A new wildlife collection is due to open to the public in May in the Norfolk town of Diss. New home for rare animals - Latest News - Diss Express Home
That's very interesting, as Diss is not very far from where I live. No indication yet on what animals will be/are being kept there, except that there will be "nothing big or dangerous". So let's hope the collection will comprise more than just Shetland Ponies, Rheas, Meerkats and Wallabies. I see that Ben Potterton, the owner, has denied that it will be a zoo. Oh dear. I do wish people would understand that ANY place where non-domestic animals are on view to the public IS a zoo, no matter how the owner chooses to dress it up as a wildlife sanctuary or to give it some other label. (Monkey World is another that claims it is not, definately not, no way, a zoo. I don't understand. It has apes and monkeys and lemurs on show to the public, just like London, Paignton, or Colchester Zoos. How is it not a zoo?) Anyway, Mr Potterton, I like zoos, and I have no objection to the word.
The article mentions little bitterns and roadrunners, and the homepage shows a photo of a blue-throated macaw. I first came across their website a few months ago, when following up this interesting collection list on zootierliste: http://zootierliste.de/en/zoosmap.php?showzoo=10001962 I guess this is the place?
This is Ben Potterton's collection, from which he stocked Golders Hill Zoo in London until recently. I believe he is no longer involved there, but is still a Curator at Twycross zoo. I think it is easy to see a pattern with his work in terms of bird species, especially Galliformes, Gruiformes, and other 'water-bird' species (waders etc). A local tourism partnership (The Boudicca Way - "A route through the Waveney Valley from Norwich to Diss" > Shorelands Conservation & Wildlife Centre Page) had the following to say about the collection in 2011: "Shorelands is a small wildlife gardens that is home to a predominantly bird species, many of which are endangered in the wild. The centre maintains over 400 animals and cooperates with international breeding programs for the Japanese Crane, Malayan Black Hornbill, Edwards Pheasant, Vietnamese Pheasant, Mellers Duck, Madagascan Teal, Red-fronted and Blue-throated Macaw. The site has traditionally be associated with cranes, being the most successful crane breeders in the UK, visitors can usually see crane families on the lawns from May onwards. Visitors will be greeted by Bar-headed and Red-breasted Geese, Eared Pheasants and Whistling Ducks that live free on the lawns throughout the gardens, the planted aviaries contain a selection of species including plovers, herons, storks, owls, caracaras, guans, conures, partridges and doves. We aim to tell the story of each species that we keep in our collection, providing an interesting and informative visit, we are providing all of our animals with new enclosures, aiming to group species geographically and will be adding more species, including some mammals as the collection matures. The gardens at Shorelands hold a large collection of hardy perennials and grasses many of which can be purchased at Blacksmiths Cottage Nursery, with some unusual trees and shrubs being planted within the spacious aviaries. The surrounding meadows are home to a family group of Alpacas that can be seen from the car park upon your arrival. Shorelands also maintain some UK species, breeding Red Squirrels as part of the UK release program and also monitors moths and butterfly species and is also home to the most successful House Sparrow RAS (rearing and Survival) Project in the country. The gardens open to the public for the first time in May 2011, so visitors are advised to check our website for opening times, events and admission prices. We aim to open Thursday – Sunday and Bank Holidays from 10am-4pm." Also, this is a 2004 article on Ben Potterton and his collection in Norfolk, clearly already well-developed as a private holding even then. A really interesting article: Aidan Semmens - writer, editor, photographer, designer
it sounds like it will be a thoroughly interesting collection, and johnstoni's quote makes it sound much better than the dreary article in the Diss Express in kiang's first link.
Yes this sounds very interesting , Ben Potterton is a well respected name in the zoo world and I am sure he will do well with this new venture. But I totally agree with zooman64 - a zoo is a zoo is a zoo- if it contains a collection of animals - it matters not one single jot what you call it, and it does not change what it is simply by calling it something else. The public`s initial perception of a place can be altered of course but that does not change the fact that it is a zoo at the end of the day.
