Africa Alive! Africa Alive
- Thread starter Kifaru Bwana
- Start date
That's a shame they now only have the single female, during my visit back in June they had just 3 individuals.
Piece of June 2024 News Worth Mentioning:
On June 8th, it was announced that the zoo transferred (4.0) ring-tailed lemurs to Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent.
Wingham Wildlife Park
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On August 26th, the zoo announced they acquired 2+ sitatungas from the Banham Zoo in Norfolk which are on exhibit.
Africa Alive Reserve
On June 8th, it was announced that the zoo transferred (4.0) ring-tailed lemurs to Wingham Wildlife Park in Kent.
Wingham Wildlife Park
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On August 26th, the zoo announced they acquired 2+ sitatungas from the Banham Zoo in Norfolk which are on exhibit.
Africa Alive Reserve
Albert Thomas Budd
Active Member
I am going to Africa Alive today, what can I expect?
Albert Thomas Budd
Active Member
A 15 minute drive from our base in Southwold, took us to Africa Alive here are my thoughts.
For admissions we had to go in the gift shop, and there was a lovely girl behind the counter and there was a cafe there. First was The Dell, a walkthrough containing western sitatunga, white stork and South African shelduck, where the sitatungas can cross the barriers, it was lovely. The wild dogs, which on the signage was named 'cape hunting dog' for some reason, were nowhere to be seen.
The woodland walk was pleasant, and was some aviaries with these animals in this order: Southern white-faced owl, Egyptian vulture, Greater vasa parrot, African harrier hawk, Hooded vulture, Fossa and Milky eagle owl. The serval enclosure was well-sized for the size, and the fossas were inside. Meerkats and yellow mongoose were mixed nicely and we took a train around Africa Alive which was nice.
The aardvarks and crested porcupine were both inside sleeping, and the farmyard is no more, being replaced by a seamless leopard tortoise enclosure, the nocturnal house with aye-ayes is also home to Giant jumping rat, royal python and Turkish spiny mouse. There are 3 primate enclosures housing Drill, king colobus and black-and-white ruffed lemurs. Beyond that, there are some bat-eared fox and African brush-tailed porcupine (a UK only!)
The lemur encounters was only open on request and included ring-tailed lemurs with Cameroon and Somali sheep, Had a look at the wild dogs, I thought there was one in the shelter. Somali wild ass and Congo buffalo were next then Kingdom of the Lion, they had a really nice enclosure but the cheetah, there was 1. I love the red river hog exhibit called 'Hog Snorts' and the interactive elements were amazing.
There is a classroom called the Discovery Centre and it is free to get in, and here are the species: Royal python, Mexican hairleg tarantula, Fire skink, Dabb spiney-tailed lizard, Pancake tortoise and Sudan plated lizard, Turkish spiny mouse, Madagascan hissing cockroach, Millipeede, Giant African land snail and African fat-tailed gecko. The Plains of Africa is home to Reticulated giraffe, white rhino, Chapman's zebra and blesbok.
For admissions we had to go in the gift shop, and there was a lovely girl behind the counter and there was a cafe there. First was The Dell, a walkthrough containing western sitatunga, white stork and South African shelduck, where the sitatungas can cross the barriers, it was lovely. The wild dogs, which on the signage was named 'cape hunting dog' for some reason, were nowhere to be seen.
The woodland walk was pleasant, and was some aviaries with these animals in this order: Southern white-faced owl, Egyptian vulture, Greater vasa parrot, African harrier hawk, Hooded vulture, Fossa and Milky eagle owl. The serval enclosure was well-sized for the size, and the fossas were inside. Meerkats and yellow mongoose were mixed nicely and we took a train around Africa Alive which was nice.
The aardvarks and crested porcupine were both inside sleeping, and the farmyard is no more, being replaced by a seamless leopard tortoise enclosure, the nocturnal house with aye-ayes is also home to Giant jumping rat, royal python and Turkish spiny mouse. There are 3 primate enclosures housing Drill, king colobus and black-and-white ruffed lemurs. Beyond that, there are some bat-eared fox and African brush-tailed porcupine (a UK only!)
