ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2024

[Lafone]

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On my most recent visit to Whipsnade in 2023 I had little problem finding some wallabies in an area close to the penguins. I don't think they were particularly bothered by my presence - but then there's the question of plants if you want a full shot.
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And one of my shots of the reindeer seems to have a wallaby's silhouette as well. And another some kind of sheep or woolly thing? Do they have grazing on the hill behind the reindeer? Can one walk there? This is about as far as I got before I decided this was about as far down as I would sensibly go

Yes as mentioned in another post above, there was a group near the penguins on my recent visit too and the area near the penguins along with the whole right hand side of the road there near the bongo house is a bit of a spot. You can spend time moving around the plants to get them out of the way if you want to spend the time and it makes for a nice backdrop.

There is grazing on the hill that side. The goats have also been over there. You can't go further than the fence line and it gets steep pretty quickly.

 

[Rosie183]

Visited yesterday and I happen to disagree about monkey forest! although it’s a impressive enclosure I can’t see the animals utilising all the space, it’s a absolutely massive and there is so much space on the opposite side of the monkey enclosure which has nothing! When we asked the volunteer she was like oh the land is going to rejuvenate and regrow… into a wild garden! yeah like mud is a going to do that! Very ridiculous
The only other thing we notice was the wild dogs one was pacing around in and out of the house and the other was stood watching…. They seemed very bonded and were sniffing and keeping each other in eyesight so possible pregnancy?.
Was wondering is their one or two wolverines as could only see Fifi!
Rhino baby was cute , the meerkats were indoors so couldn’t see babies clearly
And the male lion was following one of the sisters very closely… so suspected that she was on heat.. and was roaring at the male who was just watching her..

 

[Lafone]

Visited yesterday and I happen to disagree about monkey forest! although it’s a impressive enclosure I can’t see the animals utilising all the space, it’s a absolutely massive and there is so much space on the opposite side of the monkey enclosure which has nothing! When we asked the volunteer she was like oh the land is going to rejuvenate and regrow… into a wild garden! yeah like mud is a going to do that! Very ridiculous
The only other thing we notice was the wild dogs one was pacing around in and out of the house and the other was stood watching…. They seemed very bonded and were sniffing and keeping each other in eyesight so possible pregnancy?.
Was wondering is their one or two wolverines as could only see Fifi!
Rhino baby was cute , the meerkats were indoors so couldn’t see babies clearly
And the male lion was following one of the sisters very closely… so suspected that she was on heat.. and was roaring at the male who was just watching her..

I'd disagree on the monkey forest area not regrowing. By the end of the summer I'd wager it grows out and they will probably seed it anyway. it'll look a bit weedy for a while but that's only to be expected given all the earth was just moved. The Anoa and Babirusa will make use of the space all year round, I'd tend to agree the primates will make more use of it in the warmer weather.

The wolverines are separated a fair amount, particularly at feeding time and you can usually see whichever one is the back enclosure. There were two on 24/3 (the male Bodie still has no picture sign but it's not a trend now at Whipsnade, bit of a shame).

Malik the male lion was actively mating one of the females back at the start of Feb too so it appears things are going along well for the pride.

 

[dillotest0]

I'd disagree on the monkey forest area not regrowing. By the end of the summer I'd wager it grows out and they will probably seed it anyway. it'll look a bit weedy for a while but that's only to be expected given all the earth was just moved. The Anoa and Babirusa will make use of the space all year round, I'd tend to agree the primates will make more use of it in the warmer weather.

I also don't think that the babirusa will do much actually - it is from what I recall the only [or one of the only] sort of pig that lacks the muscles necessary for toiling dirt as so many pigs do.

 

[Lafone]

I also don't think that the babirusa will do much actually - it is from what I recall the only [or one of the only] sort of pig that lacks the muscles necessary for toiling dirt as so many pigs do.

They are often out using the whole enclosure, wandering about and have been making good use of it since they arrived. Being able to see them from both sides is useful. It's horses for courses I suppose but I quite like watching them wandering about as they like, I don't expect them to do anything.

 

[dillotest0]

It's horses for courses I suppose but I quite like watching them wandering about as they like, I don't expect them to do anything.

Oh sure, babirusa are great to see however - I was merely addressing one concern I thought Rosie had about 'mud' and its disability to rejuvenate!

 

[Lafone]

Oh sure, babirusa are great to see however - I was merely addressing one concern I thought Rosie had about 'mud' and its disability to rejuvenate!

I think the mud is the bit outside the enclosure! But the enclosure looks very untouched by them in comparison to other pigs and you're right they don't seem to root as much though you can see them kicking things about.

 

[Strathmorezoo]

I'd disagree on the monkey forest area not regrowing. By the end of the summer I'd wager it grows out and they will probably seed it anyway. it'll look a bit weedy for a while but that's only to be expected given all the earth was just moved. The Anoa and Babirusa will make use of the space all year round, I'd tend to agree the primates will make more use of it in the warmer weather.

The wolverines are separated a fair amount, particularly at feeding time and you can usually see whichever one is the back enclosure. There were two on 24/3 (the male Bodie still has no picture sign but it's not a trend now at Whipsnade, bit of a shame).

Malik the male lion was actively mating one of the females back at the start of Feb too so it appears things are going along well for the pride.

You are so right, with the right conditions ,nature will always regenerate.

