ZSL Whipsnade Zoo Whipsnade zoo 2016

Interesting facts.

To clarify, I assume the figures are visitors under target rather than pounds sterling?

Additionally what are the total visitor numbers to date for both and do you know how they compare with the same numbers last year?

It may be that London's figures are up but not as much as they hoped/budgeted for (rather than down on last year).

i.e. I'm trying to understand what the figures really mean (blame on repeatedly listening to Radio 4's superb "More or less").

 

1. Yes.

2. Whipsnade: approx 528,400 ytd. Continuing a year-on-year upward trend.
London: approx 926,000 ytd. Down compared to same point last year.

 

Has the New Elephant conservation Centre Nearly Been Completed Yet?

 

Anyone heard if either sea lion given birth yet?

 

Update on the elephant barn-it's due to open Easter 2017.

 

The Discovery Centre will be finally retired from public use in December. Any remaining stock will be housed within the collection.

 

There's been a gaur birth-a girl!

 

At last! Excellent news! How many successive births have been male?

 

The past four babies born have been boys so this is very good news indeed!

 

I was there last Sunday and they finally seem to be building up a nice little Gaur herd. The adult pair and the new calf are still in the old paddock, but the young (boisterous?) males have been moved to the rhino paddock next door. The plan is to move the Gaur to the much larger Woodfield Paddock (currently home to the Onagers).

 

They appeared to all be in the one paddock on Saturday, so it must of been a pretty recent development for your visit!

 

An interesting development! Whats to become of the old paddock and the Onager? I can't imagine a shared exhibit-could be a bit messy considering both species temperament!

 

Nothing definite yet, but I could imagine the Onagers getting an area within the Asian drive-through.

 

Was up at the Zoo on Wednesday afternoon and had a great time, lovely weather so took loads of photographs. Was great to see the Impala & Kudu all mixing well (they were all by the pond) as I have never seen them all together in the paddock. One thing of note, there was a lone blesbok in the old Thompson Gazzelle area in the Bongo paddock, perhaps its leaving or has just arrived?

I would guess the Onager & Gaur would simply swap? That is what I was thinking.

 

Common hippo Nigna has sadly been euthanised due to ongoing age related health issues.

 

Very sad news but not unexpected; “Nigna” didn’t look at all well last time I saw her.

She was born in Madrid on 27th August 1978 so was thirty-eight years old, not a great age for a hippopotamus.

Whipsnade’s famous hippos “Henry” and “Belinda” lived in the zoo for forty-three and forty-five years respectively and there are several records of hippos living over fifty.

 

sad as I'm visiting this Saturday and was looking forward to paying her and her fellow hippos a visit!

As far as I'm aware Tanja (the last hippo in Artis) was 49 when she passed on

 

Indeed; 'Tanja' was born in Amsterdam on 2nd June 1960 and died there on 25th December 2009.

 

This month elephants George and Scott will both be leaving for Katowice Zoo in Poland.