Blackpool Zoo (Extremely Pic-Heavy, Long Thread)

[cherylim]

Last time I went to Blackpool Zoo, I ended up having a rubbish time. It was September 2010, and the place was full of wasps. I have a severe phobia and of course struggled, so I didn't get to enjoy it much. Today, I went back and had a great time looking around and getting some snaps. Here are my favourites:

I knew Blackpool had sulcata and aldabra, but since I left so early last time and was panicking a lot I missed out on some of the others. I didn't know much about tortoises last time, and I remember just being impressed as the size of the larger ones, but today I felt a bit sad seeing the state some were in, and the conditions they were being kept in. They weren't the worst I've seen, by far, but it was just a bit of a shock. Filed a complaint before I left. I guess it's made worse because I know what tortoises should look like now, and the conditions they should be in. How many other animals are being kept incorrectly there, without us realising because we don't know their specifics?:

Leopards etc. were behind glass, sorry for the glare:

Same for the Bell's Hingeback in a separate enclosure:

And the Redfoot enclosure. It was in the hide, so I didn't get to see it:

I still had a great time, but I just wonder why?

 

[SulcataSquirt]

Great photos - thanks for sharing. Looks like you used a decent camera to get those shots, nice and clear!

 

[cherylim]

Great photos - thanks for sharing. Looks like you used a decent camera to get those shots, nice and clear!

Haha, it's an old Sony Cybershot. 8.1MP.

It does the job, though, definitely - as much as I'd love a more professional one!

 

[tyler0912]

I only saw the aldabs and sulcatas when i went!
I wanna go again!
Great pics!

 

[Torty Mom]

Great pictures!! Sounds like you had a better trip than last time! That poor tortie, he is crunched in the middle. I hope they got him as a rescue and that is not the result of their care. The little monkey is sooo cute! Thanks for sharing your pictures!!

 

[AnthonyC]

Those are some great pictures, Cheryl! Looks like you had a good time!!

 

[pdrobber]

nice pics, thanks for sharing!

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Great pics, looks like it was a beautiful day too.

 

[dds7155]

Great pics !!

 

[cemmons12]

I was thinking the exact same thing Mary Anne. I would almost bet its a rescue tho. Very nice pics, thanks for sharing!

 

[cherylim]

I was thinking the exact same thing Mary Anne. I would almost bet its a rescue tho. Very nice pics, thanks for sharing!

I was thinking/hoping the same when I saw him, but the others weren't in the best condition either, and when I got to the smaller tortoises a lot had bad pyramiding, very long beaks and weren't in particularly suitable environments.

I figure there's a chance they just rescued, but there's also a chance they've done this themselves based on what I've seen, so I did file a complaint about the environments/animals. If I'm wrong, no harm done. If not, at least it might make one person think a bit.

 

[Floof]

How many other animals are being kept incorrectly there, without us realising because we don't know their specifics?

Well, those snakes, for one--a boa constrictor (native to south america) living with a reticulated python (southeast asia)? Really? Who thought that was a good idea?

The Russian Tortoise living with the Leopard tortoise gets me, too... What the heck is up with that? I can understand mixing the real big species for space purposes, to a small extent, but if the whole zoo is so full you can't find space for one little Russian tort habitat, there's something wrong...

Okay, I'm done complaining now, lol. Thanks for sharing the pics, I love all the primate shots. The first one was especially cute.

 

[tyler0912]

The primates are looked after great there....thats there biggest bestest animal and healthiest....the girraffes seem depressed!

 

[cherylim]

The primates are looked after great there....thats there biggest bestest animal and healthiest....the girraffes seem depressed!

Yeah, they definitely seem to specialise in the primates - and the seals have it good, too.

They make so much money, so I wonder why they can't make simple adaptations, but I guess it's the case with a lot of zoos. I just appreciate the chance to see the animals so close to home.

 

[tyler0912]

DITTO!

i watched the sealion show it all went wrong to trainers ended up on there backsides slowly getting nudged into the water...
the insects have ebtter lives than the tortoises!

 

[Jacqui]

Great pictures! Do they just have one Bells?

 

[zesty_17]

thanks for sharing!

 

[cherylim]

Great pictures! Do they just have one Bells?

Yep, just the one.

From my (admittedly limited) knowledge, it was the only one kept in an appropriate environment.