Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo News 2023

[Zoofan15]

Blue duiker birth:

From socials:

On 21st December, our female Blue Duiker, Jasmine, welcomed her eighth offspring who has since been confirmed as male and aptly named Jingle by our Animal Care Team! The young Duiker is continuing to grow and is developing new skills from his older siblings.

 

[Fallax]

Blue duiker birth:

From socials:

On 21st December, our female Blue Duiker, Jasmine, welcomed her eighth offspring who has since been confirmed as male and aptly named Jingle by our Animal Care Team! The young Duiker is continuing to grow and is developing new skills from his older siblings.

Fantastic! Hopefully the population in Europe can continue to expand, it would be great to see more of these about.

 

[Alwaysevergreen]

Fantastic! Hopefully the population in Europe can continue to expand, it would be great to see more of these about.

Where abouts are the Blue Duiker in the zoo? When I visited earlier this year I didn't see them signposted anywhere and was one of the animals I had wanted to see. Thanks

 

[Lafone]

Where abouts are the Blue Duiker in the zoo? When I visited earlier this year I didn't see them signposted anywhere and was one of the animals I had wanted to see. Thanks

They are just opposite the Mandrills. I found them on the map on the app as I was looking for them too when I visted!

 

[Sheepy12]

I am doing an aardvark experience tomorrow so if anyone has any questions they wish for me to ask then let me know.

 

[DesertRhino150]

Where abouts are the Blue Duiker in the zoo? When I visited earlier this year I didn't see them signposted anywhere and was one of the animals I had wanted to see. Thanks

At the moment, there are duiker in two enclosures - as well as the one opposite the mandrills mentioned above, they are also signed in an enclosure between the red pandas and the giant anteaters. The breeding pair are in the enclosure opposite the mandrills, with the second enclosure presumably for grown-up offspring.

 

[Rajang-GOAT]

At the moment, there are duiker in two enclosures - as well as the one opposite the mandrills mentioned above, they are also signed in an enclosure between the red pandas and the giant anteaters. The breeding pair are in the enclosure opposite the mandrills, with the second enclosure presumably for grown-up offspring.

You summed up the situation pretty well here, but I think it's important to mention that there appears to be two breeding females, hence three offspring being born in one year, Akari to Penelope in February, Quinn to Jasmine a couple months later, and now Jingle to Jasmine in December. And that's not even mentioning any offspring born previously. All Things Cute and Small | Colchester Zoo

 

[Rajang-GOAT]

Some brief notes from my short visit yesterday, to renew zoo passes:

• I was told a Tamandua (southern) has been born, however I could not see it, although I did see an adult resting on top of the same box I saw one sleeping on on my last visit.
• Many other species were also active in Worlds Apart, however many redevelopments are still going on throughout, even noticeable to my last visit only a few weeks prior.
• Great views of the Sealions at Playa Patagonia, much of the damage caused by the leakage on my last visit has now been fixed, and you can go back through the exit walkway again.
• (@Gigit ) I spent a bit longer half an hour in Rajang's Forest, and when I arrived at about 14:30 (they had an encounter at 14:45), Tiga was sitting near the door for the orangutans to get outside in the main indoor enclosure, and I had to go to the upper indoor viewing area to find Mali and Tatau very active, swinging around the top of their enclosure, and Mali even sat at the top of one of the tallest poles near the keeper section, as their encounter was imminent. When they were fed, they all game down to the ground and were interacting with each other, Mali and Tatty were particularly active.
• I was told Tatty could leave if their is a breeding recommendation a few years down the line, but for now they are happy with her staying as company for Mali. I was told the two were on contraceptive pills, but now they both have an implant to slow down Tiga's interest even more. I was also told Colchester Zoo have no plans for going into breeding orangutans, because of their only being one main indoor space. Taking of interactions I also saw Tiga telling off Tatty shortly after the encounter had finished, and there was one pointed after it had ended where she sped all the way to the end of the last smaller indoor pens before immediately heading back to the main area just as quickly as she left it.
• While most of the Penguins were on the beach, there was one solitary penguin zooming and diving around, having a lovely time in the Inca Trail pool by itself.
• I had a good view of the Cherry Crowned Mangabeys, all 4 of them inside and facing the glass (the male was doing some sort of barking at one point), and I got good views of the birds in Feathers of The Forest.
• I haven't been in the main part of Lion Rock for a while, and Bailey was sleeping at the far end of the Lion indoors, while the Fennec foxes were both indoors, it seems their area has been cleared up and made significantly more open.
• I also got a good view of the growing Macaque youngsters playfighting, I think this growing family group of 6 would be a great sight with a purpose built enclosure, their activeness combined with them always being out and in sight.
• When I got to Elephant Kingdom all 4 individuals were inside, with Tembo and Zola in seemingly separate pens in the Bull area of the house, like they were last time.
• Tanya and Opal however, were in two stables on the far left of the house from a visitors perspective, the keepers seemed to be interacting with them quite a bit (obviously they are in PC now), and I don't know if they were carrying out any procedures or if it was just routine checks, but they were let out quickly to explore the main indoor area to explore the enrichment set out for them in the time I was there.
• The construction on the Wild Display area and the accompanying holding area as well as the area across the path is continuing.
• I got a nice view of all of the paddock animals in the Kingdom of The Wild stables, some of the Rhinos were last in but there is a chance that Astrid was in before any of the other animals.
• I think I saw a young Philippine Spotted Deer with it's parents at Island Dwellers, but no Warty Pigs in sight.
• I saw all 3 Tigers, is Anoushka normally in the smaller enclosure and Taiga and Tatana in the larger at Tiger Taiga these days?
• There seems to be a very impressive list of all sorts of events for 2023, with the zoo seeming to be open to 8:30pm not only on June 2nd for the zoos official birthday party, but also for the first two and last two (not sure on these dates) weeks of the Summer Holiday.

