This is really good advice, I think often the challenge for someone new is that they often stick to the road. Definitely venture down paths etc as you will find lots of really exciting animals and great enclosures.
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2023
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This is really good advice, I think often the challenge for someone new is that they often stick to the road. Definitely venture down paths etc as you will find lots of really exciting animals and great enclosures.
No suggestion is foolish (well I guess some are!), but definitely an interesting theory. On the maps I remember as a kid (often with numbers), the Gaur were definitely on those.
When you say the two locations I assume you mean the current paddock and the current warty pig enclosure? As originally they were in the Indian rhino enclosure next door
cerperal
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Can't believe I forgot the train! Just to add to that, it gives you the best view of the bull elephant paddock and the far side of the indian rhinos and the deer and horses tend to rest nearby with their new fawns and foals.
That's actually an interesting thought. It would also explain why their housing is rather hard to get a good view into (I believe their sleeping area is completely out of sight), but their exhibit is rather central with lots of people cutting past. I honestly think ZSL think people just see them as big cows, given they make no mention of them anywhere. Which is a real shame, given they're the only ones in the country and have previously had great breeding success.
Lafone
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As well as being shy they are pretty fair weather so though I’ve seen the gaur every so often off peak, once the nicer weather starts I’ve had good views of them mid week taking a day off then. Or late evening once people start to leave after 4pm. I find whipsnade one of the best places to stay right to closing when it’s the 6pm period.
I wonder if the gaur will be out on the 9pm closing days this year too.
It’s awful mapping really though all round! And the signs are also rather bonkers if you follow the 10 mins to the lions it doesn’t really go there!
Kalaw
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Yes, I am referring to the warty pig enclosure. Which also has a rather dark and incomplete indoor viewing area, come to think about it.
Since they moved to their current enclosure, I can usually rely on good gaur activity all day long, although admittedly somewhat more so towards the end of the day. Regardless of when, it always seems to be empty in terms of other visitors - it is a shame that such an amazing animal is held at the zoo, and yet many visitors are probably entirely unaware of their existence...
Reptile House
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So I have seen monkeys in Land of the Lions in the last 8 years. Are these not the Langurs?
So what is going to replace the Macaques and the now empty Colobus Monkey enclosure?
Kalaw
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The langurs currently at London are Hanuman Langurs, the at Whipsnade are Francois' Langurs. They were originally kept on the old Lion Terraces, along with such species as Serval, and Sulawesi Crested Macaques. When the Terraces were replaced with Land of the Lions, the macaques moved to Gorilla Kingdom, while the langurs were held offshow at Whipsnade.
Sorry I was just thinking had I forgotten another enclosure! Yeah I’ve seen them pretty much most times I go. I remember being intimidated by then when I was a small child! Shame they are being phased out in Europe
Are Gaur high-maintenance? I recall they don’t do well on pasture, being fed a predominantly bran-based diet, nor do they cope well under sedation. I thought the zoo had cracked it a few years ago with a productive breeding pair but, if no collection keeps them anymore, what’s the point. It seems Banteng are the way forward for most zoos now
If Whipsnade was to get Banteng in the future, that would be really cool as it’s an animal I’ve always wanted to see!
equidae
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Do you have a source for this?
Gaur are browsers, so they’re never going to do well on pasture alone and (as far as I remember) Whipsnade’s enclosure for them is primarily pasture. Bran isn’t fibrous compared to forage; it has little calcium to balance out the phosphorous levels; and modern bran is pretty poor quality stuff. Cattle get fed it because it’s a high energy feed, but I don’t understand why anyone would be feeding it to gaur. They need a diverse range of forage, not bran.
First time visitors to Whipsnade should never miss the Aquarium and the Butterfly exhibit - which make a nice change from the big fields.
A conversation with keeping staff. Admittedly I retained this nugget of information from a conversation 15 years ago, and Ive questioned it myself since the gaur moved to their current paddock!
Marwell recently imported some in 2020 and now the species there is doing well - at last count their herd numbered seven.
The enclosure the Gaur currently live in used to house Black Rhino. So it was never designed or located specifically for the Gaur, or to 'hide' them from view. It was just suitable to house such enormous animals in. They bred sucessfully in the past but unfortunately only producing several male calves in a row. Probably the increase was why they were moved from their original enclosure next to the Indian rhino, in order to give them more space indoors and outdoors. They are being phased out across Europe- perhaps the reason the map doesn't show them as the remaining ones will eventually die out or be moved. The Bison was probably a similar situation, there was only a single one during the last years they had the species. Not worth featuring on their map possibly.
That’s cool! Marwell is a long way away unfortunately!
Do we know why Gaur are being phased out across Europe?
Lack of capacity in European zoos for large cattle species that nead heated stalls in winter. The decision was between phasing-out either Banteng or Gaur.
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