Marwell news 2012 » Marwell Wildlife

04-03-2012

I'm glad that others share my incomprehension concerning the name change. "Marwell Wildlife" could be anything from a nature reserve to an art gallery, and I find it very hard to believe that families in Portsmouth, Eastleigh and Southampton refer to the park as being anything other than a zoo.

Which it is, and what is wrong with that?

05-03-2012

I actually think Marwell is pretty scarred by a period of lots of zoo-style construction. I never liked the 'heart of Africa' house, and with maybe the exception of the Aridlands houses I don't think these exhibits make the buildings look anything less like ungulate barns. I wonder if the penguin exhibit really made sense financially and in terms of visitor numbers. The gibbons have what you'd expect from an urban zoo with no available stands of trees - you only have to look at Dudley or Monkey World to see whats possible for less money.

Species departures aside, I'm actually quite optimistic about the recent direction they are taking, with the African valley and cheetah exhibit. I think Marwell needs to capitalise on its landscape instead of trying to diversify the collection further. Even if they reduce species further, I think the impact of vast open 'reserves' is the way to show grassland and desert ungulates in contemporary zoological collections. I just wish they'd locate their forest species beside or in the ample woodland they have at their site.

As for using paddock space for private functions, I think this actually makes sound financial sense, they have a stately home in the grounds, London did this with the Mappin Cafe, its a high-value use of a tiny fraction of the land, and its not as if Marwell isn't expanding its paddock space at the moment anyway.

05-03-2012

If you haven't read My Marwellous Life (cheesy, I know!) by John Knowles himself then I seriously recommend you do with regards to what happend between Marwell and himself...

Just to clarify over Marwell's current ownership... It's in the hands of a charitable trust (same situation as Chester) that is overseen by a board of trustee's

06-03-2012

Nisha, i don't really fancy buying the book (or reading, generally), can you provide us amatuers with a couple of clues if you know? In summary, why is he now so wholly unconnected with the park?

To be fair to marwell, they have done a good job of the cheetah exhibit, and added 45 more acres of paddock in the last 2 years which im sure will hold more species soon, and the new formal gardens are also well thought out and executed. They did make a good effort with life in the trees and the mix of animals in that relatively small area is very diverse and interesting, even if the siamang bit is quite crap. I actually think the enclosure isn't that bad, but the problem is the bar has been raised so high with regard to keeping primates (e.g. monkey world, port lympne and howletts) that as aesthetically (i dont care if it's spelt wrong) pleasing as marwells is, it just doesn't cut the mustard anymore. The encounter village is a bit naff but it pulls families to the far end of the park and keeps alot of the children away from me (and my blood presure down). The valley field, to be fair, is one of the best exhibits i've ever seen - simple, spacious and effective. Well, it would be if they actually stuck some bloody animals in it.

06-03-2012

Yes, just a single paragraph summary of what happened would suffice. If its in his book its obviously in the public domain.

Re the Siamang enclosure- I do find it strange an enclosure like that was built- in this day and age- that was so unsuitable for the inhabitants i.e. 100% aethsetically pleasing, but almost O % in suitability for arboreal primates! I cannot imagine that happening at e.g. Howletts/Port Lympne where the reverse is normally the case
though their recent new enclosures have incorporated both needs. I would almost go as far as saying keeping Siamangs in this enclosure is cruel as it denies them their normal forms of locomotion- the ladder-like frame recently added for them to swing on is hardly going to improve things greatly.
I also agree the Valley Field is an excellent location and one of the best paddocks I've seen too, but its still not made full use of. Again very strange.

06-03-2012

Quote from the book above: (Pages 183 to 185)

