Did notice the splendid sunbirds were missing but the Scarlet chested sunbirds were in at least 4 aviaries many though were juveniles from what appeared to be this years breeding also quite a few female birds and I only saw 1 male bird
It has been announced that the aquarium will close. Saltwater displays will move to BUGS and most freshwater to Whipsnade. There probably is a timescale for this but it is certainly planned for before the centenary and possibly for 2020.
I was there on Friday. I have very mixed feelings - overall it was disappointing yet there were some things very much worth seeing. I'll try to distill a review as I go through my photographs in the next couple of days.
I saw the splendid sunbirds on one of the end aviaries in the old owl aviaries ( on the "happy families" side)
Having just received an email belatedly telling me about the aquarium closure, it would appear London is to get a “corals” exhibit in BUGS next year with Whipsnade building a freshwater aquarium. The mail also states that ZSL will retain 75% of its stock, with the remainder going to other collections.
Currently, the aquarium is probably my favourite part of the zoo and I also like it for nostalgic reasons as I have fond childhood memories of manatees there. Consequently, although I've known about the aquarium's closure for sometime, receiving the official notification today was very sad news as I hoped there would be a last minute reprieve. I received the same e-mail as you. Apologies for being pedantic, but it the wording is slightly ambiguous; it actually states 75% of the species, not stock, will be retained so I wonder if there will be a reduction in numbers of individuals in the species that will be kept. If 75% of the species currently in the aquarium can remain in the ZSL collection that is obviously excellent news. Personally, though, I cannot get excited about an aquarium at Whipsnade; I think Whipsnade should concentrate on what it does best, large carnivores and herds of ungulates, leaving the fish to London Zoo.
The loss of the Aquarium is a major blow, one of the few remaining areas of genuine conservation work and interest IMO. The work with the Pupfish etc was of international importance. I'm gonna miss that run-down, leaking, boarded-up, ramshackle place...
ZSL London Zoo. Friday 2nd November, 2018. A few posts ago I checked in after my recent visit to Regent’s Park, and said I was disappointed overall, but there were many things worth seeing. I’d probably best expand on that. Why disappointed? Although I haven’t been for years, I do follow goings on at ZSL and nothing I saw should’ve come as a surprise. It was noticeable that although this was a half term visit for us, the holiday had been and gone in London and most visitors on the day were tourists from overseas. Visiting one of the world’s great capital cities I guess what they’d be expecting was the UK’s national zoo. Oh dear! We know its small, but its also rather tatty and dog-eared, there are swathes of wasted space and although there is much history there it isn’t incorporated, and featured, the way it is in say, Artis. It boils down to money of course, but I see Chester so apparently cash-rich and wonder why ZSL are where they are. Yes, its small, and constrained, but its punching well below its weight. And that’s disappointing. But, big but, there are many things worth seeing. Starting with the Aquarium, I did make a conscious effort to linger in there. Standing back and looking up and around it certainly doesn’t look healthy, I can fully understand the decision to close it. But really, that should be a decision to replace it not just take it away. To me that place is worth ten London SeaLifes. A look at the Mappin Terraces next as I told my children what my first trip there was like. What can ZSL possibly do with it all now? Hopefully with the aquarium closed they’ll demolish the lot and free up the space for a new generation of the facility. As I go off into the realms of fantasy again! The Reptile House next. As fascinating as ever. Call me old fashioned () but I like to see a parade of reptiles in one place, rather than dispersed all over a collection. Here I can get the right lens on my camera and move from one to the next missing nothing, and comparing, contrasting and appreciating the variety on show. The few exhibits that now incorporate human paraphernalia carried off their theming rather well I thought, and provided good discussion points. Gorilla Kingdom was next, in which the first thing I saw was a brown rat causing mayhem around the duck pond, but hey, I didn’t see the rats in BUGS. Gorilla viewing was good though – indoors and close despite the obstructions on the glass. Bird Safari was the first walk through of the visit, all of which were done very well. I very much enjoy a view of anything without bars or glass in the way. The added bonus a new-to-me species in there, and the not the only one of the day. Tiger Territory was pretty good, with decent if not remarkable views of the tigers, but they were visible and that is appreciated. Likewise, Land of the Lions afforded very good viewing, from several angles, and a very nice support exhibit in the Grey Langurs. The theming is rather over the top to say the least though. Its as if somebody has said, “right, we need to make it very very clear that these lions are native to India, not Africa”, and in order to get that message across all subtlety has gone out the window. I’ve not been to India, but it all seemed rather cartoony to me. The trio of BUGS (and especially ‘in with the spiders’), ‘in with the monkeys’ and the Blackburn Pavilion were all very good. The former is a debut for me, I’ve never seen a walkthrough spider exhibit and with a member of staff on hand to chat the experience was outstanding. Plenty of seats outside too for arachnophobes. The Blackburn Pavilion did what very few parts of the zoo did, in evoking that sense of history. All building up to the Clore, which has always been my favourite bit, and I braced myself, but found I still love it! The evocation of rain forest is very effective, its atmospheric and a great exhibit. The nature of the thing is that there’ll be no-shows, I’d have liked to have seen the Tamandua. But it’ll be different on every visit. Downstairs – is this the darkest of dark exhibits by the way? There were more no-shows; no Potto, no Loris, but great views of lesser Bushbabies and Australian Water Rats, something you don’t see every day. On the final loop around the Into Africa section (ah that Giraffe House..) there was great viewing of the hunting dogs which were very active at that time. I did leave with mixed feelings, but overall I was pleased I set aside the time within a London visit to go. My twelve year olds now have Regent’s Park on their ‘list’ – and you’d get a far better review from them as they see it now, without that prejudice of knowing what was there before. I really do wish London Zoo all the best, its largely responsible for my zoo habit, but I do feel its like a grand old house that needs an absolute fortune spending on gutting it. A money pit indeed.
The latest annual report along with the institute of zoo annual review now appear to be available at ZSL Annual Reports
I have a sinking feeling that the Blossom Project is going to be some kind of sensory garden... there’s something about the way they’re using the term “exhibit” without giving any indication of species.
After today's visit, can confirm that both tigers are still at the zoo. The reindeer have moved to Whipsnade, their area is shut off, no idea if it's just a Christmas season move or more permanent. The rain-misters in the Clore rainforest have been turned up, they're going almost constantly now, but they create a wonderful atmosphere, especially with the current low winter sun.
Jae Jae would have to be one of the most impressive male Sumatran tigers I have ever seen. I've never seen a male with such a large ruff. Have any of his sons inherited this?
