Today, I made a trip to London Zoo, and was able to spend 30 minutes in the new Reptile & Amphibian House.
There was strictly no photos allowed, as the advanced opening for Gold Members is before it officially opens to the public on the 29th March, but I thought I would share my thoughts.
You enter down a corridor where two rooms are immediately to the left and right of you. One looks at present like it's a storage room, but I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up an area for amphibian breeding or off show smaller animals. The other side is labelled Zookeepers and there are signs which says plenty about their role at ZSL London Zoo, so expect this will remain a room when you can look in via the window to see keepers at work.
There are four animal exhibits in this section where the first two hold a Big Headed Turtle, and another holds Laos Wart Newt.
As you continue forward, on your right is an exhibit containing Gidgee Spiny Tailed Skinks.
The largest exhibit in this section is home to the Mountain Chicken Frogs and it's a lovely sized exhibit and would probably be in the 5 largest exhibits in the whole complex. I didn't actually see any of the Frogs, but someone was chatting to one of the keepers in there, and they had said they saw one shoot off down one of the tubes.
You then enter directly in front of you by Double Doors (electronic) and you are greeted by a large circular pattern of large and medium vivs and a few smaller ones tucked away on the walls. There is lots of information and signage about Reptiles and Amphibians, even if not a great deal about the actual animals held in some regards. But then this signage may still need to be added.
In a clockwise fashion, the house contains the following species.
Emerald Tree Boa
Ethiopian Mountain Adder
Mangshan Pitviper
King Cobra
Philippine Crocodile
Turquoise Dwarf Gecko
Panther Chameleon
Blue Tree Monitor
Telfairs Skink
Crocodile Lizard
Big Headed Turtle
Vietnamese Pond Turtle
Roti Snake Becked Turtle
Bicoloured Mossy Frog
Aquatic Caecillian / Brittle Nosed Catfish
2 Enclosures for Chinese Giant Salamander
Titicata Frog
Lake Oku Clawed Frog
Dyeing Poison Dart Frog
Mallorca Midwife Toad
Luristand Newt
Lake Patzcuaro Salamander
The enclosures are very fresh and there is good viewing, but the room whilst nicely spread out lacks a different entrance and exit, like the old house had, and whilst there are some benches to sit down on, It's nowhere near as wide as the old house, and doesn't appear to hold as much in totality.
I feel, that when it's busy, it could be a little cramped, plus with one door in and out, and the fact you can wander round in which ever direction you wish to, you may find yourself on top of people when busy. Unlike in the old house, there is no real stand offs to some of the exhibits, which made photos hard before, but you also know this means people will touch the glass, despite signs saying not to.
It looked very nice, and the exhibits were all very impressive, especially that of the Chinese Giant Salamander and the King Cobra's which would have been my favourites in the house.
I was very impressed by the beauty of the Ethiopian Mountain Adder, and it's colouration and also, just how large a specimen it was. Far bigger than our native adders for sure.
All in all, I enjoyed it, but it did feel a bit lacking in the venomous department.
I did try to ask someone in a ZSL T-Shirt if they still had the other Venomous species that used to be in the house, like the Rattesnakes, Bushmasters or Sidewinders, but they didn't know, and just said what's in here, is what's on show.
It would be a shame, if London, was now down to just three species of Venomous Snake, even if they are one of only two UK collections to house the Ethiopian Adder, the only UK collection to house a Mangshan Pitviper and the only non private facility in the UK to house a King Cobra.
