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South Lakes Wild Animal Park South Lakes Safari Zoo 2018 news

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Quincey, 24 Jan 2018.

  1. Quincey

    Quincey Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Our unfolding story - 52 weeks in - South Lakes Safari Zoo

    "Today marks one whole year, 365 days, 52 weeks, since CZCL took full control of Safari Zoo. It’s been a long, rollercoaster ride of a 52 weeks but it has also flown in many ways! We’ve been through everything; threats of closure, the serious time of applying for, and the nerve wrecking, gut wrenching waiting game to see if we were to be awarded our first, very own, license to operate."
     
  2. JoeDK14

    JoeDK14 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I’m going to be visiting on Sunday and taking part in a big cat feeding experience is there any news or specific pictures people want ?
     
  3. ian999

    ian999 Active Member 10+ year member

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    On Thursday 8th Feb at 9pm on BBC 2 there is a programme about following the staff as they try to improve the establisment
     
  4. Quincey

    Quincey Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Here's the link:

    BBC Two - Trouble at the Zoo
     
  5. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    The above item mentions a planned 'reduction in animals.' Has that in fact happened and if so, are there any major changes?
     
  6. JoeDK14

    JoeDK14 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Visited on Sunday and took part in a big cat experience. The zoo has come on a lot since my last visit. The new Africa house was open to the public, counted 7 west African giraffe,3 zebra,3 wildebeest,2 Nyala And eight white rhino. Many enclosures could do with a lot more work however there are some brilliant enclosures such as the maned wolves or arctic wolves enclosures. Was told my a keeper that the young female snow leopard will leave later this year as well chin chin the female tiger. Would anyone be interested in seeing ring any pictures ?
     
  7. agnmeln

    agnmeln Well-Known Member

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    Post some pictures from your big cat experience!

    And tell us what it was like and what it involved!
     
  8. JoeDK14

    JoeDK14 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    We were met by a keeper in the safari shop and went straight to the lion house we’re we fed the the two lions. We then made our way to the snow leopards were we were shown there indoor enclosures and then we’re aloud to feed them. Then came the two jags who much to my surprise we fed on small sardine like fish as we did with the tigers that was it really however it was a brilliant experience
     
  9. agnmeln

    agnmeln Well-Known Member

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    Sounds like fun. So how did you feed them? Was there a hatch to put the food through? Was there a pole to put the food on? How did that work?
     
  10. JoeDK14

    JoeDK14 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Fed them on barbecue tongs
     
  11. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    Hi Joe;

    I've done numerous Big Cat Feed's but apart form the one off feed for £15 they offer at South Lakes which normally tends to be the Tiger's can I pick your brains.

    I presume is was Sarah who was your keeper you went around with (Dark haired girl) as I believe she is the main Big Cat Keeper at the park now.

    How many people were in your group for the session?
    How long was the experience?
    How much did it cost (sorry if this sounds personal)?
    Did you help with any outside feeds?
    Did you get any type of talk about the animals or was it purely just the cat feed?
     
  12. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    Yes Chin Chin has already been separated from the other Tigers and is now in the old Jaguar enclosure. I understand when she moves, that the young female Snow Leopard will move into this enclosure before being moved on.

    The Jags are now in the old Asian Lion enclosure, after the male sadly died last year due to being fed poisoned meat (not the zoo's fault).

    You say you like the Maned and Arctic Wolf enclosures, personally I am surprised by this. The Maned Wolf enclosure is a nice size and also has 2 Tapir in it. Personally with the big pool, grassland and inside den's it's definitely better designed for the Tapir imo. There are no natural outside dens for the Wolves, neither any rocks or a pool with hunting position which the Maned Wolves would be best suited too. I'm not saying it's a nice size, but it's more been designed for Tapir than Maned Wolves.

    The Arctic Wolves imo was better when the aerial walking platforms were open as you could walk out into the enclosure and see across to them on the top of the hill and also see their dens. Now with the side fence view, it's often hard to see them which is a shame.

    The Snow Leopards have now climbing facilities and need a far better rock race. Even a small park like Lakeland Wildlife Oasis have built a small cliff like structure for the leopards to climb and sleep in and it suits their natural habitat and they also have climbing platforms in their small exhibit. South Lakes has quite a large exhibit for them, but they have nothing to do in it, so often spend the days asleep on the grass by the entrance of their house, under the tree's.

    The Lion enclosure is poor for visibility imo and you rarely see the lions as you can't view the house.

    Of the big cats it's definitely the Tiger's who have the best enclosure.

    The Africa house has been open all winter, but for me it's a depressing sight.

    Yes the Giraffe have a normal inside facility as do the Rhino but for me seeing the Nyala, Wildebeast and Zebra just kept in stables all day is rather depressing. They have no inside paddock or outside access at all in winter, whilst at least the Rhino and Giraffe can move about. The house should be just kept for the Rhino and Giraffe, the hooved animals should imo have access to the outside hard standing even in winter, as being kooked up in stables all day isn't great for them.
     
