I went to a talk by Frans de Waal last year. He is an interesting speaker and I had a talk with him afterwards.
Apenheul Primate Park Apenheul Primate Park News
- Thread starter UntBwe
- Start date
The Apenheul publishes its own magazine every year, called 'ZooJaar' (translation: ZooYear). One of its sections is a list of animal species kept at that time, including their numbers. A number of changes stand out in it:
- The new area will house eight Northern talapoins, four king colobus monkeys and three spurred tortoises. The Apenheul already has four talapoins; four more animals will be added this spring from a Spanish zoo. The four colobus monkeys are half-brothers from Blackpool Zoo. They have already arrived.
- The Barbary macaque area will also feature a new species: the Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni).
- The two golden lion tamarins will remain backstage through the 2023 season.
- Two animal species are also missing from the list. These are the rainbow lorikeet and the southern pudu.
Source: ZooJaar Magazine 2023
- The new area will house eight Northern talapoins, four king colobus monkeys and three spurred tortoises. The Apenheul already has four talapoins; four more animals will be added this spring from a Spanish zoo. The four colobus monkeys are half-brothers from Blackpool Zoo. They have already arrived.
- The Barbary macaque area will also feature a new species: the Egyptian tortoise (Testudo kleinmanni).
- The two golden lion tamarins will remain backstage through the 2023 season.
- Two animal species are also missing from the list. These are the rainbow lorikeet and the southern pudu.
Source: ZooJaar Magazine 2023
Had a rather rainy visit yesterday, I decided it was worth it to get a look at the new enclosure. It's quite nice but sadly not yet finished. The barren look was partially because it was brand new, of course. But there was also an excavator busy earlier in the day. Sadly the Barbary macaque area was also closed during my visit, so I couldn't check on the future tortoise enclosure.
Some older messages on this thread already mentioned some swapping of species. But I'll upload a species list anyway:
Behind the Scenes:
Golden lion tamarin
Green-winged macaw
King colobus
Northern talapoin
Squirrel monkey forest:
Bolivian squirrel monkey
Guianan bearded saki (Separate island)
Woolly monkey (Separate island, also visible from Callitrichid forest)
Callitrichid forest:
Bearded emperor tamarin
Red titi
Silvery marmoset
White-faced saki
Red-footed tortoise
Woolly monkey (Separate island, also visible from Squirrel monkey forest)
Madagascar area:
Black and white ruffed lemur
Crowned lemur
Red ruffed lemur
Red-bellied lemur
Ring-tailed lemur
Crowned sifaka
Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur
(Both in the same separated enclosure in beginning of Madagascar area)
Blue-eyed black lemur (Separated enclosure in Madagascar village)
Non-walkthrough area 1:
Bornean orangutan
Javan lutung
Collared mangabey
Lion-tailed macaque
Atlas mountains:
Barbary macaque
Domesticated donkey
Northern bald ibis (Separated aviary)
Non-walkthrough area 2:
L’Hoest’s monkey
Western lowland gorilla
Northern white-cheeked gibbon
Monkey tree path:
Golden-headed lion tamarin
Pied tamarin
Venezuelan red howler
Red-legged seriema (Listed by the map, but not seen and no longer signed)
Russian sturgeon
Siberian sturgeon
White sturgeon
Grey-handed night monkey
Linnaeus’ two-toed sloth
African giant land snail
Jungle nymph
Red-legged millipede
Sun beetle
(The land snails, millipedes and sun beetles are all signed on the map as being in the Gorilla house, but they were still present in the second indoor area of the treetop path)
Monkey bridge:
Yellow-breasted capuchin
Capybara
Colombian black spider monkey
Bonobo
Bengal grey langur
Non-walkthrough area 3:
Black howler monkey
White-faced capuchin monkey
About the new enclosure:
As I already mentioned, the new African enclosure is currently barren and holds no animals yet, not even in the indoor exhibit. but the indoor enclosure looks very good, the path in the water is a wonderful design choice and the bridge is made with the typical Apenheul chaotic wood style.
I can't say with certainty because the animals aren't in yet, but I believe this area will be the outdoor enclosure for the spurred tortoises:
Mostly because there's a small glass wall separating the land area from the guest path. This is not a problem for the monkeys, of course. But might be used to separate the tortoises.
On downside that I really hope will be resolved is that the water area is currently very murky. This might clear up later, of course. But right now you can't see anything inside. I also really hope some fish will be added here, which would be an obvious choice seeing the glass windows. Right now water area does have life in it, in the form of some water plants and (wild) aquatic beetles I spotted.
