ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025

[Lafone]

Visited Whipsnade today around the later opening. The wind was fairly strong, but the rain was torrential the whole time. Not many people out as a result.

Nonetheless lots of animals were showy including the Wolverines. Was interesting to see Miron the tiger doing some training with the keepers and then watching him demolish a hare. Great views of the new Macaque baby and the Langur youngsters as they were all having food near closing time.

The bear enclosure has a loop playing on the large video screen featuring several videos of the bears in their winter den and in the better weather outside, along with information on torpor and when they will be out and about again. Good way to keep a connection to the bears during the winter time.

 

[JoB198]

A sunny although cold visit up there today. Elephants on the hard standing area, separated into their two groups. A fair few pathways fenced off around there, presumably to allow the ground to dry up a bit. The Asian rhino paddocks are looking very worse for wear after all the rain, lots of squelching through them for the rhinos.

Miron was out and about putting on a very good show for the visitors. Having visited Whipsnade regularly since a child, I'd say I've seen him more in the last year than any of the previous inhabitants. He was looking very muddy though.

A sighting of the wild boar piglets somewhat made my day - they already look very big and are trying out eating carrot and running around the house. Only one of the lionesses out today, sitting over by the ostrich fence and very interested in them. The white rhino were also very active, chasing each other and having mud baths.

Sighting of the day, however, was the mountain bongo. He looked like he'd been kicked out of his house for cleaning so quite disgruntled and hanging around the house, not very shy at all.

Otters were off-show today. Red pandas were both visible.

Also saw the baby macaque briefly.

 

[jtrbmvcq]

Any possible idea who the macaque parents are (i.e. their previous collections)? I imagine the father to be the big male from Jersey who I believe has kept his dominance (not the only fertile male though).

 

[JoB198]

Question my other half wants an answer to: does anyone know when the bird show starts up again? I have a feeling he'll want to be there the very first day, he's obsessed

 

[Rosie183]

It’s weather dependant as sometimes they do training shows in February half term and it usually starts around the Easter holidays till October half term!

 

[JoB198]

It’s weather dependant as sometimes they do training shows in February half term and it usually starts around the Easter holidays till October half term!

Thanks! Not sure we'd have wanted to sit still for that long today anyway - we had a protracted stay at the tigers and the rhinos as OH was trying out his new camera lens, and that was mighty mighty cold.

 

[Lafone]

Question my other half wants an answer to: does anyone know when the bird show starts up again? I have a feeling he'll want to be there the very first day, he's obsessed

A good time to catch the rehearsals / training shows is in the few weeks leading up to the Easter holidays; post Half term at the end of Feb and through the first part of March. If the weather is bright the early March practices are great as not many people are there and you can get some nice close up views and the keepers will often be happy to chat about new birds and how the flights are going.

 

[theli0n]

When does everyone think the lion cubs will be on show my guess is around late January or early February

 

[Rosie183]

Not that early as If like tiger cubs as they are still cats , they will get first inoculation around now 6 weeks which is next week, second around 12 weeks and final is around 15 weeks then it’s usually weather dependent and if it’s too cold they won’t let them explore! So late March maybe in time for Easter holidays which starts April 4th we may get a glimpse of them if they haven’t set up camera to see them indoors by then!

 

[JoB198]

A good time to catch the rehearsals / training shows is in the few weeks leading up to the Easter holidays; post Half term at the end of Feb and through the first part of March. If the weather is bright the early March practices are great as not many people are there and you can get some nice close up views and the keepers will often be happy to chat about new birds and how the flights are going.

Great knowledge! We can only do weekends so likelihood of there not being many people is slight, but worth a try!

 

[theli0n]

Not that early as If like tiger cubs as they are still cats , they will get first inoculation around now 6 weeks which is next week, second around 12 weeks and final is around 15 weeks then it’s usually weather dependent and if it’s too cold they won’t let them explore! So late March maybe in time for Easter holidays which starts April 4th we may get a glimpse of them if they haven’t set up camera to see them indoors by then!

That’s a lot later than the lions cubs at London which outside after 8 to 9 weeks old

 

[Rosie183]

But because they were born in march it’s warmer season to be outside in may june, I think whipsnade given they haven’t even got the space London zoo has to show the cubs without the cubs being afraid of the big viewing window they will be more cautious! Be interesting as whipsnade don’t really have a small area for the cubs to be in outside in at first so be interesting how they find an area for the new family!

 

[JoB198]

According to an email from ZSL, there's going to be improvements made to the Centre for Elephant Care during 2025. Be interesting to know more.

