Everywhere was packed so I think it will have been a financial success. There seems to be more things going on at the chimps, move wise, so I'll let you know when I've worked it out. I'm going again Friday.
Let's not forget that hopefully it has drawn attention, at least for some of the customers, to the plight of orangutans. It's not ALL about profit! We saw Mongo outside yesterday down behind the leopards, Ricky's old house. Not being an old timer I don't know what you mean by 'the old gorilla house'. Jambo is next to Flyn etc in Joe's old house having careful introductions with Benjie. It also says Josie is there on a sign but we only saw Jambo.
I politely disagree, in this case it's all about profit. The "Red Heads Go Free" promotion is just one in a line of promotions to get bodies through the gates (for free if need be) so that the zoo gets the benefit of their "secondary spend". There's nothing wrong with that, hopefully they'll make lots of money so the can improve the place quicker. Highlighting the plight of Orangs and other conservation issues is an added bonus but, let's face it, this promotion was far more about getting people through the gates and money from their pockets. Unfortunately you can't please everyone, even with free entry, as recent TripAdvisor reviews indicate. Most interestingly, someone suggests they're using palm oil for cooking -I'm not sure if this is true (I'd hope not) and would be grateful if anyone could confirm/deny this (hopefully the latter)?
If you refer back to post 14 on this thread you will see my comment regarding free visitors and orang conservation.
I'm sure a large percentage were just on the freebie thing but there are people who would be interested if they knew, I don't know what information was on offer on the day try to educate any open minds.
I have just read the latest reviews on trip advisor, some from people who took advantage of the free offer, talk about looking a gift zebra in the mouth, worrying that even when let in for, as my old Jewish friend used to sat "a nice round sum", they still feel the need to express themselves on trip advisor very much in the negative. Regarding the palm oil , which has been suggested this zoo uses in its cooking, this is not the first time I have heard this, a member by the name of Integrity mentioned this last year when the zoo went over to private catering. And as for accepting free admission, accepting something for nothing is not something I do, I was advised against it years ago by my above mentioned friend, why?, because if you accept something for nothing you loose your discount!
Nowadays there are two 'old Gorilla houses' at Twycross, so they should really be 'oldest gorilla House' (behind the Mansion) and Joe's house(or rather Joe's second house, the one nearest the Elephants). Gorillas Joe and Bongo(and the first two pairs of Orangutans) first lived in the row of Ape cages which were later extended to become the much criticised 'chimp row'. The two Gorillas later moved to the first purpose built Gorilla House. They then shared it with the youngsters Mamfe, Assumbo, Biddy and Eva and all except Assumbo (who moved to Chessington), lived there into adulthood. At that time Mamfe and Joe 'shared' the females, each male spending some of the time with them. Later still they were moved to the newer 2nd Gorilla house near the Elephants, where Joe had his own purpose-built section and the sharing of the females ceased.
I see that Chester Zoo are advertising free admission for children this coming (Bank Holiday) weekend. I wonder whether the God-isn't-Twycross-terrible-these-days brigade will be as condemnatory of it as they were of everyone's favourite East Midlands zoo, when they attempted a similar marketing exercise.....
O yes and how many visitors do Chester get in a year, and how is their bank balance currently standing? Yes it is a damn good offer at Chester on Friday and Saturday to allow up to five children in with each paying adult, perhaps it could be aimed at perhaps reducing the crowds on Bank Holiday Monday when this zoo can be too busy, I will not be taking advantage of it however, firstly I do not have up to five children who are of the age to qualify, and secondly I am too busy fitting into my Dark Vader costume to qualify for a discount at everyone's favourite East Midlands Zoo, I think I will resist waving my big wand about when I am there, don't want to cause an elephant stampede
It may be Darth Vader Pertinax, I was never really interested in science fiction from a small child, always preferred Animal Magic to Doctor Who!, look forward to seeing you there , by the way, strictly between ourselves, don't tell anyone but I understand there will be a special guest appearance of a lady returning to the zoo for one day only, Princess Laila indeed
Ah but are they real children? Or just adults bending down? How will they prove it? Hope they are bringing birth certificates? What if they don't spend in the shops or don't listen to the conservation message? Surely a foolish move to let these little noise machines in for free? What kind of zoo nowadays let's people in for free!?
Hello Maz, I would suggest that Chester have looked at the attendance figures of the same Friday and Saturday of previous year during the six week school holiday period and that they are lower than the previous four Friday and Saturdays during the school holidays, this is because visitors will be intending to visit on Bank Holiday Monday, a day when this zoo is extremely busy and as a result could spoil the visitors enjoyment,eg, car park virtually full at opening time, large queues for toilets, refreshments and meals, getting into Realm of the Red Ape etc. By offering this free admission for children it is perhaps an attempt to spread the load over the Bank Holiday period. What kind of zoo is it?, a one that gives the visitor value for money and has most of the animals that the average zoo visiting family expect to see, a zoo where it takes a full day to get round and which has also been directed well since the passing of its founder Mr. Motteshead over the years, it has grown and continued to flourish over this period. And please note, Chester,although excellent, is not one of my favourites, I have far more affection and interest in Twycross, my second favourite zoo,I sincerely hope they have made plenty of hay while the sunshines this summer,to get them through a very long, dark, cold winter period.
