Even in the promo video Durrell have put out, there aren’t any trees or foliage- still Sloths climbing on steel beams. Dont they go on the floor when they can’t get from one branch to another? Impossible if none there. problem is amount of time they are on the floor and walkways
living in Jersey, I can tell you there is no other area. there is a spiral type stair case in a two storey building and they have had a concrete tree built from the ground up to the ceiling. There’s no foliage. the sloths are in reach of visitors. They have no outdoor or off show area. The keepers expressed concerns and were ignored.
Nowhere else for them to go and can’t stop them going in visitor area as there is no separation. It isn’t great
The keepers wanted a phased introduction but it was vetoed and she went straight in with male. The issue is the lack of listening no. I live in Jersey. That is the enclosure - the whole enclosure. I’ll video and post
So they were moved from the enclosure in the preview? When did that happen. Other zoo enclosures have few trees / lack natural climbing however the video on ITV appeared to show a completely bare area where the sloths live totally on the floor or on the stairs with no bedding Is that how the enclosure is? Or is that the visitor walkway. I think it’s worth being clear as there appear to be a lot of agendas at work here and I’d simply be concerned for the animals not whether people like the management team or the management team like themselves if that makes sense.
A powerful read and very concerning. Although surely the Aardvark exhibit can't be smaller than Longleats...
The inside space is equal, if not one of the larger dens in UK collections. The outside space is huge compared to longleats awful strip. The outside is closely comparable to that of colchester definitely one of the more dynamic aardvark enclosures I've seen
Honestly I dont feel its the worst sloth exhibit ive seen, not the best but not the worst. Thinking of Jimmy's farms dark bare room or even Chesters tall domed room with ropes. There are multiple 'nest boxes', multiple routes, climbing materials (rope/branches/logs) and heights around the space, don't get me wrong guests CAN get very (far too close) but honestly with the correct guest management (i.e closing off the upstairs expect for maybe talks) it could be managed to make it 'work'. The photo shared in the ITV investigation was startling, but not the first time I've seen a sloth of the floor without reason. ZLS' female is renowned for the same behaviour. It's turns out durrells female is the offspring of that same female, the question is could that be a learned behaviour? From what I understand durrells sloth doesn't do it anymore.
That’s interesting - I visited London Zoo last summer and the male sloth had lodged himself between the glass public railing on the mezzanine level and a wooden board, whereas the female was quite active and choosing to be right above the public (within reaching distance) next to the bokiboky enclosure with her recently born baby. So I don’t think these issues are unique to Jersey’s sloth enclosure. As with the aardvark, their enclosure is perfectly acceptable and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the biggest in the UK. I’m cynically wondering if this campaign group rather have personal vendettas against the management etc rather than are concerned about the welfare of these animals and are using the emotional issue of welfare to draw support.
Honestly it really does look that way. Of course I can't speak to the allegations raised around bullying. But to throw the welfare card in could be seen as only being necessary if the other allegations didn't have much weight behind them. Not saying that's the case, only that it could appear that way.
Fair enough, like I said it could appear that way, if only at surface level. In my opinion the images in the media appear to be easily explained. Having recently seen these areas in person I don't honestly see anything that raises alarm, especially when compared to the EAZA standard. The Bristol zoo animals (some of the newest to join the collection) are all in objectively better exhibit have now compared to what they had (Aldabras, sloth, livingstone fruit bats). Of course there is always room for improvement, but the same could be said for many exhibits in the industry and Jersey zoo itself.
If I was management and read the opinions of Quenton Bloxham and Russel Tofts I would have to think that there is something really WRONG
I have searched all the above and can find the opinion of Quentin Bloxham, but no mention of Russel Tofts. Where is this?
Concerns raised about the future of Jersey Zoo Concerns raised about the future of Jersey Zoo Russel Tofts is in the BBC News link originally posted above - maybe added since you read?
One of the more 'extreme' sloth enclosures I have seen ... The Living Rainforest has a sloth who has free-roam over one of their greenhouse's canopies. And with so many plants and a relatively large space... I've only ever seen the sloth once!
