ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2014

Kifaru Bwana said:
CZ, I more or less expect the giraffe and zebra to eventually fold from the Terraces completely. It looks to me increasingly likely that this part of the zoo will be given over to the Congo and that a species like the bongo might be making a comeback here.
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If this were to happen, it might facilitate the megafauna exhibit that has been discussed on here, using the extra 10 acres the zoo has the right to ask for (if I recall correctly, someone mentioned that on here a while ago). If that were to be so, then the demise of large species at London might be countered, whilst finding a new and more appropriate use for the Cotton Terraces.
 
I don't mean to fuel any kind of speculation that the giraffe are due to leave, as there is no evidence that this is the case. My point is that, by opening what is clearly not a temporary hippo exhibit adjacent to the giraffe, I think it shows ZSL are expecting the current space allocated to giraffe to suffice in the next few years to come, and I think this extremely short-sighted. It will be interesting to see what the new Masterplan shows when it comes out.

With regard to the ten acres, the only way an extension of that scale would even be considered by the Royal Parks and Camden would be if there was some great benefit to the park users, such as multiple vistas where they could watch the animals without being paying visitors.

Someone mentioned the Snowdon Aviary needing some attention. Again, its proposed use in the next Masterplan will be interesting, but if its listed status prevents structures being built to provide heated shelter to the occupants (although this may not be the case) then it will be forever limited in terms of what it can house. If London are going to keep vultures in flights, I'd much rather they were bold enough to house European species here (in the way Chester does), than the existing species they have in the bird of prey aviary. Although colobus were proposed here in the 2007 masterplan, a group of more than 3-4 will defoliate the vegetation to the extent of killing off even the willow trees.
 
With regard to the ten acres, the only way an extension of that scale would even be considered by the Royal Parks and Camden would be if there was some great benefit to the park users, such as multiple vistas where they could watch the animals without being paying visitors.
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Precisely. The Zoo's charter enjoins it to have a certain number of animals visible from Regent's Park, which thirty years ago was admirably fulfilled through the elephants; the bears, sheep and goats on the Mappin Terraces; and the wolves, visible from the Broad Walk, that are to be seen in the closing sequences of Withnail and I.

A show of African megafauna (say Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Lesser Kudu, Ostrich, and, perhaps, Black Rhino) would fulfil that job admirably. I think most Londoners would be thrilled by the prospect!
 
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So what IS preventing London from acquiring the ten acres? Politics? Funding? Lack of vision? Surely such an establishment would jump at the chance to acquire such acreage!
 
I walked over this afternoon at my lunchbreak to take a look at the pygmy hippo paddock. Quite impressed by everything except as has been stated above the HIDEOUS HIDEOUS POINTLESS clothes-line... Absolutely ghastly.
 
You can see some images of the enclosure etc


(the washing line of T-shirts doesn't seem to feature though)
 
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maxbey52 said:
Also I believe that one of the female gorilla's looked heavily pregnant
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A volunteer that I asked on Saturday said none were pregnant as far as they knew.
There are also 2 baby lorises visible in the enclosures next to the bats.
 
That picture is intrigueing. But that looks like Effie who, if it is, has always had a bit of a big belly!

Fingers crossed though. I suspect the keepers would be keeping any pregnancy info under wraps until the last minute however.
 
IanRRobinson said:
Precisely. The Zoo's charter enjoins it to have a certain number of animals visible from Regent's Park, which thirty years ago was admirably fulfilled through the elephants; the bears, sheep and goats on the Mappin Terraces; and the wolves, visible from the Broad Walk, that are to be seen in the closing sequences of Withnail and I.

A show of African megafauna (say Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy's Zebra, Lesser Kudu, Ostrich, and, perhaps, Black Rhino) would fulfil that job admirably. I think most Londoners would be thrilled by the prospect!
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I remember a few other animals from time to time, along from the wolves , visible from Regent`s Park, including some lovely Timor Deer!
 
Apart from a little bit with the rather pointless nature garden there is hardly any spare space along Broad Walk. The parrot aviaries extend for most of the space between the penguins and vicunas.
 
While I believe this would be a good thing for London Zoo I highly doubt that it will happen, mainly down to the large amount of people that I think will reject the idea of them losing some or most of the park.

I also don't believe that that would get rid of the giraffes as they are one of the only iconic species left in the zoo, with the gorillas and tigers.
 
To be honest I think the zoo needs to fully utilise what it has before going for extra land. Without Whipsnade they might have a better argument but I can see people kicking up an almightly stink over an expansion when they have a huge facility in the country.
 
Shirokuma said:
To be honest I think the zoo needs to fully utilise what it has before going for extra land. Without Whipsnade they might have a better argument but I can see people kicking up an almightly stink over an expansion when they have a huge facility in the country.
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Well - better utilisation of London's existing space might allow for more medium sized mammals and aviaries, but it won't get more large mammals onsite. Whilst I disagree with views expressed elsewhere about the suitability of the Giraffe House for its present occupants, I suspect that the issue won't go away.

The zebra can't be run as a breeding group, there is no realistic way of getting rhino back, and the Cotton Terraces really could make a lovely space for African rainforest ungulates. Elsewhere today regrets have been expressed about losing Bongo at London and Congo Buffalo at Whipsnade.

Ten acres at London for an African megafuana exhibit in the Park would be, I suspect rather more space than Giraffe, zebra and a pair of Black Rhino take up at either Chester or Paignton. It would give a free show for most Londoners, which the Royal Charter does require, give a wonderful advert for ZSL, and free up space within the existing site. And perhaps more than anything else, it would be a statement of self-belief. So often London Zoo seems to give a faint impression of being embarrassed by its own existence.
 
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