too flattering. Please be patient, I have about two thousand photos to sort, I have been working on the dolphin & HWP ones first.Alan
Drowned apes
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too flattering. Please be patient, I have about two thousand photos to sort, I have been working on the dolphin & HWP ones first.Alan
In Prague Zoo the little Moja (f) nearly drowned two or three years ago. The keeper jumped in and saved her. She lost consciousness, woked up when he was holding her and started screaming. Her "auntie" Kamba took her from the keeper who then had to go through the enclosure to get out. There are some nets since to lessen the danger. Prague troop is not much interested in water at all, so hopefully it won't happen again.
Just another example that highlights the dangers
Unfortunately these accidents come out of nowhere- the Apes can live years in a moated enclosure without looking at the water and with no trouble, then suddenly one day- boom, FATAL accident...
an other one, in 2006 the son of Paultje (Elektra), an White-cheeked gibbon
(Nomascus leucogeny) died while jumping at some bread that was thrown into the water...
That was in the Zoo of Mechelen in Belgium, in Planckendael....
(Nomascus leucogeny) died while jumping at some bread that was thrown into the water...
That was in the Zoo of Mechelen in Belgium, in Planckendael....
That seems to prove even very small areas of water can be dangerous too.
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Lee Crandall's MANAGEMENT OF WILD MAMMALS IN CAPTIVITY [1964], in addition to describing the drowning of Makoko the gorilla, also describes a female orang being completely helpless in the water, just fumbling around on the bottom after falling -- fortunately she was rescued in time. A young gibbon if I remember rightly was equally helpless and not so lucky.
I think that's pretty much what happened with the young male Kimbu(partner of Martha) many years ago at Chester- he just walked or fell in to the water and sank, but he wasn't saved.
As you implied, Pertinax, the Arnhem colony was rife with "politics" amongst the males!
De Waal describes "Yeroen" as "the old fox"; once he became too old to maintain his own alphaship, he played "kingmaker" power games with the younger males. "Yeroen's" coalitions enabled other males to become alpha, but with - and only with - his support, thus making the "alpha" dependent on on the savvy old male. "Yeroen" would then "call in favours" from the alpha, such as mating perogatives etc.
As I understood it, "Luit" was the most physically powerful male. However, many of the females favoured "Yeroen", (the original alpha). "Yeroen" lost his alphaship to "Luit", but then supported the younger male, "Nikkie" against the new alpha. In doing this, Yeroen retained a slice of the power; "Nikkie" was made abundantly aware of the fact that his alphaship depended on "Yeroen's" support, as neither was a match for "Luit" alone.
With "Luit" dead, the "Nikkie - Yeroen" coalition began to fall apart, as it was no longer needed by "Nikkie". "Nikkie" would stop "Yeroen" mating, for example, whereas when "Luit" was alive, "Yeroen" was allowed to mate any female he wanted, in full view of the young alpha.
"Yeroen" then struck up a coalition against "Nikkie" with the much younger "Dandy", with the result that the younger male became alpha. In a case of history repeating itself, the "Yeroen - Dandy" coalition fell apart after "Nikkie's" death, since "Dandy" no longer needed "Yeroen's" support.
Interestingly, when the keepers played the video "A Family of Chimps" to the colony, there was a massive reaction from "Dandy" and "Yeroen" when "Nikkie" appeared on the screen; both screamed and grinned with fear and "Dandy" leapt into the older male's lap! The "resurrection" of their old rival seemed to revive their old coalition!
De Waal said he felt that "Yeroen" was reponsible for two deaths, ("Nikkie" and "Luit"), and that he could never look the old male in the face without seeing the face of a murderer.
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Early on in his study, he asked a group of students who had observed the colony to define the characters of 'Yereon' and 'Luit' as if they were humans. They all described 'Luit' as 'someone you could trust' but that Yereon 'would cheat you before your very eyes'!
Did you know Yereon couldn't mate normally, so all the earliest young in the colony after it was established were probably fathered by Luit (or Nikkie). I visited there once- I recognised Mama and a couple of other females but the original males had long gone by then.
