Chester Zoo Chester Zoo Discussion, Speculation & Questions 2019

Think the zoo may break the visitor record this year if we have a nice summer. With this nice Easter 4 days and the 2 weeks of Cheshire kids being off, followed by 2 weeks of most other schools being off.

 

Surely all schools have approximately the same 2 weeks off over the Easter period, all of them returning to school soon after Easter. You imply there is a month of (staggered) school holidays which I don't think is the case?

 

Yes it's right, Cheshire has spring break, my kids were off the Weeks from the 1st, went back Monday of this week, most other areas are off the 2 weeks either side of easter weekend

 

Where I live all schools go back on Tuesday, day after Easter Monday

 

Seems like Cheshire is different from everywhere else...

 

My daughter goes back on the 29th, as do most schools in the West Midlands.

 

So there is a 4 week Easter break then!!

 

Yep, Sheffield schools and colleges were also back open this last week from Monday-Thursday as their 'Easter' break was taken from the 1st.

 

Some schools have had their easter break and where back in school last week....its all a bit mad this year.

 

We have Easter this week then we have Mayday 6th May then we have Spring Bank holiday 27th May.
Can't understand the reasoning behind Chester breaking records this year because of the good weather didn't we have great weather last year?

 

The ridiculous places like my county have the week either side of Easter off. This means that the last half term at school was a soul-destroying 7 weeks, and the half term after Easter is a completely ludicrous 4 weeks (minus an additional Monday for bank holiday Monday). The more sensible places go back on Tuesday (making 6 weeks before Easter and 5 weeks after - it's as if someone in charge actually thought about that!) I am not quite sure why Cheshire went a week before that, though it must have been great for the families to have their Easter break at a completely different time to everyone else, and have less crowds to deal with.

A couple of years ago I had a trip over to Cambridgeshire at this time of year and discovered they were all back at school - it was bliss wandering around the zoos with no crowds!

 

It seems so...sounds very erratic and depending on whereabouts you live. Strange that there isn't more uniformity about it all.

 

The Retics are off show in tropical realm while work is being done on the exhibit for them,they should be back on show at somepoint this year.As for the Gaboon Viper the last one past away last year.Venomous snakes have dropped in numbers on and off show,they now only have Beautiful Viper and European Adder off show and White-lipped Viper on show!

 

Thanks very much for the update zoogiraffe. We had a great visit yesterday and I really missed seeing those snakes. Glad that the Retics are still at the zoo I thought they may have been moved. Shame about the Gaboon Viper a beautiful species and it was always fun trying to spot them.

The Mangrove Snake is also venomous and I thought they displayed really well yesterday. The recent decline in venomous species of snake, rather than the early 90’s decimation, again makes me wonder if the projection of Red Spitting Cobra is really going to happen. Would like to see the European Adder displayed alongside more British species.

How have people found the Lemur encounters? A nice exhibit, not doubt fantastic for the lemurs but I was left uncertain what I think about it overall.

I really enjoyed seeing the new exhibits in Islands from the Tapir, Sun Bear, Aviary and Tree Kangaroo.

Unfortunately I think that I will wait until the hotel opens before we go again. Going to Chester Zoo with a small family especially on a busy day is exhausting.

 

I don't count Mangroves as venomous as they are rear fanged,given that most reasonably healthy person could ride out a bite from one without to much problem,even someone like myself although I suspect I would get a few bollockings from the dialysis staff for being so stupid!Pity the Adders were not born in the UK and are of the french sub species of them!I am not holding my breath on them getting a Red Spitter given how things are going under the current curator!

 

In before someone goes: “but the plans say they’re coming so they have to be”

 

To be honest I'm a bit mystified by the ongoing 'issue' of venomous snakes (or lack of) at Chester - there's so much that is wonderful about the collection it seems, to me at least, a bit harsh to keep bashing them with this stick. In truth its not something I would have ever thought about were it not brought up here at various times. I do find the whole thing of rows of snakes in small glass cases rather outdated and museum-like, maybe the zoo has decided it can house a lot of frogs, insects etc. in similar accommodation with less hassle and offering the animals a lot more space?

As for the current curator, his specialty is amphibians so presumably he was brought in to help the zoo with these.

 

There was a time I would try and answer this but if I did it would end up with me saying alot of stuff I am not supposed to know and the zoo doesn't want posting,but yes there is a big problem with venomous at Chester and I am afraid thats not going to change for a very long time.

So thats why they cannot breed Mountain Chickens under him hes an expert,they did it twice under someone that wasn't an expert in them!!

 

Go on a quieter day.

Leave the family at home.

Works for me.

 

I would love to! Go on a quieter day for clarity as the family thing is something I readily accept. But being a teacher and living on the Isle Of Man means that I don’t have that luxury of going on a quieter day and a visit is further complicated by additional travel time and cost. Hence the thoughts about a large foot print of the zoo being closed in the next few years.