the website has now replaced the banner at the top of the zoo page so there are no misleading pictures (good move), and there is now more text with more animals mentioned, including Cuban hutia: Zoological Gardens WELCOME TO VENTURA EVENTS
Since they run a zoo consultancy service (Zoo Consultancy WELCOME TO VENTURA EVENTS) do you think I would be correct in thinking that this zoo will be really good? And if it turns out to be a bit rubbish, surely that wouldn't serve as a very good advert for their zoo consultancy business!
Me and Lynsey visited today en-route to collect her birthday present e got confused at first as there is a little animal collection at the back of the Van Hage Garden Centre, free of charge with Marmosets, Coatis and Raccoons. We then found the Wildlife Centre (to the back right of the garden centre)and paid the £6.50 admission. Inside is small but pretty impressive, the enclosures are pretty good, but the number if animals is pretty limited at the moment, although they are going to expand. Inside are two species of lemur (ring tail and red fronted), one Fossa, Emus, wallabies, reindeer, a Burmese Python, one Grants Zebra and his donkey companion, alpacas and llamas, and the amazing Cuban Hutias, they are a lot bigger than I'd imagined. Worth visiting for these alone! The amazing animal show was good, the keeper bought out various animals, from tarantula, skink, corn snake, to young African Wood Owl a lesser tenrec, most of which could be touched, and some held. The kids were loving it! Admission price for what is currently there is maybe a little steep, but with the nimal collection opposite free, it makes it worth a visit for an hour or two.
Visited today and really enjoyed it. The free animal area in the garden centre is a little forlorn compared with the new Ventura Zoo area. Ventura isn't large, the whole site can be done in around an hour, although it is worth going to one of the animal encounter talks, which last half an hour. The enclosures are good, although some are maybe a touch on the small side, but they are planning to add new species and expand the zoo further. They also plan on getting a male fossa to pair with their female. Have added a few photos to the General gallery.
Most of what they have at Ventura is listed a few posts earlier. Van Hages From memory : Siberian? Chipmunk Common Marmosets Meerkats Coati Racoon Striped Skunk Ferrets Degu Chinchilla Rats Barn Owl Cockatiel Budgies Golden Pheasant Blue Peafowl Sulcata Tortoise Leopard tortoise Mississippi Map Turtle Yellow Bellied Slider Plus a few other domestics such as pigs, pygmy goats, Turkeys, geese, ducks, rabbits but I dont recall what they were.
I Have Just Been Reading Information About Ventura and It says that KANGAROOS will be Coming soon to the Collection , The Collection is Just Growing
:MORE INFORMATION ABOUT VENTURA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS: : Ventura Zoological Gardens Will Be Expanded to 3 Acres : Red Kangaroo Are Arriving onto the Park Next Wednesday (14th Sept) : New Tropical House Being Built at the Moment (Includes reptiles, bugs and small mammals) Hoping to be Opened By The October Half Term
Two Cuban Hutias have been born. This is the first birth of any animal at the park since it opened earlier this year Ventura Wildlife's Zoological Gardens - Timeline | Facebook
Updates from today's visit: The Cuban Hutia youngsters (b. 12/11/2016) are on show, absolutely wonderful to see (unfortunately, with the all-glass viewing, my pictures are all very poor quality). There were two adults with the young, presumably the parents, so assuming the rest of the adults are off-show (if I remember right there were about three or four on our last visit) The lone female Grant's Zebra 'Zelda' has been joined by two males from Lake District Wildlife Park, 'Storm' and 'Shadow'. They arrived on 16th November. Only saw one Red Kangaroo. The Burmese Python exhibit has been finished. The Tropical House is looking like it should be finished soon. A small Invert House ('Creepy Creatures' or something, can't remember exactly) is open, but the door was locked today. The female Fossa 'Orana' was visible, although didn't get a view of their new male 'Stevie' who was asleep in his nesting box.
On the 9th December, 4 Reindeer arrived from Zoo Basel in Switzerland, The Reindeers names are Jupiter, Comet, Eclipse and Galaxy
Also Ventura Zoological Gardens has Nearly completed the New Reptile House Which will housed Tenrecs, Blue Tounged Skink, Different Snakes and Small Mammals, The Zoo is Planning on Opening the Reptile House this Christmas or Early 2017. After they have opened the Reptile House They will work on the New Section of the Zoological Gardens which will House Raccoon Dogs, which will have a Woodland Enclosure towards to The back of the zoo behind the Australian Enclosure, The Zoo is Planning on opening the New Section in the Spring or Summer of 2017
