Howletts Wild Animal Park Howletts Wild Animal Park News 2013
- Thread starter Nisha
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Never been quite sure what their relationship is. In the past they definately weren't and Howletts/John Aspinall refuted requests by the EEP to get them to transfer animals to other Zoos etc. Nowadays I think they work more in conjunction with the EEP, but I guess still retain ownership of all their Gorillas themselves.
Article about the baby South American tapir with nice pictures ! :
Tapir Gets Tonguey at Howletts Wild Animal Park - ZooBorns
Tapir Gets Tonguey at Howletts Wild Animal Park - ZooBorns
I went to Howletts on Sunday and saw the little baby Tapir, is very cute!! I also noticed on the serval enclosure that the older Serval's nameplate was not there and since she was old I presume she has died leaving Melindi on her own. Arina the tiger cub has got quite big since the last time I saw her and it was nice to See a couple of keepers in with her playing and showing each other love, was a lovely sight. At the back Gorillas Otana who's a 12 year old male from Kouillous group has been separated and been placed in the Enclosure opposite that has the old ladies although he is not in with them as he has 3 section of the enclosure, I don't know whether he was starting to cause Kouillou problems or they are preparing for his move to Melbourne?.
Despite the recent trouble and Deaths in the herd the Elephants looked quite good and were all grazing on the grass paddocks, none of the herd were separated apart from Jums who had to sand paddock right at the end to himself. I do think the herd is in need of a new bull and perhaps try and integrate 1 or 2 new cows. Easiest bull to get would be Kruger who is at PL and then send Jums over to PL and then apparently Damian Aspinall wants the send 2 elephants back to the wild, im guessing he is talking about Janu and Juva who are the two young bulls at PL who came from Howletts, so perhaps they could send Jums over there and maybe release him back to wild as well??
GB
Despite the recent trouble and Deaths in the herd the Elephants looked quite good and were all grazing on the grass paddocks, none of the herd were separated apart from Jums who had to sand paddock right at the end to himself. I do think the herd is in need of a new bull and perhaps try and integrate 1 or 2 new cows. Easiest bull to get would be Kruger who is at PL and then send Jums over to PL and then apparently Damian Aspinall wants the send 2 elephants back to the wild, im guessing he is talking about Janu and Juva who are the two young bulls at PL who came from Howletts, so perhaps they could send Jums over there and maybe release him back to wild as well??
GB
I was at port lympne 3 years ago and the plan was to swap kruger and jums around, but the howletts matriach was appartently too dominant over kruger. he's older now so maybe itll be worth another go. Jums' genes are over represented at howletts so whatever they do a new male will be needed to keep up the breeding herd.
Article about the Giant Anteater-birth :
July 07, 2013
Giant Anteater Is Latest Arrival at Howletts
Baby giant anteater at Howletts 1 c Dave Rolfe
Riding on mom’s back, a baby Giant Anteater is the latest arrival at the United Kingdom’s Howletts Wild Animal Park.
Baby giant anteater at Howletts Wild Animal Park 2 c Dave Rolfe
Baby giant anteater at Howletts Wild Animal Park c Dave Rolfe
Photo Credit: Dave Rolfe
Joel Bunce, head of the zoo’s hoofstock section, said: “We were delighted with this latest arrival. It’s been a long time since we had a Giant Anteater birth and this little one is getting on really well.”
The baby was born to female Fidgi and male Zet. According to zoo keepers, both are providing excellent care to their newborn.
Giant Anteaters are native to South America and females normally give birth to one baby at a time, after a gestation period of 190 days. Young are carried on their mother’s backs and they may stay with their mothers for up to two years. Giant Anteaters are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Though their range extends from Honduras to Argentina, they are extirpated (regionally extinct) in some countries due to overhunting and habitat loss.
Source : Zooborns
July 07, 2013
Giant Anteater Is Latest Arrival at Howletts
Baby giant anteater at Howletts 1 c Dave Rolfe
Riding on mom’s back, a baby Giant Anteater is the latest arrival at the United Kingdom’s Howletts Wild Animal Park.
Baby giant anteater at Howletts Wild Animal Park 2 c Dave Rolfe
Baby giant anteater at Howletts Wild Animal Park c Dave Rolfe
Photo Credit: Dave Rolfe
Joel Bunce, head of the zoo’s hoofstock section, said: “We were delighted with this latest arrival. It’s been a long time since we had a Giant Anteater birth and this little one is getting on really well.”
The baby was born to female Fidgi and male Zet. According to zoo keepers, both are providing excellent care to their newborn.
Giant Anteaters are native to South America and females normally give birth to one baby at a time, after a gestation period of 190 days. Young are carried on their mother’s backs and they may stay with their mothers for up to two years. Giant Anteaters are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Though their range extends from Honduras to Argentina, they are extirpated (regionally extinct) in some countries due to overhunting and habitat loss.
