ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2023
- Thread starter JP1996
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Oh cool that’s where I thought it might be, appreciate that thanks!
The photo was taken from within the passage through Asia drive, it’s great to see how much progress has been made each time I go!
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Interesting to hear that both London and Whipsnade are getting Domestic Ferrets in their children's zoos at around the same time (not sure if London's have arrived yet, but they are expected to arrive some time this month). Perhaps they came from the same collection?
Stuart Sadler
Member
Lots of works started around the zoo this week - as of today;
The demolition of the sea lion house front has started, with some of the side of the outside area. The signs say this will be a new covered seating area. It's all totally visible, the hoardings are down, the area is just protected by Heras fencing now.
The 'wings' to the sides of the Lubetkin elephant house have been pointed up, all the stalactites removed - and - the whole house, including the circular skylight parts on the roof, has been painted brilliant white. It looks pretty much as if it's new now.
Dennis the Menace has gone.
The demolition of the sea lion house front has started, with some of the side of the outside area. The signs say this will be a new covered seating area. It's all totally visible, the hoardings are down, the area is just protected by Heras fencing now.
The 'wings' to the sides of the Lubetkin elephant house have been pointed up, all the stalactites removed - and - the whole house, including the circular skylight parts on the roof, has been painted brilliant white. It looks pretty much as if it's new now.
Dennis the Menace has gone.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Nice to see BBC coverage on the release of the Partula snails
Whipsnade Zoo snails move to new Pacific island home Whipsnade Zoo snails move to new Pacific island home
Whipsnade Zoo snails move to new Pacific island home Whipsnade Zoo snails move to new Pacific island home
Springbok
Well-Known Member
My Friend adopted Thug as a matter of fact.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
When I visited Whipsnade in May, I spoke to one of the hippo keepers. He claimed that there are plans to bring in a new female Pygmy Hippo to breed with Tapon, but that there are no plans to bring in a bull male to breed with Hodor or Lola, the Common mother and daughter. Perhaps their bloodline is overrepresented, but as far as I am concerned, this seems like a fairly strange decision, given that the arrival of Amara at London earlier this year (from Edinburgh) means that there will soon be a chance of breeding Pygmy Hippos at a ZSL collection regardless of what Whipsnade does.
For the Commons, there isn't such a thing, and given how growingly rare this species is in British zoos (with one of Longleat's females sadly passing away earlier this year), and how popular they always seem to be among visitors, surely continuing the breeding of Common Hippos at ZSL should be a priority? I understand that the zoo is quite happy with their current setup, using the former bull enclosure as a secondary enclosure for the two females, with them regularly rotating between the two so as to guarantee that there is always ample grass for them to graze on. This is an excellent feature, given that hippos are grazers and are rarely given the opportunity to demonstrate this in zoos, but I would still prioritise the arrival of a bull, and it isn't as though Whipsnade is lacking in space nearby to expand their hippo enclosure if they really want to keep the setup as it is.
I am sure that the zoo has a good reason, and of course, as it has been four months, and still no female Pygmy has arrived, it is possible that plans have changed or that the keeper I spoke to was misinformed. But it would be a real shame if Whipsnade were to go out of keeping Common Hippos...
For the Commons, there isn't such a thing, and given how growingly rare this species is in British zoos (with one of Longleat's females sadly passing away earlier this year), and how popular they always seem to be among visitors, surely continuing the breeding of Common Hippos at ZSL should be a priority? I understand that the zoo is quite happy with their current setup, using the former bull enclosure as a secondary enclosure for the two females, with them regularly rotating between the two so as to guarantee that there is always ample grass for them to graze on. This is an excellent feature, given that hippos are grazers and are rarely given the opportunity to demonstrate this in zoos, but I would still prioritise the arrival of a bull, and it isn't as though Whipsnade is lacking in space nearby to expand their hippo enclosure if they really want to keep the setup as it is.
I am sure that the zoo has a good reason, and of course, as it has been four months, and still no female Pygmy has arrived, it is possible that plans have changed or that the keeper I spoke to was misinformed. But it would be a real shame if Whipsnade were to go out of keeping Common Hippos...
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Thug is a Pygmy Hippo at London Zoo. Paired with Amara.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
I’d be surprised if they come out of the common hippo they’ve been such a key species for the zoo. And it would be a shame as you say. Maybe the hippos there are over done in the EEP programme? Or perhaps the enclosure isn’t seen as a large enough now. Hodor is male though.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Sorry if I'm being rather slow and you mean something else, but Whipsnade has only Lola and Hodor who are mother and son. I didn't know they rotate them, sounds like a very good way of ensuring they can graze.
Interesting that you were told something very different to what I was the month before - we discussed it a few months ago and it sounds like every keeper has been told something different!
cerperal
Well-Known Member
I would be amazed if they did go out of them, especially with the success of the new experience and the breeding history of hippos at ZSL. I don't think that hippos have been particularly frisky in Europe recently so I can't see how the EEP would be the issue. But the enclosure could easily be extended by connecting 2 of the currently separate pens, which I would hope to see given the current one is clearly not big enough.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
They do rotate then between the two pools / paddocks I guess for grazing. But not all the time so it’s probably grass rest or pool cleaning.
Yes I’d hope they would extend / combine the enclosures too. They are beautiful animals to be able to see.
I expect they’d need to do a bit of swapping to get a female for Hodor or a male for Lola - guess they couldn’t just introduce a new hippo?
Pure speculation, but I suspect the short term plan is not to breed the Commons. However, I would imagine in the long term the plan is to use Hodor as the resident breeding bull; source a breeding female and retire Lola. This is, more or less, what happened with Lola’s mother Nigna when the zoo brought in a breeding bull (Hoover) to be paired with Lola.
Historically Whipsnade and Common hippo are intrinsically linked, and I’d be very surprised (and angry) should the species ever depart. Granted the area could do with an update (enough said about the stable’s gravity defying drainage the better!
) but I suspect there’s very few places that exhibit both hippo species.
Historically Whipsnade and Common hippo are intrinsically linked, and I’d be very surprised (and angry) should the species ever depart. Granted the area could do with an update (enough said about the stable’s gravity defying drainage the better!
) but I suspect there’s very few places that exhibit both hippo species.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Somehow, I didn't realise that Hodor was a male. That makes a lot more sense, and I assume the plans are to wait until he matures and then acquire another female instead. The question then would be whether Lola remains at Whipsnade or is sent to another zoo, although I suppose only time can tell...
Whipsnade has been keeping common hippos continuously since the famous “Henry” and “Belinda” arrived there in 1950. (“Henry” died in 1993 and “Belinda” died in 1995.)
It would be an extremely sad day should Whipsnade stop keeping common hippos. Let's hope that never happens.
I would say that the best thing to do in this situation would be to get more than one breeding female - two or three. I'd imagine that situation would be a bit more conducive to Whipsnade ending up with a "proper" common hippo pod.
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