Join our zoo community

Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2021

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by jamie779, 2 Jan 2021.

  1. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    20,707
    Location:
    england
    Don't get it. Integrating her with the others will have no effect with breeding, apart from with her. They have no schweinfurthii male. They have no breeding age verus females anymore either. Its a stalemate until they can acquire more verus females, or simply allow mixed breeding again if they want a baby chimp or two now to make the group more complete.
     
  2. jamie779

    jamie779 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    28 Jun 2019
    Posts:
    190
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    I have just seen a tweet from Dr Redrobe, where she talks about a top secret development for 2022. Any ideas?
     
  3. jamie779

    jamie779 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    28 Jun 2019
    Posts:
    190
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    Maybe they need the space of the separate indoor enclosure? Not sure... completely speculating!
     
  4. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    20,707
    Location:
    england
    It apears to be simply transferring one female from the group of 4 to the bigger group. Leaving the other 3 still together. Don't quite understand why though.
     
  5. TriUK

    TriUK Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    23 Jan 2013
    Posts:
    1,060
    Location:
    Devon, UK
    It’s not ‘top secret’ if she’s planting marketing seeds on social media! Hopefully it’s to move the Orangs from that cell with adjoining patio garden - to provide them with a naturalistic enclosure & much needed space!
     
    Benosaurus likes this.
  6. GiraffeJack10

    GiraffeJack10 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20 Jun 2020
    Posts:
    230
    Location:
    Staffordshire, United Kingdom
    It could have something to do with the work going on at the 'explorer zone' but that's not exactly top secret and I was hoping we would see it before 2022 but that could be wishful thinking.
     
  7. J C

    J C Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

    Joined:
    22 Oct 2018
    Posts:
    475
    Location:
    Uk
    Probably, it’s a much larger area of the zoo to transform so will take a while to complete I would imagine and I don’t think it’s been announced what’s going to be there yet so maybe she is building up to that. Any other exhibit of size would have to begin construction sone for next year so I don’t think they would take on two large project in a year, certainly not this year anyways . The only other thing could be a new species going in to one of the empty enclosures, red panda perhaps
     
  8. GiraffeJack10

    GiraffeJack10 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20 Jun 2020
    Posts:
    230
    Location:
    Staffordshire, United Kingdom
    I would love to see red pandas at Twycross zoo. I think that they would be a good idea. They could do some repairs and planting in one of the old ape enclosures and it would be a popular choice with visitors as well as being fairly cheap too.
     
    pipaluk, Animallover1998 and JT like this.
  9. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    20,707
    Location:
    england
    I think Red Panda would be good too. But the photo of repairs to that older ex Gorilla/chimp house indicate otherwise perhaps- after all Red Panda usually requires only an outdoor exhibit with trees and some sleeping boxes.
     
  10. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    5 Dec 2006
    Posts:
    20,707
    Location:
    england
    I didn't think they will get another enclosure until they embark on their 'major Ape development' which would rehouse the Orangutans plus the Gorillas & Bonobos. But I guess that may be delayed further, due to the past year's events. Or worse still, put back indefinately, which could change things for the orangutans sooner e.g. a revamp of another enclosure maybe? Certainly now the Chimps have decent housing, of the other Apes the Orangutans are most in need of better housing there.
     
    Kifaru Bwana likes this.
  11. James Barber

    James Barber Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    11 Jul 2007
    Posts:
    372
    Location:
    Nottingham, UK
    I keep saying to myself that Twycross should have Red Panda's, they were actually meant to join the zoo around the late 1990s but nothing ever became of it.
     
    Animallover1998 likes this.
  12. jamie779

    jamie779 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    28 Jun 2019
    Posts:
    190
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    Rude.
    But yes, the orangs do need an upgrade, despite that slight extension they put on a few years back.
     
  13. TriUK

    TriUK Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    23 Jan 2013
    Posts:
    1,060
    Location:
    Devon, UK
    If it was ‘top secret’, the management shouldn’t be mentioning any development. The Orang enclosure is dated and utterly unfit for the apes unlucky enough to be kept in it. In 2021 it is a disgrace. My opinion. I grew up 40 minutes cycle ride away (practically lived there as a kid), and the zoo is special to me in so many ways. But, like many collections up & down the country it’s taken a different path. Sorry if my tone sounded rude.
     
