By waries I mean the warty pigs. I was going to write warties but I missed out the T and found it hard to edit the post again.
I think the crane species may have been Red-Crowned Crane. Can't be certain. Does anyone know what is in that exhibit at present? Do you know where they plan to build the new giraffe area? Surely they'd need new land, maybe like they did with the Tsavo extension? Also, What would go in where the giraffes are now? It would presumably be African Rainforest...a massive okapi area? (that'd be a great breeding facility!) I'd heard Chester were considering a huge hippo pool, anyone know anymore on that?
There is still a pair of red crowned cranes in the aviary near the red pandas but there is also an unknown. It may be housed there. Chester has over 300 acres of land. This will also be used for the new zoo extensions. Thre will aslo be african hunting dogs, mountain zebras and a hippo pool in that area. It will not be acessible on foot. Well that was the impression I got from the plans. There is also a cablecar and a safari truck planned in that area. There will be many different methods of Transport in the new zoo. It is expected to be finished by 2020. There will also be a biodome in the forest zone.
Aah, yes. Isn't there a plan to extend into the grass opposite the Tropical realm pathway bit? Near the elephants and ex-maned wolf bit where the bridleway goes through? Sounds very exciting. Thanks for the update!
The giraffe house was planned to go behind the Grevy Zebra paddock. This has been put on hold while the super zoo is under consideration. The last I heard about the existing giraffe house was that it would be converted into a primate exhibit with Western Lowland Gorillas and Colobus monkeys. Should be ideal with such a tall building. Blue Duiker were also to have gone with the okapi. The giraffes were to have been part of a mixed East African savannah exhibit. The crane in the old Maned Wolf enclosure is a young red-crowned crane. The current cattle house is to be converted to another okapi house with the current enclosure linked to the cattle house resulting in the closure of the path between the two. The work should have been completed by Easter but no start has been made yet. Another male okapi is due around September. The babirusa were supposed to be going into the pudu enclosure, no idea where the pudu would go. A hippo exhibit has been planned for many years, the zoo would like underwater viewing and the last I heard it was to have been built to the west of the Przewalski Horse enclosure, but that was about 5 years ago. Can't remember if Gemsbok were in the cattle house, I know Scimitar-horned Oryx used to be and in the 1960s Beisa Oryx. I have a feeling they were there for a short while.
Do you know what percentage(approximately) of the land owned by Chester Zoo is used up by the existing zoo, and how much is currently undeveloped? Does the additional undeveloped land surround the zoo on all sides?
Bongorob, What a wealth of knowledge. Most of the things you are telling me are things i've been wondering about for ages! Anything you can tell us would be of great interest?! One thing I was wondering for instance, how does the whole zone idea work? Most of it I can see, Rainforest is clear, as is Savannah, and to a degree wetlands and islands, with desert where the camels are. But some areas seem out of place, for instance the Twilight zone, which surely would really be island or forest. Also, what is the area where the bears are meant to be? Highland? Cloud Forest?
I don't understand the zoning system. Things won't come together for several years yet. I always wonder why Sand Lizards and Mallorcan Midwife Toads are in the middle of the Amazon rainforest zone. Obviously because the enclosures were already there. I don't think it could ever be perfect. I'll do my best to keep people up to date with Chester Zoo. See the new thread I'm starting 'births at Chester Zoo'
You've persuaded me. I'm going to send the pictures to you. Or at least I was. I can't figure out how to attatch a picture to a private message. About the blue duiker, Are they still going to be brought into th okapi exhibit. I would prefer yellow backed duiker, but they are a lot bigger. I knew there was another animal on the way but I didn't know waht sex it was. Thanks. The bears, twilight zone and the monkey islands exhibit are staying where they are, Presumably as an entrance plaza. The sand lizards could easily be moved to the Islands and water section and as Mallorcan midwife toads have been downlisyed to vulnearble Chester does not need to keep them. They could always be moved into the tropical house anyway. I saw the baby pudu last year. To be honest I don't mind what they do with them. There are so many in zoos now that Chester does not have to keep them. About the zones, The whole zoo is going to be re-jigged about. Th camels, onagers and addax will be over in the west zoo with lots of other grassland animals. The black rhinos are moving from that area, to an african safari zone which is on land owned by the zoo but with nothing built on it yet. The islands and water zone will be the majority of the east zoo and will cover up to about where the orang house will be. That will be the forest zone. About the cattle house, Would the buffalo remain in one side and the okapi in the other?
