Which zoos keep Yaks? I remember seeing them at West Midlands Safari park. Does this park still keep them?
Have you ever been to Whipsnade Rachnos? If so, what did you think about it? I have never been but will do soon to see their Temminck's hornbill and Gaur.
Is the Temminck's Hornbill the small Sulawesi species where the male has a yellow head? I saw the female this time, but not the male. A tip- if you want to see the Gaur properly, wait until they've been moved back to their original paddock- later this summer. Where they are now(old black rhino quarters) you can't see them well as there is a yard and TWO barred and mesh barriers between you and them. They were not let out into the open paddock on the day of my visit, maybe they never are. You really need a whole day to 'do' Whipsnade properly unless you take the car in(another £13+).
Bongorob. Do you know if Whipsnade have always had Yaks? I first became aware of them when the Asian Plains area was opened, but I can't remember them before that. Where would they have been kept previously?
Thanks. Yes writhedhornbill I went to Whipsnade zoo not 2 years ago. Its was relatively good but I never saw the gaur.
I've been going since 1989 and they had yak at least since then. I was lucky enough to see one giving birth a few years ago. Pertinax I'll look up an old guide to see where they were kept previously.
Writhedhornbill, I would give the zoo 4 out of 5, The exebitions are good but don't trust the food...
I have a few old Whipsnade zoo guide books as well so I take a look when I find them, I am sure they had them long ago in the 70s , I think they also had Musk ox at some stage as well
in the 1953 book "Whipsnade" by Philip Street it says there is a herd of yaks there. "Another unusual species represented by a herd at Whipsnade is the yak....The yak has never been easy to obtain, because the Tibetan has always tended to remain isolated from the outer world. In recent years this isolation has become complete. It is therefore impossible to obtain fresh blood for the few herds of yak existing elsewhere in the world.....The Whipsnade herd is probably one of the best to be seen anywhere in the world outside Tibet...."
Chlidonias says Philip Street's 1953 book on Whipsnade mentions them so they've been there a very long time. I would be interested to know whereabouts they were kept etc. The Musk Oxen were in a paddock near the old elephant house/chimpanzees- last week it held a single male Gemsbok. Did they ever breed the Musk Oxen?