There are two other design bits I'd like to point out: One good and one bad.
One very good design area is a drainage system next to the indoor enclosure. The main path runs under a small overhang next to the indoor enclosure, and underneath that overhang there are special stone plates to catch the stream of water that flows off it during rain, so that it will not create awkward "bald spots" in the soil that you often see.
A bad design choice is the adventure path. Now, I'm usually all for adventure paths in zoos, and especially in walkthrough areas. But the adventure path here is oddly designed. The first path area is very easily walkable, the only difference is that the path is made of larger stones instead of gravel. The bridge is surprisingly steep and difficult to walk up. But then the last area, off the bridge, is nearly impossible to cross. A huge log seems to block your path, but is supposed to be climbed.
There is also a rock staircase that goes down from the middle of the bridge to the beginning of the underwater path, but this path is downright dangerous. it is made out of large rocks that are difficult to climb, and an easy tripping hazard. The steps are too big for small children (which is usually what adventure paths are made for), and I fear for Apenheul's complaint department, as well as their first aid room.
Some pictures of the new exhibit:
First area:
First area of adventure path:
Indoor enclosure:
Glass wall I assume will be outdoor tortoise area:
Underwater area (you can also see the slightly dangerous staircase in the back):
Aquatic beetle:
Interesting drainage system:
Exit tunnel (barren and still being worked on):
Some older messages on this thread already mentioned some swapping of species. But I'll upload a species list anyway:
Behind the Scenes:
Golden lion tamarin
Green-winged macaw
King colobus
Northern talapoin
Squirrel monkey forest:
Bolivian squirrel monkey
Guianan bearded saki (Separate island)
Woolly monkey (Separate island, also visible from Callitrichid forest)
Callitrichid forest:
Bearded emperor tamarin
Red titi
Silvery marmoset
White-faced saki
Red-footed tortoise
Woolly monkey (Separate island, also visible from Squirrel monkey forest)
Madagascar area:
Black and white ruffed lemur
Crowned lemur
Red ruffed lemur
Red-bellied lemur
Ring-tailed lemur
Crowned sifaka
Lac Alaotra bamboo lemur
(Both in the same separated enclosure in beginning of Madagascar area)
Blue-eyed black lemur (Separated enclosure in Madagascar village)
Non-walkthrough area 1:
Bornean orangutan
Javan lutung
Collared mangabey
Lion-tailed macaque
Atlas mountains:
Barbary macaque
Domesticated donkey
Northern bald ibis (Separated aviary)
Non-walkthrough area 2:
L’Hoest’s monkey
Western lowland gorilla
Northern white-cheeked gibbon
Monkey tree path:
Golden-headed lion tamarin
Pied tamarin
Venezuelan red howler
Red-legged seriema (Listed by the map, but not seen and no longer signed)
Russian sturgeon
Siberian sturgeon
White sturgeon
Grey-handed night monkey
Linnaeus’ two-toed sloth
African giant land snail
Jungle nymph
Red-legged millipede
Sun beetle
(The land snails, millipedes and sun beetles are all signed on the map as being in the Gorilla house, but they were still present in the second indoor area of the treetop path)
Monkey bridge:
Yellow-breasted capuchin
Capybara
Colombian black spider monkey
Bonobo
Bengal grey langur
Non-walkthrough area 3:
Black howler monkey
White-faced capuchin monkey
About the new enclosure:
As I already mentioned, the new African enclosure is currently barren and holds no animals yet, not even in the indoor exhibit. but the indoor enclosure looks very good, the path in the water is a wonderful design choice and the bridge is made with the typical Apenheul chaotic wood style.
I can't say with certainty because the animals aren't in yet, but I believe this area will be the outdoor enclosure for the spurred tortoises:
Mostly because there's a small glass wall separating the land area from the guest path. This is not a problem for the monkeys, of course. But might be used to separate the tortoises.
On downside that I really hope will be resolved is that the water area is currently very murky. This might clear up later, of course. But right now you can't see anything inside. I also really hope some fish will be added here, which would be an obvious choice seeing the glass windows. Right now water area does have life in it, in the form of some water plants and (wild) aquatic beetles I spotted.
There are two other design bits I'd like to point out: One good and one bad.
One very good design area is a drainage system next to the indoor enclosure. The main path runs under a small overhang next to the indoor enclosure, and underneath that overhang there are special stone plates to catch the stream of water that flows off it during rain, so that it will not create awkward "bald spots" in the soil that you often see.
