This is one exhibit I really do not like at Colchester. Utterly unsuitable accommodation, IMHO. The pity of it is that with hot wiring they would probably look rather good in the mixed Rhino/Giraffe paddock. Patas, along with Gelada, are the only monkeys that I can think of where trees and climbing frames are a bit of a waste. All they really need is a secure roost to retire to at night.
Yup, not good at all and my least favourite Colchester exhibit. My second least favourite is the hippo enclosure - the mother and calf were really active and playful but it only emphasised how tiny the enclosure is.
You'r not the only one Maguari I recll talking to a keeper one day who was working on the unfinished Warthog exhibit, he wasn't at all pleased with the amature like way the displays had been drwawn up. His biggest gripe was the hippo pool to shallow toallow the hippos to fully suberge and all together too small, also the "log" was to low to let the animals pass underneath he claimed. I doubt that keeper is still there, proberbly moved on to better set ups by now
The Patas monkeys used to be a very large active group, I remember it's old exhibit on a slope by the old elephant house, but we have disscusesed that thread before.
Ideally what would you replace the hippos with, assuming that the zoo couldn't build a large enough replacement enclosure for them due to the premium of space at the collection, and could only rejig the enclosure for something else?
The Patas monkeys used to be a very large active group, I remember it's old exhibit on a slope by the old elephant house, but we have disscusesed that thread before.
There were at least a dozen, and the old sandy open enclosure was far more suitable for them than what the remnant has now. I don't know how they dwindled so drastically over a few years, but I think they should donate the last one(s) to Woburn perhaps.
