Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens Crocodilians at Cotswold Wildlife Park

I have a guide book from my last visit to Cotswolds which says that since the 1970s, the park has been home to 10 species of crocodilians. The current inhabitants are the Morelets crocs, and I remember one of the keepers telling me that they had Black Caiman there once, but they weren't breeding, so they moved them on. Can anyone out there fill in the remaining 8 species? Presumably they had the usual Nile crocs and American alligators. Pity they didn't carry on with the Black Caiman, I'd love to see one of those!

 

Yeahh, I noticed that too. I 'spect dwarf crocs were in there at some point.

 

I remember that in the early days they had American alligators with a round outdoor enclosure for sunny summer days. I'm afraid that I can't quite remember whether it was attached to current crocodile indoor enclosure, so that the outside paddock was along from the siamangs, or whether it was beside the tropical house, where the macaws are now.

Alan

 

Thanks for that. Yeah, a sunny day outdoor enclosure for their morelet's would be an interesting feature, but is there enough room outside their current enclosure to build one?

 

It was where the Macaws are now,the Male from the pair that lived in there is Albert at Welsh Mountain Zoo.

 

Right here is the list of what Crocodiles that have been kept at Cotswold,
1 American Alligator
2 Cuviers Dwarf Caiman
3 False Gavial
4 Morelet`s Crocodile
5 Nile Crocodile
6 Siamese Crocodile
7 Spectacled Caiman
8 West African Dwarf Crocodile
9 Yacare Caiman

You may have already noticed that it only lists 9 species not 10,this list has been compiled by the staff at Cotswold from their historical records and only species that they can confirm having been kept at the park are listed.Also not Black Caiman are not listed so not sure where the member of staff got that bit of info from.

 

Thanks zoogiraffe. False Gavial and Siamese Crocodile; fantastic, wish they still had these species! The same member of staff also told us that Barney the Reticulated Python was 25ft long, and one of their Green Anacondas was over 20ft. Are these reliable measurements...?

 

Yep the sizes are about right for the snakes particulary Barney would actually say he was nearer 28ft long having seen him at close quarters.

 

Amazing. I've seen every species on the list, and I did not think I had seen many crocodilians.

I've also seen Brown Caiman, Chinese Alligator, Mugger Crocodile, Slender-snouted Crocodile, Johnston's Crocodile, Congo Dwarf Crocodile, American Crocodile, Saltwater Crocodile and Philippine Crocodile. And whatever Paignton have which are labelled as Cuba crocs.

 

I have you all beat....I've seen all 23 species of crocodilian.

 

You're all lucky. I've only seen West African Dwarfs, Dwarf Caimans, Chinese Alligators, Niles & Morelet's, so still fairly noviced!

 

But seeing them all in 1 collection is cheating a bit i only need to see Black Caiman,Orinoco Crocodile and Gaharial to complete the set,so seeing as Black Caiman are in the U.K it could be down 2 species to see before the end of the year.

 

where are the black caiman in the uk?

 

Which zoo kept the last gharial in the uk?

God this thread has gone to pot hasn't it

 

Its a pet shop called Emerald Exotics in Witney Oxfordshire.

 

Not a clue where had the last Gharial in the U.K but would guess London Zoo.As for the thread going to pot sorry i only posted the list of species that Cotswold have kept.

 

Paignton held 2 (huge) false gharial until the late 90s.

 

You really had me going then, zoogiraffe! I thought a zoo was going to have a new display of Black Caiman. Why is a pet shop selling endangered crocodilians????

 

This info was taken from another thread from information posted by another user who has now pm me to say it may not be true,as far as i know none of the Crocodilians are for sale at Emerald Exotics they are all owned by the owner but kept their as a means of drawing people into the shop.

 

That's a bit better that they are not for sale, but how does the owner get hold of crocodilians anyway? It must be one hell of a pet shop!