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Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by redpanda, 27 Oct 2009.

  1. redpanda

    redpanda Well-Known Member

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    I've just got back from Newquay Zoo, it's been a few years since my last visit so much has changed. Here, as this zoo has already been quite well covered, I'll mainly write about new births/arrivals/exhibits and a few opinions and personal experiences. If you want a review, then I recommend this very comprehensive one by foz:

    http://www.zoochat.com/38/review-newquay-zoo-74389/

    Births:
    • Meerkat
    • Capybara (possibly the cutest things you'll ever see)
    • Agouti
    • Geoffrey's Marmoset
    • Penguin

    Arrivals:
    As well as the Black-tailed Monitors, Luzon Bleeding Heart Doves have been added to the tropical house.

    Exhibits:
    Apparently no major developments are planned, but they do intend to build a new fossa exhibit in the next couple of years and apparently the penguins are due for an upgrade (new rocks, shelters, etc - nothing too exciting).

    Thoughts:

    Overall, I was very impressed and it's a toss-up between Newquay and Exmoor as to which is my favourite small zoo. I do like visiting little zoos as you are able to stay and watch animals rather than hurry to see everything, this was very much the case here and I think Newquay's species list is inspired. They are almost exclusively either crowd-pullers (lions, zebra and fishing cat), cuties (red panda, harvest mice - my mum now wants one - and agouti) or small, active animals (lemurs, penguins and yes meerkats :eek:) with a few rarities for us zoochatter's (Owston's Palm Civet :D).

    I also thought the enclosures were well designed, the Geoffrey's Marmoset, for example, have three small but densely planted islands with a wealth of climbing oppurtunities and it's brilliant. The new Phillipines exhibit is also really nice, it's good to see a bit of landscaping in a deer enclosure and the fishing cat and warty pig exhibits were good too. One thing I would like to see is something to tie it together a bit more and make it feel as though you are in the phillipines - some wood fencing and a few signs would have done this well, but that's just a small criticism of, overall, a nice exhibit. I was not so impressed by the grandly named "African Savanna" which is essentially an average-sized field with a lot of fencing and bad sight-lines; having one viewing are over the hard-standing (very african) doesn't help. Yet, it is not just that it is poorly done, in a zoo the size of Newquay, this exhibit takes up about a quarter of the area. Could that space not have been put to better use by turning it into a series of smaller enclosures for more charismatic species?

    And lastly a few observations:
    • One of the zoo's red panda was the most active I have ever seen; I looked in on this enclosure around seven times, and of those it was walking around for about five. This individual really is a disgrace to its species!
    • Also, the zoo seems to have an abundance of agouti (azara's and red-rumped), is there any particular reason for this?
    • And finally, what do Owston's Palm Civet eat? I was wondering because I would imagine it's small mammals and birds, yet they seem to be displayed with Prevost's Squirrel and Northern Tree Shrew (I cannot verify this as I did not see it in the exhibit, but there was a tree shrew sign on the front of the aviary and the individual which used to reside in the tropical house has now gone). Could it be that the civets use the exhibit at night whilst the other species access it during the day...

    And that's about it. If you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them and, while I think on it, if you want me to find out anything at Dartmoor then now's the time to ask as I'm going there on Friday.

    PS. There was one major disappointment on my visit (besides the African Savanna). When visiting last time I remember the best thing in the zoo was the brilliantly named Cafe Bara, it was genius! Now the Capy's have gone and it's become Cafe Lemur, what's that all about?!
     
  2. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    redpanda, A really well laid out review, very interesting, i do like the concept of the savanna, but as you have pointed out, the finish is not quite there, which is a shame, surely it could have been designed with the stabling and hardstands out of view?

    Cafe Bara, pure genius.
     
  3. Shorts

    Shorts Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Absolutely agree, we had the same disappointment on our return (after two years) visit this summer. I made a comment to this effect when I filled in the customer questionnaire -you never know it might get to the right persons ears:D
     
  4. redpanda

    redpanda Well-Known Member

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    Thankyou, and I completely agree about the savanna. There are areas of fenced-in vegetation at the back of the exhibit, so could it not have been hidden behind those? This would not have cost anything and greatly added to the exzhibit.

    I think we should start a zoochat campaign - bring back cafe bara!
     
  5. foz

    foz Well-Known Member

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    Firstly WOOOO I got a reccomendation :D

    Secondly I think the main point off the hardstanding in the savanha being under the walkway was that many of the species would not be able to be viewed for ages after the opening date and so having the hardstanding allows the public to see them despite not being part of the main exhibit.

