Personal Vision Of London » London Zoo

Personal Vision Of London
12-01-2008

We have one of these about Chester so why not London.

Turn the Snowdon Aviary into an viary housing chinese birds (Pheasants, Mandarin Ducks, Pekin Robins etc) whilst the aviaries next to them are developed for endangered birds such as Laughing Thrushes that need help. An area near the aviaries is also given to Blackbuck and Red Panda as a nw enclosure for them.

Malayan Tapirs and Phygmy Hippos swap enclosures. Obviously the hippo exhibit is re-furbished entirely for the tapirs. Dama Gazelle join the Giraffes and Duikers join the Okapi, Warthogs leave and their enclosure is joined with the Red River Hog pen and is given to Bongos

The Red River Hogs join the Gorillas and Colobus.

Camels leve the collection and are replaced by Banteng whilst the indoor of the cassion pavillion is refurbished for a variety of birds and reptiles including Emerlad Tree Monitor, Roulroul Partrige & Salvadoris Pheasant.

The Servals are moved to a new enclosure near the giraffes whilst the cat area is developed for fresh and large enclosures for Asian Lions, Sumatran Tigers & Fishing Cats. Childrens Zoo is axed and a new Dhole enclosure takes its place.

Bird house is redeveloped for South American Birds only including a variety of macaws and parrots.

Bear Mountain is redevloped for Spectacled Bears, Coatis and Howler Monkeys. A New Aviary for Scarlet Ibis is built close by as is a much larger aviary for Turley Vultures & Condors.

A New sealion enclosre is built near the pengin enclosure on the iste of where the parrots used to be. It resembles what Brsitols Penguin & Sealion coasts looks like.

12-01-2008

I thought the Red River Hog and Warthog enclosures were either side of the Wild Dog enclosure?

Other than that, it's a fairly good plan. I'd do something similar with Bear Mountain, but i'll post my full plan when i've thought about it...

12-01-2008

oh are they. Maybe split the three bottom enclosures in two one for the wild dogs and one ofr the bongos then.

05-03-2008

Yes I'm liking these 'personal vision' threads, I'd be interested to hear other people's opinions on development at ZSL London.

My dream come true for this collection is as follows:

Splitting of the site into mostly (distinctly themed) zoogeographic zones, starting with Africa. This could encompass the current gorilla kingdom, african bird safari, hippo pool, camel enclosure, tunnel area leading to cotton terraces, and the cotton terraces themselves. The zoo should give up on gorillas and bring in some bonobos, and mix these with Red-tailed and Wolf's guenons as these three species interact in the wild at times. The magabeys could stay and the diana's replaced by Roloway monkeys. The bird of prey aviary could be opened up into one large flight cage, for lappet-faced and griffon vultures. The scarlet ibis in the african bird safari could be replaced with the sacred ibis from the snowdon, or some open-billed storks. An additional flight for weavers, widowbirds and waxbills could be installed on the edge of this zone. The pygmy hippo and camel enclosures could be combined to form a vast common hippo exhibit, with the pool extended, and the old visitor gallery in the stork and ostrich house reopened as a visitor gallery looking out onto the paddock, with some small mammal exhibits also. The lawn area facing the camels could become a new enlcosure for river hog, and the visitor route along the edge of the former camel paddock one side and the suggested river hog enclosure on the other could be in fact a raised wooden walkway, creating the impression of a bridge through a combined exhibit. The theming would be continuous through the tunnel to the cotton terraces, where the moats could be replaced by ha-has as with the okapis now, and the giraffes, zebra and tapir replaced by duikers, dik-diks, more okapi, and bongo, with new fencing to create a network of paddocks in this area. Some of the indoor space in the cotton terraces could become small mammal exhibits, for cuisamese, potto, zorilla etc. The hunting dog range could extend over the whole of the lower level.

The banks of the canal could become a south-east asian zone, with malayan tapir along the whole length of the woodland area beneath the clore possibly with babirusa, and over the bridge the scrub land formerly home to cranes and geese could be cat enclosures, mainly for sumatran tigers, with visitors on a raised walkway overlooking the exhibits, and the indoor quarters under the path at the top. Flights for malay fish owls, lorikeets, peacock pheasants, fruit doves and tragophans along the wall could be part of this zone. The snowdon could be emptied of birds, indoor quarters connected by means of overhead tunnels, and visitor access ended, to create a mixed javan gibbon/ binturong/ small-clawed otter exhibit. The anoa could have a quiet paddock at the base of the snowdon flight running along the bank underneath the institute of zoology building, or possibly this space could be used for cassowary.

