HelloCrossy67
Well-Known Member
Marwell were doing quite well with them too, however are without a male at the moment.
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Lafone
- Start date
Just don't underestimate the size of whipsnade, it's alot of walking but worth the effort.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Just to add to this, you can take a car in but absolutely don't have to. I prefer walking it myself, and using the train to view Passage Through Asia (and the bull elephant paddock)
I guess it depends on what you see regularly, the Defassa waterbuck is a highlight but they're becoming increasingly popular around Europe. Whipsnade excels less in housing particular rarities and moreso in fairly incomparable exhibitry, so the bear and wolverine exhibits are must-sees, as well as the new Monkey Forest and personally my favourite part of the zoo, the greater one horned rhinos.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
I've heard that at least one female bongo will arrive in the next few months. He only got matched with a female relatively recently so it's taken some time to arrange movement. He's still young and healthy so hopefully there won't be another Thug situation 
The bongo population in the UK had a bit of a boom over the last decade and it's naturally winding down a bit now due to the deaths of breeding animals and need for new genes. But there's plenty spare on the continent and given their critically endangered status it's not a species ZSL are likely to lose.
Off the top of my head there's Berlin and Prague both with excess and intent to move some on, with the former soon to temporarily lose the species.
The bongo population in the UK had a bit of a boom over the last decade and it's naturally winding down a bit now due to the deaths of breeding animals and need for new genes. But there's plenty spare on the continent and given their critically endangered status it's not a species ZSL are likely to lose.
Off the top of my head there's Berlin and Prague both with excess and intent to move some on, with the former soon to temporarily lose the species.
For me the best way to go through Whipsnade is enter and go to the right and see the bears and wolverines.. then cross the path and see the hunting dogs ( may have a new pack by April) and baby giraffes born in 2024 .. come back to the road and see the white rhinos with 2 baby boy rhinos born in 2024! Then walk around and your at the cheetah ( all males) hippos ( mother and son and lone Pygmy male).. walk down the Path in front and you’ll be at the lions who had cubs in late November 2024 so by April likely be visible.. then your at the meerkat ( continually breeding) Aardvark and porcupine enclosure. I would recommended seeing at Least 1 or 2 bird shows in the afternoon as they are usually pretty good and informative with a wide variety of birds on show which change every show! Monkey forest is a long walk and depending on the day you can walk the entire path and not see a monkey.. as they are all indoors which is at the end of the long path.. so we usually head to the house as more often the monkey are inside rather than out.. end the day with the elephants as they have a baby girl born 2022 and she is always getting up to mischief! Hope that helps x
Lafone
Well-Known Member
In timing terms if you visit in April you'll be able to take advantage of the 6pm closing time which does make a difference so it's a great time to be there. As you enter the board just outside the entrance gives all the talk times, the map (paper ones can be had now too) and particularly the times of the bird show. I'd definitely recommend the chimps (which may not be on lots of peoples lists but I do love them so will throw them in) and there may be a chimp talk which is a great time to find them outside and worth making a note of.
If there are particular animals you want to see the talk for I'd plot the day and route around those.
Whipsnade and London just did the 2025 stock take so the inventory should be published shortly and will be linked here for further review. But it is worth taking a view on the 2024 stock list anyway to check out any animals that are your target species / anything you particularly want to see.
https://cms.whipsnadezoo.org/sites/default/files/2024-03/Whipsnade stocklist 2024.pdf
Some of the birds are always held off show so it's well worth catching the bird shows that are on as mentioned above, as it can be the only way to see the unusual ones and it's a great flight show. If you enjoy birds its worth making your way to at least one of these.
In terms of the visit the zoo is large but there are places to pause and take in the landscape and a drink so I'd plan for a few stops if walking around.
The bear and wolverine exhibit has been mentioned by a few people and it of course features in @lintworm 's thread on the 100 must see exhibits in Europe so well worth reading about it there. It's a wonderful spot to visit and there is a natural progression on entering the zoo to go 'around Europe' by following the trail, including Lynx and boar on the way and Wisent across the road.
Europe's 100 must see exhibits
I'd recommend going around the edge of the zoo first after Europe and doing all the exhibits including the penguins, then going via the rhino house (seeing the Sitatunga and Bongo if out) and going around to the top of the zoo with hopefully the good views of the downs, stopping at the convenient spot for refreshments. There are great views from there across the huge rhino and antelope paddock before walking around that, past the Ostriches and onto the hippos. Whipsnade has both hippo species displayed next to each other which is a highlight.
While it might be efficient to criss cross across the zoo I think when visiting for the first time it pays to get a feel for the size of the place by starting around the edge. It's also a good opportunity to see the free roaming wallabies (the also wandering Mara will be just about anywhere including all over the paths).
I'd then recommend going to the lions (cubs should be well outside by then), meerkats / Porcupine and Aardvark and then going back to the cheetahs, past the flamingos and around the perimeter again to the second crane enclosure and onto the new monkey forest area.
It's worth the walk down the new path area for the monkey forest for the views into A Passage through Asia (particularly if you have not got a car). In the better weather there's a good chance the Langurs and Babirusa will be out and there is less glare from the main path than the road if it is sunny. The macaques and Anoa are likely to be out in the better weather. Both troops of primates have several youngsters.