Though i'm not particularly a bird lover this may make an interesting double visit with Banham in the future. I agree entirely with whats been said about it being a zoo though! There has been a trend to call places 'wild animal park'(though whipsnades thankfully not ashamed to call iyself a zoo again!),sanctury or wp, but they're all zoos! Africa Alive,Marwell Wildlife(my biggest gripe!), and monkeyworld(wherever the primates came from) are all zoos, whether its PC to be called one or not!
(Puts body armour on). To be fair, I can see why Ben Potterton might try to claim the place is not a (traditional) zoo: 1. It stops the place being compared with nearby Banham, which in most people's minds would be "better" as it has a more comprehensive collection of animals, and related to this; 2. It stops people turning up expecting the "usual" zoo animals and being disappointed. I believe it's just strategic (marketing), to differentiate the collection a little. Ben Potterton is not "anti-zoo" and I dare say a number of members on this forum have described a zoo as "just a bird garden really" on occasion -it's a useful description.
If these are the genuine reasons then i can accept them,but its easy to see why some have jumped to the wrong conclusion possibly, when several collections do try to paint themselves as being in some way better than a zoo.
I don't mind terms such as 'wildlife park' used in a zoo's title, so long as the owners are aware and happy to say that it is a zoo. Zoo is a short, hard word and therefore doesn't sound quite right with some places. One example I can think of is Port Lympne Wild Animal Park sounds much better phonetically than Port Lympne Zoo. If that miracle ever occurs and I open something up in the future, my preferred title is Fauna Gardens Wildlife Park, as opposed to Fauna Gardens Zoo, the latter just doesn't sound quite right and doesn't have any ring to it. Rest assured though, I would still be happy to say it's a zoo
Exactly. A zoo is a collection of animals, no matter what form that takes or which type of animal is involved, it also doesn`t matter what size that collection is or whether it is set in parkland , a garden , a yard, on top of a building, or wherever it is or whatever it is made out of ! That is a fact. Whilst I can see that the word "zoo" might be a little harsh for some people or could give visitors "an impression" that a collection wishes to avoid and that is fair enough and is why some collections choose to call their premises "wildlife park" or any number of alternative names, but my point is that it does not actually alter what is behind the entrance gates - if there are animals there it is still known as a zoo! Unfortunately by trying not to use the word zoo you are almost admitting that you are embarrassed about its use, when really this should not be the case. Some collections have spent rather alot of money in their efforts to change their name (re-branding) and change the publics perception of what they are, but at the end of the day it is all rather pointless and means nothing, people will always call it a zoo anyway.
It sounds a nice place. My worry is that there are already rather a lot of collections open to the public in this corner of England. Will Shorelands be able to do much more than tread water?
Given that the place has been going for,I believe well over 10 years with no public seeing it,I think it will stand a pretty good chance.
Does anyone have any news on this place? The website is still suggesting thAt it will open in early July, but given that it is now late July I'm not sure how up-to-date this is.
I have visited the place, and I got to see some of the animals there. If you want me to list some species, then I can.
Is it open to the general public, or can you only go on special occasions? There's a species list on Zootierliste, but any comments on the place itself would be wonderful - thanks!
Very sorry for the late reply, it is not open to the public, no. I went as part of an organised college trip. However, it will open in 2013 as I understand it. It's a very small collection, which is expected, as it has just started to grow. Most species are free-roaming, including a small group of marmosets, or so I was told... It has been a little while since I went, but I remember Grey Crowned Cranes, Manchurian Cranes, White Storks, Red-breasted Geese, Common Eiders, other ducks, chickens, etc all together, free-roaming. More delicate and/or rarer species like Southern Lapwing, Cinnamon Teal, Cattle Egret, Comb Duck, Boat-billed Heron, Puna Teal, etc were in enclosures.
Taken from facebook today! Over the last 18 months Shorelands Wildlife Gardens has been developing, we are now pleased to say we have been granted our Zoo licence and shall be opening to the public in the up and coming weeks, the date shall be announce soon.
