ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Lafone
- Start date
MIchie's Tufted deer are an interesting addition. Always enjoyed seeing them at Twycross but they can be quite secretive. Would certainly be lost in the Hippo enclosure or Asian Plains and I think this is a species that,wherever they go, will largely be overlooked by general visitors.
That certainly looks like a Gaur, I was not sure if they were still phasing them out of the zoo?
That is the Gaur icon and it's in the right place, they have been in this enclosure some years now.
EDIT: Since 2017, in fact: Whipsnade zoo 2017 [ZSL Whipsnade Zoo] - Page 16 - ZooChat
Would the red panda enclosure be big enough to house the tufted deer? Quite a few places in Europe seem to have the two species mixed together, and they would certainly make an interesting mix at Whipsnade.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
It could work as the large area is as big as the enclosure at Twycross, though it only has the one house (there are also nest boxes around) so would need something else constructed / changed to house both I would guess. The second / original Red Panda enclosure would be too small and they are usually only in that for separation purposes anyway.
I cant see them going in with the red panda's, I wouldn't be against it just can't see it happening. Feel it's to much of a coincidence that the Emu enclosure becomes empty at the same time theses arrive, I will be up there next week at some point so will update if I see anything.
That is the Gaur icon and it's in the right place, they have been in this enclosure some years now.
EDIT: Since 2017, in fact: Whipsnade zoo 2017 [ZSL Whipsnade Zoo] - Page 16 - ZooChat
Excellent, thank you. Any photos of the Gaur in this enclosure would be appreciated, as there seems to be a shortage of them in the gallary!
What's replaced them in their old holdings now? Sorry for the questions, but the Whipsnade map isn't sufficiently detailed.
The paddock where the icon is on the map originally held, and was intentionally built for, Black rhino. It has also, over the years, held zebra, ostrich and gemsbok.
Prior to this, the Gaur were held in a paddock next to the GOH rhino. They were moved out, initially temporarily, so the zoo could restart its GOH rhino breeding programme, and needed somewhere to hold a breeding bull (at the time Jaffna) whilst the “Rhinos of Nepal” facility was being built. This paddock now holds Visayan warty pig and Philippine spotted deer.
Selfishly, I always preferred seeing the Gaur in their original paddock as, due to the proximity, you could appreciate how truly immense a bull Gaur is!
Last edited:
Before Rhinos of Nepal was built did the GOH Rhino enclosure just consist of the part adjacent to the current pig/deer enclosure? And I assume the back paddocks were just carved out of PTA... my memory of that part is hazy.
I know a long time before that there was a GOH Rhino enclosure near to the Giraffes and have a very vague memory of seeing what I think was Dwarf Forest Buffalo in there in approximately the late 90s. If anyone happens to have photos of the enclosure I'd love to see them!
More or less. When the zoo acquired Jaffna, a partition gate was constructed to link the rhino paddock to the Gaur paddock. Resultantly, Jaffna was housed in the Gaur paddock and could be moved between the two paddocks when the zoo wanted to breed Behan and Beluki. The original rhino paddock also held the elderly cow Roopa. So, for a brief period, you had 1.3 GOH rhino.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Do you, or anyone else, have photos of the rhino in the current gaur enclosure?
I had similar thoughts to you when the gaur were first relocated, about their size being less obvious, especially as the outdoor enclosure was sufficient in my mind, as well as an element of nostalgia to my first finding out about the species, when seeing one grazing in the background through the trees during an elephant talk. But looking at it now, the stables really were far too small for such a species. And from a visitor perspective, I do enjoy their central position in the zoo nowadays, and being able to see them from a distance from several different places creates an element of excitement with my current route usually seeing them for last - the boardwalk viewing for the tigers, and if I am not mistaken for the giraffes as well, offers a good distant view.
Really, the thing that has to be reversed to make their size more appreciable is the lack of a bull!
Also, I love the suggestion of mixing the new deer with the red pandas. The enclosure is certainly big enough, as it is larger than many zoo's lion enclosures and is without doubt larger than either of the other enclosures that I have seen for Tufted Deer.
Here's a photo of a gaur shortly after they were moved to the former black rhino accommodation
Gaur; Whipsnade; 3rd November 2017 - ZooChat
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
Here is a photo I took back in September.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately one died before the New Year, which I believe leaves them with just a pair as of now. Certainly they must look rather small in such a large paddock now...Here is a photo I took back in September.
In another photo I took at the same time another individual is visible, has one died between then and now, I can't remember?
Rajang-GOAT
Well-Known Member
I'm guessing it was another female?
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Yes, sorry for not specifying! The last bull died a while ago, must be nearing 3-4 years now. Since then they only held a group of 3 females, now down to 2.
Do you happen to know how old they are? That doesn't seem too promising.