Things that could make Paignton better

What are the things (new animals, exhibits, layout etc.) that could make Paignton Zoo even better?

 

More echidnas! And more carnivores too, but echidnas first!

 

Yeah, I agree with more carnivores, Paignton is such a big and important zoo, but its carnivore collection is very limited. And who doesn't want echidnas??

 

A nocturnal exhibit to put the kiwi on display properly (and then to pair it with a prospective mate), and also to display the pygmy slow lorises and further nocturnal species. But there's no need to put Bruce the echidna in there: he seems fine as he is

 

Seen one, seen them all, surely? (Runs and hides ....)

 

I have the perfect solution: Zaglossus!

 

You can never, ever have too many echidnas. Especially ones that move like Bruce does! You just can't see past your ape obsession Gigit, you'll never understand the awesomeness of the humble echidna!

 

Obsessed? Me?

 

Things to make it better....., hmmmm, Okapi, huge parrot flights, Shoebill storks, more lemurs in the walk-through, Duikers to highlight their work in Nigeria, Snow leopards, vulture or Mouflon to habituate the quarry near the nature trail (wasted at present), more Lar Gibbons for the main island and some mustalids - Marten maybe?

 

Agree entirely, they have one of the best looking lemur walk-throughs around, but bloody hell it's hard to spot them at times!

 

Build a new indoor enclosure for Orangutans, designed more for them in particular rather than for 'Apes' generally and then install a breeding group of Gorillas next to the bachelor males in the existing building. Redesign the layout of the islands to make three main ones for the three groups.

Don't waste money on a Savanah exhibit which will only contain the Giraffe plus one or more other species in small number. Use the funds instead for more smaller exhibits for new species.

Exchange the male Black Rhino for another who will breed so the female can have another calf before it is too late- which it may be already...

 

Pertinax, my thoughts exactly! A decent nocturnal house would be good too. I've probably only seen the loris awake half a dozen times.

I don't feel that a Savannah exhibit will bring more people rushing to the southwest. Use the money for something other zoos don't have.

 

I agree too! Could they do a Twycross type extension (albeit a more permanent one) to the current house and use the bank behind the rhinos to add Singapore style 'free-rang' climbing structures?
Though PZ is big, are there any plots left for new big builds?
A new nocturnal house would fit naturally near the amphibians.
There are still lots of questions about where some of the current stock will move to to create the Savannah.

 

The huge lechwe field holds just two emus. Last week the remaining pair of zebras were confined to their yards (Taru seemed to be limping ) so there were just two ostrich in their big field. The former anoa enclosure/house is empty although it looks as though it's been prepared for the takin to move in - maybe not. The nocturnal house is empty apart from meerkats, and there are only two tapirs (well, I saw one inside asleep last week; they rarely venture out these days, when I'm there at least) and one capybara. According to a post on the zoo's FB page, the 'poorly' porcupine was removed by the vet the other day.

There were/are horseshoe bats in the quarry near the nature trail.

I'm not sure now what point I was about to make there , but there are vacant plots around the zoo, if they had the funds to develop them. And by the time the Savannah gets underway, there might not be many animals left to rehouse from that area. I imagine that the TB restrictions and the reduced funding for the new exhibit are causing a lot of problems.

 

I can confirm this. Boring ABCs, like Tassie devils, wombats and platypus.

 

Seeing the sad state of the grass paddocks (Zebra & Lechwe) I think they could do with

• More Zebras - either to keep the current individuals company, unless they were to replace them with another subspecies like the Chapman's or Grant's Zebras.
• and another antelope species where the lechwe used to be (and it can be anything: oryx, wildebeest, gemsbok, sitatunga, I don't care)

And also, when you said the poorly porcupine was removed by the vet the other day, are you saying that the lonesome porcupine in the meerkat enclosure has also passed away? I know the zoo's last remaining anoa also died earlier this year, but I am wondering if the same has happened to the elderly porcupine.

 

All I know is what the post said:
"Any news on the porcupine? We were very sad to see the vets having to take him away yesterday as he was poorly."

 

If they continue with the Savanah idea, I think they would do better exchanging the mountain zebra for a small group of common zebra-making a better display and possibly are better/easier mixers too. They do need something to fill the Lechwe paddock too- problem is the steep hilly paddocks there don't make for great hoofed stock exhibits but another antelope species would still be the most obvious choice- but no animal/mammal movements allowed at present due to the TB restrictions..