Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Zoo News 2024

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Kifaru Bwana said:
the subspecies looks rather magnificent, regal and attractive compared to domesticated counterparts.
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I think in this regard there are certainly domestic reindeer that look 'rather magnificent'. If females are housed in non-breeding situation [as opposed to where they have short period of antler growth before keeping them for months in bone] older animals can grow rather substantial antlers.
I think part of it though is that as a domestic animal in essence which in addition poses a danger to people when breeding, most zoos choose not to have a breeding bull full time. Gelded males however are common and can have impressive growth; but often lack hormone levels needed to shed velvet which can look weird come September when there's some velvet in places but not others, and may be prone to abnormal growth of which the prognosis remains unclear other than lesser hormone levels. [and this from what I see is a thing that happens anywhere where are gelded reindeer, UK, Finland, the United States ... though literature often reports it only being recorded in the UK]
 
That's not quite right @Strathmorezoo, the history of Linne’s two-toed sloths at Dudley is as follows...

In 2019, a male, called Reggie, arrived from Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight.

In 2020, a female, called Flo, arrived from Dierenpark Amersfoort in the Netherlands.


Flo and Reggie have had 3 offspring so far:

- Button, born 4th April 2022 (moved to Folly Farm in summer 2023).

- Zippy, born May 2023

- Jude, born 5th June 2024.
 
Benosaurus said:
That's not quite right @Strathmorezoo, the history of Linne’s two-toed sloths at Dudley is as follows...

In 2019, a male, called Reggie, arrived from Amazon World Zoo Park on the Isle of Wight.

In 2020, a female, called Flo, arrived from Dierenpark Amersfoort in the Netherlands.


Flo and Reggie have had 3 offspring so far:

- Button, born 4th April 2022 (moved to Folly Farm in summer 2023).

- Zippy, born May 2023

- Jude, born 5th June 2024.
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Mea culpa, I saw the information on Dudley zoo daily news page, and took the information as current
 
Hear me out, this thought popped into my mind earlier...

On the topic of wild dogs moving into that new enclosure, how about if the zoo goes for Dhole? They are similar to the African species in a way. They're excellent swimmers, smaller in size and in my honest opinion, they'd make for a much better fit to the exhibit.

If it this species, that actually would be a GREAT addition to Dudley. Remember them being at Twycross before... :D
 
Visited today 3/08/24. Have to say all round the zoo looked fantastic. Everything active (apart from the usual suspects). A real delight to see the Arctic fox cubs playing.

Bush dog enclosure is particularly impressive, the bush dogs didnt seem quite as keen, i only saw one.

Orangs making good use of their outdoor area, the babies were having a good explore. Good to see the bear ravine in use again, looks smart.

The new enclosure in place of peccaries/reindeers looks like it is going to be an impressive exhibit when it is finished. I asked a keeper, and they said it will be ready for Jan 2025. I took lots of photos of the build, but i still can't upload pics unfortunately.

Does anyone know what has happened to all of the Lorikeets? I only saw 3 or 4. Unless it was because there were no nectar pots on sale!

All in all a great visit
 
Me and a family member had a little debate on the new exhibit and what could go in there, and they suggested Wolves would be a good addition.

With enough coverage (of course), I think Iberian wolf would suit the combined-exhibit as they are one of the few subspecies of wolf that are listed as being more at risk of extinction compared to Eurasian wolves (which have been kept before according to ZTL).
 
Animallover1998 said:
Me and a family member had a little debate on the new exhibit and what could go in there, and they suggested Wolves would be a good addition.

With enough coverage (of course), I think Iberian wolf would suit the combined-exhibit as they are one of the few subspecies of wolf that are listed as being more at risk of extinction compared to Eurasian wolves (which have been kept before according to ZTL).
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I would love to see wolves back at Dudley, especially as there won't be any bears in the bear/reindeer ravine
 
I had another excellent visit to Dudley Zoo today, this time I managed to get around the whole site in one visit and managed to see a lot of animals I didn't on my last visit, including a snow leopard, a six-banded armadillo, and the leafcutter ants and naked mole rats in the chimpanzee's indoor viewing area. The only disappointing no-shows to speak of were the red pandas, emperor tamarins, white-faced saki, the bats in Castle Creatures, and a few things in the Reptile House.
 
Benosaurus said:
Niffler, the male Malayan binturong born in 2022 to Coconut and Elliot, has moved to Drusillas Park.

Drusillas Park - NEW ARRIVAL We'd like you all to meet....... | Facebook

He was the first of his species to be born at Dudley.

