Bristol Zoo Project NWCP to open in July as......

It's official - Wild Place will now be open to the public from Monday 22nd July according to the latest E-news letter from Bristol

 

According to the Wild Place Facebook page, the female okapi is called Kibibi. Doesn't say anything about where she is from or whether there are/will be more than just her in the near future. Is she from Bristol or somewhere else?

 

Does this mean the Okapi will not be moved over from the Zoo, but in fact there will be Okapi on both sites?

 

I'm not familiar with Bristol Zoo or their okapi so wasn't sure if the name matched one of theirs but if she is not a Bristol animal then it would seem they will have animals at both sites? Not a bad thing!

 

If this is correct and the Okapi are staying at Bristol then that is excellent news! It did seem unlikely they would move the youngster & mother so soon!

 

Just sticking 'Kibibi' into the ZooChat search, there was an Okapi by that name at Rotterdam earlier in the year.

 

The Okapi as Maguari has already said did come from Rotterdam.

Also yesterday they took delivery of 4 Pygmy Goats and a group of domesticated Guineafowl for the place!

 

I guess even Bristol have to start somewhere with this new venture..

 

Indeed so believe they are to go in the Madagascan Village.

 

It is perhaps no surprise that eventually hoofstock like bongo and bush pig will find their way to the NCWP sooner rather than later.

 

ITYS ​

Alan

 

I went to Bristol today, there was one Okapi out, however there was also a loading crate attached to the pen of one of them. Not sure whether this is an Okapi leaving for the new site at NWCP?

 

If so my guess would be they are moving the male, leaving the mother and new calf on exhibit at the Zoo. Whether they will also be transferred later or stay permanently at the Zoo isn't clear, but the male could potentially be used with both females.

 

This would seem the most likely situation, at least in the shorter term. It maybe that once the calf is moved on then the female would be moved, but as I've said before, i'd prefer Bristol to continue keeping them as well.

 

With respect to pipaluk, personally I think that Bristol would do well not to keep bigger ungulates at all. It's too small, and Warty Pigs, Dorcas Gazelles and Musk Deer are the sort of hooved mammals that might all be done well in that space.

 

The new park is due to open Monday week (22nd)- no doubt to coincide with the School Hols. The website is very simple- as if saying 'don't expect too much'- at least initially- and the £6.50 Entrance fee reflects that.

Re. the Okapi- If they leave the Zoo altogether it would be the first time, I think. since they first acquired them in the early 1960's- unlike the Gorillas, another of their flagship species, which were absent for just a year or so before Gorilla Island was built. But overall, yes the Okapi would be better suited to the larger area at Hollywood Estate.

On the other hand, I saw mention in one set of plans of their previous paddock(the one attatched to the old Elephant house)being replaced with Bongo though that may not mean much anymore, and again they seem more suitable for the new park. I agree a much smaller ungulate species, e.g. a Gazelle, would probably be more to scale in the Zoo's smaller area.

 

I think Bristol might prefer to keep one large ungulate species rather than two smaller ones on the city site. Actually I think okapi are quite suitable; they don't live in herds and they are relatively calm animals so they don't need very large spaces, they are spectacular and they are part of Bristol's tradition. I would be happy to see the tapirs move out and even, perhaps, the pygmy hippos - if that would provide more room for a nice okapi exhibit.

Alan

 

Bristol Zoo NWCP

I'd like to see Bristol hang on to their urban Okapis -- traditionally they always had Axis Deer in the Whipsnade Paddock -- now covered by Seal & Penguin Coasts.
They had a group of Arabian Gazelles when these were available in the eighties.

 

Wild Place Project

I was just wondering, has anyone here visited Wild Place Project yet?

 

Yes! Gentle Lemur provided this excellent review:

http://www.zoochat.com/38/wild-place-bristol-first-review-330455/

For what it's worth (probably not a great deal), there are one or two reviews on Trip Adviser as well - these are generally favourable, with the sort of minor complaints that tend to clog up TA.

Clearly there's not much there yet, but give it a year or two.....