ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2024
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It isn't a listed ibuilding n this article: Listed Buildings And Architecture At London Zoo
Kalaw
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Neither do I, but I can’t think what else @dillotest0 could have been referring to. With respect, it would save us a lot of time if you (dillotest) could have simply said what you were alluding to in your post.
This reptile house seems phenomenally exciting and I cannot wait to visit. Planning to do so on opening day, as I am sure many members are. Since the tremendous lows that the zoo reached in the latter half of the 2010s, especially in 2019 with the closure of the Aquarium, passing of several rarities and of the Giant Anteaters, these past few years (2021 onwards, in my opinion) have been excellent and for me mark London Zoo yet again becoming one of the country’s greatest. Hopefully this new Reptile House will further cement the zoo’s status, and be another, but not the final, addition to the long list of recent successes at ZSL.
Interested article. Had no idea the penguin enclosure was used until 2003! It's a shame it can't be moved to a museum, where it can be properly appreciated.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Yes and it isn’t shown as listed on the historic England site either.
There’s a common misconception that a building just being old or even just being at London zoo means it is listed.
That isn't an unfair assumption to make
It hasn't even opened yet and you are already asking for it to be replaced. Maybe wait for some more impressions first...
I wonder when the day will come when ZSL can open something without ZooChatters trying to make it as negative as possible.
The old Reptile House is not a listed building but it is a historically important one, so I hope it doesn't get demolished.
I admit that it was merely an assumption of mine that it was listed, as I was alluding to.
My apologies!
So you mean to tell me buildings like the Casson (suitable for pigs and small critters only but severely overbuilt), the Mappins (lovely terrace/pavilion but crumbling mountain infrastructure) and the Lubetkin Penguin Pool (Lubetkin's daughter wants this thing removed) get to be listed but something as objectively beautiful as the Reptile House, one which was as significant to the zoo world/scientific community as the original Aquarium was, *isn't*? I'm sorry, but the entity responsible for this, their priorities are so outta wack.
Let’s hope not. There’s certainly more structural integrity to it than the Aquarium! Maybe
ZSL can use it in a similar vein to the way Chester have currently repurposed their old Orang house.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Given no one is actually demolishing it and the zoo hasn’t stated there any plans to - whether the reptile house is listed doesn’t appear to be material. It only came up as someone said it should be but I don’t think that would have wide agreement.
Historic England who oversee the process of listing have a feedback process and contact details on their site and there are all sorts of so called worthy folk who head it who have details you can feed back to if you want to.
The Historic England Commission | Historic England
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
The entity responsible for this (Historic England) bases their listings more on value than attractiveness. The Casson represents post-war brutalism, the Penguin Pool a unique style of modernism, and the Mappins, while falling apart, are the most iconic zoo exhibits in the UK by some margin. From an architectural standpoint, the Reptile House is beautiful, but by no means unique in the same sense as the others, and unfortunately, I doubt that Historic England care for the scientific importance of it, however tremendous it may be (although I wouldn't go so far as to say that it is on par with the aquarium). I agree with you in that all of those exhibits (barring the Mappins) should not be listed, and their demolition would be mostly harmless so far as I am concerned, but it is easy to see where they were coming from in listing the buildings that they did.
As @Fallax mentioned, the level of negativity in response to everything ZSL does is incredibly unfair. Not only is it harsh and pessimistic to call for a building that you haven't even seen yet to be replaced, it is an absurd suggestion given how much time and money it has taken to build SLoRA (having been delayed almost a year due to these issues). And it is worth noting that, although at one point London Zoo's venomous snake collection was far larger, it has only been the King Cobras and Central American Bushmasters, I believe, since the Black Mambas passed away in 2018, and with the bushmasters themselves having passed away
The last bushmasters left for Zagreb in 2022, the last rattlesnake (a Western Diamondback) left to Welt der Gifte in Salzburg in 2021, and the last sidewinder passed away in 2020. In its final days, there was only a King Cobra in the Reptile House as far as venomous taxa are concerned, so three species is actually something of an upgrade, although of course this collection is still a shadow of its former self. A very enjoyable review of the new house and I am glad to hear that (other than your criticisms regarding the venomous taxa) you enjoyed it. Especially nice to have confirmation that the Round Island Skinks are on-display, although a shame that the Congo Caecilians weren't included, as their current enclosure near the Aquarium makes them just about impossible to see!
Members have just received an email about the zoo's vets and it sadly mentions the passing of Maggie the African Giraffe, such as shame considering I saw her just yesterday out in the paddock.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Yes. Nuru, the subspecies-pure Reticulated female from Whipsnade, and Molly, another generic (hybrid) female. Very sad news indeed about Maggie. It will be interesting to see if London Zoo is looking to acquire more females (I think it has already been decided that the zoo will not be breeding them in the current space) in the future. I strongly suspect they will, seeing as they are such an iconic species and a key attraction for most visitors, although I have always found the yard a little small for three giraffes and would personally prefer them to stick with just two.
I've said it before but I'd rather London just go out of giraffes, the paddock is tiny and must certainly be the smallest in the country. It'd be better for them to just focus on the species over at Whipsnade. I get they are an important ABC species but I don't think its worth keeping them in that space personally. I'd rather see the whole paddock given over to the ostriches and zebras.
The paddock at London is very small indeed, but truthfully London cannot afford to lose another ABC species. This, obviously, should not come at the expense of the welfare of the animals but a solution has to be found to keep the giraffes at Regent’s Park.
Is the giraffe house listed?
Is the giraffe house listed?
I'd like to se gerenuks at the zoo
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