 

[Jambo]

with Tembo and Zola in seemingly separate pens in the Bull area of the house, like they were last time.

Why has Zola been separated from the other two girls?

 

[Rajang-GOAT]

Why has Zola been separated from the other two girls?

I think the bottom line is to give Tembo company, she lives with him in the bull paddock in the day, and all 4 don't get on well when they are all together. I think there might have been some disputes with Tanya in the past (weird cause they've been together the longest) but I'm not too sure. Really I would've thought all 3 females would be together at night, that's the only real reason I felt it was worth mentioning. One thing to note is it would appear the females do get along when it is just the 3 of them (?), as in the recent past they have been kept together in the cow paddock together (iirc).

 

[Gigit]

@Rajang-GOAT Many thanks for all the very interesting orangutan information. Much appreciated.

 

[Rajang-GOAT]

@Rajang-GOAT Many thanks for all the very interesting orangutan information. Much appreciated.

Thanks to you too, they're starting to become a staple of my visits again like back when Rajang was around, and I'm really starting to appreciate them more. For reference, I had a visit probably shorter than 3 hours, and spent probably about 40 minutes with the orangutans.

• Also another thing to mention from my visit is that for the second time in a row Scooter the Giant Asian Pond Turtle has not been visible in his home in the first fish tank in Rajang's Forest (though still signed) , maybe a bit worrying given the size of the enclosure he is in and his fairly small tankmates that probably wouldn't block the view of him.

 

[TNT]

Also another thing to mention from my visit is that for the second time in a row Scooter the Giant Asian Pond Turtle has not been visible in his home in the first fish tank in Rajang's Forest (though still signed) , maybe a bit worrying given the size of the enclosure he is in and his fairly small tankmates that probably wouldn't block the view of him.

I was unable to see him on 01/01/2023.

 

[DesertRhino150]

Colchester have again released news about their annual animal stocktake and have included the numbers of species.

The number of species in the zoo at the start of 2023 was (with previous years in brackets):
Mammals - 67 (68 in 2022, 69 in 2021, 70 in 2020 and 72 in 2019)
Birds - 16 (19 in 2022, 21 in 2021, 24 in 2020 and 39 in 2019)
Reptiles - 27 (34 in 2022, unchanged from 2021, 32 in 2020 and 33 in 2019)
Amphibians - 6 (7 in 2022, 8 in 2021, 2020 and 2019)
Fishes - 45 (47 in 2022, 55 in 2021, 60 in both 2020 and 2019)
Invertebrates - 5 (9 in 2022, 19 in 2021, 28 in both 2020 and 2019)

Incredibly disheartening to see that every group of animals has declined since last year. It says something that the only new species mentioned in the article are guinea pigs and ferrets.

More information can be found in the link below:
Annual Count 2022 | Colchester Zoo

 

[Rajang-GOAT]

Colchester have again released news about their annual animal stocktake and have included the numbers of species.

The number of species in the zoo at the start of 2023 was (with previous years in brackets):
Mammals - 67 (68 in 2022, 69 in 2021, 70 in 2020 and 72 in 2019)
Birds - 16 (19 in 2022, 21 in 2021, 24 in 2020 and 39 in 2019)
Reptiles - 27 (34 in 2022, unchanged from 2021, 32 in 2020 and 33 in 2019)
Amphibians - 6 (7 in 2022, 8 in 2021, 2020 and 2019)
Fishes - 45 (47 in 2022, 55 in 2021, 60 in both 2020 and 2019)
Invertebrates - 5 (9 in 2022, 19 in 2021, 28 in both 2020 and 2019)

Incredibly disheartening to see that every group of animals has declined since last year. It says something that the only new species mentioned in the article are guinea pigs and ferrets.

More information can be found in the link below:
Annual Count 2022 | Colchester Zoo

Most of them I think I can understand how they have declined, but what on earth has happened with the Invertebrates number?

 

[DesertRhino150]

Most of them I think I can understand how they have declined, but what on earth has happened with the Invertebrates number?

I'm trying to work that out myself - there has been the closure of the Discovery Centre (which knocked out all the tarantulas, beetles, whip-spider and locusts), the removal of the smaller terraria in Kingdom of the Wild (which removed the leaf-cutting ants and assassin bugs), the closure and refurbishment of Butterfly Glade and the reef aquarium in Rajang's Forest has also had all its marine invertebrates disappear (the two shrimp species and the soft corals).

