Join our zoo community

Chimelong Safari Park Chimelong Safari Park News

Discussion in 'China' started by aardvark250, 3 Aug 2016.

  1. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,732
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
  2. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    25 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    12,370
    Location:
    Amsterdam, Holland
    FrancoiseLangur likes this.
  3. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,732
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
  4. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    11 Jan 2015
    Posts:
    2,937
    Location:
    Birmingham, UK
    As the article makes clear, they were born at Chimelong Safari Park, not (the non-existant) Guangdong Zoo.
     
  5. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    25 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    12,370
    Location:
    Amsterdam, Holland
    The takin breeding program in this case concerns the Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou. It would be interesting to know which of either subspecies they maintain (Sichuan or Bedford's).

    If you would be talking the city zoo it should read Guangzhou Zoo as Guangdong is the Province where Guangzhou is situated.
     
  6. Gavinj90

    Gavinj90 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2019
    Posts:
    46
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I went to Chimelong Safari Park for the first time today and briefly saw the takin. They're in the drive-through section and the train/bus thing moves through pretty quickly. You'd be able to get a better look if you were driving yourself.
     
  7. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jan 2016
    Posts:
    1,980
    Location:
    Land of the 'vark
    What are your thought of the zoo?
     
  8. Gavinj90

    Gavinj90 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    21 Jan 2019
    Posts:
    46
    Location:
    Hong Kong
    I thought it was great. I've been to the nearby theme park a few times, but never done the safari park/zoo, so made a full weekend of it this time, staying in one of the resort hotels, which itself has a flamingo pond and two white tiger exhibits: one next to the hotel lobby/bar with three (almost) stripeless cats, and one at the White Tiger Restaurant, with two of the striped variety.

    The place is huge. I managed to cover everything (I think) but it was a full-day job with barely any rest and without bothering with any shows that they do.

    Apart from the Panda Research Base in Chengdu, it's the best place I've been to see giant pandas, and their koala exhibit is crazy; they must have around 50 of them. Proboscis monkeys were another highlight.

    The enclosures are generally very good to excellent (leopards were quite small), with a very clear no bars/fences policy which made for an excellent viewing experience. There's a bit of a "theme park" vibe about the place though; pretty much every exhibit exit leads into a gift shop.
     
    Last edited: 18 Mar 2019
    Kifaru Bwana and FunkyGibbon like this.
  9. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,732
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
    Kifaru Bwana likes this.
  10. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,732
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
  11. FunkyGibbon

    FunkyGibbon Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    11 Jan 2015
    Posts:
    2,937
    Location:
    Birmingham, UK
    I have uploaded a series of photos from my visit in the summer of 2018. Do check them out:

    Chimelong Safari Park - ZooChat

    Chimelong has a reputation for relative excellence. If you had asked me my opinion at any point up until I started reviewing my photos I would have begrudgingly admitted that it was the best zoo in China. Yes, for the most part the species line-up is a bit pedestrian, and heavily skewed towards large mammals, and yes there are far, far too many gift shops, but the enclosures are so far ahead of the norm in China, visitor amenities are also great, and best of all every exhibit has an on-duty member of staff to monitor visitor behaviour and stop illicit feeding.

    Sadly, I think I really overestimated the place. Firstly, there are the birds on sticks. Not a lot perhaps, but they're there. Then there is the feeding. It's not good to see overcrowded exhibits for large carnivores with all the bears or tigers crowded round the feeding platforms. I am also unimpressed by the amount of infant animals that seem to be separated from parents. Of course this is necessary sometimes, but I've seen it far too much in China (typically in circumstances where it's clear that separation is routine). Chimelong does some great stuff in some areas, and that buys them a certain amount of credibility, but there is a question to be asked here.

    Chimelong Safari costs ¥350, which is almost exactly £40. It's hard to put that into context for a European visitor, since you've almost certainly spent far more than that to get to China and it's hard to imagine not visiting here if you are in Guangzhou. And of course, for many it would represent a first and perhaps only chance to see proboscis monkey. However, if Chimelong was in Europe it would not be seen as worth the entry price, at least by most of us. And just as a final parting shot, Guangzhou Zoo, which I enjoyed more, is only ¥20!
     
    lintworm and snowleopard like this.
  12. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,732
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
    2 Proboscis monkey-young born at the Safari Park :).
     
  13. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    25 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    12,370
    Location:
    Amsterdam, Holland
    Jungle Man and vogelcommando like this.
  14. Ding Lingwei

    Ding Lingwei Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    29 Apr 2014
    Posts:
    101
    Location:
    Shanghai, China
    Jana likes this.
  15. aardvark250

    aardvark250 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jan 2016
    Posts:
    1,980
    Location:
    Land of the 'vark
    Are douc on exhibit after the primate kingdom in like 2010? I assume they're off for quite a long time and i thought they havent kept them anymore.
     
  16. Ding Lingwei

    Ding Lingwei Well-Known Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    29 Apr 2014
    Posts:
    101
    Location:
    Shanghai, China
    I believe they've been off exhibit for a decade. According to a regular visitor there was another baby briefly on show in the nursery last year but didn't survive, which was the first confirmed information in many years that the park was still trying to breed them.
     
  17. Mr.Ivory

    Mr.Ivory Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    7 May 2021
    Posts:
    1,125
    Location:
    Chicago, Illinois
    I don't believe this was ever announced two female Asian elephants gave birth to two calves respectively on April 30 and May 12 adding the total number of Asian elephants here to 27 in 2020.

    Source In pics: Asian elephants at Chimelong Safari Park in Guangzhou(7)

    On March 1, 2021, a male calf was born

    Source One-month-old Asian elephant makes public debut in S China's Guangdong

    And a female calf was November 23, 2021 named Weifeng bringing the total number of the herd up to 30.

    Source Baby elephant meets public in Guangzhou

    It would also appear that a third calf was born but it was not announced since the number of the herd is 30 as of November 2022.
     
    Last edited: 18 Jun 2023
    Haliaeetus likes this.