ZooChat Challenge UK 2013

Just goes to show how difficult this is as I would have said the Pallas Cat would have been the easiest of the 5 you could have seen at Port Lympne to actually see.

There is only 2 pallas cats at cotswold wildlife park now and you won't have any problems seeing them as 99% of the time they are sat up in boxes or on top of them in the corner of enclosure.

There is currently 3 clouded leopard on show as well and all can be seen sitting on or under platforms right at the back of the enclosure. I was there on Friday afternoon and they get fed around half 4ish and the keeper actually walks into the enclosure with the leopards still in there and they soon spring into life. Friday was actually the first time I had seen all 3 moving around on the ground.

 

"The first rusty-spotted cat we sighted was the offshow male who, as noted previously in the thread, is held quite visibly in an enclosure"

Isn't this an oxymoron?

 

Just wondering if anybody is going to hit the 24 total before a collection sneaks in a 25th species,or may be even more than that?

 

I may get to 24 before long, even if i'm second to it! You must have an idea where 25 or 26 might be arriving, i really hope it's not Belfast, Scotland or worse still S Lakes( can't see myself going there in a hurry, challenge or not!).

 

Lets just say things could get interesting in the last 3 months of the year,and yes I do know where they could spring up,but I know the collections will annouce them when and if they arrive!

 

Well at least it will keep the challenge alive for a few months more. It will also make my Black Footed Cat failure less significant too!

 

Actually if it all comes off could keep it a live right up to the very last day of the year!As alot of people could be in with a sniff of the prize!

 

My total has stuttered up to a paltry 6:

Tiger (Sumatran & Amur) - Dudley 27/02
Asiatic lion - Dudley 27/02
Snow leopard - Dudley 27/02
Lynx (Carpathian and Eurasian) - Dudley 27/02
Cheetah - Chester 15/07
Serval - Chester 15/07

Was hoping to be on 8 by now but didn't see the Geoffroy's cat on my last visit to Dudley and the jaguars resolutely stayed hidden on the visit to Chester

I knew I was never going to be a contender for the prize but hoping to increase the total when I make my first visit to Yorkshire Wildlife Park later in the year.

 

Mine is also a bit rubbish currently

Total=8

Managed to see whilst in Cornwall:

Felis silvestris - at Tamar Otter Centre on 30th June

Prionailurus viverrinus - at Newquay Zoo on 3rd July

Lynx lynx - at Newquay Zoo on 3rd July

Hoping to get to PL end of august and hopefully a few others before the year is up! Not sure I'll beat anyone else though or even come close

 

Got 'em Black Footed Cat- Port Lympne 22/7/13.finally have number 24, on 2nd visit to cage at just before 330, there they were, 2 kittens basking in the sun shining through those filthy windows! It hadnt been a v successful day(more on that later) until i saw the binturong in the enclosure before them, then i thought my luck may finally be about to turn! It did, 4 months after the snow stopped me making it to 24 i'm there. It may not be the end of the challenge though as ZG hinted earlier!

 

Fantastic and congratulations! I'll hold off on the trophy engraving until the end of the year just in case any new species comes in. Personally I think you'll most likely end up the winner as for someone to overtake you would mean they'd have to get to 24 and then hope any new species go on show near them (or that you don't rush up/down/accross to see them)-also, as we all know, plans to bring in new species (even if certain) can face delays for multitudes of reasons. Personally I'm a little intrigued what new species might come in as there's not much the UK doesn't hold that's available in Europe (not that they'd have to come from Europe) and fit in with existing collection plans. Odds on, if it happens, it'll more likely be one of the smaller collections (though I could be wrong).

Thanks for playing (or maybe continuing to play) I hope you've enjoyed it -I've certainly enjoyed watching your progress, especially since moving house has restricted my zoo going a little this year.

 

Congratulations! I had planned to visit Thrigby Hall yesterday, however a semi final of a local cricket cup has delayed my visit until Friday as I'm on holiday in the area (Thankfully we won the semi final so was worth it)

 

Thanks, though i suspect there may be another twist before year end.
Thanks for setting the challenge and giving me the push to finally return to Port Lympne (twice!) after 5 years and make a first visit to Thrigby.
As i said earlier i have been lucky in that this year's challenge didn't involve too much travelling for me, though the luck seemed to have turned when the weather and then the Black Footed Cats stopped me in my tracks.

 

Thanks Dave and Snowy Owl, though one of you could yet end up the winner, depending on if and where the extra species turn up!

 

I am now on 24 after seeing the golden cat at Thrigby Hall

Clouded Leopard - Cotswolds (4th January)
Asiatic Lion - Cotswolds (4th January)
Pallas Cat - Cotswolds (4th January)
Amur Leopard - Cotswolds (4th January)
Jaguar - Chester (2nd April)
Cheetah - Chester (2nd April)
Surmatran Tiger - Chester (2nd April)
Serval - Chester (2nd April)
Margay - Welsh Mountain Zoo (4th April)
Snow Leopard - Welsh Mountain Zoo (4th April)
Sand Cat - Marwell (11th April)
Ocelot - Marwell (11th April)
Oncilla - Hamerton (12th April)
Jaguarundi - Hamerton (12th April)
Caracal - Exmoor (4th May)
Puma - Exmoor (4th May)
Fishing Cat - Exmoor (4th May)
Indo-Chinese Leopard Cat - Axe Valley (6th May)
Carpathian Lynx - Dudley (25th May)
Geoffroys Cat - Dudley (25th May)
Indian Desert Cat - Port Lympne (1st June)
Rusty Spotted Cat - Port Lympne (1st June)
Black Footed Cat - Port Lympne (1st June)
Golden Cat - Thrigby Hall (26th July)

Glad I went to Axe Valley to see Leopard Cat as they no longer have one at Thrigby! They now have 3 Clouded Leopards on show 2 new ones are cubs from Cotswold Wildlife Park that went on show yesterday.