Longleat Safari & Adventure Park Longleat Safari Park News 2011

Happy Birthday Nico!!

Going to Longleat on Monday!! Whats the best things to see/do??

 

Please can you ask the keepers if the tigers are breeding?

Many Thanks,

Whitelion
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The keepers in the lower part of the zoo, don't really have a clue what is going on in the Safari park. They still think of them as bunny huggers - which is true.

A few notes from yesterday. The new Gorilla Island is starting to be cleared and prepared. The cheetah's are either in quarantine or arriving soon as they are already mentioned on the free talk you get. Kate Humble is even more annoying on CD than on TV.

The Tiger cubs look as though they are doing great, they were busy fighting with act other and dad when we drove through. Was nice to see a male tiger in with the girls. As not keeping overly up to date on the park we didn't know they had got a male.

The deer feeding is currently closed due to the mating season. The Chipmunk and Meerkat walk throughs are a good idea, although having a meerkat run past your ankle is a little weird.

Over all the new features are good improvements, they allow you to get closure to the smaller animals in the collection.

The food is still bloody awful. Would have thought instead of selling out to Costs and opening a Pizza place they would have improved what they all ready had.

Looking forward to going next year, hopefully the new island will have the 6 males on it by then.

 

What is the plan with that new Gorilla Island?

 

They are going to have a new island at the far end of the lake past sea lion beach. Hopefully with a bachelor group on. During the boat tip the presenter said with up to 6 males. At the moment they have just started clearing the area that will become the island.

 

Will Nico be integrated with them?

 

No, he'll stay on his own island due to any stress it may apparently cause him.

 

Is it an island, i thought i saw plans on here that showed it to be a stretch of land at the end of the lake, not an actual island?
Can anyone confirm this?

 

Think you are correct Kiang, the plan showed a section of land with viewing from the Water(boats) but it won't be an actual island.

 

According to a Longleat regular here it was planned to be so the boats could go all the way round, but English Heritage decided against it due to it disrupting the structure of the lake.

 

Wel Longleat are calling it "New Gorilla Island - coming 2012"

 

They would need to have cut a pretty massive and very wide Channel around the land area in order for the boats to have gone around, but still far enough away from the exhibit that the Gorillas couldn't jump in and join the visitors in the Boats. Not surprised if it was reasoned it would substantially alter that end of the Lake.

 

Probably because it sounds better than 'New Gorilla 'Place' or somesuch..

 

How far will it be from Nico's island? Do you think he will be able to see/smell the new gorillas? Do you think this will be problematic or beneficial?

 

Not sure on the exact layout/distance but he would probably be able to see/hear them, especially Chest beating which is a sound which carries a considerable distance. He might find his new neighbours interesting or stimulating- I doubt it would cause him to be stressed or overly disturbed though.

 

The cheetahs arrived at Longleat last Friday evening, as soon as I have more information I will post it on Warminster Web | Daily News & Events but I can confirm that they aren't yet on view to the public.

 

What sub-species of Cheetah are they presuming 3:3 for breeding? nice to know they've arrived nicely.

 

Sorry but I have no idea yet, more info will come out from Longleat soonish, and as soon as I can get some photos I will do.

 

Cheetahs at Longleat - First Photos

Apologies for the poor quality, they were taken with a big lense through three fences, but the first photos of the new cheetahs at Longleat can be seen here Longleat vouchers, info, and photos

I hope to get some official photos soon.