South Lakes Wild Animal Park South lakes 2014 news

Went to the Zoo today (last weekend of free entry). Keepers have confirmed they are expecting two giraffe births, one within the next few weeks and one in April. We spent time wondering which female was pregnant as two seemed plumper than usual but managed to ask a keeper at feeding time.

Watch this space!

 

Well personally, I am just glad that the calves (if born successfully) will be pure-bred and not hybrids.

 

Excellent news just lets hope when they are DNA tested that they are pure and not hybrids!

 

The keepers there are sure on two pregnancies and also highly suspect a third although the third is a couple of months behind the first two.
I'm visiting this week and going to head over as soon as i get word of a birth (as long as i can get travel) so will keep you all updated but i suspect any youngsters will have DNA testing done to ensure exactly what sub-species they are, i have my fingers crossed for pure Kordofan but time will tell

 

Yes, I suppose we all hope for pure-bred Kordofans and that the initial (or ad continuum … it is still somewhat shrouded in mystery how they are all kept) exhibiting pure-bred Kordofan females / male with the hybrid / other subspecific males did not affect the outcome.

The fact that the zoo can look forward to a possible three pregnancies is something to look forward to. Fingers crossed all around!

 

Visited South Lakes yesterday (does it class as yesterday if i haven't slept yet haha) anyway, first giraffe due is literally going to give birth anyday by the looks of her. The second one is a couple of weeks behind and the third one is only suspected pregnancy.

The jaguars were on their starve day today so they didn't take part in the feeding.

Snow leopard Wolfgang seems to have a bad eye - i've noticed it a few times and thought it simply to be the way his eye is but he was really itching it against the fence and squinting etc today.

Expansion is coming along nicely. New african area is going to include space for a male group of giraffes which won't be used for breeding but purely for keeping surplus animals. Also zebras and antelope moving in to that section alongside the existing giraffes and the rhinos.

New baby spider monkey who was born on 7th February.

Not many people there - not surprising with this weather - although a couple of school trips but they were easy to avoid so we had most of the zoo to ourselves which is always a good thing haha. Although i was shocked by what the teachers were informing the children that the animals were ... jaguars = tigers (even though the children themselves were pointing out that tigers were stripy) a black moorhen in the penguin enclosure was apparently a baby penguin and the siamangs were chimpanzees... *shakes head*

 

We have all experienced similar moments... I remember someone saying that the Giant otters were seals (A comment which is also common at my zoo), but the worst I have ever heard was from an old lady who said that the Common African LION was a bear

 

a bear?! oh dear!
i usually just smile and walk/look away but i was torn between correcting them due to the fact they were supposed to be educating the children haha. it's amazing what some people think animals are

I certainly have never seen any Cotton Topped and Emperor but no Saddleback Tamarins. Although ... thinking about it there may be two in a seperate enclosure ... don't quote me on that one though!

 

I'll definitely find out if they're still there next time i visit which shouldn't be too long Waiting for the giraffe birth and going as soon as i can get there after that!

 

From Facebook:

Giraffes
We had a meeting of our whole staff regarding Giraffes and the outcome of this after further management discussions was that South Lakes Safari Zoo has decided to keep its existing giraffe facilities in place once our brand new Giraffe housing and area is opened in 2015. This would then give quality space to a potential 6 extra male giraffes to be held here until they can find new homes . Whilst it was never in our plans to keep two groups of giraffes , this whole episode has highlighted with a very sharp focus the need for the EAZA zoo community to respond extremely positively and constructively to a very important ethical situation

 

Im going to South Lakes sometime this week so Ill look out for the Saddlebacked Tamarins. I saw about 5 last Summer so hopefully they still are there.

 

Are they in the enclosure beside the emperor tamarins?

 

Yes it was SmallestGiraffe. But I didn't see them in the outside area.

 

That's interesting... especially considering the announcement from South Lakes last weekend following the Marius debacle. It was stated that the park supported Copenhagen's decision 100% and there was a dig at the zoo which offered to rehouse their giraffe (Yorkshire Wildlife Park) stating that they were only doing it to get good PR. What a hypocrite!

 

Welcome to the world of SLWAP!!

 

I wasn't going to say anything but all of a sudden I didn't have to anyway because you said it for all of us!