This is just a bit of fun to judge the general consensus on the best enclosure for African Wild Dogs in the UK. I have added a few photos from the gallery to make it easier for members to compare the different exhibits. If anyone wants to make an argument for a particular enclosure, please feel free to do so. Also, I would encourage people to perhaps list the enclosures in order of what they determine to be the best. I was unable to find any photos in the gallery of Port Lympne's enclosure so if anyone has any could they please post them or could someone describe the exhibit compared to the others. In addition I couldn't find any good overview photos of WMSP's exhibit either so could someone do the same for them. WMSP YWP Exmoor Chester Colchester Dudley Whipsnade Africa Alive London Port Lympne Unfortunately, there are no photos of this enclosure in the gallery. It would be extremely useful if someone who has visited can describe the exhibit and give an evaluation on its quality.
Port Lympne exhibit them in more than one enclosure. Usually on show in the cat area at the bottom of the hill, in a typical PL enclosure, mesh fencing enclosing an area of small thorn trees/grass. Also a bigger pack only visible from the Safari drive, in a similar grassy hillside enclosure. Sorry but can't be more descriptive than that. Wouldn't like to influence the vote too much but IMO these are average enclosures for the species.
The only ones of these I haven't seen are YWP and at AA. For once and rather unusually I've voted West Midlands... because its the only drive-through so gives best views of them + its a big pack which is always more interesting than a smaller group. I won't hold the fact they recently escaped after a storm (through no fault of their own) into the enclosure next door and killed half of the Persian Fallow deer herd against them...
YWP also have a second enclosure next to this one in the woods. They were originally connected but I believe the pack has now split itself into two.
Worth noting that the two females at Exmoor have access to two lower paddocks shown below. (The ones crossed out are meant to be for Wolverine at some point...)
I've been following these 'best enclosure' threads with interest, even though I've yet to embark on a 'Snowleopard Road Trip' through the United Kingdom. From first glance, it would appear that African Wild Dogs are in the same category as Cheetahs in the U.K., with both species being represented in a range of top-notch exhibits. That's great news and a far cry from the sea lion situation where there aren't many world-class candidates. I find it intriguing how some captive species are showcased in consistently splendid exhibits, while others aren't as fortunate. Common Hippos would be another example, with some big meadows for the species in the U.K., but absolutely zero underwater viewing options anywhere. I suppose that cost is a major factor, with hippo and sea lion habitats using up enormous expenses in construction costs and weekly maintenance, while with Cheetahs and African Wild Dogs a large, fenced paddock can easily become a great home for those animals.
Should we expect such a trip at some point in the future? I'm sure many of us British folk would love hear your first hand opinion on our culture and zoos.
One day I'll definitely head to the U.K. and visit a long list of zoos, but not for many years. It's so tempting to explore the land of fish n' chips (my favourite food), Everton Football Club (I watch 90% of their matches and I'm an enormous fan) and many other delights. However, when it comes to zoos the lure of some of the famous European institutions in Germany, Czechia, Austria, Poland, Switzerland, etc., is too great.
I made a similar comment about UK hippo exhibits. In fact regarding 'big meadows' I think only Longleat may allow a decent grazing area for their two old females, that coupled with the Lake makes this superior to any of the other holders which all have very limited land areas. They get a poor deal in UK zoos. And yes, the lesser expenditure presumably means its comparatively easy on the other hand to provide decent, large enclosed areas for species like Cheetah or Hunting Dog.
Out of the whole list, I’ve only seen London and Chester’s. I voted for Chester as I thought that was great, a real highlight of my last visit - particularly the indoor viewing part. Am I correct in thinking that the London exhibit can actually be viewed from the public footpath that goes across the canal?
Probably visible from the towpath yes. But the shelters face inwards toward the Cotton Terrace pathway in the Zoo so if the dogs are resting you won't see them from the canal side. When London last kept Wolves, they were similarly visible from outside the Zoo as their enclosure was close to the boundary too, and could be seen from one of the main paths in the park.
Score update. Chester are once again leading in another poll with just over 50% of the vote. Whipsnade and YWP are the only other collections to have picked up more than one vote so far. All three exhibits that are doing well are all relatively recent additions perhaps partly explaining why as @snowleopard said the quality of African Wild Dog exhibits are high.
Poll closed. Congratulations to Chester on winning the vote for Best UK African Wild Dog enclosure. This is now their 7th win out of 11 polls, with this being their lowest margin of victory so far. Coupled with their victory in the Black Rhino poll that corner of the zoo is a clear strong point for the zoo. Whipsnade and YWP both performed strongly again coming 2nd and 3rd respectively. Chester: 55.0% Whipsnade: 22.5% YWP: 15% WMSP: 2.5% Colchester: 2.5% Dudley: 2.5%
Yes it can, but the canal offers really limited views of both them and the warthogs. I've only seen them once from the canal out of >20 trips
I’m trying to think where Paignton might score highly in one of these polls and I’m thinking Takin, Gibbon, Cassowary, G Tortoise, Mountain Zebra and Diana Monkey?
I certainly have plans to do polls for a number of those species. However, it may be a few weeks til we reach them. Of course, Paignton has done well in the Gorilla poll where it lost out in second place by 1 vote to Jersey and based on people voting by messaging me after the poll has closed they would have been tied in first place.
