Burgers' Zoo Burgers' Zoo News 2022

[Ursus]

Also: I assume you mean Gambels quail? Either way, it was my first visit, I'll probably notice more birds in later visits

Yeah I mean Gambel's, I'm just being silly

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Also: I think I might have the best picture of the montezuma's so far, as one of the females seem to have escaped!

There's currently no photos of the species at Burgers in the gallery - as such, I suggest you upload this shot there rather than merely attaching it to this thread

 

[Mr Gharial]

There's currently no photos of the species at Burgers in the gallery - as such, I suggest you upload this shot there rather than merely attaching it to this thread

It might be the best shot we have so far, but it's still a pretty terribly shot. The same reason Burgers' bobwhites are rarely seen in the gallery. I'm sure someone with a proper camera will come along to outdo me!

 

[JurassicMax]

Recently 2 Common hog deer (Axis porcinus porcinus) were born.

Source:
Instagram of Burgers' Zoo (17/05/2022) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdqqo-Al8lX/

 

[JurassicMax]

Recently 2 Common hog deer (Axis porcinus porcinus) were born.

Source:
Instagram of Burgers' Zoo (17/05/2022) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cdqqo-Al8lX/

I forgot to mention their sex, one male and one female.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Another Thursday, another visit to Burgers zoo!

Bush:

Currently hanging out with the Green iguana, who could be seen on his perch up at the birding platform for the second week in a row.


The upcoming "ant house", as anubite said, has indeed had a roof cleanup:


Desert:
Both the hispid cotton rat and the second Ringtail enclosure seem to have gotten new, brighter lighting:


The montezuma had once again escaped, allowing for a better photo that I will be uploading this time:


Ocean:
This might be old news, but the honeycomb stingray is back (?) in the ray tank. Either that, or I've just never noticed it before

 

[Mr Gharial]

Another Thursday, another instance of me getting overexcited and posting my Burgers zoo update too early. (Sorry!)

Park:
A very large insect hotel is being built up around the small building near the vultures.


The flamingo aviary was expanded again, because of the seemingly permanent bird flu


Bush:
They appear to have added redhead cichlids from Mangrove into the caiman tank, though I'm not sure when this happened

 

[Ricky Hans]

A male and female Montezuma quail where visible in the aviary with the socorro doves. The escaped female was on the other side of the wire running up and down. Made several photos of the male but apparently can't upload photos into the media section.

 

[Mr Gharial]

A male and female Montezuma quail where visible in the aviary with the socorro doves. The escaped female was on the other side of the wire running up and down. Made several photos of the male but apparently can't upload photos into the media section.

The photo in question:
(I told you guys a better photo would be made soon!)

 

[Mr Gharial]

The young cinerous vulture has moved to Ouwehands to find a mate. The cinerous vultures remaining in the park are already incubating another egg!

 

[LARTIS]

Do you have any evidence to back up such a claim, except some hunch. Based on the animal import location: a Canadian farm and their appearance it sounds extremely unlikely.



Where are they supposed to have come from, even in American zoos they are extremely rare, with only the desert cottontail having a few holders. And what is the point of importing a least concern species that is near-identical to the European rabbit and doesn't even make a good exhibit in terms of activity.



For a zoo that is still bringing in montezuma quail and crested bobwhite and maintains a large number of rare bird species because they fit the ecosystems they want to represent, that is a bold statement. The new strategy still focuses heavily on investing in rare species that fit the ecodisplays, alongside a push for more EEP managed species.

The zoo works together with dedicated private breeders a lot when it comes to quails, pigeons and passerines, much to the chagrin of the Dutch zoo association, which don't like that at all. Their mammal collection has been downscaled and is more boring than it was a few years ago ago, but here you see a clear welfare perspective. The newish head curator has clearly looked at which enclosures are outdated and those animals are sent away at a high pace and where limited communication seems the biggest problem. In the bighorn case, that area really was too small. The problem is the limited options for the bighorn enclosure. I personally would love to see the prairie dogs replaced by Harris antelope squirrel, which have been imported to Europe over the years and are better desert representatives. But this is not Zoo Tycoon. That said the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, which has always been the main inspiration for the Desert, keeps both the tree porcupines and the prairie dogs as they fit the desert ecosystem (I mean when does an arid grassland become a desert....). It might not be the most inventive, but what were ever their realistic options apart from white-nosed coati and peccary.