A bad design choice is the adventure path. Now, I'm usually all for adventure paths in zoos, and especially in walkthrough areas. But the adventure path here is oddly designed. The first path area is very easily walkable, the only difference is that the path is made of larger stones instead of gravel. The bridge is surprisingly steep and difficult to walk up. But then the last area, off the bridge, is nearly impossible to cross. A huge log seems to block your path, but is supposed to be climbed.
There is also a rock staircase that goes down from the middle of the bridge to the beginning of the underwater path, but this path is downright dangerous. it is made out of large rocks that are difficult to climb, and an easy tripping hazard. The steps are too big for small children (which is usually what adventure paths are made for), and I fear for Apenheul's complaint department, as well as their first aid room.
Some pictures of the new exhibit:
First area:
First area of adventure path:
Indoor enclosure:
Glass wall I assume will be outdoor tortoise area:
Underwater area (you can also see the slightly dangerous staircase in the back):
Aquatic beetle:
Interesting drainage system:
Exit tunnel (barren and still being worked on):
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So they separated the two?
On my visit, they were together and it was really interesting looking at the interactions between the two species. The Sifakas really liked hanging out with the Hapalemurs.
These are still together. Apologies if I structured my post confusingly. I've edited my post to hopefully make this clearer
Went got another visit today. Now with a lot more sun, to get a better look at the new area.
So here's some corrections and additions since my last visit:
The rocky staircase is less dangerous than I initially thought. After a second inspection I noticed two things
1: The tallest rocks in the middle (with the highest tripping risk) are actually blocked by a branch from the bridge. Meaning that part is not nearly as dangerous as I thought.
2: The tallest rocks to the side aren't actually meant to be climbed. They're part of the fence! I didn't take the middle path lazt time, so I only managed to see the front. The middle area of the stairs is not nearly as steep as I thought!
Another plus for the adventure path: a new sign making it extra clear that the path is not safe for the less mobile (perhaps somebody is listening in?):
With my second look I can also practically confirm where the outside area for the tortoises is. Because in the area I pointed out last time also has an aquatic area separated for the tortoises to bathe:
It also appears that the lousy weather from my last visit clouded my judgement on how green the enclosure actually is. There is bamboo in a lot of places and small shrubs and grasses in the ground (at first I assumed these were added in since my last visit, but after checking my older photos these were already present. I simply hadn't noticed them):
(More pictures to follow in the gallery)
Other news:
I finally saw the donkeys in the barbary macaque enclosure. Perhaps now someone can identify if these are or are not Mediterranean miniature donkeys or standard domestic donkeys:
On the gorilla shore there are no longer free-roaming monkeys. But a giant anteater statue has been added. This way the climbing structures seem more like theming, so that visitors aren't left wondering where the monkeys are
In the Gorilla indoor area, an enclosure is being prepared for the beetles, millipedes and land snails:
The monkeys of the new walkthrough area aren't actually behind the scenes. They are visible in the indoor enclosure, during my last visit they were just in an area where they weren't visible.
The red-legged seriemas will be behind the scenes for a few more weeks. The monkey tree path does not have indoor holding for this species and the nights are still too cold for the birds.
Something annoying: the Barbary macaque area closes one hour earlier than the rest of the walkthrough areas, which all close one hour before the park does. This means this area closes at 15:00
. Today for the second time I arrived at 14:30, which is pretty much the earliest I can manage with my schedule. It takes me half an hour to walk through half the park to the macaque area!
This way I still couldn't get a look at the future tortoise enclosure...
So here's some corrections and additions since my last visit:
The rocky staircase is less dangerous than I initially thought. After a second inspection I noticed two things
1: The tallest rocks in the middle (with the highest tripping risk) are actually blocked by a branch from the bridge. Meaning that part is not nearly as dangerous as I thought.
2: The tallest rocks to the side aren't actually meant to be climbed. They're part of the fence! I didn't take the middle path lazt time, so I only managed to see the front. The middle area of the stairs is not nearly as steep as I thought!
Another plus for the adventure path: a new sign making it extra clear that the path is not safe for the less mobile (perhaps somebody is listening in?):
With my second look I can also practically confirm where the outside area for the tortoises is. Because in the area I pointed out last time also has an aquatic area separated for the tortoises to bathe:
It also appears that the lousy weather from my last visit clouded my judgement on how green the enclosure actually is. There is bamboo in a lot of places and small shrubs and grasses in the ground (at first I assumed these were added in since my last visit, but after checking my older photos these were already present. I simply hadn't noticed them):
(More pictures to follow in the gallery)
Other news:
I finally saw the donkeys in the barbary macaque enclosure. Perhaps now someone can identify if these are or are not Mediterranean miniature donkeys or standard domestic donkeys:
On the gorilla shore there are no longer free-roaming monkeys. But a giant anteater statue has been added. This way the climbing structures seem more like theming, so that visitors aren't left wondering where the monkeys are
In the Gorilla indoor area, an enclosure is being prepared for the beetles, millipedes and land snails:
The monkeys of the new walkthrough area aren't actually behind the scenes. They are visible in the indoor enclosure, during my last visit they were just in an area where they weren't visible.
