| Whipsnade Zoo |
Website Links For Zoo |
Information AboutWhipsnade Zoo |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT WHIPSNADE ZOO | |
| visitor attractions in bedfordshire | |
| zoos in england | |
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is a Zoo located at Whipsnade , near Dunstable in Bedfordshire , England . Originally the zoo was called Whipsnade Park Zoo, which was often shortened to '''Whipsnade Zoo''' or even just '''Whipsnade'''. In 1988 the name was changed to '''Whipsnade Wild Animal Park''',L. Pendar, ''Whipsnade Wild Animal Park: My Africa'', Book Castle, 1991, ISBN 1-871199-80-8 (h/b), ISBN 1-871199-65-4 (p/b), page 8. but in March 2007 it was renamed '''ZSL Whipsnade Zoo'''."Whipsnade a zoo again", ''Dunstable Gazette'', 7 March 2007 , page 19. It is owned by the Zoological Society Of London (ZSL), a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats, and is a companion to ZSL London Zoo in Regents Park , London. DESCRIPTION The park covers 600 acres (2.4 km&2), and can be located from miles to the north and from the air because of its large white lion Hill Figure carved into the side of the Dunstable Downs (part of the Chiltern Hills ) below the penguin and old lion enclosures. Due to its size, inside the park, visitors may walk, use the Zoo's bus service, or drive their own cars between the various animal enclosures, or through an 'Asian' area where some animals are allowed to roam free. There is also a Narrow-gauge Train service, the '' Great Whipsnade Railway '', (GWR) within the park. ZSL Whipsnade Zoo is one of Europe's largest wildlife conservation parks. It is home to 6,405 animals, many of which are endangered in the wild. Some of the animals are kept within sizeable enclosures; others, such as the Peacock s, the South American Mara and Australian Wallabies , roam freely around the park. HISTORY The Zoological Society Of London was founded in 1826 by Sir Stamford Raffles with the aim of promoting the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. To this end ZSL London Zoo in Regents Park , London was established. Almost 100 years later, Sir Peter Chalmers Mitchell (ZSL Secretary 1903 - 1935 ) was inspired by a visit to the Bronx Zoological Park to create a park in Britain as a Conservation centre.L. Pendar, ''op. cit.'', page 15. Hall Farm, a derelict farm on the Dunstable Downs , 30 miles to the north of London was purchased by the Zoological Society of London in 1926 for £480 12s 10d. The site was fenced, roads built and trees planted. The first animals arrived at the park in 1928 , including two Amherst pheasants, a golden pheasant and five red jungle fowl. Others soon followed including muntjac, llama, wombats and skunks. Whipsnade Park Zoo opened on Sunday 23rd May 1931 . It was the first open zoo in Europe to be easily accessible to the visiting public. It was an immediate success and received over 38,000 visitors on the following Monday. The brown bear enclosure is a surviving feature from the earliest days of the zoo. Lookout Cafe History panels #1 The collection of animals was boosted in 1932 by the purchase of a collection from a defunct travelling menagery and some of the larger animals walked to the zoo from Dunstable station. The distinctive white lion hill figure was completed in 1933 . During the Second World War the zoo acted as a refuge for animals evacuated from the Regents Park Zoo. The celebrity Giant Panda s Ming, Sung and Tang were among these animals but were soon returned to London to boost morale in the capital. During 1940, 41 bombs fell on the park with little damage to the zoo structure, however a 3 year old Giraffe named Boxer, who had been born at the zoo, was frightened to death by the explosions. Some of the ponds in the park are the remains of bomb craters from this period. DISCOVERY CENTRE The Discovery centre at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo acts as a Reptile House , Primate House and Insect House . It houses Crocodiles , Leaf-cutter Ants , small primates, and other Reptiles and Insects DEVELOPMENTS In 2005 the zoo opened "Lions of the Serengeti" which presently has 3 African Lion s (1 male & 2 females) that bred early in 2006. Two major new arrivals include the birth of an Asian Rhino calf on New Years Eve 2006 and an Asian Elephant calf on 19th January 2007. At Easter 2007, the zoo opened a new walk-through Lemur enclosure. This was officially opened on the 28th of March 2007 by Dominic Byrne from The Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1 , who is a regular visitor to the park. On the 12th of June 2007 a new Sealion Pup was born, and has been named Dominic after the above mentioned Dominic Byrne who is Barclay's (Dominic the sealion's dad) biggest fan. In 2008 Whipsnade are planning to open a new Cheetah exhibit which will be focused around their conservation programme in Tanzania, it is also belived that it will include very open viewing. The whereabouts and opening is not confirmed as yet. FREE-ROAMING ANIMALS Currently the zoo has several free-roaming species of Birds and Mammals which include Indian Peafowl , Prairie Marmot s, Junglefowl s (the wild relative of the domestic chicken), Chinese Water Deer , Muntjac Deer , Wallabies and Mara . Macaws , Cranes and Parrots were previously given the freedom of the park but not at present. DAILY SHOWS Animal shows take place daily where the animals are the stars and these include Sea lion splash, Birds of the world and Elephantastic (New for 2007). A number of talks also take place daily throughout the summer season including lemur talks, giraffe browse, penguin feed and a farm talk. FUNDING The park and ZSL receive no government funding, and rely mainly on entrance fees. The park takes advantage of the Gift Aid charity donation scheme, where a visitor can offer a donation, equivalent to the entrance fee, to gain entrance to the park. The park is then able to claim the basic rate of tax, which the donor has paid at source. Prices are variable according to the season. Children under 3 are free. ON TV Whipsnade was one of the sets for ITV 's '' Primeval '', where a ferocious predator from the future kills a lion and 3 people. Whipsnade is also one of the locations featured in BBC's Super Vets PHOTO GALLERY |
|
|