Sunny day over Easter i decided to head to Blackpool Zoo for a day of taking photos. I regularly go to Chester but haven't been to many other zoo's at all so i didnt know what to expect. I have to say i was pleasantly surprised. Heres a quick note as to why... There are some different animals and Blackpool and they have some quite different feeding techniques (and diets). Some of the enclosures were considerably bigger than the same animals at Chester, and although some of them made taking 'natural looking' photos trickier due to fences in the background, they still offered good viewing points. The glass panels were cleaner than Chesters too! The zoo was well signposted and parking was ample. Enclosures had some really informative signage, although not as glossy and sexy as some of Chesters, it was still very informative and there were plenty of keepers around to chat too. I am not dissing Chester at all - i love that zoo and its ethos, but i was really impressed with Blackpool. It's now somewhere i will consider visiting again and certainly recommend to people in the area. With it being smaller it's probably a lot easier to get round with kids too. A few of my colleagues found Chester 'unbearable' over Easter when they visited, yet we had no issues at blackpool. I was expecting to give Blackpool a 6/10 but i would honestly give it a 9! Chester is still a 9.9! If anyone has any questions about my visit or wants more info on any animal sightings / enclosures please ask!
I like Blackpool a lot. It has a pleasing, slightly retro, 70s seaside zoo feel, and I really like the use of the aircraft hangars, particularly for the elephant house. It also has some very interesting critters - Markhor, Ground Cuscus, Aardvark, Yacare Caiman, Mountain Gazelle, Agile Wallaby, DeBrazza's Guenon and a cracking Tree Porcupine exhibit. It's not without faults (the Ape house is a bit pokey inside) but it's always a place I enjoy.
Made by CAPS, surprisingly I didn't particularly like the zoo, although I did visit ages ago. It has probably improved.
Did you notice if the Lions had been finally mixed full-time? I was expecting the same when I visited but I found the place quite charming and a really nice day out.
taun... the male lion was out sleeping in the paddock at the same time as the two girls. They were then moved indoors prior to feeding - the male and females in separate bedrooms, they were then all let out and fed at the same time using 3 different areas of meat. bongorob. I saw a large and small aardvark but they were deep in their enclosure in the dark. not sure whether it was a mother and her youngster or a male and female. The 3 elephants seemed to have a larger indoor space than chesters herd, and although the outdoor space was smaller there is only 3 of them. they were playing football together when i went. Some of the animals didnt have perfect skin or fur - some had a few bald patches - not sure if this is a sign or unhappiness; but possibly enough to help fuel any bad press?!
Just to clarify, Chester do have quite extensive off-show elephant indoor areas (zoolex says 1,995 metres squared for the elephant areas of the house)
One other question that I completely forgot about. Did you see the new silverback and how is he settling in?
Yes, Crumple was put down in March 09 http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Popular-zoo-elephant-put-down.5032313.jp
only saw a large (with a very flabby neck) and small orangutan outside, tbh cant remember what i saw inside.
Yeah he was mixed in the the others, although we only saw 2 out and about?! He's a big powerful looking chap. first gorilla i've seen since i was 8 years old and felt a little bit humbled. I am in such awe of Dian Fossey et al who got to share their space with them in the wild.
Glad you enjoyed the zoo so much; I really like the place, it's a nice day out and they get a lot of undeserved criticism. It just goes to prove that you can't judge a place until you see it for yourself, which I think a few people on this site are too keen to do! I believe penguins are supposed to be returning to Blackpool this year, and there's been talk of re-modelling the sealion pool too; did you see any evidence of work in progress on either of these?
There was some work going on between sealions and gorillas, which i believe will be the penguin enclosure. Foundations were down and the main building work was on its way. Adverts said due summer 2009. No sign of work on sealions though.