Source : Zooborns
Bwana Simba
Active Member
Releasing Jums back into the wild isn't a good idea IMO. The younger bulls Janu and Juva might have a better chance though.
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Agreed: old animals are usually not very good reintroduction material!
It is a bit Free Willy Saga there ...
It is a bit Free Willy Saga there ...
Bwana Simba
Active Member
Correct, and especially not the largest land mammal(and an intelligent one too). If i'm not mistaken, he was captured as a calf and was raised in captivity. He's an adult bull who hasn't had any competition from or interaction with other adult bulls. In the wild, bulls usually leave the herd once they mature, and form bachelor groups and rejoin the herd during mating season - they have to compete for mating rights most of the time. Jums grew up without the company of older bulls to learn from or discipline him, and he's had his own herd at the zoo for a long time now without any competition. He'd probably have a hard time fitting in with a wild herd, most likely become an outcast and possibly become dangerous.
Spending his life in captivity also means that he's been habituated to humans, even if the zoo has a hands-off policy - i'm not sure about this though, I remember reading an article in which a keeper mentioned that he used to enter the paddock and Jums would lie down beside him like a big dog - until the day he hit him with his trunk. If this is the case, he has no natural fear of humans and could become a threat to people - tourists, villagers living around the reserve, etc. Being used to humans would also make him an easy target for poachers. Hunters would leave him due to his short tusks, but I doubt poachers would pass up the opportunity.
The younger bulls Janu and Juva might have a better chance in the wild than Jums would - IMO, it'd be best for an elephant of his age(especially a bull) to remain in captivity. The only place I can think of releasing him would be a private game reserve(one of the fenced ones in South Africa) - he'd be in a fenced area, and would most likely be the only bull there, and it'd be easier to monitor him. At least he wouldn’t be a threat to any settlements around the reserve due to the fence. The only problem that could arise would be due to his habituation to humans - if he started visiting the lodges/camps/staff quarters or being aggressive towards tourists(in vehicles or on foot).
A pair of Clouded Leopard cubs have been born to female, Matsi
No One Likes a Needle
No One Likes a Needle
Is this collection going out of the species? They seem to have sent 7(?) to the UK in the past week. 5.0 to Dudley and now these 0.2 to Howletts, if they aren't going out of them then they must have had quite a few surplus?
By the fact they have sent more males than females, I would guess that no they aren't(but could be wrong of course).
I find it interesting that Howletts have added two new females to their existing 1.2+1 Geladas- it will give them a better potential group. But as is often the case with the Aspinall parks, it seems at odds with DA's recent publicity statements about wanting to send all his animals back to the wild- if that was really the case they wouldn't be adding new animals, would they?
But as is often the case with the Aspinall parks, it seems at odds with DA's recent publicity statements about wanting to send all his animals back to the wild- if that was really the case they wouldn't be adding new animals, would they?
Ahhhh, but now he's liberated them from a zoo (which neither of his parks are!
) so he'll probably put some animal liberation spin on it! 
A number of species at the Parks are part of EEP breeding programmes- as such their movement is, I think, at least partially at the discretion of the S/B keepers. I've never been clear whether all of their animals are now under EEP supervision or not actually. I know the Drills are as they came originally from Stuttgart Zoo- more recently two females bred from the group at PL were directed to be sent to Munich- an 'urban zoo'
as such their destination was out of Howlett's control. The Geladas may be in a similar category. But I know the Lion-tailed macaques came from a 'private collection in Germany' so its possible they may not be subject to the same rulings. certainly that group has expanded since they came without any intervention/removals.
They have sent De Brazza and Diana monkeys to other UK zoos in the past and also recently sent 0.2 Gorillas to Belo Horizonte in South America which I gather is a substandard-type 'zoo'. One died and another has now been sent to replace her.
as such their destination was out of Howlett's control. The Geladas may be in a similar category. But I know the Lion-tailed macaques came from a 'private collection in Germany' so its possible they may not be subject to the same rulings. certainly that group has expanded since they came without any intervention/removals. They have sent De Brazza and Diana monkeys to other UK zoos in the past and also recently sent 0.2 Gorillas to Belo Horizonte in South America which I gather is a substandard-type 'zoo'. One died and another has now been sent to replace her.
IanRRobinson
Well-Known Member
ZSL OUGHT to have some options on Eastern Black Rhino - they sent no fewer than four animals (Bwana Mkubwa, Mama Kidogo, June, and later on Jos) down to Port Lympne. That is assuming ZSL ever wanted to keep the species again....
Everyone else ignore this, sorry to hijack the thread.
Ian, can you clear your message box out, I've just spent 1.5 hours responding to a message you sent me and I can't send because your box is full.
Move along, there's nothing to see here.