Paignton Zoo Monkey Heights

[Pertinax]

Good work, Al!

I feel I must defend 'my' zoo and Monkey Heights! The Diana monkeys and Macaques are always active and exploring their enclosures. . Monkey Heights looks attractive. There must be worse monkey houses around, surely!

I think you will find that different species behave exactly the same whatever surroundings/cage/enclosure type they are kept in. i.e. Dianas and some other Guenons, Macaques & Spider Monkeys are far more active than say, Colobus which as you know are often inactive for long periods while they digest food. Their surroundings have very little affect on their activity levels. Paignton's Diana pair were equally active in the old Monkey House, and the Colobus equally 'lazy'- it is innate behaviour for each species irrespective of enclosure quality.

Regarding Monkey Heights- I still think the outsides are a very strange design for a modern Monkey House. The more climbing facilities, the more the monkeys will use use them. Imagine those Dianas with a really large climbing area or better still, some trees to bounce around in- how even more spectacular would they be then?

 

[tetrapod]

Good work, Al!

I feel I must defend 'my' zoo and Monkey Heights! The Diana monkeys and Macaques are always active and exploring their enclosures. The male Abyssinian Colobus were brought down to Monkey Heights from their house up on the hill when the females all died suddenly. The females had youngsters so they were often up to something indoors or out. The males do tend to just sit about inside but the keeper explained that this is what leaf eating monkeys have to do while they digest their food. The King Colobus go outside more. So maybe the monkeys enjoy their home more than some visitors do?
I do agree that one species of Colobus would be sufficient.
I tend to take the zoo's situation for granted as I go there so often, but people visiting for the first time must be impressed by the lakes, trees, hills etc and by the number of animals not totally fenced in. Monkey Heights looks attractive. There must be worse monkey houses around, surely!

Gigit, I think that everybody's comments reflects the fact that Paignton is a top-class zoo and has produced some very good exhibits in the past utilising an interesting mix of species. Monkey Heights however doesn't set the bar high. As I mentioned in a different post, the nightquarters are great, but the outside space is average. Public viewing down on to animals, especially primates, is a big no-no, and the number of exhibits/species was too high for the space (obviously because Paignton needed to knock down the old exhibit). The only living vegetation in the exhibits were some very large trees, which at least for horticultural reasons, were protected from the primates. If you want to see how to produce top-class facilities, I suggest Apenheul in Holland. If Paignton had gone for a single large exhibit, possibly a mixed display of species, and incorporated more planting and higher climbing structures than I think it would have been the success. Oh... and dropped the name.

People on this post aren't Paignton-bashing; they're just a little disappointed with the results.

 

[Pertinax]

People on this post aren't Paignton-bashing; they're just a little disappointed with the results.

Yes, Monkey Heights is the only recent building there which I think is disappointing. As Tetrapod says, Apenheul (or the latest enclosures at Howletts and Port Lympne) are good examples of what could have been achieved.

 

[Al]

i can see no animals on isis that have moved from newquay recently so it would suggest they have died.

 

[johnstoni]

Didn't Paignton have a break from keeping King colobus for a few years? I'm pretty sure that's where the main group came from. Newquay were hand-rearing a female only 18 months ago. Are the two Newquay-born animals this juvenile and her mother? I am assuming the cricket-born female also came from Newquay.....the absence of king colobus seemed to coincide with the arrival of the yellow-breasted capuchins, I haven't been to Newquay but are the mangabeys, diana monkeys and capuchins kept in the monkey cages that used to house dianas, sooty mangabeys and the colobus?

 

[Al]

The hand reared female died as far as i know. The females specimen reports at paignton say that two where born there and have always lived there. The other female was born at cricket, lived at jersey for a while before moving to paignton.

 

[Pertinax]

King Colobus

Didn't Paignton have a break from keeping King colobus for a few years? I'm pretty sure that's where the main group came from. are the mangabeys, diana monkeys and capuchins kept in the monkey cages that used to house dianas, sooty mangabeys and the colobus?

Paignton was the first place I ever saw King Colobus, in the early 1960's- at that time there were only two in the old House. I don't know what their breeding history is or whether they have kept them continuously but before the old House was demolished the group seemed to be number about 7 and may have been split into two.

