London Zoo developments 2012 » ZSL London Zoo

London Zoo developments 2012
19-01-2012

The new tiger enclosure is now to be called "Tiger Territory" and building work is imminent, due to be opened in Easter 2013. At the moment there are five sealions in what I think of as the pygmy hippo pond, on holiday for a few weeks from Whipsnade while their quarters there are being renovated. They look so cheerful and sleek and are a delight to watch, I shall be sorry to see them go! I imagine that once they've gone work will begin in earnest.

19-01-2012

Wow! Sealions return to their old home at ZSL! How interesting- I wish they would stay too as IMO and others on here too, the Zoo as never been the same without them. But its a no hoper I guess.

21-01-2012

Interesting. I knew they were going there sometime ago but thought they would be off show; they are there while a new filter system is being installed at Whipsnade. They are of course housed in the original sea lion pool. It's a great shame London decided to not continue to keep sea lions on the site.

London Zoo Developments
21-01-2012

I have said this before, and will keep saying it -- London Zoo is not the same without the sound of three species, Sealion, Fish Eagle & Sonneratt's Junglefowl

22-01-2012

The sound of sea lions is one of the most evocative of all zoo noises.

I was in London Zoo this afternoon; it was lovely to see sea lions back in the old Sea Lion Pool even if it is – sadly – only temporary.

22-01-2012

The classic trio, IMO, are Lion, sealion and gibbon (any species, but Siamang are by far the noisiest).

I'm not sure that I'd put a pinniped close to the top of my list of "want-them-backs" species at London, but that corner of London Zoo has been a very sad area for 20 years now.

22-01-2012

Everything's comin back to London, Henry at arsenal and now the Sealions at the zoo , it is a shame that they will be leaving soon though...

Another tiger territory? Could ZSL seriously not think of a better name for the development? However, I am excited that the plan is going ahead, a great step forward for ZSL IMO!

22-01-2012

So, it is.

And we gain Malayan tapirs and visibility too.

22-01-2012

Does anyone know what will happen to the pygmy hippo's once the tigers get their home?

They are another species that are on the brink, but seem to breed quite well in zoo's.

22-01-2012

Nice to have the sealions back on a short term basis. But when it come to it a new Sumatran tiger enclosure is need more than bringing sealions back to ZSL and hopefully be the beginning of the End for the Cat terraces at London zoo.

22-01-2012

Exchange enclosures with the Malayan Tapirs?

22-01-2012

No, nobody knows (or nobody's saying, at any rate) what will happen to the pygmy hippos, let alone the Malayan tapirs.

22-01-2012

I not infrequently wince at the terrible and/or unimaginative names that zoos choose to give their exhibits. IMO the most original, imaginative name for a tiger exhibit (in this case for Amur tigers) is "Tiger Taiga" at Colchester Zoo. It is a clever name, perhaps a little too clever because I doubt that the visitors always realise that the two words are pronounced the same. Of course, such a name wouldn't work at London because I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) that its tigers are Sumatran, but let's hope the zoo comes up with a more imaginative name than the rather pedestrian "Tiger Territory".

22-01-2012

They've already changed the name once. It was going to be "Tiger Conservation HQ" which doesn't exactly trip off the tongue!

22-01-2012

If the tapirs join Tiger Territory then a straight forward swap with the hippos would be an obvious solution. It would mean that Into Africa (or the Cotton Terraces) would have only African species. But the only indication that has been given of tapirs was in an artist's impression illustration of the possible site.

Nothing official has been mentioned about tapirs.