The red-legged seriemas will be behind the scenes for a few more weeks. The monkey tree path does not have indoor holding for this species and the nights are still too cold for the birds.
Something annoying: the Barbary macaque area closes one hour earlier than the rest of the walkthrough areas, which all close one hour before the park does. This means this area closes at 15:00
. Today for the second time I arrived at 14:30, which is pretty much the earliest I can manage with my schedule. It takes me half an hour to walk through half the park to the macaque area!This way I still couldn't get a look at the future tortoise enclosure...
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Third time's the charm. Right?
Had to make a sprint for it, but I managed to take some pictures. Sadly the reflections made it difficult to take good pictures.
The new enclosure looks quite nice. Some cacti were placed into the enclosure, but they're not planted yet. There are two large driftwood pieces in the corners and a small rock wall in the middle of the enclosure. Which might be a way to separate the tortoises
Had to make a sprint for it, but I managed to take some pictures. Sadly the reflections made it difficult to take good pictures.
The new enclosure looks quite nice. Some cacti were placed into the enclosure, but they're not planted yet. There are two large driftwood pieces in the corners and a small rock wall in the middle of the enclosure. Which might be a way to separate the tortoises
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Yunha
Well-Known Member
I went to Apenheul on friday, and noted the following:
- The tortoise enclosure in the barbary macaque area is now inhabited. I spotted one tortoise and took a (really bad) picture of it. The tortoise seems to need some more time to adjust, as it didn't really want to come out of hiding, even though it had just received a big bowl of food.
It does look like a nice enclosure in general, green with the cactil, and also some of the rocks have places in them for the tortoises to hide out in.
- I think the donkeys are general domestic donkeys, some signing has been added.
In general, I enjoyed the very green park! I was a bit hesitant to visit Apenheul again as I don't like some people's behaviour in walkthrough enclousers (harassing the animals) But I was impressed to see at least one member of staff present in each area, monitoring visitors.
I enjoyed the enclosures as well. They seemed to stimulate natural behaviours and animals exploring their surroundings. Also many interesting mixed species enclosures, with positive / neutral interactions between the different species. The most funny interaction being little Gorilla 'Kiango' playing with the L'Hoest monkeys. He was displaying and running around with the monkeys.
The keeper doing the feeding presentation stated the L'Hoest monkeys are nice playmates for little Kiango, him being the only youngster in the group. While otherwise he might get a bit bored, he can express his playfulness by playing with a different monkey species.
Definitely will visit again, there's still lots to see.
- The tortoise enclosure in the barbary macaque area is now inhabited. I spotted one tortoise and took a (really bad) picture of it. The tortoise seems to need some more time to adjust, as it didn't really want to come out of hiding, even though it had just received a big bowl of food.
It does look like a nice enclosure in general, green with the cactil, and also some of the rocks have places in them for the tortoises to hide out in.- I think the donkeys are general domestic donkeys, some signing has been added.
In general, I enjoyed the very green park! I was a bit hesitant to visit Apenheul again as I don't like some people's behaviour in walkthrough enclousers (harassing the animals
) But I was impressed to see at least one member of staff present in each area, monitoring visitors. I enjoyed the enclosures as well. They seemed to stimulate natural behaviours and animals exploring their surroundings. Also many interesting mixed species enclosures, with positive / neutral interactions between the different species. The most funny interaction being little Gorilla 'Kiango' playing with the L'Hoest monkeys. He was displaying and running around with the monkeys.
The keeper doing the feeding presentation stated the L'Hoest monkeys are nice playmates for little Kiango, him being the only youngster in the group. While otherwise he might get a bit bored, he can express his playfulness by playing with a different monkey species. Definitely will visit again, there's still lots to see.
Went to Apenheul again today, despite the crappy weather
- According to a keeper, the Colobuses were allowed into their outside forest this morning, which was their first time. They were still a bit cautious and they didn't go far.
- Two spurred tortoises arrived in the flooded forest (my unofficial name for the new area).
