Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens Cotswold Wildlife Park news 2018

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1/The African Crown Cranes have left the collection and their enclosure is now occupied by a pair of reindeer.
2/The warty pig enclosure is being prepared for cassowary but they are still off show.
3/ A Chapmans foal has been born recently.

 

Co-habitation between cassowary and warty pig?
Bit curious right ....

 

See previous message -warty pigs have left collection ! And white napped cranes will also be moved in preparation for male and female cassowary enclosures.

 

Visited 02 08 2018 Chapman's Zebra foal now out in the hard standing area, Greater Roadrunners now nolonger at the collection moved to France as they didn't breed last year but have bred in France I do wonder if they had waited a year maybe they would have bred here too.
No Pheasants on show at all through out the collection.
Pink Pigeons in at least 4 aviaries some not looking to good (aviaries that is).
Both Sloth's mobile and showing well in the tropical house.
Pallas Cat's and Clouded Leopard's mobile first time I have seen them moving in 3 years.
Long Nosed Potoroo's in the Tropical House seem to be used to public and very friendly.
Only no show were the Pheasant's and Ant eater in outdoor enclosure managed to see everyting else great day will return soon.

 

I see that CWP&G are now advertising "One of the BIGGEST reptile collections in the UK".

An ambiguous statement but I visited last year and they did not seem to have that many

In any case, what do you think BIGGEST means creatures or species?

I would expect species and if that were the case who has the biggest collection in the UK?

Where would CWP&G be if there were a league table?

 

Paignton should possibly be in this list, ZTL lists 47? I know it's not always accurate though, but it could also be too high for some of the others. Wingham is listed as over 60 species /sub species but a lot of those have either gone or are now offshow

 

Certainly in the premier division then.

 

Did we ever have a large specialist public reptile collection in the UK. I imagine CoTW hope to be that one day.

 

No doubt that London Zoo would have won that title: ZTL lists fifty-something reptile taxa at Chester, Cotswold and London.

Taking the ZSL Annual Report for 1977 as an example, this lists more than 190 different reptile taxa as being in the collection that year.....

 

There used to be Poole Serpentarium which used to have a decent collection of herp's and a nice aquarium selection. Displays weren't brilliant but the place did have a lot of species in a very tight space.

 

Indeed the Poole Aquarium and Serpentarium, which closed in 2002, had a fine reptile collection; I especially remember seeing an elephant trunk snake there.

At one time, Poole claimed to have the biggest collection of venemous snakes in the UK, although, in terms of total number of reptile species, it could never have rivalled the enormous number held in London Zoo.

 

Sad news from CWP -the father of the European Wolf cubs has died. He was being treated for a long term problem for a mouth abscess and died on the operating table.
The two female wolf cubs have been PTS due to a neurological problem.
There remains 3 male European wolf cubs. These will remain as a bachelor group.
On a happier note -two capybara have been born to the pair that share their enclosure with the Brazilian Tapir.

 

Anyone know if cwp has purple glossy starlings, and if so where they are?

 

Ive n

I've not noticed them there, worth checking Zootierliste. I've got six of them at home though!

 

Zootierliste thinks they have them, but after two visits now where I have hunted for them, I reckon they don't.

Lovely visit there this afternoon nonetheless, and finally, for the first time, went into the cafe to see the Rock hyraxes.

 

when I visited in August didn't see any or see any signs for them so I'd take it as not on show but they could have them off show.

 

Zootierliste have them as a FORMER holding from what I can see

 

That has changed since last time I looked, but at least I can rest easy knowing it's not just that I didn't look hard enough!