Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2011 #2

De Brazza Monkey birth.

TeaLovingDave has reported elsewhere that they have a baby De Brazza Monkey. This is probably the first (or first successful) birth of any Guenon species at Twycross for many years. No doubt because the trio they got from Port Lympme are comparatively young and have not already lived together many years as non-breeders like most of the other Twycross guenons!

Can any recent visitor report on the current situation with the remaining 'Green Mile' chimpanzees?
 
Pertinax said:
Are there any Chimps in one side of the Gorilla House nearest the Elephant House yet?
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No yet but I believe the zoo's plans have changed abit since the death on the female Gorilla,as a result I now believe Boulas is on the surplus list,and all the other Gorilla's will be moved into the other house in due course,so this house could be all Chimps!
 
zoogiraffe said:
as a result I now believe Boulas is on the surplus list,and all the other Gorilla's will be moved into the other house in due course,so this house could be all Chimps!
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That is the best decision I've heard from them this year;)- Boulas should never have come there IMO. Port Lympne/Howletts should offer to have him back really as they own him, but he then might have to live alone. I can't see anywhere else wanting him though unless it was as the top male with younger ones in a new bachelor group somewhere (he was originally to have gone from Belfast to Warsaw, not Twycross).
 
Pertinax said:
That is the best decision I've heard from them this year;)- Boulas should never have come there IMO. Port Lympne/Howletts should offer to have him back really as they own him, but he then might have to live alone. I can't see anywhere else wanting him though unless it was as the top male with younger ones in a new bachelor group somewhere (he was originally to have gone from Belfast to Warsaw, not Twycross).
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An all male group as the group elder would be the best solution. Hoping the EEP will make for insightful judgement and leadership there ....
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
An all male group as the group elder would be the best solution. Hoping the EEP will make for insightful judgement and leadership there ....
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That is what Boulas would have been if he had joined the new small group of males at Warsaw(it contains just two younger males) as originally planned. For some reason Port Lympne vetoed the move, I believe because they weren't satisfied with the exact design of the watermoated enclosure for him there. So Twycross took him instead, a very shortsighted move (IMO) :confused: as less than two years later he is now in the way/not wanted there. Without him they could have built a single Gorilla group around the other male Oumbie's arrival, and thus freed up an extra house for chimps two years ago.

The problem is a new bachelor group he could join, is not set up that often. A couple of options that I could foresee for him;

1. He could return to Port Lympne after space is freed up by the move of other males to Rhenen and Longleat(?) later this(?) year. I doubt Port Lympne want him back though- just another single male to house. They didn't take him back previously in 2010, but might have more space after the other moves in 2012.

2. He could join younger males at Longleat (presumably also coming from Port Lympne) when their new enclosure is complete this year, though full intregation with them might be a problem after he's lived with females.

3. Something unexpected and entirely different!:)
 
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Pertinax said:
TeaLovingDave has reported elsewhere that they have a baby De Brazza Monkey. This is probably the first (or first successful) birth of any Guenon species at Twycross for many years. No doubt because the trio they got from Port Lympme are comparatively young and have not already lived together many years as non-breeders like most of the other Twycross guenons! /QUOTE]

Does anyone else wonder if it isn't time for good primate zoos in Europe to liaise with CERCPAN, and to help the development of other decent primate breeding centres in West Africa, in order to facilitate the imports of fresh blood for some of the guenon species like Hamlyn's that are slowly dwindling away in captivity?

I'm resigned to the fact that getting duikers established in Europe is a logistical exercise that no-one will take on board, but guenons are an important story in the campaign against the bushmeat trade.

