ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo 2020

Pertinax said:
I was at Whipsnade today. It still seemed like 'business as usual' and far from deserted, with quite a smattering of visitors, both pedestrian and with cars. But they have cancelled all the animal talks now...

The stock they hold seems be more reduced each time I go, particularly the numbers of some of the hoofed animals eg. I counted; Blesbok/Bontebok-3. Waterbuck-6. Bongo-3 Grevy zebra-7, Yak -6,.Prezwalskii's Horse-4 (?) Wisent -3, Gemsbok-4,
ScH Oryx-2(obviously more than that?). Only species like the Sitatunga, Barasingha and Pere David deer seem nowadays to still be maintained in herds of double figures. The Guar were confined to their yards because of the time of year. Enclosures that held the RRHogs are still empty. So was the ex Otter island. Baby Indian rhino Zhiwa is growing first, now 3 months old. The new Elephant bull I only saw in the distance rather fleetingly- the yard he was in seems to be directly behind his barn, so you cannot see him properly, but he didn't look very big yet. A big plus was seeing all four Wolverine, all of them very active too.

Will post a few photos in the gallery.
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The Gemsbok numbers will go up very slightly as I know of another UK collection going out of this species. I believe they are already onsite so most likely going through quarantine.

The Scimitar herd currently stands at 13 at the moment
 
We visited yesterday for what I assume will be our last zoo trip for a while. There was a good smattering of other visitors but very easy to keep up with the social distancing as everyone apart from one family had grasped the need to do this. Yesterday the animal houses / aquarium / butterfly house and small section of Basecamp restaraunt (for take out) were open but from today it will be a fully outside attraction only.

In terms of news - we've not been for a while so probably been in place a while - the elephant paddock had been sectioned off with additional fencing. It looks like the area nearest the new barn is being used and the rest being allowed to recover from all the rain. The path alongside the main paddock towards the rhinos is also fenced off. There is a load of new steel behind the bull paddock area - maybe they are looking to extend it or maybe the existing fencing just needs replaceing. No one around to ask.

Hodor (young hippo) was on excellent form - rolling around in the water and play fighting his mum. The tiger cubs were also playing with their toys in the water which was nice to see. All four wolverines out and about and the bears were also having a good time destroying some tree debris they'd been given. Interesting to see how much more enrichment is in the bear enclosure for these younger bears.

It was our first look at the aquarium - didn't linger inside too long for obvious reasons but I really liked it tbh. Only issue is the very last tank is already drained with a notice saying maintenance required. I would like them to add a good reptile / bugs discovery area type replacement to this to complete this section of the zoo.

Parting random thought... I really do hate the Lubetkin and Tecton elephant building that I believe is Grade II* listed. I will never understand the want to keep these building in place but rotting away.
 
I have now posted a few photos in the gallery I took at Whipsnade on my visit last week before the closure. (also three from Woburn)
 
The Hedgehog said:
I really hope that any future calves Ming-Jung sires don't succumb to EEHV
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It’s A problem for calves in the wild as well as captivity, but zoo are learning more about it and how to treat it. Whipsnade pulled calf Sam through it successfully, and woeburn got Tarli through it, so their is hope :)
 
It’s A problem for calves in the wild as well as captivity, but zoo are learning more about it and how to treat it. Whipsnade pulled calf Sam through it successfully, and woeburn got Tarli through it, so their is hope :)

Rosie183 you have made a mistake, it was actually Sam's older brother Scott who survived EEHV. Since Scott's miraculous recovery both Chester Zoo and Woburn Safari Park have managed to successfully assist Tarli and Indali Hi-Way to survive EEHV respectively.

As well as both of these English Asian successful completely recovering from EEHV Zinda one of the Elephant calves at Dublin Zoo in Ireland has also successfully beat the killer virus that kills so many Elephant calves.
 
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I knew whipsnade had one elephant who survived EEHV and that it wasn’t made public how it happened x
 
Crowthorne said:
Fourteen fawns have been born to the Père David's Deer herd

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
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Demonstrates the very tight seasonal window for deer births. Pere David rut a month or two earlier(July/August) than our native deer so fawns are born correspondingly earlier. I imagine Woburn will have had something like 200+ born this month!
 
ZSL have sent an email to all members outlining their reopening plans (NB. Posted to London and Whipsnade threads)

...Thank you to all of you who have so generously supported us while we have faced the financial impact of coronavrius, helping us to feed our animals and protect wildlife in our field programmes across the globe. Although we don’t yet have a date when we can re-open our Zoos, we are following guidance from the government and putting in place measures to enable us to open responsibly in anticipation - and we wanted you, our members, to be the first to hear about them.

The safety of our visitors, animals and staff is our absolute priority. As elsewhere, when we open again, we will need to maintain social distancing and for our sites this will require the careful management of visitor numbers. To be as safe as possible, we will have to limit the number of people in both our Zoos, requiring all visitors, including members, to pre-book a ticket online. These will of course be free of charge for members, and we will let you know ahead of time all the details you’ll need and when tickets are available to book.

When the Zoos re-open, our outdoor spaces will be accessible straight away so you can catch up with your furry and feathery friends while enjoying the fresh air. The restaurants and kiosks will be serving take-away food and drinks from outdoor serving areas, and we will have plenty of hand-sanitiser stations across the Zoos.

The opening of our indoor spaces, like the animal houses and restaurants, walkthroughs and play areas will follow in time, but only when it’s safe to do so. This will be the same for animal talks and demonstrations which will be on hold for the foreseeable to help prevent crowding.

To make ZSL London Zoo as safe as possible, we will be creating one-way routes around the site, which you will be able to choose between depending on the length of time you plan to visit. Thanks to the vast open space at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, the UK’s largest Zoo, you will be able to plan your own way around as normal. However, we may introduce one-way routes in some places...
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Visited ZSL Whipsnade zoo today. The social distancing measures were enforced really well and there were clear one way systems for viewing the lions, butterfly house/aquarium and cheetah among others. Volunteers were very friendly as always and did a great job to make sure everyone complied with the guidelines.

Lots of handwashing/hand sanitising opportunities throughout the park and clear distance markers in queues for coffee/ice cream etc.

A really pleasant experience, they definitely have the space to make distancing relatively easy. Although, I had naively assumed that about Cotswold WP and this was not the case. Great job ZSL!
 
Going tomorrow so will look forward to it! If anyone wants any specific info please ask now and I will look for you
 
(Jokingly) Ask them if they would kindly send some small antelope and deer herds to Paignton on loan! Any species will do....
 
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