Twycross Zoo Yellow-throated Martens

[Maguari]

Highlight of a rather frosty Twycross visit today - two very young looking Yellow-throated Martens. Visible (but not yet labelled) in the old swamp monkey enclosure at the end of the Brancker Waterway bit (I've attached a photo of the exhibit).

Sorry for the very poor quality of the photo - was fighting failing light and failing camera batteries!

Very nice additions - first time I've seen these in the UK. I presume they are the same Northern subspecies (Martes flavigula aterrima) as in other European zoos.

 

[Paix]

Great news! Will have to make a trip down to Twycross to see these... Maybe after the cold weather has passed though!

 

[pinkback]

Beautiful animals and we may gradually see more of them. A couple of European zoos are beginning to have some success in breeding them and they are now being monitored by the EAZA small carnivore TAG, eventually they may be an EEP species if the population coninues to grow.

 

[Al]

That's great news and so nice to see the species in the uk! They certainly are one of the most beautiful mustelid species!

 

[Maguari]

They certainly are one of the most beautiful mustelid species!

Certainly are. And a brilliant exhibit species - almost always active.

For the 'World Primate Centre', the carnivore collection is increasingly juicy - considering they already have species including Aardwolf, Arabian Striped Hyaena, Bat-eared Fox and Dhole.

 

[Al]

It certainly is a nice collection! There are a number of amazing small carnivore species arriving in the uk in the last few years with marbled polecats, tayra, yellow throated martin, owstons palm civet, narrow striped mongoose, wolverine, smooth coated otter, giant otter, Palawan binturong and a pure costa rican sub species of White nosed coati!

 

[kiang]

It certainly is a nice collection! There are a number of amazing small carnivore species arriving in the uk in the last few years with marbled polecats, tayra, yellow throated martin, owstons palm civet, narrow striped mongoose, wolverine, smooth coated otter, giant otter, Palawan binturong and a pure costa rican sub species of White nosed coati!

And with your help hopefully some more marbled polecats

Is there any sort of collection plan that this import is part of, i.e is it part of a Siberian/Russian exhibit that is being planned, as lovely an addition to any collection they are, to me seems there is no logic here

 

[Maguari]

to me seems there is no logic here

You're not a Twycross regular, are you?

There's not often a great deal of logic. Why build an enormous aviary you can only see from the toilets? Or spend £1m on a pathway? Or put Snow Leopards as a showcase for the World Primate Centre? Or, indeed, import Arabian Striped Hyaenas?

A lot seems (to me, from the outside) to be just on a whim - sometimes it works out well - it's certainly nice to see the hyaenas and martens there.

 

[Red Panda]

I visited the zoo yesterday, my first time there and the Yellow-throated Martens were very playful and seemed to want to get out of their enclosure. They were nice to see, but wish we could have got closer to them

Also I was a bit disappointed that the Aardwolf never made a show, but I saw the Bat Eared Foxes get fed and loved the Snow Leopard enclosure. Im sure Chester Zoo want to do something similar with the elephants.

All in all an enjoyable day

 

[zoogiraffe]

Im sure Chester Zoo want to do something similar with the elephants.

I hope not!!!!

 

[Jordan-Jaguar97]

Sorry to bring up this old thread but if some of you were wondering were they came from then they came from Munster Zoo.

 

[dublinlion]

I saw some of these at berlin tierpark recently and they were really handsome animals and extremely active. I spent ages trying to get a photo but had to give up as they never stood still.
They seemed much larger than I had expected and bigger, I thought, than the pine martin, which I have seen in the wild.

 

[dublinlion]

It is definitely becoming a welcome trend in UK and Irish Zoos that animals such as the above plus AArdwolves, Tayras, small cat, dog and fox species, Binturongs, Anteaters etc. are being exhibited.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

I do not think it is such a bad thing to diversify for Twycross Zoo yet still have the brand of Primate Zoo of the World (but as some of us agree that latter brand really needs some great investment to make most of the primate exhibits and enclosures more challenging for both inhabitants and visitors alike ... LOL

 

[Snowleepard]

Do twycross still have the yellow throated martens. As I went recently and didn't see them

 

[zoogiraffe]

Do twycross still have the yellow throated martens. As I went recently and didn't see them

They still have them,just because you didn't see them doesn't always mean something has left Twycross again.In fact all being well they should be going on-show in the old wildcat enclosure,once it has been modified to suit the Martens!

 

[dogman]

I agree with whats been said but would like to see more places keep them better like reepark safari in ebeltoft, saw the enclosure before got close enough to see what lived in it and expected wolverine or similar but was pleasantly surprised when it was the martins and they actually had room to act as they should, they were everywhere up 60ft beech trees, digging in the river bank etc, great to see and not just side to side head tossing like when they are in another crap aviary .