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Highland Wildlife Park HWP news 2016

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by kiang, 19 Feb 2016.

  1. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  2. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    6 European wolves have been born, so far un-sexed.

    Can?t see the wood for the wolves! | Highland Wildlife Park
     
  3. AdvoCat

    AdvoCat Well-Known Member

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  4. Davef68

    Davef68 Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: 12 Aug 2016
  5. AdvoCat

    AdvoCat Well-Known Member

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  6. Jackwow

    Jackwow Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    No red deer to be seen anywhere in the park yesterday?!
     
  7. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Certainly a healthy looking herd there at the start of August, you maybe just missed them in that huge reserve.
     
  8. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    As Kiang says, at the start of August he, ThylacineAlive and myself saw a very large herd within the main reserve :)
     
  9. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    A summary of the season's breeding results, lifted from the blog;

     
  10. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  11. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    The Red Deer were definately there yesterday.

    I paid my first (and due to the distance from my home, perhaps the only?) visit here yesterday. It certainly lived up to expectations and must surely represent one of the most scenic situations of any Park. We saw all the main exhibits bar the Snow Leopard area and adjacent exhibits (time being a bit limited).

    Have not seen Polar bears in a 'zoo' for many a year. Despite the excellent spacious enclosures for them, I noticed the female was pacing in stereo-typed fashion, a legacy of her past Rostock enclosure no doubt.

    One question- do they still have the 'local' Scottish species such as Pine Marten, Capercaillie etc or have those disappeared with the upgrading to a wider remit- or did I just miss the area where they were housed?


    Four photos uploaded to Gallery- Wildcat, Bukhara and White-lipped Deer.
     
  12. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    The species which left when HWP upgraded to a wider remit were taxa such as Red Fox and European Badger. The taxa which you enquire about disappeared rather more recently, within the last few years.

    The Capercaille were located in the current Temminck's Tragopan exhibit, but I have a feeling they may still keep the species off-display for breeding purposes; the Pine Marten on the other hand were located within the area devoted to several Scottish Wildcat exhibits, along with European Eagle Owl, and have definitely left the collection - around 2013 or 2014 I think. When they left the collection, and the European Eagle Owl moved to the former Pallas Cat exhibit, their exhibits were repurposed for extra Scottish Wildcat enclosures.
     
  13. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Thanks- pretty much what I thought had happened;) as I recognised the Tragopan aviaries from older photos when they contained the Capers etc. And I also guessed that the Wildcat exhibit area had been revamped just for the Wildcats, evidently at the expense of the Martens etc.

    With the high profile the Wildcat is currently enjoying(if that's the right word) in Scotland, this is obviously an important exhibit for the Park and we could see it attracts a lot of interest.
     
  14. Davef68

    Davef68 Well-Known Member

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    There was latterly only a single Pine Marten, who moved to a collection down in England IIRC.

    Pacing is an interesting one - there is research showing that in carnivores, it develops because the animal knows where the keeper feeds it, so waits there restlessly. This then develops into behaviour whenever the animal is hungry, then becomes stereotyped. Less to do with boredom and enclosure design and more to do with the fact the animal is fed at the same place every time.
     
  15. Giant Panda

    Giant Panda Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    This is an overly simplistic generalisation. Pacing certainly can be the result of regular feeding regimes, but it has also been linked to many other factors. Anyway, few would deny it's a behaviour pattern that should be eliminated if possible, and certainly can be indicative of poor welfare. In this case, however, I think Pertinax's suggestion sounds most plausible.
     
  16. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    She was pacing a section midway along the fence to the left of the viewing area, about halfway up the hill with trees behind the fence- not a place I would imagine she was fed from- that would be more likely from near the service/holding area up at the top?
     
  17. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  18. Jackwow

    Jackwow Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    A pretty vague article as doesn't give any idea of what actually might happen, also incorrect as lists Capercaillie as one of the native species on show.
     
  19. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  20. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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