ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2022

Rosie183 said:
They can’t bring in more meerkats when it opens because they are expecting the two current to breed endlessly.. so to fill the enclosure.. as they can’t have more than 1 breeding pair .. as meerkats live in a hierarchical structure and only the original parents breed!! The rest are babysitters and care for the parents offspring ..
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thanks for this! this will take a long time sadly then :(
 
I assume this new Meerkat Metropolis will be:

1. Netted over, otherwise the local corvids will have a field day with the babies.

2. Partitioned in two, in order to avoid conflicts as the group grows.
 
Panthera1981 said:
I assume this new Meerkat Metropolis will be:

1. Netted over, otherwise the local corvids will have a field day with the babies.

2. Partitioned in two, in order to avoid conflicts as the group grows.
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very good point! How many netted Meerkat enclosures are you seen? I cannot recall seeing any enclosures that are netted just for housing Meerkats
 
Sharon Flemming said:
very good point! How many netted Meerkat enclosures are you seen? I cannot recall seeing any enclosures that are netted just for housing Meerkats
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I do not think I have seen a netted enclosure for meerkats, I assume they will stay in the den until old enough to go outside. Most enclosures I have seen a tall point in for one member of the mob to stand guard
 
Does anyone have news on some company for Blue the Ostrich? Or maybe making it a mixed exhibit with a new species! That would be good to see
 
Sharon Flemming said:
very good point! How many netted Meerkat enclosures are you seen? I cannot recall seeing any enclosures that are netted just for housing Meerkats
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None, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be considered especially due to the potential size of this particular exhibit. It would also depend on other factors like the individuals parental experience I would guess, but crows aren’t stupid!

Case in point, before the penguin area was enclosed it was a regular hotspot for the local foxes. I remember a group of Gentoo the zoo kept a few years back that didn’t last very long!
 
Zoofan15 said:
Although I’ve heard of elephants retaining a deceased foetus for around 12 months, I’ll admit I’ve never heard of a cow retaining one for 20 years.
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That's sad about her retained foetus I didn't know that.
I know it happens, but 20 years? that sounds like rather a long time to me also, TBH.
 
camlidlover said:
Does anyone have news on some company for Blue the Ostrich? Or maybe making it a mixed exhibit with a new species! That would be good to see
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Was in whipsnade Fridays and it’s still being decided if he is to leave to join a female in the U.K. or whether she will join him! But their been a lot of difficulty moving animals with covid restrictions and Now we are out of the EU the paperwork has considerable increased whereas before it was alot simpler!
 
FBBird said:
I don’t, but I don’t remember them looking cramped or out of place. I’m pretty sure there were also Bison and Yaks (and Anoa) on the Cottons at the time.
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Wow, that is one hell of a lineup. Were these all on the giraffe side, and I assume the antelope were kept where the Dogs are now?
 
Ectotherm said:
That's sad about her retained foetus I didn't know that.
I know it happens, but 20 years? that sounds like rather a long time to me also, TBH.
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I’ve heard of several cases where the foetus is retained for 11-13 months. It’s unfortunate that caesareans can’t be carried out in this species.

This underwent much discussion when Porntip at Taronga Zoo was due to give birth to a calf in March 2010. The labour went on for days and vets (incorrectly) determined the calf had died. They advised Porntip could retain the foetus for months, even years. Fortunately, the calf was born alive after 10 days - and subsequently named ‘Pathi Harn’ - Thai for ‘miracle.’
 
Zoofan15 said:
I’ve heard of several cases where the foetus is retained for 11-13 months. It’s unfortunate that caesareans can’t be carried out in this species.

This underwent much discussion when Porntip at Taronga Zoo was due to give birth to a calf in March 2010. The labour went on for days and vets (incorrectly) determined the calf had died. They advised Porntip could retain the foetus for months, even years. Fortunately, the calf was born alive after 10 days - and subsequently named ‘Pathi Harn’ - Thai for ‘miracle.’
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Dosen't the fetus dissolve over time?
 
Jambo said:
Dosen't the fetus dissolve over time?
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I’m guessing it varies based on the age of the foetus, but I was under the impression the larger calves are sometimes retained in a preserved or mummified state.

I’ve found this source which states at least part of the foetus is retained in this way:

Among hundreds of captive cows in United States zoos are several that have carried mummified fetal remains in their wombs for years.

Anxious anticipation as elephant's pregnancy nears an end
 
FBBird said:
I don’t, but I don’t remember them looking cramped or out of place. I’m pretty sure there were also Bison and Yaks (and Anoa) on the Cottons at the time.
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There was a time when the Cotton Terraces housed gaur, American bison and anoa. (About the same time there were African buffalo too.) However yak and gaur were not there simultaneously; the yak were removed to make room for the gaur.
 
Panthera1981 said:
None, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be considered especially due to the potential size of this particular exhibit. It would also depend on other factors like the individuals parental experience I would guess, but crows aren’t stupid!

Case in point, before the penguin area was enclosed it was a regular hotspot for the local foxes. I remember a group of Gentoo the zoo kept a few years back that didn’t last very long!
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did no t know ZSL held Gentoo at whipsnade. was this on the downs?
 
Rosie183 said:
Was in whipsnade Fridays and it’s still being decided if he is to leave to join a female in the U.K. or whether she will join him! But their been a lot of difficulty moving animals with covid restrictions and Now we are out of the EU the paperwork has considerable increased whereas before it was alot simpler!
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I thought I heard a rumour that they might be doing a mixed exhibit with addax
 
Sharon Flemming said:
did no t know ZSL held Gentoo at whipsnade. was this on the downs?
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Yes, they received 4 from Edinburgh I recall 10+ years ago (I have photographic evidence somewhere). So, for a brief period, 3 species of penguin inhabited the exhibit…until the foxes picked them off one by one. This was before Penguin Beach at London, so Whipsnade would have held Humboldt, Rockhopper and Gentoo.

I don’t know whether Gentoo are higher maintenance, but it’s a shame the zoo never replaced them, or maybe request to get them out of that godawful “exhibit” at the London Aquarium.
 
Panthera1981 said:
Yes, they received 4 from Edinburgh I recall 10+ years ago (I have photographic evidence somewhere). So, for a brief period, 3 species of penguin inhabited the exhibit…until the foxes picked them off one by one. This was before Penguin Beach at London, so Whipsnade would have held Humboldt, Rockhopper and Gentoo.

I don’t know whether Gentoo are higher maintenance, but it’s a shame the zoo never replaced them, or maybe request to get them out of that godawful “exhibit” at the London Aquarium.
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There’s a pic of the gentoos at whipsnade on the gallery actually, credit to Susan Humphrey!
new arrivals - gentoo penguins - ZooChat
 
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