ZooChat Challenge UK 2012

What, Zebras? Lemurs?

I suppose it would put you out of your "principle wrestling" misery if someone else won before you visited Northern Britain. Deep down though I suspect you secretly like Pandas (as they're in a so crap they're almost amusing category*) and are furiously plotting to do a "hit and run" drive up on a weekend coming soon. Remember, the school children up there go back much earlier and probably wouldn't be under your feet.

Finally, let's face it, as a zoo-nerd you'll want to see the enclosure to have an opinion on it regardless of whether you see a Giant Panda.

* once you've "been there, seen that" a time or two

 

Problem is you know how my mind works to well!!!

That said to me a Hooded Seal is far more interesting to see

 

These challenges are very very interesting and entertaining. Well done Shorts for the idea!

 

Yep, it takes "one" to know "one"

Patience, Grasshopper (I'm working on it).

 

Yes, but mine'll always be the original and best, accept no substitutes!

 

An update:

American black bear (Woburn Safari Park - 10/09/2012)
Asiatic black bear (Dudley - 30/01/2012)
Brown bear (WMZ - 02/03/2012)
Giant panda (Edinburgh - various dates in June and July)
Sun bear (Edinburgh - various dates in June and July)
Spectacled bear (Chester - various dates throughout the year)
Polar bear (Highland Wildlife Park - 21/07/2012)

 

Wow you've done well!

So it appears you need a trip down here to Whipsnade for the Sloth bears. Any plans to?

 

Well... today's update is:

American black bear (Woburn Safari Park - 10/09/2012)
Asiatic black bear (Dudley - 30/01/2012)
Brown bear (WMZ - 02/03/2012 and Whipsnade 11/09/2012)
Giant panda (Edinburgh - various dates in June and July)
Sloth bear (Whipsnade - 11/09/2012)
Sun bear (Edinburgh - various dates in June and July)
Spectacled bear (Chester - various dates throughout the year)
Polar bear (Highland Wildlife Park - 21/07/2012)

It actually was actually a great experience travelling to see all the bear species, and it wasn't all about the bears (far from it), I've visited some memorable places and met lots of great people.

 

Congratulations SMR and thank you for saving me from having to travel to Edinburgh to see a Giant Panda

 

Congratulations

Glad I don't have to walk to Highland Wildlife Park now

I think 7 is a reasonable number for somebody that relies on where other people are going to, so I'm happy with that. I will have 8 bear species all being well on Sunday, albeit with the polar coming from Heythrop and hence not counting - it's still an achievement in my eyes, and will be the first year I've seen all bear species, let alone all in one country

 

Well done, I've enjoyed spectating on this, I'm still on one!

Looking forward to next years challenge!

 

Congratulations to a worthy winner! Also thanks for all those who picked up the challenge, ran with it and added a (fun) element of competition. I hope you've all enjoyed taking part and I'm currently honing down the options for the 2013 challenge, details of which I currently plan to post on New Year's Eve.

I'm especially impressed by all those who made the trek up to Highland Wildlife Park, which is superb but beyond the middle of nowhere. I'm in Edinburgh next week (Linlithgow to be precise) and I might have to miss HWP from my itinerary due to logistics and time constraints.

I better pull my finger out and do some trophy research now, (if something slightly absurd's worth doing it's always best, and more fun, to take things too far -which, let's face it, sums up the challenge you glorious people embarked on).

 

Thanks all. I've really enjoyed the challenge, not just because of the bears, but because it has prompted me to travel to some really lovely places. HWP (thanks to the staff at Edinburgh) is well worth a visit - although it really is "beyond nowhere" - and Whipsnade looked beautiful today.

I have always recommended people visit Edinburgh... but to see the zoo in general and not just to go for the pandas as there are arguably more interesting exhibits, the sun bears for example! That said, it's hard to be a zoo nerd if one hasn't seen the highest profile exhibit in the country.

Thanks to Shorts for setting the challenge and here's hoping for something equally entertaining next year.

 

I consider Edinburgh to by my second favorite UK collection after Chester. I think the carnivore row isn't suited to the large cats, but the exhibits would work well enough for small cats/mustelids etc - I hope that one day this part of the zoo won't be a part to criticize.

The pandas are nice enough, but I prefer the koalas, penguins and a few other bits. They always seem to be adding something new between my visits, which makes them always exciting [cock-of-the-rock for example] - can't wait to go again just to see them

 

Congratulations SMR!

I don't regard the HWP as 'beyond nowhere' - I think of it as being on the way to Europe's best dolphin watching on the Black Isle . Circumstances and weather have foiled my plans for a trip to Scotland so far this year but I haven't quite given up hope yet. Even if I don't get to see the black and white and the off-white bears, I don't mind being tied with Orange Person at the back of the field with a score of 1.

Alan

 

Congratulations SMR and thanks to Shorts for setting the challenge, its been interesting following it , even though Scotland was never on the agenda for me realiastically this year and ive been stuck on 4 since April! I still hope to make that delayed first Dudley visit and my almost annual visit to Chester on a weekend in October though to make it 6.

 

For me, being mainly interested in mammals, i think Edinburgh is possibly the best zoo i've visited in the uk, in terms of it's collection(more rarities than any other i can think of) , although some enclosures do diminish it's ranking slightly, e.g the monkey house and agree on the carnivore row for the larger cats.

 

Congratulations SMR. I'm afraid I never made it past 1 (Inca at Dudley Zoo). It should have been 2 but I postponed my planned visit to Chester when I heard about the okapi pregnancy - having read the update about the giant otter pups and the elephant and rhino pregnancies it may well get postponed again so that I can see everything in one visit!