Questions!

A

aw101

Well-Known Member
I have been curious about some species, and any information would be good..

Firstly, why are there no exhibits featuring okapis and primates, wouldn't this make an interesting mixed species exhibit? Maybe Mandrills and okapis? I do not believe okapis are aggressive animals, they keep them with various species of antelopes and duikers at Sd WAP and Animal Kingdom.

Why are grenuks always kept on their own, is this because they are relatively delicate animals? Same goes for warthogs, they would make an interesting exhibit with the hornbills. Even at Animal Kingdom they are kept on their own in a moated exhibit.

Does any zoo currently breed leopards? I haven't heard of leopard cubs in a while....

One last thing, at the Sd WAP's Heart of Africa exhibit, the flamingos are kept in a huge lake, and I have seen them venturing onto the colobus money island, has anyone heard any reports of the monkeys attacking the flamingos?
 
aw101 said:
Firstly, why are there no exhibits featuring okapis and primates, wouldn't this make an interesting mixed species exhibit? Maybe Mandrills and okapis? I do not believe okapis are aggressive animals, they keep them with various species of antelopes and duikers at Sd WAP and Animal Kingdom.
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Okapis are very nervous, so I would think that pairing them up with mandrills or other monkeys would be to big a stress factor.


aw101 said:
Does any zoo currently breed leopards? I haven't heard of leopard cubs in a while....
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In what country do you mean? Many zoos breed leopards worldwide.
 
@aw101: Gerenuks at the Oregon Zoo in the U.S. have been kept with giraffe, zebras and marabou storks in an African Savannah exhibit.
 
Warthogs also live with zebras, eland antelopes and ostriches in Hagenbeck Tierpark.
 
aw101 said:
One last thing, at the Sd WAP's Heart of Africa exhibit, the flamingos are kept in a huge lake, and I have seen them venturing onto the colobus money island, has anyone heard any reports of the monkeys attacking the flamingos?
Click to expand...

Baboons hunt flamingo in the wild, I may be wrong but I read that this only recently begun/was observed..?

Colombus monkeys are hunted by Chimpanzee (at least I think I saw that in an Attenborough show)...
 
Firstly, why are there no exhibits featuring okapis and primates, wouldn't this make an interesting mixed species exhibit? Maybe Mandrills and okapis? I do not believe okapis are aggressive animals, they keep them with various species of antelopes and duikers at Sd WAP and Animal Kingdom.
Click to expand...

Okapi really dont like having large things moving above them - leopards tend to hang out this way. I wouldnt reccommend mandrills with them, have Mandrills be exhibited with any hoofstock besides Pygmy hippos? But it would be interesting to see maybe guenons or mangabeys, something smaller - squirrels dont seem to bother them at all. San Diego Zoo houses guenons with Forest Buffalo.

Also Okapi can be aggressive - the male at Disney stomped on a duiker. He isnt allowed to be with them again, of course that male is also one of the more aggressive in the US.
 
NZ Jeremy said:
Baboons hunt flamingo in the wild, I may be wrong but I read that this only recently begun/was observed..?
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Baboons eat lots of different types of meat and even antelopes if they can manage to catch them.

Colobus monkeys are know as the "primate cows", since they eat nothing but leaves. Therefor, they would not pose a threat to flamingoes.
 
One of the main reasons for warthogs not to be used greatly in mixed exhibits is due to their destructive nature, holes dug in the past in mixed hoofstock enclosures have lead to animals breaking legs in holes dug by them. As for the mixing of bird species im sure it has been done but I would be concerned about the predating on them as they are omnivorous. meerkats and mongooses are good choices!
 
Has an okapi ever attacked a keeper?

Is there an actual moat round the warthog enclosure at Animal Kingdom or do the warthogs just choose to stay in that area by choice?
 
At the Bronx Congo exhibit, mandrills (which by the way are NOT baboons, but close relatives of mangabeys) are displayed with Red River hogs and DeBrazza monkeys. The curators do keep the male mandrill off exhibit when baby RR hogs are first introduced.
 
aw101 said:
Has an okapi ever attacked a keeper?

Is there an actual moat round the warthog enclosure at Animal Kingdom or do the warthogs just choose to stay in that area by choice?
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Yes, Okapi have attacked keepers before on more than one occasion.
 
I'd like to see okapi's mixed with colobus monkeys. I think that would be interesting...
 
Flamingos, Chilean, James's, Andean and greater are species that inhabit dry, arid and sparse habitats in the wild.
Yet most flamingo groups the world over are exhibited in finely manicured enclosures full of lush plantings, lots of grass, sometimes lawns, usually lots of trees.
Are there any flamingo exhibits worldwide that replicate their TRUE natural habitat ?
 
Barcelona Zoos two flamingo ponds are completely barren with a brown clay island. They seem to thrive on them though. When we were there, both species had made quite a lot of nests from the clay. Perhaps it helps?

Nice theory though...
 
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