    StoppableSan likes this.
  14. GiraffeJack10

    GiraffeJack10 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20 Jun 2020
    Posts:
    230
    Location:
    Staffordshire, United Kingdom
    Twycross do have lots of outdated enclosures but IMO only a handful of these outdated enclosures actually have a negative impact upon the animals, these being the enclosures housing amur leopards, gorillas and orangutans. While some older enclosures like the bonobos and the penguins are old and looking a bit worse for wear, IMO they are adequate for the species and numbers that they hold. Twycross have come a long way these past few years with providing bigger and better enclosures for species such as the chimps and gibbons as well as new enclosures for giraffes, snow leopards, tigers and the revamped elephant enclosure now holding rhino. All of these enclosures are, I believe, among the best in the country for the species they hold. The pandemic might have pushed back certain developments but I have no doubt that Twycross zoo and Sharon Redrobe will go above and beyond to deliver the best possible conditions for all of their species. Just appreciate the fact that they built so many new, high quality enclosures in recent years which is a huge feat for any zoo. If Twycross had the money, I have no doubt that it would soon become one of the best zoos in the country. I apologise if I come across as defensive or rude, but I've grown up visiting Twycross and I remember that just a few years ago it was a rundown place with almost all of their species living in inadequate conditions but now it has improved so much in such a short space of time.
     
    Azubaa, TNT, bintarong and 4 others like this.
  15. jamie779

    jamie779 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    28 Jun 2019
    Posts:
    190
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    I completely agree with all of this. I don't think TZ always gets the credit on here for how far it has come in a short space of time. I am sure that they will continue to push forwards, under Dr Redrobe. Still a way to go I would agree ( the amur leopards in particular) but the transformation has been astonishing.
     
    TriUK likes this.
  16. The Hedgehog

    The Hedgehog Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    23 Aug 2017
    Posts:
    953
    Location:
    England
    @GiraffeJack10 how can the Amur Leopard,Snow Leopard and Tiger enclosure be outdated they are all less than 10 years old?? I believe I read somewhere that Elephants could return in the future in a new enclosure that includes a Bull paddock. With exiting news being in the pipeline for next year I have a feeling the Elephant enclosure could be built sooner than we anticipate. @GiraffeJack10 Twycross are going to build a new Gorilla house and enclosure as declared in their long term plans.
     
  17. bintarong

    bintarong Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    7 May 2020
    Posts:
    146
    Location:
    Atherstone
    Highly unlikely that elephants will return. Dr Redrobe has stated her dislike to captive elephants. This was a key reason to the Elephants move along with costs and inadequate space and bull housing.

    The exciting plan she's states is most likely the children's zone . It hasn't officially been released to the press apart from the masterplan. It could also be the tigers introduction success leading to a pregnancy. Either way it's nothing major as the site is still in debt and needs to make a income.
     
    TriUK, StoppableSan and Pertinax like this.
  18. GiraffeJack10

    GiraffeJack10 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    20 Jun 2020
    Posts:
    230
    Location:
    Staffordshire, United Kingdom
    I used the snow leopard and tiger enclosures as examples of good enclosures to show what Twycross zoo is really capable of, I have no bad words to say about either as you would've seen if you read clearly. I even referred to these as some of the best in the country! It's the amur leopard enclosure that I have a problem with. While it has only housed the leopards for a few years it previously housed chimpanzees. The enclosure is inadequate for both species. My problem is the lack of height, not the space it covers. Both chimpanzees and Amur leopards love to climb and it is almost impossible in that enclosure. Only minor adjustments were made for the transition between the species and still feels old an quite frankly ugly to look at. I haven't once been to Twycross and not seen their Amur leopards displaying stereotypical behaviours like pacing up and down the narrow 'cages' , it's such a shame because they are such a beautiful and impressive species living in a fantastic zoo. The snow leopard enclosure, on the other hand, is absolutely stunning. I've never seen them pacing or acting stressed and it's such a visually appealing area of the zoo. I hope the amur leopards stay at Twycross because they're one of my favourite felines and it's so close to my home but I really wish they would get an enclosure that's at the incredibly high standard of Twycross zoo's other recent developments.



    Edit: I'm aware of Twycross zoo's future plans for building state of the art enclosures for all of their apes which is great because their primate collection is really impressive, I really hope this still goes ahead despite the zoo's current financial situation.
     
    bintarong, Brum and Benosaurus like this.
  19. SHAVINGTONZOO

    SHAVINGTONZOO Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    1 Jul 2011
    Posts:
    1,058
    Location:
    Cheshire, UK
    Because "outdated" and "old" have different meanings.

    If somewhere built a monkey house this year based on the 1960s Chester Monkey House (the one with small metal cages and no outdoor runs) it would be brand new. And totally outdated! (Frankly that horror was outdated in the 1960s but that's another story.)
     
    Azubaa and Benosaurus like this.
  20. jamie779

    jamie779 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    28 Jun 2019
    Posts:
    190
    Location:
    Manchester, UK
    I completely agree. That hideous amur leopard enclosure is grotesque and the leopards are constantly pacing. It looked OK - ish when they first converted it from the old chimp row; now it is just an eye sore. Awful.( Not to take away from the amazing progress TZ has made though!)
     
    GiraffeJack10 likes this.