ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Lafone
- Start date
The hippo experience is bookable up until 13th June so would expect them to move sometime after that date, as for the elephants they have said only when the elephants are happy walking into the travel crates so might take a few days of trying but would expect them to move before the busy school holidays in July.Can't be too long now for both the (two) elephants or the hippos. I wonder which will be the first to leave- the two elephants 'packing their trunks'- (don't the press just love that one..) for Chester or the two hippos 'packing their snorkels' (mine) for Longleat. Seriously though, it'll be a sad day historically for Whipsnade when the latter actually go.
Whipsnade have announced the birth of another camel, bit of a baby boom this year with camel,yak,zebra,blesbok,gemsbok and macaque.
Going by the website and the app, it appears as though the passage through Asia is open again
And penguins, lions and porcupines
Have personally witnessed mating behaviour in the lions (like, give it a rest, Malik!) and Przevalski's as well (I have almost certainly spelled that incorrectly but am too tired to check!)
Maybe this weekend is the one to do it again after 20 years! Thanks for update
Perhaps one or more of the Whipsnade/ZSL regulars can go on that Hippo Experience!
It would be nice to hear first hand their plans for pygmy hippo at Whipsnade and where/when/how/what the common hippo future path holds! Anyone ... feel inclineer to do so????
Cant, booking closed as I presume the hippo maybe leaving after next Friday! They just said they would refund anyone booked after this date for the hippo experience since the animals won’t be there
I'm wondering if they'd be sending the Pygmy hippos off to Wingham Wildlife Park as they're looking to have the species.
If so, the Capybara could have that enclosure and then Tapirs can be added into the former Common hippo exhibit once they've moved to Longleat.
I'm not very familiar with Whipsnade, just thinking of where they might go without hippos.
If so, the Capybara could have that enclosure and then Tapirs can be added into the former Common hippo exhibit once they've moved to Longleat.
I'm not very familiar with Whipsnade, just thinking of where they might go without hippos.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Whipsnade has one Pygmy Hippo currently. The zoo has not said it is going out of all hippos, just Common Hippos.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
I have been told by keepers in the past that the zoo intends to continue with Pygmy Hippos and breed them at some point. Unless plans have changed (which they may have, but I certainly hope not) the species will definitely not be leaving Whipsnade. It also really wouldn’t make sense to lose both hippo species when they are such crowd-pleasers, and the Pygmy facilities are by no stretch of the imagination outdated and probably the best in the country, in my opinion.
It’s also worth noting that there is no indication the zoo is going to get tapirs, only wishful thinking from people on this thread who (quite rightly) think a mixed-species exhibit with tapir might make the capybara a little bit less disappointing. In the event that Whipsnade does get tapir (to reiterate, there is no real reason to think this will happen), then a mix with capybara would be likely. I personally see no reason to fill one enclosure with tapir and the other with capybara, as it would be a real waste of space in my opinion.
cerperal
Well-Known Member
Ditto, not to mention they have made a point of saying the pygmy hippo is still there during the common hippo press release. And Whipsnade's exhibit for them, as you say, is to me at least without a doubt the best in the country and one of (if not the) best in Europe. It's simple but suits the species perfectly.
I can’t reiterate this enough. I’ve been scathing with my criticism regarding the common hippos, but we really ought to wait until things have been confirmed before we start discussing these hypotheticals. As things stand the Pygmy hippo are staying, capybara have not been confirmed as the hippo replacements, and there’s nothing to suggest whiosnade will be adding tapir to the collection.
I spoke to a keeper last year after Nicky passed.. and he said they just want to let this current group enjoy the space and live out their days and then see what happens next.
Like others have said it is fully booked for the remining days, I will be popping to whipsnade at some point over the next few days so might hear something.
I did have a conversation with one of the head keepers prior to the capybara announcement, and in his words he said "you never know hippo may rerurn", now it might have just been a knee jerk response to my disappointment of the hippo leaving or maybe there was more in this comment?
Charles
Well-Known Member
I’m not too sure about chimpanzee care in zoos but have zoos in recent decades formed new groups of chimps? Just thinking for the (hopefully distant) future when this current group disbands if they would get more chimps
Visited today and it was packed which is never a problem at whipsnade due to its size.
Can confirm passage through Asia has reopened, I didn't drive in but have to say I've never seen so few deer as there seems to be in there lately.
Managed to get the briefest of glimpses of the blesbok baby in the paddock closest to the rhino lookout, cute little thing.
The female Indian rhino is still off show.
Massive work being carried out on the Aardvark outdoor area which is slightly strange as the area isn't exactly old(maybe a drainage issue?)
I did have a brief chat with a keeper about where the capys are going, they said they still don't know, when I mentioned about the hippo enclosure he seemed surprised and said it would need so much work on that enclosure for them to go in there giving me the feeling that's not where they are going.
Can confirm passage through Asia has reopened, I didn't drive in but have to say I've never seen so few deer as there seems to be in there lately.
Managed to get the briefest of glimpses of the blesbok baby in the paddock closest to the rhino lookout, cute little thing.
The female Indian rhino is still off show.
Massive work being carried out on the Aardvark outdoor area which is slightly strange as the area isn't exactly old(maybe a drainage issue?)
I did have a brief chat with a keeper about where the capys are going, they said they still don't know, when I mentioned about the hippo enclosure he seemed surprised and said it would need so much work on that enclosure for them to go in there giving me the feeling that's not where they are going.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Thanks for asking about that that seems like really good news. It will be very interesting to see whereabouts they find space - not that there is any shortage of space at Whipsnade!