Yes, I mentioned the same in one of my posts. They do call it a 'Bai' but its more like a Golf Course. I cannot understand why this wasn't heavily planted before they added the animals. I hope it will change.
All the primates in this enclosure are(at least partially) Forest-dwellers- the Gorillas, Owl- faced, De Brazza(?) and the Mangabeys. Yet there is no climbing structure at least in this part of the enclosure, let alone any attempt at planting a 'forest feel' apart from 3 sapling trees. Not sure how they got EEP approval to keep these various monkeys in here like this. The rare Hamlyn's in particular would be safer placed alone where they might breed- I think they are too rare to 'waste' in a mixed exhibit like this.
Actually this enclosure it's shared by gorillas (3 males) and northern talapoins and I see Thomas , kabuli and the talapoins climb to the trees , when the mangabeys were in this enclosure they climb to the trees too.
Originally, it was planned that some species of guenon was to have been exhibited in with gorillas at San Diego. The primate staff at the time were concerned about how to keep them in, so it may never have happened. For a few years Bronx kept DeBrazza's in with gorillas at Congo Gorilla Forest, but the last time I was there they were nowhere to be found and the identification graphic was gone. Too bad.
This exhibit would be astounding if there were any plants in it. With all of the species kept there, it will be very hard to get anything lush established now.
I wish I would've noticed the DeBrazza's monkeys @ Bronx Zoo! I haven't been there since last year and was planning to go later this month... do you know when they removed them?
And those are owl-faced guenons, right? I can really only identify them, the sitatunga, and the gorillas, but not that other primate... what are those? And are these the only species in the exhibit?
And those are owl-faced guenons, right? I can really only identify them, the sitatunga, and the gorillas, but not that other primate... what are those? And are these the only species in the exhibit?
The other species are White-naped Mangabeys. Last month there were no Sitatunga in this exhibit - there were labels for gorillas, talapoins, mangabeys and guenons but we only saw gorillas and mangabeys here.
We didn't see any Northern Talapoins (M. ogouensis) at all at Valencia. The only one we saw was a single Southern (M. talapoin) in the hippo/drill/sitatunga/guenon exhibit. Not seen a Southern before - was surprised how distinctive it is with the dark face. I'm not aware of any other Southerns in Europe. Thanks to Spot-necked Otters and Red-flanked Duiker, it was three lifetime mammal firsts for me in three consecutive exhibits!
Both the exhibit pictured here and the hippo/drill one had labels for the talapoins that included both species, suggesting they were expected to be shifted round (or mixed?) from time to time.
At the first time Southern talapoins were included with the sitatungas,drill,pygmy hippo at the same enclosure, and one Southern was included few months after, a time after, all two species of talapoins were moved for a sort time at the "bai" with the gorillas and mangabeys , when (I suppose) the owl-faced had not at the zoo, actually I think the northern are all Bioparc in Fuengirola where they reproduced at last once.
And the only one southern it´s still in the hyppos-sitaungas ,mona monkeys etc ,enclosure.
