From a previous article Sam mum Azzizah was put to sleep nearly a year ago due to her ongoing medical issues. And therefore Mya his mums best friend became his adopted mum, but she has just left to go befriend another elephant in Italy. So they said that Sam will be leaving once they find the right home for him. Since he has really struggled to be a member of the whipsnade elephant herd without mums support and guidance ! https://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-z...BbeQpJokKJiFq91MbwL41JbOvTc9CNLbWN79RFpQBZjdE
According to this link here in fact Whipsnade is now working closely with the European Endangered Species Programme and it'll be sad to see him go
All 5 females were together in the elephant centre this morning, with Sam seperately next to them plus Emmet in the yard. The public were allowed in so I guess Donna is doing fine.
Hi guys just wondering as I was looking at Chester zoos future plans and they seem amazing and very extensive and it makes me wonder the potential for Whipsnade but does anyone know any future plans for Whipsnade except from a aquarium
Whipsnade’s “potential” has often been discussed on these forums, and is a subject close to many of us. It’s very much a ‘blank canvas’ - a large area sitting on only a quarter of the land that ZSL owns and with only one or two listed buildings. It’s also a source of frustration due to an overwhelming sense that those within the hierarchy of ZSL seem to have a rather dismissive, withering attitude towards the place and would much rather concentrate on London Zoo-when investment at Whipsnade would probably cost half as much! In the short term, they’ll be another phase of construction after the aquarium, after that who knows! No doubt though, after the Snowden’s been retconned, London will probably have to push for significant investment to save the Mappin Terraces thus channeling funds away from Whipsnade.
I agree with you it is also annoying how there seems to be space for another entire zoo in the fields behind The elephants and camels
Just had this reply from ZSL whipsnade when I asked how is Donna?? thank you for your concern for Donna. Donna is being closely monitored by her zookeepers, as we are still waiting for her placenta to pass. Vets have given her treatments including hormone gels and oxytocin to encourage this, and administered her with antibiotics to ensure an infection doesn’t develop. We hope to have more news for you soon.
That is indeed very good news. But they might choose to wait now for her to grow a bit bigger before they try again. There was a lot of flak on their FB page about her youth and size- they explained it all obviously but some people do get very irate over the imagined 'abuse' involved.
Visited today (massive thanks to the very kind person who sent us two half price vouchers) and noted that the young male elephant Sam was seperated from the females both times we went to their enclosure. Early in the day he was out in a paddock with his dad and last thing he was on his own in the front portion of the house with all the females in the back section. First Birds of the World show took place today - consisted of a Kestral, Pied Crow, Lanner Falcon, Whistling Ducks and they walked one of the Military Macaws around the audience at the end. The crow is a nice addition and didn't seem at all phased by her first outing.
Oh and I don't know how long they have been a feature but the picnic room in the butterfly house is closed and they have two covered picnic areas between the buttefly house and old discovery zone - they have those heated lamp things in them.
Was the export of Mya due to conflict within the herd? I’m not 100% up to date with the Whipsnade herd but I recall their was a conflict between Mya and either Kaylee or Lucha?
Picnic room; afaik the rest of the old conference / wedding rooms next to butterflies will become the aquarium - along with the lawn area. The semi permanent building on the lawn, where dinosaurs was, is open for picnics.
Zootierliste says they hold both 'zoo' lions and asiatic lions. Do they have asian lions?? Seemed to be an African exhibit?
The Asian lions were being held off-show in quarantine for a while up behind the cheetah enclosures but they may have now left.