Building work commenced in July 1998 shortly after my retirement from the directorship in April of that year. By that time I was 68 years old and although I did not feel it, and every dawning day was as fresh and exciting as ever, I felt that I had a duty to what I had created to ensure that it would not be imperilled by anything that might happen to me. I moved from being the director to (I always preferred that traditional title for zoo bosses to fancier ones now so often employed) to honorary director, retaining my role in conservation activities outside the park.
My first successor, Dr Miranda Stevenson, resigned after some two years and has since become very successful as Director of BIAZA, formally Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britian and Ireland. It was then that I returned to the full time post of Director, until after an extensive number of interviews, Mark Edgerley, until then Vice-chairman of the Marwell Preservation Trust (MPT), assumed the directorship. When he resigned, Lynne Stafford who's career at Marwell has begun in 1986 when she became my secretary and who by her own talents had risen to become deputy director, took the reins as acting director. A post which she managed extremley well until James Cretney was appointed as Chief Executive in July 2005
Looking back at that time I can see that the then board of trustee's was developing a feeling that the Knowles Influence was something to be reduced or eliminated. The new Chief Executive who did not come from the world of zoo's and conservation had been appointed with help of headhunters and I suspect had been lead to believe that Marwell needed major business surgery. Initially I was able to assist him by showing him exacly where the Marwell boundaries were and donating land still in my possession to the trust. I facilitated the merger of the society and the trust, which was a logical step forward by this time with Marwell's improving finances and inaugrated an ethics commitee which had then become a zoo licence requirement.
For many years I had enjoyed a happy and constructive relationship with the two chairman who served throughout my directorship of the trust, beginning with Tim Walker who took that office at the time of the trusts formation and held it until his tragic and premature death in 1988 and then with Nick Jonas who stepped into that unexpected breach and filled it very well. Trustee's served a three year term which were renewable at there expiry date with the provision that they retired at the end of the term that they turned 70 years old. This meant that by 2006 Nick Jonas had retired and although he was made president because of his great support this was a non voting post. Also gone by this time were all of the trustee's who had supported me through good and bad years and blessed me with their faith.
Naively, I still believed that the newer trustee's, many of whom I did not know well would still believe in my judgement and have some respect for my views. Sadly I was very wrong. At the last trustee meeting that I attended, James Cretney made it clear that Lynne Stafford was to be jettisoned and that he intended with a new team in every non-animal department.
At that meeting I realised that to put in plainly, I too was part of a history destined to be swept away "modernity" This feeling was soon reinforced when the board chose to support a man whom I had nurtured from studenthood into the postition of head of Conservation and Wildlife Management, but who had for sometime sought to escape my authority and destroy initiatives that I had espoused. This happend at a meeting I could not attend, but to which I submitted a paper requesting with sound reasons that Marwell should continue to support my Swaziland initiave by sending one more shipment of Roan Antelope to that country. In my absense the board was told that doing so would violate guidelines imposed by the Roan studbook keeper and EAZA, WAZA and Marwell should not discredit itself by doing so. The opputunity to fufill one of the often-stated reasons for zoos breeding endangered species was denied. The board sent me a very clear message by supporting a staff member rather than myself. In November 2006 I wrote to the then Chairman, James Weatherall resigning my own and Margaret's (Knowles) connections from that which was the result of our life endeavours.

I hope this quote clears things up. I wasn't quite sure how to explain things without (accidently) making people look bad so I thought I'd better give you JK's version rather than my own explantation...

06-03-2012

Thanks for posting that. It's pretty much as I thought but have never seen this in writing before. As I said, its not a situation I've ever come across before in a large UK collection.

20-04-2012

I received the Spring issue of Marwell News a couple of days ago, their 40th birthday edition-well they might has well not have bothered! Apart from a nostalgic b&w tiger cub pic on the front cover & one page of very small photos mostly not even of animals(Barbara windsor,Ronnie Corbett , john Cleese & Princess Anne have played a greater part in its history apparently) there was nothing else about the history of the zoo! Very disappointing, its almost as if they are ashamed of their past, or is it a case of ashamed of how far the zoo has fallen!? Plenty of info about their conservation projects, which is fine, but what about the zoo? That just doesn't seem to be important any more, apart from a source of income through the gate- members get a 20% discount for the birthday party - big deal!!

20-04-2012

Any current animal news?

20-04-2012

Believe it or not, of the 40 pages, apart from 1 page dedicated to the birth of Ruby the Rothschild's giraffe in February and 2 pages ( 1 a picture) to the Partula snails(of which they now have 8 species apparently) there is none! Very frustrating, Colchester give away copies of their(much better) members magazine at the entrance & the annual charge was £12 cheaper last time I looked. This year might be my last as a Marwell member if things don't improve!

20-04-2012

I suspect that is because since the new Management took over from the JK era, they have rather closed their minds to the Park's previous history.. Developments there have created a rather unusual situation for a privately run collection.

21-04-2012

I wholly sympathise with what you are saying here. I gave up my Marwell membership a few years ago, as much as anything because the publications were so shoddy (or, in the case of the Annual Report, ceased to exist). It wasn't so much the fact that they were shoddy, as what this seemed to say about the zoo and its intentions. It is all rather sad.

15-05-2012

Has the Hartmann's Mountain Zebra stallion 'Bingo' mated with any of the females yet? Not heard a lot recently regarding Animal news, has there been any updates (Zambar, Mhale?).

Bingo...
15-05-2012

Jordan was with Zamber at Marwell yesterday, and think he taking a break from updates, as has collage etc, from what i have gathered it be a while b4 any foals appear, think you find said male is not the most productive male Hartman !!!!

15-05-2012

Ah, thanks Hantslad - he's a lucky male having four (?) females with him at Marwell. Good luck to Zambar regarding collage.