(Note: In Drusillas Park's Facebook post they state that Niffler is a Palawan binturong)
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Surely they are not intending to hybridise the two?
Whatever the disputes are about the taxonomy, surely everyone is agreed that the Palawan is very different from any of the others.
 
A few quick notes from my visit on 01/09/24...

- Both snow leopards were together in the older part of the enclosure.

- The new bush dog enclosure is looking fantastic now that the vegetation has grown back. Surely it's up there with the best bush dog enclosures in the UK, particularly with its underwater viewing. Didn't see the male or female. Access to the indoor viewing windows was blocked off but could see there were no lights on in the indoor area. New-borns perhaps?

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- Giraffe house was open, therefore it was my first time properly seeing the new additional giraffe paddock. Quite bland/featureless but at least it gives them more space as well as a quieter area to go to, so definitely a positive.

- Cassowary enclosure looking really good now that the foliage has matured. The cassowary was very active and showing really well; looking very confident/relaxed.

- There's no surprise that I didn't see the Asian palm civet (I've still NEVER seen it!!!).

- New wooden panelling around the otter viewing windows looks really smart.

- All 3 giant anteaters were active outdoors.

- The only lion I saw was the male; a very impressive animal. He was walking along the lower border of the enclosure.

- The new larger aviary attached to the end of the orang house contains 2 green aracari.

- Young orangs were in the new outdoor area. Wish the enclosure had a proper viewing area on the lower side instead of looking through mesh. The windows along the top portion of the enclosure also have a slight tint/haze to them.

- The Patagonian sea lions. Well, the mature male was in the left-hand pool and the, I think elderly, female was separated in the right-hand pool. Hopefully the zoo replaces them with a smaller marine mammal species when the time inevitably comes.

- I really liked the new reindeer exhibit. Been really well done. Nice to see the old ravine as a proper exhibit. The reindeer themselves were very active; much more so than at any point I saw them in their old enclosure. The large male is a very impressive animal and was catching the attention of quite a few visitors. Also nice that the Tecton is open to walk along.

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- The upgraded chimpanzee climbing structure is really well done. Definitely the most impressive enclosure in the zoo. Was fortunate to get there whilst the chimps were being fed during someone's keeper-for-the-day experience.

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- I saw a Luzon bleeding heart dove in the lorikeet walkthrough.


Pics are in the gallery.


PS; the new enclosure that has replaced the former reindeer and peccary paddocks is still very much under construction. I know that some people on here know exactly what species will go in there and the public zoochat rumour is that it will be wild dogs. Personally, I have no inside info on what species it will be, however upon viewing the enclosure and seeing how they've begun to landscape/furnish it, it wasn't giving me wild dog vibes.

Something about it's size, the multiple hillocks, the clumps of thick grassy vegetation, the piles of logs; it made me think of a shy South American canid.

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Of course I'm probably completely wrong and it'll end up being wild dogs, but it was just something that crossed my mind.
 
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Benosaurus said:
A few quick notes from my visit on 01/09/24...

PS; the new enclosure that has replaced the former reindeer and peccary paddocks is still very much under construction. I know that some people on here know exactly what species will go in there and the public zoochat rumour is that it will be wild dogs. Personally, I have no inside info on what species it will be, however upon viewing the enclosure and seeing how they've begun to landscape/furnish it, it wasn't giving me wild dog vibes.

Something about it's size, the multiple hillocks, the clumps of thick grassy vegetation, the piles of logs; it made me think of a shy South American canid.

full


Of course I'm probably completely wrong and it'll end up being wild dogs, but it was just something that crossed my mind.
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I was thinking the same thing... I didn't want to say anything at the risk of sounding like a 'hater', but I think having African wild dogs in this space is a poor decision. The enclosure just doesn't feel big enough to occupy a new pack.

I understand a lot of people miss the ones that used to be at the zoo until December 2020 (kept where the orangutan expansion is now) and I do as well. Believe me, I would love to see them kept again. I also think it's a bit soon for them to make a return.

As I've mentioned before, I think their smaller, Asian counterparts - the Dhole - would work better in this exhibit. The brickwork around the old peccary area did make me think Clouded leopard or an Aardvark but who knows... surely if African wild dog were coming back the zoo would have announced it, rather than tell us it's a NEW species.
 
AdrianW1963 said:
Just an idea for the new development old Peccary exhibit how about one of the following Maned Wolf (again) or Hyena both would be a great addition but very unlikely just thought I'd add to the dreams.
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I'm pretty sure both of those species have been kept at Dudley in the past. Though, admittedly I can't remember if I've ever seen a Maned wolf. I have been at Paignton and Banham Zoos, both of which hold the species.
 
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