Wow, that cage looks so derelict. The move to Baboon Island (which is really a peninsula) was well overdue. The zoo had seven baboons at this time - Nicholas, Nero, Cleo, Claudette, Matthew, Marcus And Maple. The dominant male was Nicholas; and the lowest ranking was Maple.
@Zoofan15 you never fail to amaze me with your knowledge of zoos and their history. The fact you remember individual animals and their relation to the troop really shows your knowledge and dedication.
@LowlandGorilla4 Thank you for your kind words. I greatly enjoy researching zoo history and animal lineages. Great apes and felids are my favourite, but I follow many other mammals too.
Chacmas baboons are such lovely animals (Though can be quite annoying sometimes!)
Currently the only WAZA accredited Zoo that keep them is my local one, Joburg Zoo.
You wouldn't happen to know the origin of the chacmas formerly kept in Oceania?
@Nix The founders were wild born and imported via animal traders. Several zoos held them including Taronga, Melbourne, Auckland and Wellington. Zoos then sold surplus baboons to the circus.
@Nix Sadly no. The last in the region was a female named Foxy (originally named Naomi). She was born at Auckland Zoo in 1981 and died at Zion Wildlife Gardens in 2011. I greatly miss this species and enjoyed seeing them at Auckland Zoo as a child. Their last baboons were euthansied in 2008 with a baboon on loan from Franklin Zoo returned the following year, where he died soon after.