I also saw a small group(about 4/5) at Newquay several years ago- could have been Paignton's but I remember reading that one was transferred between the zoos, suggesting both were still keeping them at that stage.

I haven't visited Newquay for several years but imagine their monkey cages are the same as before-it was a row of 3 traditional wiremesh cages not suitable for large groups. At one time they had 6 Dianas living in one. What happened to the rest I don't know but I would prefer to see the remaining Dianas(o.2) and the Mangabeys(1.2) moved to Paignton and less active/smaller species kept at Newquay...

 

[johnstoni]

That still doesn't explain what happened to the parents of the hand-reared animal at Newquay. So they effectively still had a breeding group at the start of 2007, but now seem to have vanished....

 

[Pertinax]

That still doesn't explain what happened to the parents of the hand-reared animal at Newquay. So they effectively still had a breeding group at the start of 2007, but now seem to have vanished....

See Al's explanation below.... the female and baby died, leaving only the male(martin) who, fortunately for Paignton, was available again to rejoin their group. With only 1.3. Paignton are also in danger of losing the viability of this group if they are not careful- I hope they can increase them though.

 

[Al]

I have access to the members section of isis which gives individual specimen reports to every animal on it. I have looked at every individual on isis and none are the newquay animals. I am also friendly with the directer of newquay and am sure he had mentioned they had lost the baby and a couple of adults, i think which left their male which left to paignton in november last year.

 

[Pertinax]

Diana Monkeys in the South West.

I have access to the members section of isis which gives individual specimen reports to every animal on it.

I'd be very interested to know the history of the Diana monkeys at Paignton and Newquay zoos;

1. Where did Paignton's breeding pair come from? Are they related to Newquay's?

2. Were either or both the 0.2 at Newquay bred there/related and are they old or young animals?

3. Is the 1.0 at Exmoor Bird Garden also from Newquay and what age is he?

 

[Pertinax]

martin the king colobus.

Martin was born in Erfurt and moved to Paignton before moving to Newquay for a while before returning to paignton recently.

So he's the one I read about being transferred to Newquay's group a few years back.. Newquay's group has now (sadly) become non-existent and he has returned to Paignton...

 

[Al]

Newquays females were born there in 2001 and 2002, paigntons male is from port lypmne and the female was born at paignton. Exmoors male was born at exmoor

 

[Pertinax]

Newquays females were born there in 2001 and 2002, paigntons male is from port lypmne and the female was born at paignton. Exmoors male was born at exmoor

Wow, thanks, so fast ..

Maybe exmoor's 1.0 and Newquay's o.2. will join forces then? I really hate seeing these unpaired animals....

Can you access similar information for the pair of Dianas at Marwell?

 

[Al]

Marwells male is from port lympne amd their female from edinburgh

 

[Pertinax]

Marwells male is from port lympne amd their female from edinburgh

again, thanks for the information. I'll P.M. you about this.

This pair don't seem to have bred yet? I believe at one stage they were mixed with Marwell's Colobus but they aren't any more so they have to alternate in the large(very good) outdoor enclosure.

Returning to the Paignton/Newquay Diana Monkeys;

I'm wondering how Newquay's have dwindled from six down to two in the last few years? Perhaps the young male born to the Paignton pair will be sent to Newquay in due course? And perhaps Newquay could send one female to the lone male at Exmoor? Several 'possibles' here....

 

[johnstoni]

similarly, I wonder what London is waiting on before introducing a male to their two female diana monkeys....

 

[Pertinax]

similarly, I wonder what London is waiting on before introducing a male to their two female diana monkeys....

Availability of a suitable unrelated one I suppose. But I do find it frustrating seeing unpaired animals, especially when it goes on for months(or years) on end....

 

[Gigit]

I went to the zoo today. The Diana Monkey has not yet given birth.

 

[Gigit]

The baby Diana Monkey is a female named Dede which means 'Grasshopper'.
An added attraction at Paignton today - the vet was operating on a macaque in the surgery with the blinds open. We were just in time to see a long incision in the macaque's abdomen being stitched up and wondered if if was being operated on as a result of eating crisps (see general thread on Feeding the Animals)