The Future » Marwell Wildlife

The Future
21-09-2008

Does anyone have an idia of what spieces and what will happen in the future of Marwell,
I am paticuarly intrested in what spieces are to be included in the new african plains exhibit?

21-09-2008

I am also interested in knowing this, since Marwell is my local zoo. One thing i would particularly like to know is whether a new house would be built for the giraffes, since the new african exhibit would be on the valley field, which the new cafe overlooks.

Obviously any news on the rumoured acquisition of gorillas would be good too.

21-09-2008

I have a copy of the masterplan for the zoo, from a couple of years back and the plan for the valley is to make it a drive through exhibit with ex army vehicles, and species to be held in the main paddock will be mainly surplus animals from the breeding groups in the zoo such as roan antelope, zebra and giraffe . The only new species i saw were what they called black lechwe, which i presume are Nile lechwe.
The plan also includes an enclosure for lions and potentially common hippo.
I will dig out the masterplan and see if there is anything i have forgotten.

21-09-2008

There is a black Lechwe (Kobus leche smithemani), but I think you are right kiang and they will exhibit Nile Lechwe.

23-09-2008

Yes kiang is right, the african paddock should be open next year, the cafe is now open and looks great. The park has told me that lions are not going to be part of the exhbit.

23-09-2008

The cafe is now open? Thats quick progress, i was there just over a week ago and it was something of a building site.

Going off on a tangent a bit here, but on my visit I didn't quite know what to make of the new 'Life in the Trees' exhibit. In my opinion, there just isnt enough ropes in the enclosure for the gibbons to swing from, and whilst it is much more spacious than the previous enclosure, the old enclosure probably replicated their life in the wild better in the sense that they would spend more time off the ground. It got me thinkin about some of the smaller gibbon enclosures at Monkey World, which are really just long and rectangular in shape, but provide the gibbons with the chance to 'fly' through the trees.

However i particularly liked the new Short Clawed Otter pool, especially the way you stand right over it on the bridge. Unfortunately, the otters werent swimming when we were there :-(

23-09-2008

agree with you there, otter pool is great but gibbons are not too good

and im just guessing about the cafe

23-09-2008

When you 'just guess' about things, and state them as fact, you damage the credibility of this forum. I'm sorry to sound pompous, but there seem to have been a number of posts of late in the British section, from British people, which have been just wrong. I don't mean that I have disagreed with them, but rather that they have been factually inaccurate. This sort of thing can only have value if we can trust what people say on here. If you 'just guess' about stuff, you break that trust.

23-09-2008

Restaurant - The restaurant opening has been delayed, but should be complete in October. There will be a trial period for staff before it is open to the public. The plan is that is will be offically opened to the public next year, when hopefully some of the animals would have been introduced. I believe the 1st release will include zebra (probably Grevy), Ostrich and an antelope species.
(source Marwell staff)

Gibbons - There were plans to increase the number of vines in the enclosure, but I am not sure if this has happen/ will happen.

Animal News - there are now 1.1 Przewalski foals. Sadly the elderly male snow leopard has died, just leaving the breeding female - I do not know what the future plans are for these.

23-09-2008

I'm presuming you are referring to the Siamangs here?

I was surprised at this new enclosure- spacious and ornate, with the big high tree buttress in the centre. Yet as mentioned above it seemed totally lacking in anything for the Siamangs to travel around it in aerially e.g ropes, vines etc. Very surprising to see this developed without really taking into account the mode of life of animals living in it.

The old Siamang enclosure was just HIDEOUS- worst relatively modern primate enclosure ever built I think.

yet just 'down the road' at Monkeyworld their Siamangs have a great exhibit...very simple but ideal.

24-09-2008

SWA am i right that lions are no longer part of the african area, this is what i was told in a email from the zoo

and what group of giraffes are they planning for this paddock the pure breds or hybrids?

24-09-2008

Hi

Gibbons - sorry I did mean the Siamangs. When i spoke to a member of staff a few months ago they did say that they wanted to increase the number of vines in the enclosure - so hopefully this will happen.

Africa Valley - My understanding is that the long term plan is to have lions - but this is years away (likewise the Gorillas). So I am not surprised by the reply to your email, but I personnally hope this answer only referred to the short-term. My observations are that they are (rightly) trying to improve the conditions and enclosures for the current residents before bringing in new (big) species.

Again from speaking to staff (and my interpretation) they are planning to put all/some of current giraffes in the Valley field. They aren't building another giraffe house, but have/will connect the current paddock with the Valley field. I am not sure if the giraffe will be able to wander from the Valley field to their current field at leisure, or just have access to the valley field. I guess it will take a while for things to settle down before they make any firm decisions about how the animals will be managed.

I think it could be quite interesting watching the keepers trying to round the different species up and get them all into the correct houses at night!! From what I can see there are several gates leading from different enclosures into the valley field -one in the old sable enclosure by the new restaurant, one from the new hardstanding for Grevy where the Hartmann where and a few others that I can't remeber the exact location.

24-09-2008

giraffes - shame, but i guess it saves costs, maybe one day they will form a proper pure bred herd

24-09-2008

There is a similar situation at Longleat. Their Giraffes have to walk through a narrow corridor (im not sure how long it is) to get from the house to the paddock.

Am i right in thinking that due to the sloped terrain of their current exhibit, it is not very often the giraffes get to use the paddock except for in brilliant weather condsitions?

Another thing, what with all these hoofed African Livestock moving to the valley field, there will be a lot of space left empty within the current zoo perimiter. SWA, do you know of any plans for this space?

24-09-2008

yes i have seen that at longleat and as long as it is not slippery the giraffes are allowed out scottie