'dank' feel of this area and double(or more) the Lion's living area. Large glass viewing windows which London do seem to favour nowadays and are very effective(the Lions at Whipsnade have this in moderation) would be the new barrier.

Unfortunately the large Plane trees which create a lot of shade in summer can't be removed but if the filled in area was topped with a sandy or woodchip substrate with some big boulders, and bamboo and acacia trees put in, it would give a far more open & naturalistic feel than it has now. It would also create a two level effect which would be nice too. I agree the Lions don't actually need to leave this enclosure- except maybe during major alterations.

For the rest, I would like to see the Monkeys removed from this area completely, and other carnivores- some smaller cat or dog species, replace them. How about Dholes in the old Tiger enclosure?
 
Pertinax said:
As I've said several times in the past about this enclosure, what I would like to see happen is the Watermoat be filled in completely- that would get rid of much of the 'dank' feel of this area and double(or more) the Lion's living area. Large glass viewing windows which London do seem to favour nowadays and are very effective(the Lions at Whipsnade have this in moderation) would be the new barrier.

Unfortunately the large Plane trees which create a lot of shade in summer can't be removed but if the filled in area was topped with a sandy or woodchip substrate with some big boulders, and bamboo and acacia trees put in, it would give a far more open & naturalistic feel than it has now. It would also create a two level effect which would be nice too. I agree the Lions don't actually need to leave this enclosure- except maybe during major alterations.

For the rest, I would like to see the Monkeys removed from this area completely, and other carnivores- some smaller cat or dog species, replace them. How about Dholes in the old Tiger enclosure?
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Seems a sensible suggestion to me! Judging by this & GL's post, Ian & myself are not the only ones who think the zoo could do with a few more carnivores after all!
 
As for the primates on the Lion Terraces - does anybody think that zoo visitors get anything from the alleged nature trail on the canal bank below the Clore Pavilion? Arboreal primates such as colobus, spider monkeys, langurs or gibbons might be done very nicely there, as might some lemurs.
 
IanRRobinson said:
sooty, you really are a law unto yourself.
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A good thing, surely!

IanRRobinson said:
The Alfred Brehm House is NOT old. It was built in 1963, a year that I have strong personal reasons as not wanting to see consigned to antiquity!:p
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50 years? Young for a cathedral; middle-aged for a zoo nerd; pretty old for a zoo building.

IanRRobinson said:
I am perplexed by your love of having a big, diverse collection in Berlin(two in fact) and your espousal of developments in London that would make that impossible.
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...ah! But London doesn't have the Berlin collections at the moment, so that's not what's being lost. What is being lost is a tatty and unappetising area with not many species - and it is potentially being replaced by a more attractive area with not many species. As has been argued above, the primates currently there don't really bring very much to the party. I'm not sure that bringing in a few carnivores would make a great deal of difference either (ten or fifteen species might, however!). so, if the choice is the status quo, or the 'new' ZSL style, I know which I would choose. Likewise, if the choice was a Berlin style zoo, or pretty much anything else, I know what I would choose - but sadly that isn't going to be an option...

IanRRobinson said:
And I know that you like the RP Aquarium, but even its mother (!) might concede that the whole complex is in dire need of a massive capital injection.
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Definitely! But even without such a cash injection, it's still a pretty good aquarium - I don't think there are many better zoo-based aquaria in Europe....

IanRRobinson said:
Each to his own:), but I find myself truly nonplussed by thought processes that can defend the outgoing Director of Berlin on the one hand and the present Director of London on the other.
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I love Bob Dylan and Johann Sebastian Bach; I love films in which zombies run riot and also "difficult" things with subtitles and non-sequential plots; I like tea and coffee. And so on.... If I could only choose one, I'd go for Dylan. And zombies. And tea. And an enormous collection arranged in a traditional way. But as it is, variety is good!
 
IanRRobinson said:
As for the primates on the Lion Terraces - does anybody think that zoo visitors get anything from the alleged nature trail on the canal bank below the Clore Pavilion? Arboreal primates such as colobus, spider monkeys, langurs or gibbons might be done very nicely there, as might some lemurs.
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If the lemurs went elsewhere, I think the exterior of the Round House could work for the macaques as it would offer a similar/bigger area with more climbing height.
Langurs and gibbons would suit that empty bank well.
Can gibbons be mixed with birds? If so, I think they'd look great in the Snowdon, but that's probably a very impractical idea.
 
IanRRobinson said:
As for the primates on the Lion Terraces - does anybody think that zoo visitors get anything from the alleged nature trail on the canal bank below the Clore Pavilion? Arboreal primates such as colobus, spider monkeys, langurs or gibbons might be done very nicely there, as might some lemurs.
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I have to agree, i've said before there is no need for a nature trail and the zoo needs to use all the available space it has for animals.
 
Rajang21 said:
If the lemurs went elsewhere, I think the exterior of the Round House could work for the macaques as it would offer a similar/bigger area with more climbing height.
Langurs and gibbons would suit that empty bank well.
Can gibbons be mixed with birds? If so, I think they'd look great in the Snowdon, but that's probably a very impractical idea.
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I've seen gibbons eating birds that have got into their enclosures, probably not a good idea!
 
London Zoo.......

Yes, Gibbons eat birds, unless the birds are really big. Then they eat the eggs.
That bit of the North Bank would be good for a series of goose and crane paddocks. Oh, hang on a minute.....
 
I was just looking around on the ZSL London Zoo website and came across an event in May that will help raise money for a future lion exhibit.
Look it up!
 
I have posted some pictures of the vicuña enclosure. I think it's a good way to utilise half of what is essentially an empty enclosure. However, I'm not too keen on the very basic shelter plonked in the middle. It's an excellent example of why London can't get away with enclosures and constructions that would be fine in a more open or rural collection. It just looks out of place and spoils the lines of the enclosure.

I went for the last hour on Sunday, always a good time to visit I think. The male tapir was very active and I only just avoided being sprayed. There is a sign on the Casson door saying that it is closed for construction work. I hope they are doing something interesting.

The birds from the wetlands aviary by the lions are now in the African aviary between the tigers and gorillas as work is going to be done on the aviary.

I'm sure everyone will be delighted to hear that the staff on ticket duty are dressed as elves.
 
It's enough to make you want to elf distruct at this time of year:D
 
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