Zoo Basel what's happening at Basel?

Went to the zoo yesterday...
Work on the ape enclosures has started for real - lots of trees have been cleared where they're going to go, there are some very different views across the zoo now.
The Tahr are no longer around, and their enclosure is being redevelopped to house the crab eating macaques - and whilst that work is being done, the snowleopards have had to move out, they're on holiday at Zurich Zoo, but will be back when the work is done.
Didn't have much time yesterday so didn't see everything, but will go back today (and probably tomorrow, and the day after...), so will have a better look around.
 
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Work on the ape enclosures has started for real - lots of trees have been cleared where they're going to go, there are some very different views across the zoo now.

Two questions;

1. Do you know what species will/have dissappeared permanently to make way for the new Ape enclosures?

2. Is there a projected date for the completion of the enclosures- is it sometime next year?
 
The new enclosures are due to open summer 2012.

Not sure on which species will/have disappeared permanently - I'll list some of my thoughts/best guesses here:
- The spectacled bears will leave and not come back, Basel has been phasing out bears

- The otters will leave and not come back. There are short-clawed otters in the Indian rhino/muntjac/otter mixed exhibit, so I don't think they'll bring the others back.

- All three species of ape (chimp, gorilla, orang utan) are moving out (orangs already gone, the other two still around), but all three will come back

- Not sure what is going to happen with monkey species. The vervet monkey outside Etosha have gone, and the ringtail lemurs are going to live there. Whether this is permanent or only until the building work is done I don't know. I suspect the lemurs will move back and a more geographically suitable (Gamgoas/ Etosha) species of monkey will go back, but I don't know this for sure. The woolly monkey have gone to an English zoo, where they hopefully will also be mated (does anyone know where?? Apparently they've gone somewhere there are already over a dozen woollies?), but will come back. The crab eating macaques are moving to the Sautergarten, the other side of the "mountain" where the snowleopards are - I think this is a semi-permanent measure, they won't be back in the monkey/ape house, or that area. Otherwise, all the same species (spider monkeys, squirrell monkeys, various tamarins) are listed for the new building, so I'm guessing they'll stay around. Not sure what is going to happen with the red titi monkeys - they've only just had offspring, so all this is unfortunate timing really...

- So really, I think we'll lose the spectacled bears, otters, maybe titis - but not sure.

But please not that I have not spoken to anyone from the zoo, so this is all my speculation. I'm not at the zoo as often as I used to be anymore either, so maybe I'm not quite as in touch as I could be - so whilst some of this (about apes and monkeys) is from news I've found on the website, the bears/otters are not from any official source!

Some other general stuff I noticed when I went to the zoo today:

It's definitely spring time - loads of nest building, courting, egg laying going on with the storks (white stork) that live around the zoo - fantastic to watch!
Love seems to be in the air generally - for the okapi (who I saw together for the first time today!), the bison, the toucans in the bird house..
There was also a sunbittern nesting in the bird house.

Other things in the bird house: There is now only one silver-throated tanager, the other is gone (dead?). Although personally I don't think the other was a silver-throated, so maybe just sent away again? There is also a new tanager species - signposted as black-backed, but I really don't think that's what they are (1.1 I think).
The white-eyes are still excellent as always!
The pekin robins are now in the "Freiflughalle" or walkthrough, whatever you want to call it.
According to a sign there are young both with the long-tailed grass finches and the Gouldian finches, but I didn't see these. The Gouldians are all moulting, they look a bit rough!

There are still two young Nile crocodiles in with the adults (1.2) - they're now not constantly in the inaccessable-to-adults bit, so maybe they're slowly a bit too big to be eaten for lunch.

The children's zoo has lots of young animals - pygmy goats, Pfauenziege (a Swiss goat breed), minipigs, sheep, and two zebus (one born yesterday).

One of the gorillas was sitting outside on his/her own (they now have access to the orang utan tiny outside enclosure), away from the others, staring at a wall... I can't tell them apart, but I fear it may have been Goma - maybe missing Kati?

I also saw a heron and a pelican having a bit of a spat - it was hilarious!! I think the heron bit of rather more than he could chew...
 
The vervet monkey outside Etosha have gone, and the ringtail lemurs are going to live there. Whether this is permanent or only until the building work is done I don't know.

This is disappointing news. The vervets worked here as part of one of the most excellent European zoo areas; ring-tailed lemurs simply shatter the authenticity of the theming of this area. And vervets are rather more unusual, zoo-wise, than ring-tailed lemurs... (and there's a sentence which would have the 1970s zoo observer coughing into his cup of tea...).
 
Maybe rather they extend cheetah exhibit (currently just adequate) into vervet area? Or bring warthogs and zebra mongoose? I must say, vervets were usualy not well visible nor popular.

I also hope that wolves quickly get more space. That should not cost much. Maybe the forested place now occupied by boar etc (although would love to see tigers and bears there!).
 
The theming is why I don't think the lemurs will stay there, but that it's just for during the building works, I really can't see them leaving them there.

Not that the lemurs particularly fit into the monkey house, but oh well. Better than by Etoscha!
 
I think we'll lose the spectacled bears, otters, maybe titis - but not sure.

But please not that I have not spoken to anyone from the zoo, so this is all my speculation.

Many thanks for the detailed update on Basel, all very interesting. I understand that some of the projected moves are guesses, not fact but that's perfectly okay for me.. I'm sorry they may go out of the Spectacled bears though.

Does Basel have any Old World Monkeys apart from Vervets and the Crab-eating macaque colony? Time was when they had excellent species like Douc Langurs and Proboscis Monkey but those days are past. What species are exhibited in the Monkey House now?
 
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The monkey/ ape house has been closed the last few days, because the animals are being moved out. So it's all starting to happen properly now...

I haven't been able to check, but as far as I remember the monkeys that were held before the building and all that started were: Spider monkeys, woollies, red titi, squirrell, white-faced saki, and some species of tamarin (golden lion, cotton top and possibly another?). And then the apes. And the vervets, crab-eating macaques and ringtail lemurs outside the actual monkey/ape house.
 
as far as I remember the monkeys that were held before the building and all that started were: Spider monkeys, woollies, red titi, squirrell, white-faced saki, and some species of tamarin (golden lion, cotton top and possibly another?).

Interesting that everything in there now is/was South American primates.

Are these all being moved out as well as the Great Apes, or is all the renovation work only to the Ape enclosures?
 
If you mean proboscis monkeys, no, they don`t keep them. They may have kept this species in the past, though.

@ Pertinax: all monkeys are moved out too. The wooly monkeys go to another zoo temporarily, most other species probably to the same temporary housing facility from the pharma firm to which the gorillas and chimps are going and which is close by.
 
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Thanks for the information Yassa.

I seem to remember they did have Proboscis Monkeys in the late 1960's era but can't remember 100%- I think so.:confused:
 
stillborn indian rhino

Very sad news, Quetta's baby was stillborn on July 14, 2010 ...
 
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