- New climbing structures were also added here:
- The grass is also finally growing on top of the tunnel, meaning its no longer a pile of dirt:
- Two new statues near the entrance to the flooded forest. One wood carving of a Gorilla, Bonobo, Orangutan and a Ring-tailed lemur. And a chaos-wood archway that seems to resemble a monkey tail:
- The invertebrate terrarium in the Gorilla house now has driftwood pieces and live plants. But the millipedes and such aren't in yet:
- As mentioned earlier, the Egyptian tortoise enclosure is finished and inhabited. I took some photos:
- According to a keeper, the Colobuses were allowed into their outside forest this morning, which was their first time. They were still a bit cautious and they didn't go far.
- Two spurred tortoises arrived in the flooded forest (my unofficial name for the new area).
- New climbing structures were also added here:
- The grass is also finally growing on top of the tunnel, meaning its no longer a pile of dirt:
- Two new statues near the entrance to the flooded forest. One wood carving of a Gorilla, Bonobo, Orangutan and a Ring-tailed lemur. And a chaos-wood archway that seems to resemble a monkey tail:
- The invertebrate terrarium in the Gorilla house now has driftwood pieces and live plants. But the millipedes and such aren't in yet:
- As mentioned earlier, the Egyptian tortoise enclosure is finished and inhabited. I took some photos:
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Yunha
Well-Known Member
On the 3rd of july, a barbary macaque was born. The youngster's mother is Farrah, the father is Keegan. The gender of the baby is still unknown and will be unknown for a while.I visited monday and mom was showing off the baby to me quite a bit. I overheard a keeper saying this will probably be the only youngster being born this year. Two females were taken off contraceptives to breed, but it seems the other female did not get pregnant.
Source: Signage in the zoo, information from a keeper, picture made by me.
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A few days ago, the new monkey area has officially opened. They have added a lot more foliage and the Talapoins and Colobus monkeys will take turns free-roaming among the guests.
I'll be visiting tomorrow to add some more photos of the new foliage
I knew the new region looked unfinished...
I'll be visiting tomorrow to add some more photos of the new foliage
I knew the new region looked unfinished...
I was about to make a post saying that Apenheul was incorrect in saying that visitors can now free-roam among the monkeys. As the area was closed during my visit today. However, a LOOOPINGS article (Dutch news website focusing on amusement parks) from two days ago actually reveals that the King Colobus monkeys were allowed to roam between guests recently:
During my visit (which, admittedly, was later in the afternoon) the enclosure was closed because the monkeys were "still getting used to their new enclosure" according to a sign.
A lot of new foliage was indeed added and the new region immediately looks a whole lot better. I'll upload the photo's in a separate post (image limit and all that). New foliage includes a lot of smaller shrubs, mini trees, herbal plants, grasses and especially ferns.
Other updates include some baby capybaras I saw swimming. I'll admit I don't know if these were recently born or not, but they sure are cute!
In the "Flooded forest", some rocks were laid on the adventure path to make extra extra sure people don't underestimate the bridge. Which is good, of course. I personally just wish they made it clear from the beginning of the adventure path, since actually looks like a very pleasant path area (except for the new rocks, that is).
I did see a few other juvenile animals of which I'm not sure any news had been shared yet. Among these are multiple Squirrel monkeys and at least one Gorilla. Along with the Barbary macaque of course.
During my visit (which, admittedly, was later in the afternoon) the enclosure was closed because the monkeys were "still getting used to their new enclosure" according to a sign.
A lot of new foliage was indeed added and the new region immediately looks a whole lot better. I'll upload the photo's in a separate post (image limit and all that). New foliage includes a lot of smaller shrubs, mini trees, herbal plants, grasses and especially ferns.
Other updates include some baby capybaras I saw swimming. I'll admit I don't know if these were recently born or not, but they sure are cute!
In the "Flooded forest", some rocks were laid on the adventure path to make extra extra sure people don't underestimate the bridge. Which is good, of course. I personally just wish they made it clear from the beginning of the adventure path, since actually looks like a very pleasant path area (except for the new rocks, that is).
I did see a few other juvenile animals of which I'm not sure any news had been shared yet. Among these are multiple Squirrel monkeys and at least one Gorilla. Along with the Barbary macaque of course.
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The capybaras were born on 11 June.
By the juvenile gorilla, do you mean Kiango, born in 2021?
I'm uncertain but it could certainly be the case. Primates, especially apes, are far from my expertise
JurassicMax
Well-Known Member
Recently 2 Bearded emperor tamarins (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens) were born.
Source:
Instagram of Apenheul (13/07/2023)
Source:
Instagram of Apenheul (13/07/2023)
walmer88
Member
this looks amazing. What a beautiful new enclosure