ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2024

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Rosie183

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Had a wonderful visit to Whipsnade despite the downpour!
We could only see one wolverine Fifi so unsure what if anything may have happened to the new male. Or if he was just in a new exhibit somewhere.
Saw the two hunting dogs who were very active and constantly following eachother and the keeper said they are a breeding pair, and they have had enrichment added to their enclosure, so they have to jump up now for food which is now suspended on high wires and they now have a new smaller enclosure next to their current exhibit which is Open for them to go in and out of .. and we was told allows the keeper to give them access to either side, and can allow for the enclosure to be cleaned and food and enrichment added. Compared to be before when food was just thrown into the enclosure and the keepers didn’t enter their enclosure at all…
One thing we loved Was seeing all 3 lions out, the keepers let out the male out for 2-3 hrs a day currently and he definitely was following the females and they were watching him one female came over and hit him on the face and he just roared back but didn’t fight back! So I’m hopeful they will soon get settled together..
Couldn’t see the otter babies mum or dad was feeding and they were in nesting box same with the red panda could only see the male in the old enclosure.
One thing I wondered was will they send Wilfred giraffe to Chesington as he is now 13 months and now Khari giraffe has left chesington there is space …
 
Sounds like a good visit.

The male wolverine Bodie and the female Fi / Fitti are sometimes separated in the front and back enclosures particularly at feeding time so if one is in the front enclosure the other is usually in the other or the house.

I’m a bit surprised they highlighted the other enclosure for the hunting dogs as new - I’ve got photos of them using it over a long time as it’s been a pretty good place to see them if they are in it. Perhaps their free access to it is new which sounds like a good change.
 
Incredibly cold afternoon up at Whipsnade, on a beautiful winters day there are not many places better!

Got a sight of the new gemsbok with the 3 existing gemsbok and also saw one of the new Blesbok (only saw 3 so maybe the 4th was still inside).

Monkey forest looks incredibly smart and is looking very impressive. I also noticed a separation fence in the passage thru Asia near the newish deer housing so not sure what is going on there. The Przewalski’s horse/camel housing was not accessible to the animals and it looked like work was happening there. I’ll post photos later
 
ajmcwhipsnade said:
Incredibly cold afternoon up at Whipsnade, on a beautiful winters day there are not many places better!

Got a sight of the new gemsbok with the 3 existing gemsbok and also saw one of the new Blesbok (only saw 3 so maybe the 4th was still inside).

Monkey forest looks incredibly smart and is looking very impressive. I also noticed a separation fence in the passage thru Asia near the newish deer housing so not sure what is going on there. The Przewalski’s horse/camel housing was not accessible to the animals and it looked like work was happening there. I’ll post photos later
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New Gemsbok ? That's amazing and where did the new one arrive from ?
 
Great vist today,was very busy which was a surprise for a cold January day. Monkey forest looks amazing and can't wait to see it once it opens, all animals were very active and even saw an Aardvark moving for once!
Lots of work going on in the camel/ przewalski's horse area looks like some hard standing going down.
Now might be looking to much into this but at the end of the day one of the female white rhino was separated into an area on its own with loads of straw laid down, it also looked very round around the belly, might be wishful thinking but could another baby be on the way.....
Love whipsnade on days like today and think the future is looking good.
 
sparkes12 said:
Great vist today,was very busy which was a surprise for a cold January day. Monkey forest looks amazing and can't wait to see it once it opens, all animals were very active and even saw an Aardvark moving for once!
Lots of work going on in the camel/ przewalski's horse area looks like some hard standing going down.
Now might be looking to much into this but at the end of the day one of the female white rhino was separated into an area on its own with loads of straw laid down, it also looked very round around the belly, might be wishful thinking but could another baby be on the way.....
Love whipsnade on days like today and think the future is looking good.
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I had a feeling that some hard standing may have been being made. Interested to see what it looks like once finished
 
Enjoyable day out at Whipsnade today, weather was windy but mostly bright. Was pretty busy particularly early on visitor wise but it thinned out in the afternoon as it got a bit colder. There was a full complement of gliders up over the zoo and they were fairly skidding about.

Cinderella, one of the brown bears, was in the enclosure just after opening, slowly moving around as the bears continue their torpor. Nice to see her. Active wolverines also drew a bit of a crowd so circled back later when it was quieter. The lynx were enjoying a new hammock made from old fire hoses which went up when the new fencing was completed, they were both on it each time I wandered that way.

The chimps, including Koko, were out and about in their enclosure in the morning.

Lots of work in progress in the tiger enclosure including a new tall central climbing frame. Signage up about the work, guess Czar the tiger is in the off show area near the hippos.

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It will be nice for the tiger enclosure to have high frames again for both the tiger and viewing. The enclosure fence at the end had been partly removed to allow access and there was some work going on around the old frames at the front too.

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Work also going on in the tiger pond / water splash, with new edging and blocks where the waterfall used to run in and new channels coming in from the other end along with a new concreate surround. Two large water fountain containers were also going in, so looks like the intention may be to create some running water again or at least offer an easier way to fill the pond up.

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Updated signage at the scimitar horned oryx

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although the old wooden painted signage for the Oryx is still there this is a bit clearer. The Oryx were still out in the back paddock though. Looking forward to seeing the new male still - maybe in the Spring!

There was a lot of mating activity going on with the lions. Malik was with and mating one of the lionesses, the other was at the far end of the enclosure. Apart from the stupid but I suppose inevitable comments from visitors, was good to see the pride dynamic developing. The three lions later got back together as a group, there was a bit of a scrap and then Malik went off with one of the lionesses again with more mating going on. The whole enclosure was in use by all three and there was a lot of running about and roaring.