Have any chimps ever drowned at Chester, which I believe pioneered confining apes using water moats?
The original set up, as seen in some photos on this site, had narrow moats between the multiple islands and the public. I believe, from the book "Zoo without bars", that at least two chimps, ("Meg" and "Solomon"), waded across to "human side" when highly aroused, before an electric fence was added. ("Meg's" infant fell in the moat and she went in after it, and "Solomon" saw an escaped rival male on the path).
The moats then must have been shallow, as well as narrow, and I was wondering if they were deepened when widened and, if so, had there been any issues?
The original set up, as seen in some photos on this site, had narrow moats between the multiple islands and the public. I believe, from the book "Zoo without bars", that at least two chimps, ("Meg" and "Solomon"), waded across to "human side" when highly aroused, before an electric fence was added. ("Meg's" infant fell in the moat and she went in after it, and "Solomon" saw an escaped rival male on the path).
The moats then must have been shallow, as well as narrow, and I was wondering if they were deepened when widened and, if so, had there been any issues?
There have been three great ape drownings in Australasian zoos, all of which were young male chimpanzees:
1.0 Lobo (1989) - drowned 1996 at Taronga Zoo
1.0 Snowy (1983) - drowned 1999 at Taronga Zoo
1.0 Mogli (2009) - drowned 2021 at Sydney Zoo
Considering the risks moats pose, I’m more in favour of fully grassed exhibits, with high walls. They also afford the apes more space.
1.0 Lobo (1989) - drowned 1996 at Taronga Zoo
1.0 Snowy (1983) - drowned 1999 at Taronga Zoo
1.0 Mogli (2009) - drowned 2021 at Sydney Zoo
Considering the risks moats pose, I’m more in favour of fully grassed exhibits, with high walls. They also afford the apes more space.
Thanks for posting these. I wasn't aware of the 2021 drowning. Was this during a covid lockdown, which minimalised media exposure?
Also at Chester, the female Lowland gorilla 'Gogal' sometimes waded in the moat of their island and I believe she may have crossed it at least once, but was led back. Presumably electric fencing stopped that.
A young male Orangutan 'Kimbu' also drowned at Chester. He was the original partner of Martha who died recently. This was in the orangutan house which had moats both indoors and outside. Not sure which he drowned in though.
A young male Orangutan 'Kimbu' also drowned at Chester. He was the original partner of Martha who died recently. This was in the orangutan house which had moats both indoors and outside. Not sure which he drowned in though.
In 2011, two female chimpanzees drowned at BioParque Zoo Pomerode inside their exhibit's holding pens. Beth and Nina's deaths left Charles lonely for the first time in his life.
Macacos morrem afogados por causa de enchente em zoológico de Pomerode (SC)
Charles's loneliness came to an end in 2014, when Sudão, a teenage male, arrived from Sapucaia do Sul. They lived together for a year and a half, when Charlie passed away at the approximate age of forty five.
In 2016, Pomerode welcomed Kassim, Sudão's older brother. Both currently still reside there.
Avaliação da influência de dispositivos de enriquecimento ambiental no comportamento de dois chimpanzés machos (Pan troglodytes) mantidos sob cuidados humanos no Zoológico Pomerode, SC
Macacos morrem afogados por causa de enchente em zoológico de Pomerode (SC)
Charles's loneliness came to an end in 2014, when Sudão, a teenage male, arrived from Sapucaia do Sul. They lived together for a year and a half, when Charlie passed away at the approximate age of forty five.
In 2016, Pomerode welcomed Kassim, Sudão's older brother. Both currently still reside there.
Avaliação da influência de dispositivos de enriquecimento ambiental no comportamento de dois chimpanzés machos (Pan troglodytes) mantidos sob cuidados humanos no Zoológico Pomerode, SC
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Sort of if I can remember correctly, it was at the point where we were entering in and out of lockdowns (at least here in Australia).
A lot of news stations did report on it though, and I'll link one below:
Sydney Zoo offers update after death of beloved chimpanzee Mogli as more details emerge