Species lists both rather poor at 9-9 Bristol/Wild place: Common eland Grant's zebra Kirk's dik-dik Okapi Red river hog Reticulated giraffe Java mouse deer Negros warty pig Western pygmy hippopotamus Twycross: Chapman's zebra Eastern black rhinoceros Kirk's dik-dik Michie's tufted deeer Nyala Reticulated giraffe Rothschild's giraffe South American tapir Vicuna For Twycross, some may consider the two giraffe species to be one, but it isn't likely to be ground-breaking whichever way you go Photos coming soon
Photos from Bristol and Wild Place: Pygmy hippopotamus indoors and outdoors: Capybara and Tapirs: Red river hog (Wild Place): NB: not great because of the lack of soft substrate, which this species needs to be able to dig. Giraffe, zebra and eland: Dik-dik (mixed with crowned cranes and turacos): Okapi Having looked through the photos of Wild Place and visited Bristol, I would say that their ungulate enclosures are really quite a mixed bag. You have the frankly poor red river hog habitat and the Pygmy hippos, which have a rather small space if I remember correctly, but also the good African savanna area in Wild Place, what looks like quite a nice aviary for dik-diks etc. and what I think is a good okapi exhibit, although I can't really tell because it seems to be quite hard to take photos that evoke the whole exhibit or at least its essence. Anyway, would love, as ever, to hear from those who have visited both collections.
The mirror list for these two zoos. red means exactly the same species Orange means same species different subspecies Bristol/Wild place: Common eland Grant's zebra Kirk's dik-dik Okapi Red river hog Reticulated giraffe Java mouse deer Negros warty pig Western pygmy hippopotamus Twycross: Chapman's zebra Eastern black rhinoceros Kirk's dik-dik Michie's tufted deer Nyala Reticulated giraffe Rothschild's giraffe South American tapir Vicuna
I have only visited Twycross and judging from the photos above I would suggest Twycross's exhibits for ungulates are perhaps slightly more consistent with the Eastern Black Rhinoceros exhibit being a standout. There are definitely no exhibits as poor as the pygmy hippo one appears. However, I believe Bristol/Wild Place has the slightly stronger species line up and does appear to have some strong enclosures. For example the did-dik exhibit appears superior to the one at Twycross and I prefer the look of their mixed Savannah compared to the individual enclosures for giraffe and zebra at Twycross. Therefore I am going 2-1 to Bristol with a bonus point for Twycross.
I'm glad you were able to use some of my pictures for Wildplace and Bristol @amur leopard . I would like to point out that the river hog exhibit now has multiple piles of bark, along with many logs - the hogs are given access to the larger paddocks aswell.
I've been to Twycross and Bristol, and I reckon, although I haven't seen what Wild Place has to offer, that Twycross just edges it. Michie's tufted deer aren't terribly common, at least over here, and I reckon Bristol's not so great Pygmy hippo enclosure kind of influenced me a bit here as well, while Twycross's good rhino exhibit and general consistency make their enclosures slightly better. However, Wild Place makes up for Bristol's relative lameness in this area, and in my opinion earns it a draw, so for me, 2-1 Twycross with a bonus for Bristol/Wild Place.