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  13. JoeDK14

    JoeDK14 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Yes it was Sarah who took us around as it was a Christmas present I’m not really sure if the price. There were two of us and It lasted about 45minutes to an hour really. She gave us talks about each animal we weren’t able to do any outisidr feeds just all inside the house however we did feed every cat other than chin chin
     
  14. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, yeah Sarah is really friendly. I often spend a lot of time chatting to her when I'm there and whenever I've done cat feeds there, she has done them. Got a lot of time for Sarah and she clearly loves her job and she always makes people feel welcome and her chats are informative which is good.

    Glad you had a good time. Not surprised you didn't feed Chin Chin as she is very aggressive.

    Shame you didn't get to partake in any outside feeds, one of my favourite parts of some big cat feeds I've done is being able to put stuff out in the enclosures and hiding feeds and enrichment and then watching the cats find the stuff, especially in areas you've set the camera up to get a nice image.

    That's quite short in 45 mins to an hour.

    West Midlands Big Cat VIP is a good 5 hours and is a great morning, as is Paradise's Big Cat feed. The best I've done though is the VIP behind the scenes day at Lake District Wildlife Park as you get to hand feed Lynx, help with the Serval feed, and be involved with Fishing Cat's feed, before you get to meet Reptiles, and the Lemur's and the best part cuddling the Tapir !
     
  15. Animallover1998

    Animallover1998 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I thought they never had Asiatic Lions at South Lakes before, don't you mean the old African lion enclosure?
     
  16. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    It may have been an African Lion. I just know they had two groups and thought one was Asian and one was African. They may have both been African then, just thought the single male was an Asian lion who died last year.
     
  17. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    They've never had Asian Lion(s).
     
  18. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    Thanks they must have had 2 African males and kept them separate then.
     
  19. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    Made a trip to South Lakes yesterday. Was meant to be going to the Scottish Deer Centre but a blow out at Junction 35 on the M6 meant 90 minutes waiting for AA and a new tyre in Kendal so frustratingly decided it had to be somewhere more local.

    Plenty to report.

    40 Rodriguez Fruit Bats will be leaving the collection in the near future. They are currently in the tropical house, but the exhibit isn't fully suitable for them or big enough and they don't have enough flying room, so the new park owners have decided to move them on.

    In the Tropical house they also have a Turtle in the pond where the Anaconda used to live, I can't remember what it was called but it was fascinating as it looked like a flat grey rock and it just sat there still. It eats fish and when a piece of fish comes close it's head just shoots out and grabs it. It wasn't the biggest of creatures and just looked like a rock in the pond but I found it fascinating.

    Work has started on the old classroom building to turn it into a Discovery Centre, where the collections 3 Boa's and Anaconda will go back on show and they will be looking to add several other reptiles to the collection to go in this centre. This is one of their main 2018 projects.

    Pygmy Hippo will leave the collection at some point in the future and that exhibit will be developed to hold a new species.

    The pair of Camel's have now left the collection, and their exhibit remains empty.

    Sloth exhibit is quite poor in the tropical house, with it just a couple of platforms, but it's nice and warm in there. They are going to be building more platforms for him, and other enrichment ideas shortly.

    Squirrel Monkeys are now in the old Sloth exhibit in the Primate house.

    Remi the male Jaguar is now starting to look a handsome chap, he has filled out loads in the past few months and he has become a solid stocky looking fella. His mum Bonita still beats the **** out of him though lol.

    All the Lemurs were outside in the tree's and it was great to get up close to the White Fronted and Mongoose Lemur for once.

    White & Black Lemur are temporarily off show and are in a boarded off section of the Lemur house.

    Anteater was actually out in his paddock for once and the Raccoon was awake ! both firsts for me at SLZ.

    Chin Chin has started crate training and will be heading off to a Zoo in Poland in due course.
     
  20. Zooreviewsuk

    Zooreviewsuk Well-Known Member

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    So a bit of a Pictorial of the day.

    The day started with a breakdown on the motorway so it meant no longer Scotland was viable so I got to South Lakes shortly after 10.30 am. Managed to arrange a Jaguar feed for half an hour in the morning and got to see my favs Bonita and Remi up close.


    From the Jaguar's I made my way to the Tropical House, but saw it was only open from 1.30 - 2.30pm. I was lucky though as a member of staff had just fed the birds and there was only like 10 people at the zoo, so they said if I wanted to look round now for 5 minutes I could.


    Sadly the Sloth was asleep which was also the same between 1.30 and 2.30 when I spent the whole hour in the house chatting to the lad who was working in there and he was telling me about the Zoo's new discovery centre and given we both have a massive interest in Herpetology the hour flew by as he talked about what they wanted to do reptile wise, South Lakes is in safe hands in that department.

    I made my way from the Tropical House (in the morning) to look at the Monkeys and Penguins before I popped in the cafe for lunch (bonus is South Lakes actually does good food).


    Then I walked back through the wildlife walkthrough and caught a quick glimpse of the Muntjac.


    A quick trip through the bird aviary followed before I backed on myself and went home via the Bears.

     
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