With reference to the discussions about where the Gaur used to live, I believe the two 'twinned' paddocks that now hold the Visayan pigs/phillipine deer and G.O.H.R were originally built for pairs of Black and White Rhino. Prior to that Whipsnade only held the Indian rhino, in the old paddock which was located near the Giraffes.
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- Thread starter Lafone
- Start date
You are right. The Indian rhino moved from next to the giraffe in the 70s to the white rhino one and the white rhino were then in roughly what is now the elephant paddocks.
It does sadly seem to be a trend. The Thompsons gazelle really were a blink and you'll miss it species at Whipsnade.
I vaguely remember seeing the two rhino pairs- Black & White, in those adjacent paddocks. The Black bred several times but were then in the one nearer the Nepal building. It was extended further back with those pens and the viewing bridge when the Indian rhinos moved in there.
And, let’s not forget, they bred!
They used to have a thriving herd before they died out the first time.
Firstly, with apologies for being pedantic, there is no letter "p" in the gazelle's name; it is Thomson’s gazelle not Thompson's gazelle.
Secondly, I don't think you can describe Thomson’s gazelle as a "blink and you'll miss it species at Whipsnade"; there was a thriving group at Whipsnade for several decades. I remember when the herd numbered over twenty individuals.
(Insert Thomson and Thompson joke here)
Where was the Thomson's gazelle herd located in Whipsnade?
I was specifically referring to when they were held between 2014 and 16.
The second (2010s) group was located in the Bongo stables. The intention was to have them share the paddock with the Bongo, but they never got past the hard standing.
There is a grainy photo of one these individuals on the Whipsnade Zoochat media pages.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Am I right in recalling the decision not to continue with them past the group from a decade ago in due to their lack of conservational importance? I vaguely remember reading that, potentially on here. I remember being rather excited about them and they were my first of the species
I wholeheartedly support ZSL's fundamental conservation intentions, but I would hate to see species like nilgai go the way of the gazelles due to their status in the wild
I wholeheartedly support ZSL's fundamental conservation intentions, but I would hate to see species like nilgai go the way of the gazelles due to their status in the wild
The second (2010s) group was located in the Bongo stables. The intention was to have them share the paddock with the Bongo, but they never got past the hard standing.
There is a grainy photo of one these individuals on the Whipsnade Zoochat media pages.
Odd mix of species!
I’m inclined to only be so generous if that space is then used by a species in need of it. And if it was the case, what changed in two years?!
No, it was a combination of various factors but conservation status was never part of it.
The main reason for acquiring the various antelope species (as well those for Wild Wild Whipsnade previously) was driven by a significant number of complaints from visitors about the large number of empty paddocks across the zoo.
As other's have stated, Whipsnade's most recent Thomson’s gazelles were kept in the Bongo House, where they were virtually off-exhibit.
If you walk down the road "Miss Joan's Ride" (named in memory of Joan Procter, ZSL's Curator of Reptiles) towards the Whipsnade Downs, with the Giraffe Paddock on your right, then the successful Thomson's gazelle herd was kept just past the giraffes, in one of the enclosures on the opposite side of the road.
Oops, I misspelt it too...I have the postcard of the original group.
That's a rather scarce postcard; I've never seen a copy on sale....
I sometimes wonder at the thinking behind the selection process of keeping certain species against others. For example why did they bring in fresh Nilgai but disband the long- established Axis deer herd- neither are of conservation status. And why did the Axis go rather than the Fallow deer which are neither of conservation value or actually a true Asian species.
Grossly inbred, although Im sure the same could be applied towards the Fallow deer herd!
I’ve often thought the Nilgai would work nicely in the drive-thru.
Roughly where the extended new meerkat enclosure is, which held red river hog and sitatunga before that?
Yes, that's right, approximately where the red river hog used to be.