Proposed African Wildlife Park at Doncaster

27-08-2008

I heard it the other way around, that he was considering selling off Port Lympne. Although Port Lympne has far more space, Howletts is the family home.. Anyway, it didn't happen. Instead they've tried to commercialise Port Lympne with the 'Africa Experience' a hotel, wedding party venues, music festivals etc. I don't know how well all this is working.

Although I enjoy visiting Port Lympne I've never thought it a visitor -friendly site, with the hillside location and the long hikes between the various animal exhibits scattered around. Whereas Howletts is comfortable to stroll around but for the Aspinalls' 'vision', its just not big enough in area..

28-08-2008

The music festival wasn't exactly a roaring success, by all accounts:

Zoo8 organisers vow to be back, bigger and better

28-08-2008

Unfortunately I haven't really visited Port Lympne (been there three times but not really to look around) so I cannot compare the two. But from what I know I would agree that there is much more space at Port Lympne for Aspinall to 'play' around with. Unfortunately the Howletts exhibits while good for breeding small cats and primates in, have not been designed with the public in mind, and can be difficult to view or photo species.

28-08-2008

Port Lympne can be a real slog, even for a fairly fit walker(as I like to count myself-)and especially on a hot day... or you can waste time waiting for one of the 'safari bus' tractors to arrive and then travel with familes & excited yelling kids on to the next location. Many of the animal enclosures are well away from the paths so animals like rhinos are often quite a long distance away.

Its a good collection though very similar to Howletts. Howletts is flat, shady, much smaller(50 acres?) and far easier to stroll around and all of the animal enclosures are closer together and to the visitors as well.

31-08-2008

Going back to Doncaster. Don't forget this isn't a new animal attraction, it's potentially just a change in the species displayed. Brockholes must have had enough customers/visitors in the past to keep them going, in an area with several similar attractions to be fair (farm park with a few exotics.)

19-02-2009

Their website says opening Saturday April 4th but no other details on it

19-02-2009

It is interesting to see in the animal gallery on their bebo page that they have a pair of raccoon dogs. I haven't personally seen those before. Are they kept in any other UK collections (I couldn't see any on ISIS)?

20-02-2009

Rodbaston College at Penkridge in Staffordhsire is listed on ISIS with 1.1 raccoon dogs.

20-02-2009

Thanks for the information. I must have missed that.

20-02-2009

i've read on a website (to do with private breeders, includinf raccoon dogs and armadillos) that a pair of raccoon dogs were on loan to chessington for short period at one pint. how tru this is i dont know. but i believe there are a few in private hands

20-02-2009

Chessington did have raccoon dogs a few years ago. I never saw them, I may have seen them at Chester but I don't remember doing so.

20-02-2009

From the place's Bebo page:

It will be the only wildlife park/zoo in the UK to feature walk-through enclosures. It is also the first wildlife park/zoo to be establish in the UK for nearly 40 years!

Great! Thi is clearly going to be a place of the greatest and most reliable accuracy.

20-02-2009

Is the Bebo site 'official' though?

There doesn't appear to be any indication of that and perhaps it has been set up by a fan of the previous park?

Just seen: the "moderator" of the Bebo page is a 17-year old whose personal page isn't exactly what you would call 'professional', so my fan idea seems to be the correct one.

20-02-2009

The only wildlife park in the UK with walk through enclosures. I don't think so.

The first new zoo in the UK for 40 years. Again, I don't think so. Blackpool opened 37 years ago, and that's just the first one I could think of.

20-02-2009

Rob, as I posted above, the bebo page where those statements come from appears to be a "fan page" and that fan obviously hasn't done his homework...