A madagascan zone could begin after the vultures at the current gibbon block, refurbished for aye-aye, with interpretation on madagascar through the tunnel, leading the visitor to the roundhouse. The former insect house site/ otter pool and space behind this could become a large fossa exhibit. The meerkat area would have madagascan tortoises, or possibly narrow-striped mongoose, and the roundhouse would still have ring-tailed lemurs outside but dwarf and mouse lemurs/tenrecs/reptiles/ jumping rats inside. Gentle lemurs could remain in their current exhibit.

The clore rainforest lookout could form an isolated part of a wider south american section, if solely focusing on south american species. Vampire bats could replace the fruit bats in the night zone of this house.
The main south american zone could include the blackburn pavillion, the squirrel monkey enclosure (to which paca and saki monkeys could be added), the anteater paddock, with Darwin's rheas, three island pond could be redeveloped into several large primate islands for the spider monkeys and some yellow-breasted capuchins, with wildfowl and bairds tapirs using the water body, and having land access on the site of the butterfly house. The visitor pathways around the macaws and parrot house could be raised walkways allowing the tapirs enclosure access around these cages and even out behind the macaw flight. Agoutis could join the macaws. Paths could connect visitors to the current penguin area, so one would be viewing it from the current rear of the enclosure, and this could be revamped to house giant otters. The space between this pool and the zoo boundary could be developed to house bush dogs.

An Indian forest zone could be created using the current bearded pig exhibit, the lawn under the trees and the cat terraces. Gaur could occupy this side of the casson pavillion, the enclosure extending out under the trees across the lawn towards the parrot house. Asiatic lions could be combined with the current tiger enclosure to double their exhibit size, with the other cat terrace areas modified for langurs, lion-tailed macaques, Great hornbills, a small cat species and the wader aviary nearby heightened and extended for painted storks.

The remaining areas of the zoo which do not fit in with the zoogeographic theme could be: Aquarium, reptile house, children's zoo, mappins, BUGS, parrot house. The BUGS biodiversity exhibit could stay fairly unchanged as it is very recent and holds many excellent exhibits. The reptile house could become more of a breeding centre, with rearing rooms and off-exhibit areas open to the public. The aquarium, having moved its stock to BIOTA, could be redeveloped into a night safari, with each hall filled with dead trees, and walk-through exhibits for fruit bats, flying squirrels, galagoes created.
The mappins could be covered in a huge mesh flight like Bristol's living coasts, with the two lower levels for the penguins, and a deeper, larger pool built (using up some old aquarium space from below), the old upper visitor areas seeded with raised beds of coastal grasses and other pioneer species, and the upper 'mountains' modified as ledges and breeding spaces for puffins and inca terns. The parrot house could be sympathetically restored as the blackburn pavillion has, to become the zoo's amphibian ark, with rearing rooms and the inner workings of that department on show as with the reptile house.
The children's zoo could focus less on farm livestock due to the limited space, instead have multi-level child-friendly viewing in small exhibits for meerkats, praire dogs, etc, with walk-in enclosures for wildfowl, mara, muntjac, chipmunks, wallabies, the butterfly house could be moved to this site, and a few bantams/ goats/alpaca still remain in the main farm block. Finally, the old penguin pool could be filled with sand and a mongoose species introduced there.

I would like to see the giraffe, gorillas, zebra, pygmy hippos and bears leave the collection, as all have associated problems or limitations to do with either the enclosures they occupy or the individuals currently held. Although the husbandry is excellent for all the animals, adding large mammals like gaur and common hippos would facilitate the departure of the giraffe and zebra without the collection appearing to shrink. Bonobos would be a far more suitable species for the grassed island currently home to the gorillas. I'd also like to see the pelicans and flamingoes leave. London has really gone up a notch in terms of its bird exhibits in the last couple of years, the sight of a couple of flocks of pinioned birds on three island pond now looks slightly redundant to me. It would be fantastic if ZSL could take over the running of the Pelican group in nearby St. James's Park, and keep the Regent's Park animals there with them in one large colony, while improving their habitat to encourage nesting.

I'd be interested to hear of other members' opinions on this and their own views to how they would like to see the collection at London progress.

06-03-2008

wow johnstoni those plans are amazing, some ideas like turning the snowdin avairy into an enclosure for binturings, langurs and otters is pure genius.

19-03-2008

Finally had time to think of my plan for London!

Upper Gardens:
Cotton Terraces:
- I'd keep the giraffes where they are but add some mature trees into the paddock.
- Move Malayan Tapirs down to Casson Pavilion.
- Move the Red River Hogs to the Tapir paddock and create a 'forest swamp' effect.
- Keep Okapi, Zebra, Wild Dog and Warthogs where they are.
- Move the servals over to the old Red River Hog enclosure.

Clore Pavillion:
- Demolish sections of the glass boxes and create path to ceiling enclosures for the inhabitants. Retain some glass boxes for reptiles.
- Keep the forest lookout the same, perhaps add more ground dwelling animals (Agouti, Tortoises, Chilean Pudu.
- Surplus pudu, agouti or pudu can be kept in the outdoor area.