    Great to hear about the fossa enclosure as it was quite small for them (and even smaller for the puma and lions that once lived there :eek: )
     
  6. redpanda

    redpanda Well-Known Member

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    I know that seeing animals on the hard-standing is, in the short-term, beneficial. However, once all the species are out on the savanna it will be pointless and ruin any sense of immersion the exhibit tried to create. It's a decent enclosure, but not up to all the hype and, in my opinion, a waste of space in a small zoo.

    And I thought you'd be pleased to hear about the fossa, though I'm amazed they used to keep big cats there!
     
  7. redpanda

    redpanda Well-Known Member

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    I've uploaded a few photos to the Newquay Zoo gallery, most didn't come out unfortunately.
     
  8. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    newquay zoo, including the african savanah exhibit.

    Last week I visited Newquay, my first visit in a number of years. It is a very pleasant little zoo nowadays with an interesting collection as described thoroughly by others(see above). After a very wet morning there was a lull in the weather early in the afternoon and virtually every species(Lions & Fossa excepted) was making the most of the chance for some activity and showing themselves well.

    I did find the 'African savanah' very dissapointing though:(- it is a flat rather badly drained field full of dead weeds- with a backdrop of houses and other buildings it looks like a horse paddock. Some artificial hillocks or mounds would help, plus tree planting. As someone else commented, in a small zoo, this valuable extra land area might have been used to better effect in other ways.

    On the plus side, the Phillipine deer(2.1.) can be seen closeup in their hillock-style enclosure(the old African enclosure) with no netting between them and the viewer, making a better display than at e.g. Chester or Colchester.

    And I'm pleased to report the Diana monkeys(0.2) are finally undergoing an exchange to allow a new pairing to be created.:)
     
  9. Midlan

    Midlan Member

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    I never knew about the Cafe Bara :)

    Although when I went in Summer 2009 it was already called Cafe Lemur (even though they had Capybara's)

    Edit: Great to hear about the Fossa
     
    Last edited: 14 Feb 2010
  10. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    bit of a late reply but I just saw this thread, so here it is....
    Owston's palm civets are believed to feed almost entirely on invertebrates in the wild (especially on earthworms) hence their long narrow snout and small teeth, but they probably do take some smaller vertebrates opportunistically. Theoretically they should make safe cage-mates for other vertebrates although personally I think as they are so rare in captivity they should be housed in their own cages rather than be mixed with other species
     
  11. redpanda

    redpanda Well-Known Member

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    Right, thanks. As I said originally, I'm not sure what the housing arrangments are but it appeared, from the signs, that all three species do inhabit the same enclosure.
     
  12. Maguari

    Maguari Never could get the hang of Thursdays. 15+ year member Premium Member

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    I've certainly seen Prevost's Squirrel, Long-nosed Potoroo and Owston's Palm Civet all run together in that exhibit (the civets were sleeping restlessly in the box, but their pop-hole was open!).
     
  13. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    personally I don't like it when zoos house nocturnal and diurnal species in the same cage, as surely each is continually being disturbed by the other during their respective activity/non-activity hours.
     
  14. Midlan

    Midlan Member

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    I love the idea of nocturnal and diurnal species being kept in the same enclosure, yet I agree that they must be disturbed during their ours of activity/non-activity. I think it would depend on enclosure design.

    our future

    Shaldon Wildlife Trust is planning on creating these enclosures (Speaking of which it is their 25th Anniversary in 1 day & 16 hours, they plan to celebrate by giving a sneak peek of the new developments to the visitors) and opening the zoo at night to veiw the nocturnal animals.
     
  15. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    why do you love the idea if you agree the animals must be disturbing each other? Sort of contradictary don't you think? Its a bit like saying you're a quiet day-time person who likes to go to bed early...but you'd love to be sharing your room with a noisy dude who parties all night.
     
  16. Midlan

    Midlan Member

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    I meant I like the concept yet I know there must be problems. Sorry if I have offended you Chlidonias.
     
  17. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    I'm not offended. Just curious.
     
  18. Midlan

    Midlan Member

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    Curiosity, It has saved the world yet has also destroyed it. :)
     
  19. Ituri

    Ituri Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Does your opinion change if they share an exhibit, but not sleeping quarters? ie two nighthouses opening into one exhibit.
     
  20. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    absolutely. My main problem is simply where each animal has a sleeping-box (for want of a better word) within the cage, so whichever animal is in its active period is potentially directly disturbing the other species, given that this would be for the entire day/night periods.

    (Have to also say that I don't like the idea of predator and prey species alternating in enclosures - just as an example, small cat and squirrel species. To my mind, while it is probably beneficial to the predator, the scent of that predator must surely cause the prey species some stress)