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Maguari

European Beaver exhibit at Wildwood 28/11/09

There is indoor viewing inside the artificial lodge.

European Beaver exhibit at Wildwood 28/11/09
Maguari, 3 Dec 2009
    • Maguari
      There is indoor viewing inside the artificial lodge.
    • EvilKittie
      wow, stunning enclosure :eek::eek:
    • Brum
      Old photo I know but I have a question anyway. Were the beavers visible at all, either inside or out? It's been a very long time since I saw a beaver in a UK zoo. Have seen quite a few beaver enclosures though! :p
      Another point, this park looks great and I've wanted to visit for a while. It seems to be very comprehensive regarding native fauna, even more so than the British Wildlife Centre, would that be a fair comparison?
    • sooty mangabey
      In my opinion, the BWC is a far better place than Wildwood. It has a better display of smaller animals - moles, weasels, stoats, water-shrew - which, although some can be seen at Wildwood, are displayed much more thoughtfully at BWC. Wildwood has a greater number of larger species - wolves, bison etc - but nothing massively exciting. BWC is smaller, but has been been put together with more thought and care; Wildwood is entered through a industrial estate, which just doesn't seem right!

      Both places are good, and worth a visit - but Surrey wins over Kent, for me.

      Incidentally, it would be nice for either to have a better display of native birds (not just barn owls and buzzards). A proper attempt to do so - as see in one or two places on the continent - would be fantastic.
    • IanRRobinson
      It's odd, but I was scrolling through sooty's (as ever) well-written and informative comparison and thinking the same. I've never visited either collection, but I have seen their websites and the absence of birds, other than rescued raptors and waterfowl is very striking.

      There is a very PC reluctance to exhibit European birds in contemporary UK zoos; compare the Norfolk Wildlife Park in its heyday, 40 years ago, which kept and bred animals such as Hooded Crow and Northern Wheatear. It is a pity, because the likes of (say) Black Grouse, Grey Partridge, Corn Crake, Stone-curlew, Red-backed Shrike, Whinchat and Cirl Bunting could do with captive ambassadors for their respective species.
    • Maguari
      As is so often the case, sooty has saved me from typing out my own thoughts! :D

      Both good places but I prefer the ethos and small-mammaliness of the BWC.

      The difference in scope of the two collections is due to a crucial difference in how they define their specialties - the BWC is specifically for current UK wild species, whereas Wildwood includes historical residents like Bison, and increasingly might best be seen as a European animal collection rather than a British one.
    • Brum
      Thanks for the replies folks, the collection at both is very intriguing but I think Wildwood may be the one I visit first as there are a few collections in the area that I could double it up with. May wait to see if RSCC is likely to open its doors before I make the long trip to Kent though! ;)
      BWC seems to have a fair few unusual small mammals (water shrew, mole etc) but I guess the visibility for the smaller species isn't great and may require patience! :)
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  • Category:
    Wildwood Discovery Park
    Uploaded By:
    Maguari
    Date:
    3 Dec 2009
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