The hard standing and new paved entrance way in passage through Asia near the horse / camel space is coming along.

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The new monkey forest area had all it's lights on and the fencing around the different enclosures now looks complete along with shelters in the outside spaces. A new kids climbing frame gone up near one of the enclosures though can't see the angle to judge its proximity to the viewing area, so hopefully it won't be too near the fence or noisy when everything is complete. No new construction in the old sealion space yet but I guess it doesn't take long to put a picnic area up.

Lots of other animal activity, with the rhinos and Gemsbok running around. The red pandas were also active in both enclosures with the keepers busy clearing brances and tidying. Missed the otters now they are off show as they are always a visit highlight for me, but look forward to them coming back in March.
 
Had a wet and cold trip today for a few hours,only updates are around building works, I didn't realise quite how much work was going on in the tiger enclosure looks so much better and I am hoping the revamp means a female will be joining the male. Monkey forest coming along nicely and I am sure I overheard a keeper saying the macaque were already in there but might have got that wrong. Hardstanding for the camel looks complete.
As far as animals are concerned the otters are back in there enclosure, only saw the female red panda with a sign saying the male will join in the spring for breeding so not sure if the 2 babies have moved on. 1 beer made a late venture outside but looked sleepy,was great seeing the stitanga making use of the whole enclosure although the bongo didn't join them.
Also last 2 times I've been tapon the pygmy hippo has been out and about outside can't help but feel it's a shame he hasn't had a mate for as long as I can remember.
 
Glad the otter have come back on display but they may stay indoors i suspect till the warmer weather comes around.
The female red panda still has her cubs they are less than a year old. So to prevent more breeding which occurs Now
the male is separated , but come spring he will be brought back once the breeding season is over. They will wait till cubs 1 and a half to 2yrs at earliest before moving them on.. if another collection requests them, Pygmy hippos are solitary in the wild so tapon is fine as he is a retired male who would only come to a female for breeding. So he is enjoying his retirement and still has contact with the common hippos which he enjoys,
 
Good to hear the otters are back in their enclosure, should be some good views of them to be had as they've been swimming even on chilly days and they don't usually stay inside. Both panda cubs were visible on 4/2 I think it unlikely they have moved.
 
Rosie183 said:
Pygmy hippos are solitary in the wild so tapon is fine as he is a retired male who would only come to a female for breeding.
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Didn't realise he was retired, remember during lockdown they did a live with Tapon and said they were looking for a suitable female so guess that decision to retire him was in the last couple of years.
 
Pygmy hippos aren’t easy animals to breed so when they do become available there is a lot of competition to claim that animal. Currently London zoo acquired a young female Pygmy hippo last years and she isn’t yet ready for breeding but in a year or two she will be, and so London zoo will breed her hopefully with thug their male, and I think that is the focus rather than tapon who has offspring already in sapo.
 
Fun day out at Whipsnade today, weather was very changeable, heavy showers and a bit of sun but it felt quite Spring like temperature wise. Quite a lot of visitors.

Was great to see the young Japanese crane back out in the enclosure opposite the goats after the winter inside. Signage back in place. It seemed intrigued by the Blesbok who were grazing nearby and threw some sticks at them and had a bit of a prance about in the rain, which was interesting to watch.

Good to see the otters back out too as mentioned above. Work in their enclosure while they were out includes some new bark and tidying of the planting, offering good views while preserving their cover. The whole family were out and active.

Work continues in the tiger enclosure, with new frames going up at the front to add to the large new framing in the middle - there are going to be a lot of climbing opportunities when everything is complete. The wooden walkway around the enclosure near the school meeting point has all been removed; assume it will be relaid / reworked and the rotting areas replaced or laid to gravel instead.

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Work has also started on the new covered picnic area (former sealion enclosure).

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The end of the Flamingo enclosure had flooded out at the top and the whole flock were in the flood water area, splashing and bathing right next to the fence, which was great to watch.

The bears were out and very active, chasing around the enclosure and playing in the pond. Cinderella the older bear joined the others for a while, there was some charging and growling between her and one of the newer arrivals and the keepers added some food to calm things down. Cinderella was then separated again with the three new bears in the new enclosure and Cinderella in the main one. Good to see the planned integration coming along as they have been together off and on on my visits before the winter but never consistently. The bears playing in the water and climbing trees drew quite a crowd.

The Scimitar Horned Oryx were in the main enclosure - good to see all of them together...first view of them since before Xmas for me so very enjoyable.

Some new parking signs near the new monkey forest and a 'swing this way' sign on the new path that goes around the langur house.
 
sparkes12 said:
Had a wet and cold trip today for a few hours,only updates are around building works, I didn't realise quite how much work was going on in the tiger enclosure looks so much better and I am hoping the revamp means a female will be joining the male. Monkey forest coming along nicely and I am sure I overheard a keeper saying the macaque were already in there but might have got that wrong. Hardstanding for the camel looks complete.
As far as animals are concerned the otters are back in there enclosure, only saw the female red panda with a sign saying the male will join in the spring for breeding so not sure if the 2 babies have moved on. 1 beer made a late venture outside but looked sleepy,was great seeing the stitanga making use of the whole enclosure although the bongo didn't join them.
Also last 2 times I've been tapon the pygmy hippo has been out and about outside can't help but feel it's a shame he hasn't had a mate for as long as I can remember.
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Ruby the female red panda was sleeping along with both cubs in the trees at the end of the panda enclosure today and Nilo was in the separate one as signed, just to confirm the cubs have not left the collection.
 
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