grantsmb asked Do you know what percentage(approximately) of the land owned by Chester Zoo is used up by the existing zoo, and how much is currently undeveloped? Does the additional undeveloped land surround the zoo on all sides? The zoo occupies 25% of the land owned by the society. It's hard to describe the extent of the land without a map. Basically the field adjoining the A41 which is behind the bears/zebras/oryx enclosures belongs to the zoo. The land to the west of the Przewalski's horses also belongs to the zoo, as does all the land to the north of the east zoo as far as the canal. The land to the east of Caughall Road which used to be the old relief car park and the field to the north of that are owned by the zoo. Going north west from the link road between the A41 and the car park, the zoo owns all the farmland as far as the canal. A field to the south of the A41 is also owned by the zoo, but may be sold because it would not be easy to bring this area into the zoo grounds. Near to the canal and in the field north of the Tropical Realm is a disused pumping station belonging to the Ministry of Defence which is surrounded by zoo-owned land. The Zoo are negotiating to acquire the site. As far as I know the Congo Buffalo will not be staying in the cattle house. Several years ago there was some talk about mixing them with the Grant's Zebras, but they have gone themselves. Plans change all the time. In 1986 a senior zoo official infomred me that the arrival of Siberian Cranes, Steller's Sea Eagles and Bearded Vultures was imminent. I'm still waiting.
I was told that the elephants were going to have a new paddock , and their old one would be used for brown bears. I found out it was a lie.
The elephants are getting a new paddock. It will be to the north of the new house, and will occupy part of the car park. When this will be is anyone's guess. The existing paddock is staying though.
For the herd they have now, someone told me they could have as many as 20 elephants. That would be impressive.
Emmen has 14 elephants right now, incl. 5 bull calves who will leave the Zoo in the next years, so they are far from 20 elephants. But both elephant herds - at Chester and Emmen - could reach the 20 if more female then male calves will be born in the next 10, 15 years. It would be great if the zoos had enough space to keep the families together instead of sending some females to other zoos due to a lack of space. Chester`s outdoor ele enclosure is not bad but it`s great to hear that the herd will get more space in the future!
in that case CHester could perhaps afford to take in one or more additional females to add to the group. Its a pity Twycross(where there is no bull in residence...) don't allow them to have their four females...
I don`t think that adding more females to the Chester group or even all 4 from Twycross would be a good idea. Integrating adult female elephants into an established herd is usually difficult, often fails and brings a lot of stress for all elephants. Chester has a great family group with 3 breeding females + young female Sundara, I would not risk to introduce the 4 Twycross females to them. Fights between the dominant females are almost guaranteed. It is much better to let the herds growing naturally through keeping female offspring. And Twycross should build a bull facility soon!!
Even the elephant keeper at Chester told me he would like to see Twycross's elephants join 'his' herd(because they weren't being bred from at Twycross) but maybe that was just 'big talk'... I agree its a big job introducing strange females to an established herd. However, four females like Twycross's would form an established subgroup and probably be able to live alongside others at Chester but still keep in their own subgroup. 'Birma' is probably having a more difficult time as she is a SINGLE female- with no 'kin' in the group to help her out and the others know it. I guess my main complaint is that Twycross have shown already that they can breed elephants, but have only done it the one time and STILL don't have a bull of their own- do they ever intend to?