 

[Rosie183]

My opinion on the upgrade to the elephant barn as it needs to have a more of a crèche side so for younger elephants to reside and sleep and for the more senior ladies of Kaylee and Luca to have more space as they are senior in age now to get rest once Karishma and Beth hand moved on!
Was at Whipsnade today and am near certain there is at one more zebra baby due maybe spring? Along with at least 1 more baby giraffe luna looked pregnant today as you could see the kicks from the baby in her stomach! Also we asked and no date for the visiting white rhino to move away , but the keeper is quite content caring for him as he behaves impeccably and comes in on command so they are quite happy with him!!

 

[Panthera1981]

According to an email from ZSL, there's going to be improvements made to the Centre for Elephant Care during 2025. Be interesting to know more.

Again? The last improvements were only 7+ years ago when the extension and rebranding occurred! I can only think of work on the Bull accommodation or original rhino stables, but it does make you wonder if this is an indictment on some of the previous work.

 

[JoB198]

Again? The last improvements were only 7+ years ago when the extension and rebranding occurred! I can only think of work on the Bull accommodation or original rhino stables, but it does make you wonder if this is an indictment on some of the previous work.

I did say exactly this when the email came through. Having been there yesterday, we'd only been saying that it wasn't that old in the grand scheme of things as we'd been at the zoo only the day before it was opened by the Queen in 2017. I suppose it's coming up 8 years in the spring, but even so.

My assumption was something to do with the bull enclosure so that you can actually see him!

 

[rhinofan12]

Lovely vist yesterday, bit chilly but made for some lovely frosty sights.
Not sure if it's been mentioned before but they are down to 2 Guar now which is a shame as they are such a wonderful looking animal and often overlooked.
I do wonder what the plans are for the waterbuck/zebra enclosure now the work is finished, be great to see something join the waterbuck.

 

[Max Blundell]

they are down to 2 Guar now.

That's really sad news, The Indian Gaur are one of my favourites at the zoo... hopefully they bring in more but I'm doubtful as they have just brought in Javan Banteng.

Personally I would love to see some Wildebeest being mixed with the Zebra and Waterbuck... maybe some Addax

 

[JoB198]

A cheeky little cold day visit - yes, we only went 2 days ago; yes, we almost bailed as it snowed a bit this morning, but then it stopped so...

Nothing major to report, I don't think. A lot of animals were tucked away. The water in the giraffe enclosure was frozen over, so the giraffes didn't even have the option of going out there - we assume to avoid slipping? Flamingos also in their house as the pond was frozen.

My faves, the wild boar piglets, ventured outside and were playing a lot. We counted 6 that we could see.

We went into Owl Wood, which we hadn't for a while. One of the aviaries had the same magpies as are now in the aviary the kookaburra were in outside the aquarium so they seem to have a surfeit of them currently. Do we know where the kookaburra went?

Philippine Spotted Deer was having a wander in the warty pigs enclosure. The pigs seem to have been restricted to their harder standing area recently, maybe to save the ground.

Miron was out pacing the same route as he was the other day, and which we've seen him do before. I don't know if it's of concern that he seems to take the same route all the time.

 

[Lafone]

A cheeky little cold day visit - yes, we only went 2 days ago; yes, we almost bailed as it snowed a bit this morning, but then it stopped so...

Nothing major to report, I don't think. A lot of animals were tucked away. The water in the giraffe enclosure was frozen over, so the giraffes didn't even have the option of going out there - we assume to avoid slipping? Flamingos also in their house as the pond was frozen.

My faves, the wild boar piglets, ventured outside and were playing a lot. We counted 6 that we could see.

We went into Owl Wood, which we hadn't for a while. One of the aviaries had the same magpies as are now in the aviary the kookaburra were in outside the aquarium so they seem to have a surfeit of them currently. Do we know where the kookaburra went?

Philippine Spotted Deer was having a wander in the warty pigs enclosure. The pigs seem to have been restricted to their harder standing area recently, maybe to save the ground.

Miron was out pacing the same route as he was the other day, and which we've seen him do before. I don't know if it's of concern that he seems to take the same route all the time.

The Kookaburras were not on show over the winter when they went into the old Saki monkey enclosure which is now that aviary so I guess they've gone back stage to the bird area.

According to the inventory the zoo had a pair of the Magpies at the start of the year. After the summer they looked to have fledged chicks and the ones in the former Kookaburra aviary were in their juvenile plumage when they moved across in October.