ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2022

Pacu said:
That's rather provocative. Why not inform instead?
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Sorry, fair enough, at that point I didn't really have the time to explain, it was controversial and confusing so I hoped that people could find out themselves, but I will explain myself next time. (Irrelevant but I can't believe the mentioned incident was so long ago!)
 
Lafone said:
There is an interesting point on gate fees at whipsnade where it appears there are more subs / members proportionally and therefore less high single admittance than in London.

One off tickets are expensive and while subs are more predictable it suggests people visiting London would be the group to target. So boots make different amounts - this is reflected in the annual report.
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Generally correct. Historically, Whipsnade’s general income streams have been ZSL members (Fellows, family memberships etc.) and it’s local surrounding catchment areas. London’s comes from day trippers or tourists.
 
Tim May said:
According to an e-mail sent to ZSL Fellows a few minutes ago, Whipsnade will be closed on Friday 18th February because of the Storm Eunice Weather Warning.
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Taking no chances after what happened last time.

I wonder if this was a recommendation from the review they conducted after the incident with the bears, and if it’ll be a regular thing moving forward.
 
Panthera1981 said:
Taking no chances after what happened last time.

I wonder if this was a recommendation from the review they conducted after the incident with the bears, and if it’ll be a regular thing moving forward.
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Looks like it would be a regular thing as it's an adverse weather policy.

And they've been felling stuff.

'DUE TO STORM EUNICE WEATHER WARNINGS, AND IN LINE WITH OUR ADVERSE WEATHER POLICY, WHIPSNADE ZOO WILL BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY. WE EXPECT TO RE-OPEN ON SATURDAY 19 FEBRUARY. IF YOU HAVE BOOKED FOR FRIDAY, DON'T WORRY - WE'LL BE IN TOUCH WITH YOU SOON.'
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Tickets
 
Here's an update from Whipsnade
"
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION: FRIDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2022
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Due to the Storm Eunice weather warning, ZSL Whipsnade Zoo will be CLOSED this Friday 18 February.
If you have already booked tickets, we’ll be in touch with you as soon as possible and they will be converted into flexi tickets to be used on another day.
Our expert keepers will still be on site caring for our animals, and we expect to be open as usual on Saturday.
Thank you for your understanding."
 
Ectotherm said:
Read it again,
I never mentioned increasing gate fee's more over gate fee's will increase via boots through the gate




Squirrel monkeys :)
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I have read it again and the way you have written it is ambiguous but now you have clarified, I see what you mean and agree.
 
Very blowy and rainy day at Whipsnade today. Really windy at the top of the downs.

Not too much tree damage - lots of bits and branches but no obvious big falls.

Not too many people around today.

Fence panels had came down near the rhea enclosure but new ones have been put up already.

Much of the willow weave fence and metal gating near the defunct animatronic dinosaur display has now completely blown over, meaning the whole thing looks even more like a garden centre that has gone into administration than usual.

Tigers were secured in their housing all day and the through route next to their house blocked off. Understandable with the windy conditions and all the trees. Means you can’t currently get all the way round the enclosure but I expect that to change quickly as the weather subsides a bit tomorrow.

Everything else was out and about. Wind made the rhinos very active indeed.

The zoo have taped off the big grass bank between the tigers and the yaks that can be used as a short cut with orange hazard tape; assume they are trying to save the grass and prevent people sliding too much as the makeshift paths are now very muddy.

The walkway past the rhinos to the elephants is still shut.

Got to see the lynx having a lunch of plump rats.
 
Lafone said:
Very fair.

I think the old and new enclosures are pretty similar in this case (the old one was fairly small though the tree itself is big there wasn’t as much hiding / roaming about space as you see in some red panda enclosures - but that’s just based on me looking at lots of them, I’m not a panda expert or anything).

I’d agree this isn’t really a welfare thing - if it was then they’d have made the move consciously when Nilo’s mother was still alive.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the collection as a whole over the next 12-18 months as the zoo currently runs the risk of being a big park with a few large animals at either end and giraffes in the middle.
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just curiously as to why you think that Nilo's welfare was not a contibuting factor into moving into a more spacious enclosure? When Nilo's mother was alive the enclosure had the squirrel monkeys in it so they could not have moved then?
 
camlidlover said:
just curiously as to why you think that Nilo's welfare was not a contibuting factor into moving into a more spacious enclosure? When Nilo's mother was alive the enclosure had the squirrel monkeys in it so they could not have moved then?
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I didn't raise the point it wasn't about welfare. I know very little about red panda welfare. I do enjoy seeing red pandas and have seen a lot of enclosures as a result, but that just makes me a viewer. Same with Whipsnade; I look at it a lot, I am not an administrator of zoos and have only a visitor perspective.

