Tim, correct me if I’m wrong, but prior to the hippos was ZSL’s longest lived animal the Asian elephant Saffa Culli?
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025
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Tim, correct me if I’m wrong, but prior to the hippos was ZSL’s longest lived animal the Asian elephant Saffa Culli?
Which imho is a crying shame. This iconic species can be made to tell a conservation success story, and is one of the few species that fits that enclosure. If one regards one of a zoo’s functions is to inspire awe and respect for the natural world, bison on Bison Hill do the job well.
Its strange how the Bison were returned to 'Bison Hill'- a pair having been obtained from Christopher Marler, after a six year hiatus from the original herd dying out. The return was cited as being mainly a reaction due to complaints from locals about the 'iconic' connection between the animals and the so -named Bison Hill being lost. I saw the last lone bull a few years back before he died. So the situation then repeated itself. Didn't the locals complain again about no bison, or this time it was just ignored perhaps?
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I'm glad I saw the Whipsnade hippos one last time last year. I have a photo of them in front of me right now...From memory having seen them there since a child in the 1950's, the outside enclosures have remained almost unchanged I think from back then. Their inside quarters used to be just that low shed at the back which was not open to the public. I have a vague recollection from many years back of a group of visitors (not myself) being led in there by a keeper to see one of Henry & Belinda's small calves once but there was no general access. IMO the new house was really built on too small a scale to display Common Hippo properly, though the land areas and pools are good for Pygmies.
Its a sad day indeed to hear this though ironically the current two hippos will be nearer to me now at Longleat than at Whipsnade! As to what they might put in there now, its anyone's guess at present. From the suggestions I'd discount Okapi and Black Rhino. Gelada would work with some fresh fencing and landscaping of the sloping enclosure but they'd turn it bare in no time. Tapir?- possibly. My own personal preference might be Sitatunga antelope as they too would use the water area- but probably not distinctive enough as an exhibit.
Its a sad day indeed to hear this though ironically the current two hippos will be nearer to me now at Longleat than at Whipsnade! As to what they might put in there now, its anyone's guess at present. From the suggestions I'd discount Okapi and Black Rhino. Gelada would work with some fresh fencing and landscaping of the sloping enclosure but they'd turn it bare in no time. Tapir?- possibly. My own personal preference might be Sitatunga antelope as they too would use the water area- but probably not distinctive enough as an exhibit.
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Yes I think that elephant was ZSL's longest lived mammmal prior to the hippos. And let's not forget the Indian rhino "Jim" who lived at London Zoo from 25 July 1864 until 12 December 1904.
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I have a left field suggestion for the old hippo enclosure - it would require extra fencing and perhaps some pool filtration - but how about giant otters?
You could say the same thing about the valley and fields beyond the Hippos too!
Shouldn't that be 175 years?Very shocked and saddened to see both of them are leaving.I believe this will also leave ZSL without hippos for the first time in 165 years.
(London Zoo's first hippo, "Obaysch", was acquired in 1850)
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Regarding the heritage tours (or rather the one I attended) it’s worth knowing that ZSL’s original intentions were to have the zoo’s main entrance at the valley bottom-so the first thing one would encounter upon entering would have been the hippo pools! Also, regarding space, the zoo itself only occupies a quarter of the land that ZSL owns!
I did consider adding some form of antelope to my earlier wish list (Sitatunga being the obvious candidate, or Lechwe) but feared the possibility of escapes!
Lafone
Well-Known Member
I was in the same place on Sitatunga and Lechwe (with the mention of 'new' I was assuming not Sitatunga as they are there already but guess they might be new to the space though with the Bongo potentially breeding they may need somewhere to go to.
I guess with Nile Lechwe there are not many to be had in Europe but other Lechwe could be more available. More antelope would be great.
I must say I rather love the idea of Giant Otters as @gentle lemur suggested, again like Tapir much depends on the commitment to geographical context.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Sitatunga is the only species that jumped out to me, but I think we can discount them as well - given they are already held (and have been for a while) alongside the bongo and though the herd is diminished somewhat it's proven to be a very comfortable spot for them - but it would maybe be a logical move should the bongos breed. The wording of the website seems to suggest it's an entirely new species for the zoo but I should know by now that isn't necessarily indicative of reality. My concern would be visitors seeing hippos replaced with "just" some more glorified deer
Honestly, I do think tapir is most likely. I don't see them disusing the hippo house and so a semi-aquatic mammal makes the most sense. It's a shame the geographical sectioning would have to be abandoned but for another Malayan tapir holder I can tolerate it
...Watch them somehow acquire a Sumatran rhino just to spite us for complaining
Javan or Sumatran rhinos would be very appropriate in their bicentennial year...
Joking aside, Malayan tapir would be fantastic, even if it throws out the geographical theme. I think they would also be entirely new for Whipsnade, in line with the implication in the ZSL statement (they had Brazilian there previously, I think).
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Held there in the mid-1960s according to Zootierliste but as that's practically the stone age now I can see it being a big deal that they've returned after 50 years.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
It could of course be an opportunity to bring in a male and breed the waterbuck. As there are two species all females in the current herd, splitting them into the Common and Defassa groups in two places and adding a male either way and then having breeding waterbuck would be exciting.
2005, according to zootierliste!
I can't believe what I have just seen having missed all the comments of the last 24 hours.
The loss of the hippos is quite simply terrible news and another black mark against ZSLfor me.
Whatever replaces them will not be an adequate substitute and I can't see many species being suitable without major changes.
Malayan Tapir would be good but why the hell can't a zoo of Whipsnade's size have both?! There is nothing wrong in a zoo actually gaining a species and retaining ALL its current animals!
I have received an email about 200 years of ZSL and I've deleted it without reading it , I am not interested at this time,I am more bothered my only chance to see a hippo in the UK now is to pay rip off theme park prices!
I can see nothing positive about yet another loss!
The loss of the hippos is quite simply terrible news and another black mark against ZSLfor me.
Whatever replaces them will not be an adequate substitute and I can't see many species being suitable without major changes.
Malayan Tapir would be good but why the hell can't a zoo of Whipsnade's size have both?! There is nothing wrong in a zoo actually gaining a species and retaining ALL its current animals!
I have received an email about 200 years of ZSL and I've deleted it without reading it , I am not interested at this time,I am more bothered my only chance to see a hippo in the UK now is to pay rip off theme park prices!
I can see nothing positive about yet another loss!
I agree with this. I don't think any species they can realistically obtain is going to be able to fill that hole in the collection.