From there you can see the Indian rhino, then the Visyan warty pigs, Philipine deer and go through to see the excellent elephant house.
Back from there is a good time to see the tiger (and there are more refreshments alongside the bird lake which also has an enclosure for Marabou Stork) and then I would definitely recommend a ride on the train. Even if you have the car, it's a good way to see areas of the zoo you can't drive to and gives good views of the enclosures for the elephants and Indian rhino as well as good sightings of the large herds of deer, Mongolian horses and Domestic Bactrians.
After the train I'd walk up from there to the right to the Butterfly House and Aquarium where you can see the research area and some of the only Boxer pupfish left in the world and the very enjoyable butterfly walkthrough. It's a good way to get an insight into the conservation work going on at the zoo.
Whipsnade Zoo launches ambitious plan to save a rare fish from extinction | Whipsnade Zoo
A visit to the farm is good from here too, but if it's not your thing then moving back 'in' to the centre of the zoo works well here as you can get to the otters, pandas, nilgay and gaur easily and take the path up to the giraffes and wild dogs and third crane enclosure from there.
If you haven't been following the Tea Cup challenge, Whipsnade has featured in a variety of excellent discussions as part of ZSL with some great summaries and photos in different categories, so I'd recommend checking those threads out to see if there is something you'd really love to see
ZooChat Cup
A.L. Gardner
Active Member
Personally I never miss seeing the Sulawesi Crested Macaques and François' Langurs in Monkey Forest. Hopefully by April you'll be able to see the lion cub triplets too. They now have a pair of Black Lemurs as well as the usual Ring-tails.
Thank you very much for your detailed advice, I really appreciate it.
I notice you talk a lot about cars. Can you visit Whipsnade by car? I didn't know this. We're planning to rent a car to go to Whipsnade and Hamerton (on two different days), so if the visit (or part of it) of Whipsnade is done by car, we could use it.
I notice you talk a lot about cars. Can you visit Whipsnade by car? I didn't know this. We're planning to rent a car to go to Whipsnade and Hamerton (on two different days), so if the visit (or part of it) of Whipsnade is done by car, we could use it.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
You can take a car inside the zoo for an extra fee on top of the ticket price (parking outside the zoo in the external car park is free)
Car Parking and Car Admission | Whipsnade Zoo
you can then drive around the perimeter / marked access road to various car parking points and through the Passage through Asia area which also has a parking place mid way. The routes are marked and there are areas you still can only walk to.
It is a big zoo so it can be useful to take the car to get around and base it in a zone car park to work back and forth from. I’d still recommend the train if you do as you get some different views than on the car route. It is all walkable if you want to do that too of course.
Would you include a number of other antelope species as well?
There is one male called Miron
johnstoni85
New Member
Does anyone know how many of the pupfish species are on show currently?
First trip for me since the midweek closures, can't say I noticed much work they had done apart from what looks like new catering outlets being worked on near the station, however I didn't do the whole zoo so might be some other changes.
No sign of the lion cubs and the sign now saying once they get bigger they will venture out probably later this month.
The antelope indoors area was locked with 1 gemsbok indoors and 3 outside but I can't remember how many they have and if the 1 indoors is new.
It was quite busy despite the cold weather.
No sign of the lion cubs and the sign now saying once they get bigger they will venture out probably later this month.
The antelope indoors area was locked with 1 gemsbok indoors and 3 outside but I can't remember how many they have and if the 1 indoors is new.
It was quite busy despite the cold weather.
There are four gemsbok (1.3) as at 1st January 2024, according to the latest animal inventory, but that's already a year old
Thank you wasn't quite sure, in that case let's hope the one kept in is pregnant.
Not a zoo trip but drove past earlier and noticed a couple of things. There was a large filming crew set up in the car park so some form of filming I assume is happening within the zoo.
Also there look to be a whole load of new smart signs by the penguins.
Also there look to be a whole load of new smart signs by the penguins.
A lot of the spinny signs by the penguins were gone when we were last in the penguin bit (maybe 3-4 weeks ago) with a sign saying they were being refurbed and would be back soon, so assume they're done on them.
theli0n
Well-Known Member
The cubs, born on 25 November 2024, have so far spent their time cosied up in their indoor den with mum, with their precious early moments monitored on the zoo’s hidden ‘cubcam’. Whilst the cubs were exploring, the keepers noticed one of them avoiding putting weight onto its back right leg. The cub is being closely monitored by vets to keep track of how the leg is faring as the cub grows, but are happy to have seen some improvements already. The three cubs – who will be sexed at their first health check next week - are vitally important for protecting the lineage of their sadly threatened sub-species, which was only officially recognised in 2017, and will be part of a meticulously planned breeding programme to ensure the insurance population of Northern African lions is genetically healthy."
More good news related to Whipsnade.
The last of the females from Longleats newest litter of Amur Tigers is going to live at Knowsley Safari park to join our Makari as part of the breeding programme
The last of the females from Longleats newest litter of Amur Tigers is going to live at Knowsley Safari park to join our Makari as part of the breeding programme