I've said it before and don't want to be a killjoy, but I don't think this will be quite the exhibit being hoped for. I have seen Colobus groups at many zoos- a lot of the time they spend being inactive, often huddled together in a group high up & resting, while any windy or bad weather will send them indoors- if they are allowed the access. So periods of classic activity- jumping/leaping/feeding etc, may well be very limited I fear.
ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter Red Footed Tortoise
- Start date
Would any other species be suitable to live alongside them? (speaking from a position of total ignorance)
The plans initially included Natal duiker and grey parrots (possibly other birds as well, but I can't remember) but these seem to have been dropped, sadly.
I'm just excited for the prospect of having a reason to cross the canal again! Even when I was a kid the area had a careworn feel which progressed to full on 'abandoned' by the time I grew up. Will be great to have a reason to cross that bridge, even if the aviary only contains Colobus!
The whole of the North Bank has become a disgrace, they could build wood and wire cages all the way along their at minimal cost for birds and small mammals, as Bristol did at the zoo and wild place but instead the area is an embarrassment for a zoo which still likes to consider itself a major UK zoo! The problem is ZSL only seems to be interested in single mega money exhibits they can use as publicity tools whilst the rest is left to rot!
This in itself shows how Much the zoo has declined under the bad management, what one sees today highlights the wrong direction the zoo has had for year’s. the zoo is caught in a circle it can’t break out of. As once a huge fan of the zoo today’s efforts concerns me greatly, something has to be done to stop any more decline before it reaches the point of no return perhaps a fresh broom through the management is the answer if they can’t fix it then bring in someone that can
They could have just maintained and restored the EXISTING cages for owls and pheasants!
Exactly. But there's a new rationale nowadays. Its seems to be largely centred on the BIG single exhibits like Lions, Tigers, GK, Penguins etc rather than maintaining an extensive collection.
Couldn’t agree more. I remember goose and crane paddocks, a well stocked pheasantry with tours, pigeons and starlings, a good breeding collection of owls, and while the Northern/Snowdon Aviary had its faults, it was a pleasant enough walkthrough with large colonies of Speckled Pigeons and Sacred Ibis, with a few other birds.
Now there’s not a goose or a crane on site, and very few owls or pheasants.
I suspect those Colobus are going to spend most of their time sheltering from wind and weather.
I would not disagree with you except that the old cages have been left in a state of disrepair so long now that I suspect demolition and new build may be cheaper!
One could argue that this statement applies to certain other parts of the zoo!
It’ll be interesting to see where the zoo goes from here after the Snowdon completion. The Mappins is a lost cause. Consolidate and be clever with the space they’ve got? I don’t hold out much hope considering they’ve either closed such areas (interior Casson) in recent years, or dumped some species (anteater, rhea) for short term ventures like Crazy Golf.
And the owls they have are tucked away in off-show exhibits while the pheasants are I think only represented by Edwards's (always no shows in the Safari) and recently Mountain peacock pheasants (which I was very glad to see yesterday). I was really hoping for more on that side of the canal, but holding out a sliver of hope that there might be something within or around that giant colobus indoor holding. Also saw a researcher around the current colobus exhibit suggesting a potential study into behaviour in there vs. Snowdon? Could be interesting if I'm correct...
This is possibly the saddest sentence fragment I’ve ever read of ZooChat.
Honestly (and this is my opinion) I can see a Bristol-type scenario happening with London, maybe within the next ten years. Certainly not in the short term but I don’t see any long term vision, at either ZSL site!
I am happy to be proved wrong of course!
I certainly hope you are wrong! London has the benefit of a vast captive audience, as I've argued before on here. Whether they get much repeat custom, apart from local families and the occasional zoo nerd, is a moot point...
Fair point, but my fear is ZSL’s hand may inevitably be forced because they’re addressing concerns far too late; not addressing them at all (the Mappins being a prime example) or not being savvy enough with the space they’ve got. Outside factors (Covid) haven’t helped of course, but management from top to bottom needs to take a good look at itself.
Self reflection is unlikely to ever happen no one will put up there hand and admit they have done a bad job some might even saying that the land which the zoo is currently sitting on is worth a truly massive amount of money and some could say it reaches a point that a Bristol type situation happens, lets face it there would be some ready to make a huge amount of money building luxury units or homes for the elite in central London. I truly hope this wouldn’t happen
I visited London Zoo a few years ago, and it saddens me to see the opinions displayed here. Maybe I'll be back soon and I'm anxious about what I might find. It's true that the current trend in most zoos is to reduce the number of animals, give priority to star species and build large facilities, but I think that London does not have the space for it. It would be more interesting to rely on smaller species, which are also very interesting and may be threatened. The problem is that people don't want to see pigeons, turtles, pheasants or insects. They prefer lions, tigers, penguins and giraffes...
I think the last few posts have missed the point raised further up this thread by redpanda36.
Under new legislation currently being introduced by the UK Government (called at the moment a 'consultatation' process), and publically supported by posters on here - it will not be legal for the public to enter an enclosure with Colobus.
The same goes for almost all Old World monkeys, such as macaques - so entry into Trentham Money Forest will be stopped too.
Under new legislation currently being introduced by the UK Government (called at the moment a 'consultatation' process), and publically supported by posters on here - it will not be legal for the public to enter an enclosure with Colobus.
The same goes for almost all Old World monkeys, such as macaques - so entry into Trentham Money Forest will be stopped too.
I prefer the path taken by Plzen Zoo, which has a mix of ABC and XYZ species. I understand that many visitors may prefer to see 'popular species', but some of these species are often inactive on visits. Zoos should use audio-visual information promote lesser known species that can be just as interesting.