 

[JVM]

I am currently at Whipsnade Zoo and I was just wondering if the zoo still holds their 2 Female Blackbuck? As they are not signposted anywhere in the zoo and I even went on the express but could not spot them

I wanted to ask this too but was a bit embarrassed to! Good to know blackbuck are still present, don't imagine I saw them on my visit though. Are nilgai still there as well?

 

[ajmcwhipsnade]

I wanted to ask this too but was a bit embarrassed to! Good to know blackbuck are still present, don't imagine I saw them on my visit though. Are nilgai still there as well?

Don’t be embarrassed to ask anything!

yeah the Nilgai are still at the zoo, next to the Gaur. You can see them walking around the red panda enclosure

 

[Pertinax]

I wanted to ask this too but was a bit embarrassed to! Good to know blackbuck are still present, don't imagine I saw them on my visit though. Are nilgai still there as well?

Whipsnade have made no effort to obtain a new male Blackbuck or more females in the time these have been there, yet they even went to the trouble of importing them. Seems just a waste IMO.

 

[oflory]

Whipsnade have made no effort to obtain a new male Blackbuck or more females in the time these have been there, yet they even went to the trouble of importing them. Seems just a waste IMO.

Particularly since everything else in that (very large) paddock is a species of deer, so the blackbuck always made a pleasant and interesting contrast.

 

[dillotest0]

Particularly since everything else in that (very large) paddock is a species of deer, so the blackbuck always made a pleasant and interesting contrast.

I recall they used to have the yaks in there too and until recently the camels and Przewalski's horses.
I think part of it is that both nilgai and blackbuck are considered least concern... so whilst in the category of 'exotic things nice for a zoo to have a century ago' they are hardly priority species in Europe or the US. But in Europe they are at an advantage in that they haven't yet escaped from private holdings, so they haven't been totally cast out.

 

[oflory]

I recall they used to have the yaks in there too and until recently the camels and Przewalski's horses.
I think part of it is that both nilgai and blackbuck are considered least concern... so whilst in the category of 'exotic things nice for a zoo to have a century ago' they are hardly priority species in Europe or the US. But in Europe they are at an advantage in that they haven't yet escaped from private holdings, so they haven't been totally cast out.

The camels/horses/yaks weren't kept in the same paddock, there is a dividing cattle grid between them, if I remember correctly. I do think there's a place for least concern species that are interesting, especially in a zoo with as much space as Whipsnade.

 

[Lafone]

The camels/horses/yaks weren't kept in the same paddock, there is a dividing cattle grid between them, if I remember correctly. I do think there's a place for least concern species that are interesting, especially in a zoo with as much space as Whipsnade.

Yes the yaks haven’t been in there for a long time and the passage through Asia area is divided by a cattle grid (though the odd deer from the main enclosure appears in the camel and horse side now and then and the Chinese water deer end up in both).

I agree it would be good to have some more blackbuck or other low concern species as long as they all got on.

 

[Tim May]

Yes the yaks haven’t been in there for a long time .....

Indeed the yaks were moved from that paddock into the old onager paddock in 2017.

 

[Pertinax]

Particularly since everything else in that (very large) paddock is a species of deer, so the blackbuck always made a pleasant and interesting contrast.

Recent history; At one stage some years back now, there was just a single male Blackbuck left from the original London Zoo herd. Five females were sourced from abroad(?) for him as company. He died before they could be mixed together. Since then the five have become wittled down to two. I just can't see the point of bringing in new females and then just letting them die off.. the word 'inertia' springs to mind.

 

[Pertinax]

yeah the Nilgai are still at the zoo, next to the Gaur. You can see them walking around the red panda enclosure

I believe the Nilgai actually died out at one stage and then fresh stock were added around the same time as the female Blackbuck,, but in the case of the Nilgai, not in Asian Plains, but in a seperate paddock where they are now. At one stage there were around a dozen but I think they have reduced again, like many of the ungulate groups at Whipsnade. Though I don't know the reason for that.

 

[oflory]

Recent history; At one stage some years back now, there was just a single male Blackbuck left from the original London Zoo herd. Five females were sourced from abroad(?) for him as company. He died before they could be mixed together. Since then the five have become wittled down to two. I just can't see the point of bringing in new females and then just letting them die off.. the word 'inertia' springs to mind.

Yes, remember feeling excited about the addition of the females. Such a pity to have just let them gradually disappear.

 

[Kalaw]

A keeper informed me that the reason for moving the yaks was the arrival of a new bull, appropriately named 'Voldemort,' who managed to bypass the cattle grid and, although I am not sure how, taught the rest of the herd how to do so as well!

Personally, I love Passage through Asia - its size, the numbers of the herds, the rolling terrain and the gorgeous pools make it one of the most serene and picturesque drive-throughs in the country, but it lacks the awe factor of other safari parks due to it just being deer, camels and wild horses. I would love to see the yak return, but perhaps even introducing the Indian Gaur (who, as an unrelated side-note, I am delighted to finally see labelled on the map) or Indian Rhinos to the exhibit. The only issue may be that drive-throughs with such large species usually need additional monitoring (such as the tractors found at Longleat and Woburn used to chase off rhinos that stray too close to cars), which ZSL may not like the idea of. It won't exactly have the same awe as rhinos or gaur, but in terms of interesting species I would love to see the Persian Onager return! I like Passage as it is, but I do feel as though with a little improvement such as that it can become one of the UK's very best zoo exhibits, and it seems to fall somewhat short of its potential at the moment...