I did agree with the idea that space use had played into it the move as I think it did.

Realistically, Whipsnade is in a place where it is starting to look a little sparse.

I think it's a good new space for him and fun to visit, though in the summer the hide and seek process to see Nilo will be reaching new heights, the real upside of that is more privacy when he wants it.

I also strongly feel the keepers would want Nilo to be a happy and content red panda. I've seen keepers around his enclosure quite a bit and they seem to delight in him (and in his mother when she was alive). If this move was at all harmful I doubt they would have made it.

But a big empty space with no prospect of occupation would look a bit obvious to visitors, so I would still argue space use / cosmetic appearance was a factor. Perhaps I would conclude it was a happy coincidence that an animal was available to occupy the big vacant area and enjoy it / prosper as a result. I don't think Whipsnade would want another big space looking like the dinosaur exhibit does at the moment.
 
A win-win for both parties it would appear, but seems an awful lot of work for the move to be ‘temporary.’ Arriving apparently in the next 48 hours!

I’m not familiar with Africa Alive, so how many lions are we talking about, and their ages?
 
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Unsure if their ages but last time I visited I recorded seeing six lions - males Zero, Tor and Jabu, and females Mo, Sarabi, and Kaya.
 
Panthera1981 said:
A win-win for both parties it would appear, but seems an awful lot of work for the move to be ‘temporary.’ Arriving apparently in the next 48 hours!

I’m not familiar with Africa Alive, so how many lions are we talking about, and their ages?
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6 lions, 3 of each gender but unfortunately the zoo has announced lioness Sarabi has been put to sleep. So heading to Whipsnade is father Zero, mother Mo and their now 3 offspring.
 
Canary said:
6 lions, 3 of each gender but unfortunately the zoo has announced lioness Sarabi has been put to sleep. So heading to Whipsnade is father Zero, mother Mo and their now 3 offspring.
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5 now they’ve euthanised one of the lionesses ( i assume moving her would have been too much for her ailing body ). Quite a geriatric group , zero and mo are around 18.
 
Megan Jones said:
5 now they’ve euthanised one of the lionesses ( i assume moving her would have been too much for her ailing body ). Quite a geriatric group , zero and mo are around 18.
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So, reading between the lines, Whipsnade takes on an ageing pride ultimately giving them more time to source a younger breeding group BUT having lions in place for the peak season…

Africa Alive get time to rebuild/revamp their enclosure with a view to sourcing new stock further down the line.

Because why would you move a group of ageing animals back and forth? Surely it would cause unnecessary stress for everyone concerned!
 
Panthera1981 said:
So, reading between the lines, Whipsnade takes on an ageing pride ultimately giving them more time to source a younger breeding group BUT having lions in place for the peak season…

Africa Alive get time to rebuild/revamp their enclosure with a view to sourcing new stock further down the line.

Because why would you move a group of ageing animals back and forth? Surely it would cause unnecessary stress for everyone concerned!
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it’s an emergency move, unforeseen circumstances. I highly doubt Africa alive would want to part with the pride considering even the oldest members have been there since juveniles and of course they are very popular
 
Follow up point that people might appreciate, this pride consists of the cousins of whipsnade’s last pride as parents on both sides originate from West midlands ( Zero originates from woburn )
 
Panthera1981 said:
So, reading between the lines, Whipsnade takes on an ageing pride ultimately giving them more time to source a younger breeding group BUT having lions in place for the peak season…

Africa Alive get time to rebuild/revamp their enclosure with a view to sourcing new stock further down the line.

Because why would you move a group of ageing animals back and forth? Surely it would cause unnecessary stress for everyone concerned!
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It would be great to see them but depends how long they are staying and how they come out of the quarantine area (if they actually go there or go straight to the main house).

If as you say whipsnade keeps them it would be such a treat really for us whipsnade fans, but Africa alive would also need their big ticket animals for the season. And I guess regulars there will be feeling sad at their lions moving. Not to mention the keepers of course.

It might come down to how extensive the repairs are - if they only take a month or less would they really not want the lions back and be looking for new ones. If it drags on then it may be they rework the whole enclosure.

I hope the lions don’t find the move / moves too stressful and they are ok. These aren’t young lions and they do have a home and routines and keepers they know - it’s easy to forget these animals are ‘real’ when listing numbers and breeding age and whether they contribute to the gene pool or whatever.

As you say Panthera I hope they make the least stressful decision for the pride!

Will be visiting this weekend as usual so might get to see anyway.
 
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