 

[DesertRhino150]

I went for a visit this morning to Colchester Zoo. This is what I noticed:

Species Arrivals, Departments and Movements
- The Saharan spiny-tailed lizards in the mixed enclosure at Kingdom of the Wild seem to have gone; their signage has been removed and there were none visible.
- I also didn't see the giant Asian pond turtle, nor the yellow-banded poison-dart frogs (I haven't seen either species on the last couple of my visits).

Developments
- Two large what seem like foundations have been dug into the larger of the former African wild dog enclosures; I'm not sure what they are for.
- The golden lion tamarin enclosure in the Amur leopard indoor area now has its exhibit name (Canopy of South America), with the still closed-off access tunnel to the outdoor enclosure now glass-sided.

General Observations
- I got a good view of the young blue duiker, but didn't see anything of the young tamandua. I also saw a young Philippine spotted deer, but it seemed to be quite large - definitely not newly-born.
- Again, the larger primate groups seem to be the most interesting displays in the zoo currently; there are at least nine L'Hoest's guenons (one of the youngsters was wading in the shallow pond) and at least six Barbary macaques (the two young from last year were very active and playful).

 

[FBBird]

Colchester have again released news about their annual animal stocktake and have included the numbers of species.

The number of species in the zoo at the start of 2023 was (with previous years in brackets):
Mammals - 67 (68 in 2022, 69 in 2021, 70 in 2020 and 72 in 2019)
Birds - 16 (19 in 2022, 21 in 2021, 24 in 2020 and 39 in 2019)
Reptiles - 27 (34 in 2022, unchanged from 2021, 32 in 2020 and 33 in 2019)
Amphibians - 6 (7 in 2022, 8 in 2021, 2020 and 2019)
Fishes - 45 (47 in 2022, 55 in 2021, 60 in both 2020 and 2019)
Invertebrates - 5 (9 in 2022, 19 in 2021, 28 in both 2020 and 2019)

Incredibly disheartening to see that every group of animals has declined since last year. It says something that the only new species mentioned in the article are guinea pigs and ferrets.

More information can be found in the link below:
Annual Count 2022 | Colchester Zoo

This zoo gets less and less attractive for the bird enthusiast….

 

[Rajang-GOAT]

[/QUOTE]

I went for a visit this morning to Colchester Zoo. This is what I noticed:

Species Arrivals, Departments and Movements
- The Saharan spiny-tailed lizards in the mixed enclosure at Kingdom of the Wild seem to have gone; their signage has been removed and there were none visible.
- I also didn't see the giant Asian pond turtle, nor the yellow-banded poison-dart frogs (I haven't seen either species on the last couple of my visits).

Developments
- Two large what seem like foundations have been dug into the larger of the former African wild dog enclosures; I'm not sure what they are for.
- The golden lion tamarin enclosure in the Amur leopard indoor area now has its exhibit name (Canopy of South America), with the still closed-off access tunnel to the outdoor enclosure now glass-sided.

General Observations
- I got a good view of the young blue duiker, but didn't see anything of the young tamandua. I also saw a young Philippine spotted deer, but it seemed to be quite large - definitely not newly-born.
- Again, the larger primate groups seem to be the most interesting displays in the zoo currently; there are at least nine L'Hoest's guenons (one of the youngsters was wading in the shallow pond) and at least six Barbary macaques (the two young from last year were very active and playful).

• If I remember correctly I have also been unable to see Scooter the Giant Asian Pond Turtle and any banded poison dart frogs on my last 2 visit, despite those both being focal areas of the visits.
• I realised that the Golden Lion Tamarin enclosure renovated as part of Ussuri Falls had gained that title prior to my visit back in December, didn't visit that area of the zoo at the weekend so nice to hear their outdoor enclosure is progressing as well as the completed indoor enclosure. On a related note, do you know if the Golden Lion Tamarin breeding group is still present in the Worlds Apart walkthrough because I don't think I have noticed them recently.
• I am aware that the Spotted Deer youngster isn't exactly a new-born, just thought it was worth mentioning as I don't think I've seen much of it previously.
• I couldn't agree more with you about those two primate groups. I still really hope the Barbary Macaques get their own purpose built enclosure as I think it would enhance the display and behaviours of this group even further. I am pretty sure you are right with the number of 6 macaques, the 2nd original male must have moved on at some point but I am not sure when or where.
• @FBBird regarding the bird situation I think a lot of those departures would have been animals part of the Wild Displays, and the opening of Feathers of The Forest was definitely a positive on this front, but I am sure there is a lot that could be desired for bird enthusiasts...

 

[DesertRhino150]

• I realised that the Golden Lion Tamarin enclosure renovated as part of Ussuri Falls had gained that title prior to my visit back in December, didn't visit that area of the zoo at the weekend so nice to hear their outdoor enclosure is progressing as well as the completed indoor enclosure. On a related note, do you know if the Golden Lion Tamarin breeding group is still present in the Worlds Apart walkthrough because I don't think I have noticed them recently.

I don't think there are any golden lion tamarins left in the Worlds Apart walkthrough - their area is now signed for the pied tamarins (of which I saw one in the farthest indoor area today).