My wish list from the realms of fantasy (except no 1) YWP - orangutan (preferably Sumatran) Twycross - (but only if they make them a fantastic home) sea otters Chester - duck-billed platypus (ho ho ho)
London - Owston's Palm Civet Whipsnade - Bottlenose Dolphin Edinburgh - Sumatra Orangutan, Giant Otter and California Sea Lion Highland Wildlife Park - Siaga Blair Drummond Safari Park - European Grey Wolf Folly Farm - Giant Anteater Welsh Mountain Zoo - Kulan Chester - Javan Leopard, Large Flying Fox and Matschie's Tree-kangaroo Longleat Safari Park - Guar Knowsley Safari Park - Asiatic Black Bear South Lakes - Meerkat Africa Alive! - Sulcata Tortoise Bristol - Common Vampire Bat Blackpool - Palm Cockatoo Flamingo Land - Indian Rhinoceros Banham - Pygmy Hippopotamus Birmingham WCP - Aye-aye Colchester - Spectacled Caiman and King Penguin Birdworld - Southern Cassowary Drusila - American Alligator West Midlands Safari Park - Black Mamba Wild Place - Eurasian Brown Bear, Chimpanzee and Fossa Chessington - Baird's Tapir Yorkshire Wildlife Park - African Bush Elephant Marwell - African Lion Noah's Ark Zoo Farm - Gemsbok Isle of Wight - Sri Lankan Leopard Howlett's - Kuhls Hog Deer Port Lympne - Common Hippopotamus Cotswold - Persian Fallow Deer Newquay - Sun Bear Paignton - West Indian Manatee Living Coast - Brown Pelican Woburn Safari Park - Argali I know I'm late,(and in America) but I couldn't help it. Really wanted to get these out of my head
I was wondering how these species would improve these collections, as I'm sure there is some logic, I just can't see it?
I have a few suggestions for these zoos as to what animal(s) would look great there: BWCP: Servals or Caracals, North American Porcupines, Dik-Diks and any species of mongoose Banham Zoo: Asiatic Lions and Capybara Blackpool Zoo: Cheetahs Bristol Zoo: Sumatran Orangutans Chester Zoo: Pygmy Hippos and Snow or Amur Leopards Dudley Zoo: Amur Leopards, Pudu, Vicuna, Warty Pigs, Rock Hyrax, Maned Wolves, Takin, too many to name. Paignton: Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros Twycross: Most of the animals that are no longer there (e.g. Tigers, Lions, Camels, Sea Lions, Dhole, Hyaena, Malayan Tapir, Scottish Wildcats, etc.) WMSP: Okapi, Giant Anteaters, Black Bears or Hyenas Drayton Manor: Snow Leopards, Binturong, or Giant Anteater.
Couple I thought of Chester:Saltwater Crocodile Blackpool:Komodo Dragons London:Amur Leopards, Twycross: Gharial Whipsnade,African Leopard Highland Wildlife Park: Puma Edinburgh:Komodo Dragons
I have been thinking on this, and come up with some ideas for twelve zoos. In a few cases I cannot narrow it down to one species so have included multiple ones: London - Rusty-spotted cat (replacing dwarf mongoose in Land of the Lions) Whipsnade - Any number of species - European grey wolf, striped hyaena, black rhinoceros and Barbary macaque would be ideal for starters Chester - Pygmy hippopotamus (probably the most glaring omission from the zoo's mammal list, following the return of marsupials) Colchester - Jaguarundi (in the massive, essentially unused scarlet ibis aviary) or yellow-throated marten (replacing the lion-tailed macaques) Wildwood - Garden dormouse (the third, almost-unknown British dormouse species), European mink or banteng (an endangered stand-in for the aurochs) Bristol - Greater bilby (in the nocturnal house) or paper wasps (in the insect house; I remember seeing them on an early visit and finding them fascinating) The Deep - Flapper skate (in the Cool Sea display) or European lancelet (in the Awakening Seas display) HWP - Asiatic black bear (would suit the overarching theme of the park well) Africa Alive - Impala (a breeding herd in the huge ankole cattle paddock) Hamerton - Pallas cat (would likely benefit from an open, windy enclosure that Hamerton could easily provide) Linton - Ground cuscus and white-striped dorcopsis (building on the already good marsupial collection developing there) Tropical Wings - Marbled polecat (returning species)
I think for BNC I would go with another species of larger mammal, such as lechwe or tapir, some more big animals to boost an already good collection. As for Chester, I feel it would be improved by a smaller species, something to boost the reptile collection that is on show, I would say I venomous snake species but that's unlikely to happen.
I think that Lakeland Wildlife Oasis could do with adding a small to medium sized crocodilians to their collection. Suitable examples could be Cuban Crocodile West African Dwarf Crocodile Cuvier' Dwarf Caiman Chinese Alligator
I'm also thinking of adding in Collared Peccaries and Flamingos for BCWP as well as Linnaeus' Two-Toed Sloth for WMSP
Giant otter, Okapi & Shoebill for Paignton Zoo. Sea otter, Marine otter, Blue/Fairy Penguin and Lemming for Living Coasts.
Sumatran orangutan and mountain gorilla for Twycross. To be fair, mountain gorilla would improve pretty much any collection in the world!
Chester Zoo- Black Mamba or King Cobra as they have often been very active in my experience which is unusual and hot Herps are something that Chester is lacking (I also understand that in the current climate they are unlikely to be added to the collection)
Africa Alive!- Leopards, Okapi, Gorilla or chimps Banham- Orangutan Colchester-Okapi, snow leopards, Gorillas Chester- Hippos, Gorillas, snow leopards Bristol- leopards Crocs of the world- Anaconda London- Orangutan, cheetahs Whipsnade- Polar bears Yorkshire- Chimps Longleat- bears Woburn-Cheetah Marwell- Lions, Bonobos Twycross- Tigers Paignton- Anteater
Looks like Komodo99 beat me too it, but I was discussing Komodo Dragons for Edinburgh the other week (At the science summer school week they do there). One of the things Edinburgh is really missing is a large reptile, I suppose a crocodile or alligator would work equally as well (I was hoping they would get one of the alligators from Five Sisters but as we know...). The dwarf mongoose enclosure by the margay would work well for a monitor of some kind, so would the sandy exhibit in the hippo house. But if Edinburgh got the dragons they would be the only ones in Scotland (I'm pretty sure at least)> Edinburgh could also benefit from another medium-sized carnivore; cheetah, wolf, lynx, hyena, or something similar. As for the Highland Wildlife Park, I wish they would bring back some of the native species they once had on display: the badger, otter, pine marten, golden eagle, boar, etc