The lemur encounters was only open on request and included ring-tailed lemurs with Cameroon and Somali sheep, Had a look at the wild dogs, I thought there was one in the shelter. Somali wild ass and Congo buffalo were next then Kingdom of the Lion, they had a really nice enclosure but the cheetah, there was 1. I love the red river hog exhibit called 'Hog Snorts' and the interactive elements were amazing.
There is a classroom called the Discovery Centre and it is free to get in, and here are the species: Royal python, Mexican hairleg tarantula, Fire skink, Dabb spiney-tailed lizard, Pancake tortoise and Sudan plated lizard, Turkish spiny mouse, Madagascan hissing cockroach, Millipeede, Giant African land snail and African fat-tailed gecko. The Plains of Africa is home to Reticulated giraffe, white rhino, Chapman's zebra and blesbok.
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When I was young, "Cape hunting dog" was the generally accepted common name for "African wild dog" and was the name normally used on zoo labels.
MOG2012
Well-Known Member
African wild dogs and cape hunting dogs make them sound more vicious and “scary” rather than African painted dog. It helps with the PR to make them look and sound cute rather than “vicious hunters”
'Painted dog' or 'Painted wolf' came into vogue after (I think) first being coined in a couple of T.V. documentaries circa 1980's that were bigging up the species, as a more racy name for them and in the process deflecting the bad reputation they had as 'vicious killers.' It was then taken up as a broader name by zoos etc but as Tim May inferred, the old name is still(?) actually the correct name and the one I'll always use too.
African wild dogs are not vicious hunters ..., neither are our Eurasian or North American wolves for that matter. I wish that hogwash notion would have been debunked by now more effectively in the mostly western world devoid of wildlife and connection to natural and wilderness habitats. It is milk and honey and ultimately commercial green and money from the hunting communities that valildate this rather backward and obsolete notion.
It is high time in this day and age of the Sixth Extinction that we would not now be battling the public image of Carnivora. Let us look at ourselves and how we behave on this One Healthy Planet: the biggest predatory and life-threatening mammal is alas Homo sapiens (what ... an arrogant description Carl von Linne came up with ... - probably burdened by the only slowly blossoming concept of taxonomy, evolotion and species description -) itself.
It seems you and company had a great day out!
Do not worry! I know ..., it was more a general observation that alas still seems to prevail both in public perceptions in the western world and in various parts of East and Southern Africa.
Surely part of it would be that they aren't exclusively found on the African Cape [of Good Hope]? They are also found in more northern parts of Africa.
How is hunting anything, especially when it’s still struggling after getting caught, not vicious?
I don't think it is an official name change, only one made initially by the media in documentaries. Cape Hunting Dog is still the official name afaik. Presumably they were first discovered in that area.
Though saying that... funny enough painted dog is the term I most often use when talking about the animal
The unofficial 'painted dog/wolf' name has far superseded the traditional name in modern usage everywhere I think.
On November 27th, it was announced that the zoo transferred a (0.1) reticulated giraffe named Iniko to the Banham Zoo in Norfolk on November 22nd.
Banham Zoo
On December 31st, the zoo announced that 2+? Turkish spiny mice were born, as well as 2+? leopard tortoises and 1+? helmeted guineafowls hatched in 2024.
2.8K views · 78 reactions | Happy New Year from all the animals and staff at Africa Alive! 2024 has been an amazing year, with 18 new arrivals and new births from our spiny mice,... | By Africa Alive Reserve | Facebook
Banham Zoo
On December 31st, the zoo announced that 2+? Turkish spiny mice were born, as well as 2+? leopard tortoises and 1+? helmeted guineafowls hatched in 2024.
2.8K views · 78 reactions | Happy New Year from all the animals and staff at Africa Alive! 2024 has been an amazing year, with 18 new arrivals and new births from our spiny mice,... | By Africa Alive Reserve | Facebook
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Lafone
Well-Known Member
Not sure where that information comes from as the link doesn’t state she is generic I believe but Iniko is a reticulated giraffe not a generic - born to mother Kiara.