How the mammal future will look will probably depend on what replaces the forest reindeer, spectacled langur and bobcat. If they really still want to invest in their legacy of (helping) to establish rarer mammals on the European continent like they did with swamp wallaby, ringed seal, white-bearded gnu and forest reindeer, they will need to focus on the level of e.g. babirusa.

First of all my criticism is on a high level and ai do not want to dismiss thr many many things good about the park.
But I believe it is fair to compare them to their past and also potential. Everything else d feel out of balance.
I can absolutely understand that my position can come across in different ways, but all my criticism is meant to improve an allready high standard.
Guess a certain quality does allows an idealism others do not even get applied to.

I full heartly support that professional institutions meet private breeders on eye level, but what I do not support is when a those with the abilities such as knowledge contacts professional reputation and resources that some private parties do not have do not pick up on their responsibility, and our source these jobs.
Sorry, but that seems lazy.

Burgers themself labelled them as californian in their guide book which is synonymous with sierra nevada

 

[lintworm]

First of all my criticism is on a high level and ai do not want to dismiss thr many many things good about the park.
But I believe it is fair to compare them to their past and also potential. Everything else d feel out of balance.
I can absolutely understand that my position can come across in different ways, but all my criticism is meant to improve an allready high standard.
Guess a certain quality does allows an idealism others do not even get applied to.

I full heartly support that professional institutions meet private breeders on eye level, but what I do not support is when a those with the abilities such as knowledge contacts professional reputation and resources that some private parties do not have do not pick up on their responsibility, and our source these jobs.
Sorry, but that seems lazy.

Burgers themself labelled them as californian in their guide book which is synonymous with sierra nevada

The californiana subspecies is invalid, but has beem shown to belong into the nominate subspecies based on genetic and morpjological work

Phylogeographic and population genetic structure of bighorn sheep ( Ovis canadensis ) in North American deserts

 

[Mr Gharial]

I seem to have solved the mystery of the missing montezuma! They have fully escaped and can be seen on a rocky ledge on the other side of the prairie dog enclosure!

 

[Ricky Hans]

So there aren't any birds in the aviary with the socorro doves any more?

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

I seem to have solved the mystery of the missing montezuma! They have fully escaped and can be seen on a rocky ledge on the other side of the prairie dog enclosure!

Did they actually escape or where they just released into the hall. For all we know they were meant to be free-rangers.

 

[lintworm]

So there aren't any birds in the aviary with the socorro doves any more?

The other explanation is that 1 pair is free-ranging and the second pair lives in the canyon. Similar situations exist for the Gambel's quail and ultramarine grosbeak.

For the nature watchers: there is a nest of middle spotted woodpeckers in the dead oak in the chimpanzee enclosure, directly opposite the observation hut.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Did they actually escape or where they just released into the hall. For all we know they were meant to be free-rangers.

I doubt it, as no new signage was added to the free-roamers signs

So there aren't any birds in the aviary with the socorro doves any more?

They could still be found here, but I think it'll be less likely now that they've escaped

 

[lintworm]

I doubt it, as no new signage was added to the free-roamers signs



They could still be found here, but I think it'll be less likely now that they've escaped

Signage is a bad predictor, the Gambel's quails in the roadrunner aviary aren't signed either, but it is hard to argue they escaped into that aviary.

 

[Mr Gharial]

Signage is a bad predictor, the Gambel's quails in the roadrunner aviary aren't signed either, but it is hard to argue they escaped into that aviary.

Correct, but that's only because there are only two places for signs (they were signed when the roadrunners were absent. But the free-roamers signage still has an empty spot

 

[Mr Gharial]

I asked and apparently they were only held in the Canyon aviary on a sort of trial basis, to see if they would fit in. And they have now been released into the hall.

So they're not held in the Canyon anymore, and the sign will be moved from canyon to the free-roamers


Other updates from today:

The insect hotel in Park is now finished


I saw the filefish in Ocean:

As well as a nurse shark in the lagoon tank, I had no idea they were here