Whilst I'm not saying PR/marketing departments may have some influence in a zoo's animal collection (more so in smaller zoos where the "marketing department" is essentially the owner -and they all want a tiger) I'd largely disagree with most of your points: 1. I think you'll find that their opinions are very secondary at larger collections (Chester for instance); 2. The reason Dublin "doubled" their attendance is probably more to do with the fact that they're the only geographically close and sizeable collection for most visitors and the fact the zoo attendances have increased, pretty much, across the board in the last ten years. This increase has also been seen at smaller collections with less showy animals and less impressive enclosures -hence the increase in new small collections in recent years. This is regardless of social media storms and PETA activity; 3. Whilst I like Wingham a lot, most of their large collection is housed in fairly mundane, basic enclosures (the Chimp complex being the exception). This hasn't stopped locals visiting it in far greater numbers than the better housed/less species zoos of nearby Howletts/Port Lympne. This may have more to do with the more child-friendly play facilities and compact nature of Wingham -nothing to do with it being a "small collection with better housing"; 4. PR/marketing does have a role in the zoos running -but it's promoting what the zoo has, through social media etc., rather than any significant influence on the animal collection and zoo development plans.
Some details and images of the baby sloth have appeatred https://www.zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/news/i-love-you-slow-much-mum
You should still go - London Zoo has perhaps more than its fair share critics on this forum, but it’s still one of the UK’s élite collections.
I recommend London Zoo still highly. Excellent enclosures for the animals it has. Plus its always improving!
It'll be a short 48-hour stay, but I'll be staying in the theme park that is Westminster; how much time should I allocate for the zoo? A full day? The only thing that I'm obliged to see is Westminster Abbey. Maybe the Globe Theatre. They doen't look that far apart on the map. Would Tube be best? Taxi? Walking? I'd also be open to any dining and/or drinking reccomendations. Side note: Are ZSL's lions actually Asiatic? The male in particular strikes me as more African.
It's a zoo that rewards lingering I think. The Aquarium, Bug House, Reptile House and Bird House can all soak up a lot of time, as can the outdoor walkthrough aviaries. Anywhere from four hours to a whole day depending on how much you like small things.
Looks like they will be lumped together soon anyway TLD's Photographic Guide To The New Felid Taxonomy
I personally prefer to give the zoo a full day, but equally having seen most of London’s major sights over the years, I can afford that luxury. You could probably stay there until about 4pm and, if you aren’t too tired, you can easily fit something else in afterwards (221B Baker Street is close by, for instance). Beyond that, the two main walks you’d probably want to focus on to see as much as you can would be (1) along the embankment to the south of the Thames, from Lambeth Palace up to the Globe Theatre, and (2) starting in Parliament Square (for Westminster Abbey, heading up Whitehall to Trafalgar Square, and then either up the Mall to Buckingham Palace, up Whitcomb Street to Leicester Square, or along the Strand as you prefer. Both walks take a couple of hours at the very most - Westminster is indeed a ‘theme park’, but you can see a lot in a very short space of time. Your saviour will be an app called ‘Citymapper’ - tell it where you want to go, and it’ll offer you a variety of ways of getting there.
There are five underground stations within walking distance of the zoo. However, I'd recommend catching the tube to either Great Portland Street, Regent's Park or Baker Street and then walking through Regent's Park, possibly stopping to view the waterfowl on the park's lake. Since you've never been before, I would allow about five hours to see the zoo. Of course, that really depends on whether you like to linger over exhibits or not; it is possible to see it in much less time if you rush round. London Zoo's lions are definitely Asiatic.
This will be my second stop in London, but I will definitely copy down those walks. My Anglophile travel companion will be pleased. I like to linger. Maybe not as much as some of us, but I do like to linger. We'll probably end up spending the majority of the day there, if not the entire day. Cool. I was surprised to see it. Having been through the region, they've done a pretty good job recreating the area. Have zoo officials indicated why the chose Asiatic lions? I've only ever seen one down at San Diego years ago. We can only hope that it will all fall through!
Asiatic lions were kept in preference to African lions for conservation reasons. London Zoo has been keeping Asiatic lions since 1991 (apart from an interval while they were sent to Whipsnade whilst the Land of the Lions exhibit was being developed).
I will be visiting London Zoo this weekend weather permitting and would like to know if the following bird species are currently on show and if so were about in the collection please? Black faced ibis & Orange spotted bulbul Do they still have Northern rockhopper penguin with the Humboldt penguin
Black Faced Ibis - no longer at collection Rock hopper penguin - at Whipsnade Orange spotted Bulbul - in Blackburn Pavillion. A wet and cold day but still quite a few people around I have gained info but will add at a later date. Snowdon Avairy now being thinned out many tree's and bushes have been removed. Owl avairies still untouched but expect movement soon.
Makes sense. I look forward to seeing the exhibit. Hopefully I'll be able to pin down a keeper to chat while I'm there.
After yesterdays visit we had a bit of a chat about what could be done to make it better one of the main idea's to come forward was on the south bank (I think that's what it called) All the aviaries could be demolished and replaced by one large bird walk through sectioned off into three different sections. This could be achieved quite easily by extending the current display area to cover the entire walkway which would mean you would have to walk through the exhibit if you wanted to continue down the path. Another interesting view was for the old Penguin pool why not cover the top with netting and refill the water and then allow waterfowl to use the exhibit even if it's just the run of the mill species (Mandarin, Eider, Red crested pochard, Rosy billed pochard, Marble duck and others). The area were they had the unfortunate fire is still being updated , maybe a mix of penguins in the pool would be a great idea as the Rockhopper as moved to Whipsnade. I would love to see more Bearded Pigs but this maybe a wishful thought.
Funding for the Snowdon Aviary refurb now requires a little over £700’000, due to an anonymous contribution of £1m.