Surely it's also important to get across to the public the sheer diversity of primates in the continent where our species evolved? Guenons, arguably the most colourful of primates, do this job better than most.
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IanRRobinson; said:
Surely it's also important to get across to the public the sheer diversity of primates in the continent where our species evolved? Guenons, arguably the most colourful of primates, do this job better than most.
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Guenons are undoubtedly my favourite group of Monkeys. But do our Zoos really deserve a '2nd chance' with the importation of fresh stocks? Many have neglected to breed and maintain or increase the stocks they have had in the past. Why is that likely to change now? Overall, with various exceptions, the attitude of zoos generally in keeping Geunons seems just to be one of waning interest.:Wouldn't that happen again even if more animals were brought in? I think so, even if not immediately.:(

But I notice you did say 'good primate zoos' and therein perhaps lies the difference.
 
Pertinax said:
Guenons are undoubtedly my favourite group of Monkeys. But do our Zoos really deserve a '2nd chance' with the importation of fresh stocks? Many have neglected to breed and maintain or increase the stocks they have had in the past. Why is that likely to change now? Overall, with various exceptions, the attitude of zoos generally in keeping Geunons seems just to be one of waning interest.:Wouldn't that happen again even if more animals were brought in? I think so, even if not immediately.:(

But I notice you did say 'good primate zoos' and therein perhaps lies the difference.
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I can see where you're coming from. A good 16 years ago I can remember an article in "Ratel" pleading for someone to set up a bachelor group of Allen's swamp monkeys so that this obviously harem species could be managed more appropriately. Needless to say, nothing was done and the species is now all but gone.

But despite much evidence to the contrary, I continue to hope that UK zoos will develop into farsighted institutions that won't fly with every passing fad..:rolleyes:
 
IanRRobinson said:
I can see where you're coming from. A good 16 years ago I can remember an article in "Ratel" pleading for someone to set up a bachelor group of Allen's swamp monkeys so that this obviously harem species could be managed more appropriately. Needless to say, nothing was done and the species is now all but gone.

But despite much evidence to the contrary, I continue to hope that UK zoos will develop into farsighted institutions that won't fly with every passing fad..:rolleyes:
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I would expect the review process in EEP operation in operandi now will result in some unexpected changes before long. Particularly, where species coordinators or zoos are not doing a good job ...
 
zoogiraffe said:
Not sure on the numbers of animal's left in it but it is certainly alot less and all being well it should be empty before June 2012.
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In the green mile currently are:

Benji with Rosie and Tuli.
Mongo with coco, lottie and noddy
And then Louis and choppers.
 
mazfc said:
In the green mile currently are:

Benji with Rosie and Tuli.
Mongo with coco, lottie and noddy
And then Louis and choppers.
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So apart from Jambo and his partner, it seems to be still 'no change' here, either numbers or groupings. Have any of these been mixed differently(?)

It seems the planned moves may now occur over the next six months perhaps?
 
mazfc said:
Easter is a perfect time to open stuff In Yorkshire :D
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That's why I said Easter- its the start of the 'Zoo season'- but as for Gorillas(yet at least) in Yorkshire I think you may have to dream on..;) Interesting fact- there has been no new UK holder of Gorillas for many years now, probably not since Paignton's male group came into existence. It would be good to see another.
 
Pertinax said:
That's why I said Easter- its the start of the 'Zoo season'- but as for Gorillas(yet at least) in Yorkshire I think you may have to dream on..;) Interesting fact- there has been no new UK holder of Gorillas for many years now, probably not since Paignton's male group came into existence. It would be good to see another.
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I know, I was joking. :cool:
 
Pertinax said:
So apart from Jambo and his partner, it seems to be still 'no change' here, either numbers or groupings. Have any of these been mixed differently(?)

It seems the planned moves may now occur over the next six months perhaps?
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Not so far, but I suppose they have to move at the pace of the chimps. There's a lot of males to sort. Molly was ahead of her time when she started, but they were left with a huge task to sort out
 
mazfc said:
I know, I was joking. :cool:
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ye, I did realise you were.;) But there's no reason why a place like the new YWP couldn't have them in future- lots of new places in Europe, particularly in France and Eastern Europe, have gone into them in recent years, just not in the UK.
 
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