ZSL Whipsnade Zoo ZSL Whipsnade Zoo 2021

The clip on Facebook shows a fantastic environment for the sea lions. Looks really stimulating and will certainly enrich their lives

 

Visited today. Whether it was coincidental there was a lot of tree surgery/assessment going on around the site, particularly at the lions. Also a lot of planning and surveying at the old red river hog site.

Other than some bunting at the entrance, there’s not a lot to say the zoo is celebrating 90 years.

 

Think they would want to make sure that if any trees where to fall this couldn’t happen again... so not surprised before next week and more people around being half term they would try and trim back any trees in enclosures where it might be possible. Did they ever say what happened to the wild bore that was attacked by the bears?

 

The male wild boar is supposed to be ok although we didn't see him when we were there last Monday. We did see the female wild boar and 4 piglets who were born the day before the incident.

 

I had a lovely afternoon up at the Zoo. Whipsnade is such a lovely place to be in the summer.

Not much to report but they have placed fencing within 'blues' enclosure so he cant get right up to the path and the new building just inside the passage thru asia has a gate that will i assume open up into the passage thru asia. Possibly new housing for the current deer species?

 

I imagine there's a certain crossover with zoochatters and readers of Darren Naish's excellent 'TetZoo', so thought his (very positive) review of Whipsnade should probably be posted here:

TetZoo Reviews Zoos: ZSL Whipsnade Zoo — Tetrapod Zoology

 

It is a very positive review of Whipsnade and, after the recent tragic events, it's good to see Whipsnade receive some well-deserved praise.

However it's a shame some of the information supplied is out of date: Whipsnade no longer has moose, wolf or onager for example.

EDIT The review has been corrected acknowledging that the moose and wolves have now left the collection.

Whipsnade does, though, still have a colony of prairie dogs in the old American bison enclosure.

 

I was unaware that the onager had left - that is sad! When did they go?

I was sure that there were still prairie dogs living wild on the hill, good to have it confirmed.

 

Whipsnade's last onager, a female, left the collection in 2017; I think she went to Chester. The former onager paddock now houses yak.

I normally visit Whipsnade about eight times annually but, because of the pandemic, I've not been since the end of 2019; however I saw several prairie dogs there that year

The most recent ZSL Animal Inventory lists nineteen black-tailed prairie dog as at 1st January 2021 (although I wonder how accurate the figures are for these free-ranging animals,).

 

Great review, just a shame they got the pelican species wrong

 

I visited Whipsnade last Saturday for the first time since 2018 (normally I visit London Zoo, being nearer to me), and overall had a very positive impression of the wide spaces and animals that looked relaxed. After the tragic bear incident, it was good to see the wild boar piglets looking happy, and the one surviving bear was out, as were the wolverines.

I'm curious about the lions at Whipsnade though - instead of neutering the males so that they could stay together which was the given reason, couldn't they have been transferred / exchanged with other zoos in the UK or elsewhere? Please excuse my ignorance, I don't know anything about their circumstances, I would just be interested to know.

 

Very hard to place surplus Lions. They breed easily, and live a long time. Most places that want Lions, have got enough. Few collections try to breed them, most African Lion males are vasectomise. Asian Lions are given priority, but even their breeding is controlled.

 

Thank you for explaining. (I'm used to hearing how difficult it has been for the asian lion Bhanu at London Zoo to breed, hopefully he will find it easier to get along with the new female arrival than the previous three females that were already there before he arrived.)

 

Interesting.. as I do wonder what is the future with lions who can’t breed at whispnade, no more tiger babies with 3 males.. all hopes resting on one elephant and even that 22 month before single baby .. so it’s only the giraffe and white rhino left at whipsnade for new life ..

 

Yes, I think Bhanu's case was unusual- brought in to an established/related group of three females whose territory it already was, so that he was outnumbered psychologically. His brother Kamal went to Chessington Zoo at the same time(they came over from Canada) and he very quickly bred- within just a few months, with the single female Rani who was already there.

 

That's a little pessimistic.

Hopefully there will also be births amongst various other species too, including Grevy's zebra, Pere David's deer, nilgai, sitatunga, scimitar-horned oryx.....

 

I would most certainly welcome some new births from the place and including giraffe and rhinos.
Fingers crossed!

 

Sad news about giraffe Margaret being put to sleep a few weeks ago.. I do wonder if this may change the way they are with the herd now

 

There have been at least two Pere David's deer born in recent weeks