ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2023

Status
Not open for further replies.
dillotest0 said:
Today I had a nice day at Whipsnade, with the best weather of the half term so far.
Some notes:
-I went there largely to see the yaks - but unfortunately they were seemingly shut indoors. For some reason also they seemed in a different enclosure than what I last remember [the old onager enclosure]... so are there yaks in both? If not then what is in the other?
-A similar situation with aardvarks who seemed to be shut inside. The dark house allowed for a few reasonable aardvark pictures.
View attachment 664555
-For some reason I thought Whipsnade had llamas [which apparently it does not anymore], but this idea was seemingly supported by some of the staff members who directed me to a field at Hullabazoo which had a few domestic animals including some alpacas.
I recall I saw one llama-ish one but in hindsight it was probably an alpaca too - as there were no signs for llamas.
-I did not check out the Monkey Jungle this visit... but maybe I should.
View attachment 664556
Good day all around!
Click to expand...

The Yaks have been in the old Onager/Pzswalwlkis horse enclosure for a good few years now, not sure I can remember exactly when they moved! The Yaks were in the passage thru Asia with the camels and Père David’s deer.

The main area of monkey forest will open next year, I think the langurs and babirusa are probably still off show due to new windows being installed
 
dillotest0 said:
Today I had a nice day at Whipsnade, with the best weather of the half term so far.
Some notes:
-I went there largely to see the yaks - but unfortunately they were seemingly shut indoors. For some reason also they seemed in a different enclosure than what I last remember [the old onager enclosure]... so are there yaks in both? If not then what is in the other?
-A similar situation with aardvarks who seemed to be shut inside. The dark house allowed for a few reasonable aardvark pictures.
View attachment 664555
-For some reason I thought Whipsnade had llamas [which apparently it does not anymore], but this idea was seemingly supported by some of the staff members who directed me to a field at Hullabazoo which had a few domestic animals including some alpacas.
I recall I saw one llama-ish one but in hindsight it was probably an alpaca too - as there were no signs for llamas.
-I did not check out the Monkey Jungle this visit... but maybe I should.
View attachment 664556
Good day all around!
Click to expand...
Where were the yaks when you visited?
 
ajmcwhipsnade said:
May I ask was the house attached to the old onager paddock?
Click to expand...
I recall there was one house labelled 'Yak' with a yak graphic. That and the adjoining enclosures is where I found them.
I recall in '21 there was another larger enclosure with a big tree where they were... maybe they are there now?
 
dillotest0 said:
I recall there was one house labelled 'Yak' with a yak graphic. That and the adjoining enclosures is where I found them.
I recall in '21 there was another larger enclosure with a big tree where they were... maybe they are there now?
Click to expand...

They should have been in the house and paddock that is labelled Yak. That’s been there home for a while now
 
The yaks were moved to that enclosure (which has held onagers and white rhinos among others over the years) after the bull (fittingly named 'Voldemort') figured out how to pass the cattle grid at the entrance to Passage through Asia, and allegedly taught the rest to do the same! When I visited two weeks ago they were all in the old onager enclosure, and saw one of the calves with the herd (so I assume which the zoo announced the news somewhat late, as I visited before the announcement). As mentioned upthread, they were in the second, and smaller of the enclosures in Passage through Asia. Back when the yaks inhabited it, they shared it with Bactrian Camels and Pere David's Deer. Since then, the deer have moved to the other half of Passage, and the Przewalski's Wild Horse, who once had a separate exhibit, have moved into it instead to facilitate for the construction of Monkey Forest.

When you say the aardvarks are shut inside, do you mean that the doors were locked, or that you only saw them indoors? If it is the latter, then I doubt it means anything, seeing as they are largely nocturnal - indeed, I have only seen them ever go outdoors for the feeding time, which happens shortly before closure on some days.
 
ajmcwhipsnade said:
The Yaks have been in the old Onager/Pzswalwlkis horse enclosure for a good few years now, not sure I can remember exactly when they moved!
Click to expand...
The yaks were moved to the old onager paddock in 2017. They were still there on my last visit earlier this year.
 
ajmcwhipsnade said:
They should have been in the house and paddock that is labelled Yak. That’s been there home for a while now
Click to expand...
I think there was a paddock adjoined to the house that had 'Yak' written on the side... but didn't see any out.
Not sure however about the larger paddock in the distance where I saw them a few years ago...
 
dillotest0 said:
I think there was a paddock adjoined to the house that had 'Yak' written on the side... but didn't see any out.
Not sure however about the larger paddock in the distance where I saw them a few years ago...
Click to expand...
In particular I remember the yak house I am talking about was not far from the horse enclosure
 
dillotest0 said:
In particular I remember the yak house I am talking about was not far from the horse enclosure
Click to expand...
Indeed, the indoor portion of their current enclosure is fairly near the wild horses. Unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying, it seems as though the yaks haven't moved and you just got unlucky in that they didn't go outdoors during your visit?
 
Kalaw said:
Indeed, the indoor portion of their current enclosure is fairly near the wild horses. Unless I am misunderstanding what you are saying, it seems as though the yaks haven't moved and you just got unlucky in that they didn't go outdoors during your visit?
Click to expand...
Maybe. Do the yaks have two enclosures?
I distinctly remember the house I saw being in a different enclosure than that I saw for yaks in '21 - the very large hilly pen with a large tree.
I think I saw the 'hill pen' from a distance, with what looked like a fresh wooden shed/stall at the top of the hill.
 
dillotest0 said:
Maybe. Do the yaks have two enclosures?
I distinctly remember the house I saw being in a different enclosure than that I saw for yaks in '21 - the very large hilly pen with a large tree.
I think I saw the 'hill pen' from a distance, with what looked like a fresh wooden shed/stall at the top of the hill.
Click to expand...

I really apologise as I hope it doesn’t sound rude but are you maybe getting them mixed up with the bison?
 
dillotest0 said:
Maybe. Do the yaks have two enclosures?
I distinctly remember the house I saw being in a different enclosure than that I saw for yaks in '21 - the very large hilly pen with a large tree.
I think I saw the 'hill pen' from a distance, with what looked like a fresh wooden shed/stall at the top of the hill.
Click to expand...

They usually just have the one enclosure that's on the map. Last Saturday they were in it with both calves.

The enclosures on the hills in large spaces are in Passage through Asia and as mentioned above the yaks were once in with the camels before they moved.

The yak house with their sign now is at the end of their enclosure opposite the Indian rhinos.
 
Lafone said:
They usually just have the one enclosure that's on the map. Last Saturday they were in it with both calves.

The enclosures on the hills in large spaces are in Passage through Asia and as mentioned above the yaks were once in with the camels before they moved.

The yak house with their sign now is at the end of their enclosure opposite the Indian rhinos.
Click to expand...
That could be what it was. I was under the impression that what I was seeing was a different enclosure, but I could be wrong.
 
dillotest0 said:
That could be what it was. I was under the impression that what I was seeing was a different enclosure, but I could be wrong.
Click to expand...
but then I find it curious that I didn't see any exits available to the yaks from the houses.....I doubt it was weather related for sure
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top