Now, this is a very tricky one... Bristol has will always be special to me... So I'll try not to be biased. I'll first compare the species shared by the collections, and then move onto the others. Giraffe - Both zoos have decent exhibits for the species, with valid arguments for both being better: When looking at the house, the one at Twycross is much larger, with ample space for separation. However, At WP, the indoor viewing is much nicer in that it is not on ground level, allowing for a much better view of the species; I also appreciate their use of a sand substrate. Furthermore, when looking at both houses from just an aesthetic point of view, WP is a clear winner. In terms of the paddock, both are a little different. At Twycross, the giraffe have one large (I believe gravel) paddock to themselves, whereas at WP the Giraffe have access to a gravel paddock (that is sometimes shared with the Hogs), a grass pasture which can be shared with the Eland and Zebra. The value of having multiple options when given outdoor access, and the benefit of a mixed species exhibit in one large complex makes Wild Place the clear winner for Giraffe. Zebra - Twycross holds Chapman's, and WP Grant's: With Twycross' exhibit formerly holding Giraffe, the exhibit itself is very large. Its hard standing is double the size of WP's, and has far better viewing opportunities for visitors. Having a larger hardstanding makes the viewing of this species much better during the winter, when only HS access is allowed. Whilst the hard standing is larger at Twycross, the grass pasture at Wild place is much larger, with the added bonus again of it being a mixed species exhibit... In the summer, the exhibit here is far more pleasant. I'm torn here... and would probably have to call it a tie for Zebra. Dik-Dik - The walled garden, which contains the Dik-Dik exhibit, is one of my favourite "areas " in any zoo I've visited... so again, this will be tricky. In my experience, the Dik-Dik at both collections have been rather "showy"... however the group at Twycross have always provided me with better photography opportunities. Unlike some, I quite enjoy the look of the exhibit at Twycross, but will admit that WP's is nicer (even if it is smaller). As an overall exhibit, with the addition of the Cranes and Weavers, the WP exhibit is more "fun" to watch, as the Dik-Dik can sometimes take a little while to spot. Wild place *JUST* wins this one IMO. Bristol/Wild Place: Eland - The same as the Zebra, a nice exhibit. Red river hog - probably the weakest part of the Africa complex at the zoo. Much better since the addition of bark and logs... even more so when they're given access to the other parts of the exhibit. Warty pigs - Former giraffe exhibit at Bristol. The pigs have bred in the past, and seem to do well here. A great species to watch too! Something like this for the Hogs at WP would probably be more appropriate. Okapi - A nice little wooded complex for the Okapi here, with some breeding success in the past. If there are no immediate plans for the former wolf exhibit, I would love to see the Okapi given access (If practical). Mouse deer - A nice addition to the Fruit bat indoor exhibit, can't really remember much about the exhibit in all honesty. Pygmy hippo - Often criticised, which is understandable, but some seem to forget the small grass paddock and the previous breeding success. *Later addition* Reindeer - Here the animals have access to two paddocks, both of which are a decent size compared to many reindeer exhibits you'll see. Twycross: Black rhino - I've not been since the rhino arrived, but I'm sure this makes a great rhino exhibit. Is there access to the lower paddock, or just the moated area? Michie's tufted deer - A great species to see, in a decent exhibit. Nyala - A small, but by no means bad paddock. However, being somewhat shy, they aren't always visible. Tapir and Vicuna - I often miss this part of the zoo as like most, we've all seen tapir before... I do think that overall Bristol/Wild place win for both species on show, and for exhibit quality... however, I cant forget Twycross as they also have some great species and exhibits... Its a clear 2-1 to Bristol/Wild Place for me, with no bonus point.
I've noticed that the Reindeer at Wild Place have been missed from this list - Making it 10 - 9 to Bristol.
After @ThomasNotTom's sterling post I think I'm going to go with 2-1 Bristol for the better enclosure's as previously outlined, but then I'm going to give Twycross a bonus point for the recentish improvements within the ungulate collection, i.e. bringing back giraffe, swapping elephants for rhino, and bringing in nyala. I think I'm allowed to give a bonus point on this argument, @CGSwans do you want to help me out? Couple of additions to Thomas's post above regarding Twycross. On my visit in December there was only access to the first paddock, not sure what the situation is in warmer weather though. Worth noting that the nyala can be mixed in the larger giraffe paddock, and I had no trouble spotting them on their hardstanding in the winter, but less foliage gave me a clearer view.
That's interesting, I had no idea they were mixed (sometimes). In the five times that I've visited, I think I've only ever once seen the Nyala... and promptly took this photo
Wow. Thanks! I didn't really know what Wild Place had to offer so thanks for outlining that so clearly and in so much detail! I omitted them because they were domestics, but if you wish to count them, fair enough Apologies for that photo. I went quite far back in the photo gallery looking for images and just forgot that the tapirs were no longer part of the collection.
Twycross Rhino Paddock Rhino indoors area Giraffe house Giraffe Paddock South American Tapir and Vicuna enclosure Tufted Deer enclosure
You’re good, People should feel free to go ahead and cast bonus points (unless they simply aren’t posting at all, in which case it’s obvious they won’t count). I’ll post if there’s any that I’ve decided not to count and explain why.