Round House:
- Move the ring-tails to whipsnade and move the aye-ayes to moonlight world.
- Turn the round house into a museum of sorts celebrating ZSL's history.

Snowden Aviary:
-I'll steal johnstoni's idea


Main Gardens:
Gorilla Kingdom:
- Overhaul of the gorilla group, an established breeding male, 3 breeding females, 1 older female (say, keep Zaire and not cause her further stress)
- Move the Gibbons to the Snowden and replace them with a monkey species.

Casson Pavilion:
- Move the camels to Whipsnade
- Move Malayan Tapirs to the old camel paddock. Plant it similar to their current paddock and add some bamboo screening for privacy. Use the old elephant pool for the tapirs (might need the camel's sand digging out)
- Keep the Bearded Pigs.
- Move the pygmy hippos out.
- Use the interior of the building as another museum (animals perhaps, wheras the round house one can be a buildings one)

Ostrich and Stork House, Hippo pool and Anoa paddock
- Renovate the ostrich house into an on-show hippo house. Extend the anoa paddock towards the sealion pool and provide a more "foresty" feel.
- Move the anoa to Whipsnade (the drive-through perhaps?)

Reptile House:
- Keep mostly the same.

Mappin Terrace: (I have two options)
- Turn into a chinese himalayan forest. Takin, cranes and Red Panda, possibly golden monkeys
- Turn into south american forest in similar style to it's previous use. Spectacled Bears are the main attraction but spider monkeys get one of the old bear pits (like the langurs did) Add a group of Coati as well.

Cat Terraces:
- Combine each exhibt so two larger exhibts are formed. These are handed over to the Sumatran tigers and Asian Lions. Some of the cat species are relocated to whipsnade or elsewhere.


Everything I haven't mentioned, I'll keep the same, unless i've forgotten about it. I'll probably add to this idea once i've visited again and seen the site.

19-03-2008

1. Contrary to what they suggest, Zaire isn't too old to breed given a decent breeding partner. She hasn't had a baby in 20 years so (like her companion Salome at Bristol) might well experience problems of infertility or carrying a pregnancy, but she is not yet near the end of her (potential) breeding life.

2. This does seem to be an obvious advancement and I don't think there are any other cats in those enclosures now.

19-03-2008

1. I know Zaire isn't too old to breed, what i was trying to say was they could do with an older gorilla to act as an "aunt" to the group and I don't think it is fair to move Zaire because she has already been through enough stress.

2. I too thought there wasn't any more cats, but people seem unsure. As I mentioned in the London Zoo notes thread, I thought it was Lions, Tigers, Servals and Monkeys (and the aviary)

19-03-2008

Sounds wonderful with the small exeption of the current gibbon cage. Id personally just take it down as i dont think its a good enclsoure

19-03-2008

That's okay- I just don't like the way they dismiss her as 'too old to breed' when she's just not getting a fair chance and people(not you obviously)tend to believe what they are told. In my opinion Zaire has had a poor deal in recent years but I agree its probably better for her to stay in London rather than move elsewhere.

It really bugs me that between London/Twycross/Jersey & Blackpool there are currently a total of around a dozen female gorillas of breeding age, which have not bred recently(apart from Ozala at Twycross)and some of them not at all, mostly because of male problems at each of these zoos.

19-05-2008

after reading this i came up with my own vision too! i even drew it out on a map of the zoo! (some of the ideas came from other people)
========================
Top area of the zoo is themed as asia
Middle Area (into Africa) is themed as africa
Main area is half africa and half america

snowdon aviary becomes the asian snowdon aviary, gibbon walkway and aviarys are replaced with a large tiger enclosure.

into africa, hunting dogs have the whole bottom area, tapirs replaced with hippos

clore become the clore madagscan jungle with lemurs and aye ayes etc.

outside area has african otters, meerkats and round house holds managbeys

main area of the zoo

mapplin holds spectacled bears, howler monkeys and coati

Gorrila kingdom become bonobo kingdom with various tree dwelling primates

ostrich house has south american aviary one side and the old hippo area is for capybaras and rheas

old elepahnt house become american nights (for bats aviary, tamarins (from clore) and other nocturnals)

childrens zoo turned into small cat area with ocelot, margay and marmoset area (from clore)

cat pavillions is turned into asian primate area and large enclosure for jaguars.

blackburn pavvillion is called swamp house for tapirs and birds.

flamingo lake also holds primates on islands

meet the monkeys includes titi monkeys (from clore)

rhea and anteater join to make pampas pavillion

anything not mentioned stays the same!

26-05-2008

does no-one like my ideas???

26-05-2008

No they are very good ideas tigerlemurguy.

27-05-2008

thanks, i like the madagscan jungle in the clore area best!

27-05-2008

I really like that idea too and it would work great!