Crocodilians at Cotswold Wildlife Park » Cotswold Wildlife Park

Crocodilians at Cotswold Wildlife Park
10-07-2008

I have a guide book from my last visit to Cotswolds which says that since the 1970s, the park has been home to 10 species of crocodilians. The current inhabitants are the Morelets crocs, and I remember one of the keepers telling me that they had Black Caiman there once, but they weren't breeding, so they moved them on. Can anyone out there fill in the remaining 8 species? Presumably they had the usual Nile crocs and American alligators. Pity they didn't carry on with the Black Caiman, I'd love to see one of those!

05-12-2008

Yeahh, I noticed that too. I 'spect dwarf crocs were in there at some point.

06-12-2008

I remember that in the early days they had American alligators with a round outdoor enclosure for sunny summer days. I'm afraid that I can't quite remember whether it was attached to current crocodile indoor enclosure, so that the outside paddock was along from the siamangs, or whether it was beside the tropical house, where the macaws are now.

Alan

__________________
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

06-12-2008

Thanks for that. Yeah, a sunny day outdoor enclosure for their morelet's would be an interesting feature, but is there enough room outside their current enclosure to build one?

06-12-2008

It was where the Macaws are now,the Male from the pair that lived in there is Albert at Welsh Mountain Zoo.

06-12-2008

Right here is the list of what Crocodiles that have been kept at Cotswold,
1 American Alligator
2 Cuviers Dwarf Caiman
3 False Gavial
4 Morelet`s Crocodile
5 Nile Crocodile
6 Siamese Crocodile
7 Spectacled Caiman
8 West African Dwarf Crocodile
9 Yacare Caiman

You may have already noticed that it only lists 9 species not 10,this list has been compiled by the staff at Cotswold from their historical records and only species that they can confirm having been kept at the park are listed.Also not Black Caiman are not listed so not sure where the member of staff got that bit of info from.

07-12-2008

Thanks zoogiraffe. False Gavial and Siamese Crocodile; fantastic, wish they still had these species! The same member of staff also told us that Barney the Reticulated Python was 25ft long, and one of their Green Anacondas was over 20ft. Are these reliable measurements...?

07-12-2008

Yep the sizes are about right for the snakes particulary Barney would actually say he was nearer 28ft long having seen him at close quarters.

07-12-2008

Amazing. I've seen every species on the list, and I did not think I had seen many crocodilians.

I've also seen Brown Caiman, Chinese Alligator, Mugger Crocodile, Slender-snouted Crocodile, Johnston's Crocodile, Congo Dwarf Crocodile, American Crocodile, Saltwater Crocodile and Philippine Crocodile. And whatever Paignton have which are labelled as Cuba crocs.

07-12-2008

I have you all beat....I've seen all 23 species of crocodilian.

07-12-2008

You're all lucky. I've only seen West African Dwarfs, Dwarf Caimans, Chinese Alligators, Niles & Morelet's, so still fairly noviced!

08-12-2008

But seeing them all in 1 collection is cheating a bit i only need to see Black Caiman,Orinoco Crocodile and Gaharial to complete the set,so seeing as Black Caiman are in the U.K it could be down 2 species to see before the end of the year.

08-12-2008

where are the black caiman in the uk?

08-12-2008

Which zoo kept the last gharial in the uk?

God this thread has gone to pot hasn't it

08-12-2008

Its a pet shop called Emerald Exotics in Witney Oxfordshire.