Africa Alive! Africa Alive
- Thread starter Kifaru Bwana
- Start date
Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
According to the zoos social media channels, the zoo has had an incident today which meant a temporary closure.
It is however now under control and they are open again .
It is however now under control and they are open again .
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Alwaysevergreen
Well-Known Member
A baby drill has been born at Africa Alice.
announced on their Facebook page
announced on their Facebook page
Really good news! Hoping this helps securing this species future in UK zoos.
Anyone know how many Drills they currently have?
It says the father of this new (female) baby only arrived last June, but there may be young from previous breedings still there as well.
equidae
Well-Known Member
Just the three - the female Rouka, the male Nzuri, and now the baby. Rouka and the previous male Donga had a child in 2017 but he's no longer there. I'm not sure where he was sent.
A male Fossa, named Taro, has arrived from Germany:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=572874218209450&set=a.549801697183369
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=572874218209450&set=a.549801697183369
A giraffe calf was born April 26:
https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-05-03/endangered-tiger-cubs-born-just-weeks-after-dads-death
Reticulated giraffes Kiara and Jengo have added to their family with the birth of a calf on 26 April.
The baby is Kiara's third and she has so far struggled to bond with her new arrival.
"Initial interactions between mum and calf were slightly fractured, but keepers have been working around the clock to encourage the calf to suckle from Kiara," said Mr Williamson.
https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2023-05-03/endangered-tiger-cubs-born-just-weeks-after-dads-death
Reticulated giraffes Kiara and Jengo have added to their family with the birth of a calf on 26 April.
The baby is Kiara's third and she has so far struggled to bond with her new arrival.
"Initial interactions between mum and calf were slightly fractured, but keepers have been working around the clock to encourage the calf to suckle from Kiara," said Mr Williamson.
Seems like a great week with this and the tiger cubs at Banham!
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Had a very enjoyable afternoon at Africa Alive today. First visit though you can get in to both Banham and AA with membership so that was nice. Weather was lovely and it was very quiet.
Really enjoyed the big spaces and the general feel of the place. It’s a decent walk around (may jnot appeal to people who like species density but I thoroughly enjoyed it).
The new giraffe calf was visible to the public and I was lucky enough to see the giraffe keeper bottle feeding him. There were a couple of people there but not many so it felt like quite a privilege. She explained the keepers are providing most of the feed for the calf as Kiera his mother hadn’t been too welcoming though mother and calf were interacting nicely together after the feed was over. A lovely looking calf and very interesting to see the keeper interaction. Must be hard work for the keepers supporting the calf and have to admire their commitment.
Good to see the refurbished lion enclosure after reading about it and having the lions on holiday at Whipsnade, though obviously they are sadly now a much smaller pride. I saw jabu the male but didn’t see Kaya the female. I didn’t see a sign for Mo the other female. The viewing spaces are good, particularly the upper platform which has wires installed for safety but they don’t block the viewing / photo opportunities like mesh wire or glass can do. I like the fact you can get all the way around the enclosure too - it’s a thoughtful space. It’s not as large as say whipsnade but there’s a lot more variety in it.
Enjoyed the cheetah space and red river hogs. Some interesting enclosure design with lots of cover and plants for the cats in the cheetah and serval spaces.
Didn’t see the tiger from Banham and guess he’s off show, or I missed him.
Enjoyed the plains of Africa space - a good enclosure to see the different species in together fro giraffe to zebra and rhino and they were making use of all of it which made for interesting views from all angles.
Liked the walk around the antelope and ankole cattle and a lot of good sized spaces and variety of animals to enjoy.
The zoo being adjacent to river / farm and woodland makes for some excellent views and spaces and there were nesting swans, active oystercatchers and herons to enjoy on the lake and ‘over the fence’. I really liked the information on native wildlife around the park highlighting birds, moths and frogs among others to look out for - great to see that emphasis as well as on the exotics. Enjoyable and mellow spaces (probably less so when it’s rammed in the summer!).
I hadn’t see yellow mongoose and meerkats mixed in a single exhibit before so enjoyed the Kalahari sands enclosure. There were indeed two yellow mongoose exhibits - perfect for mongoose fans.
Enjoyed seeing the bat eared foxes - a first for me and excellent.
The young drill was jumping about and the colobus were also active. Not the largest primate spaces actually and compared to the rest of the park they feel like they are almost a different zoo, but lots of activity items.
The fossa had just been fed which meant got a great sighting.
I really enjoyed the variety of lemurs (the large walkthrough was shut which was a shame but you could see the red ruffled lemurs through the fence) on the islands and it was great to see them in different spaces with no wire. Nice to see so many sub species of lemur in one place.
The hoofstock were interesting from the domestic water buffalo through the addax to the Barbary sheep.
The flamingo lake was nice to look at.
I’ll definitely make a return visit to spend more time revisiting the areas as a few hours wasn’t really enjoy to take a good look at everything. Well laid out and good spaces with some interesting animals and exhibits. Has a good wide open space feel in many areas and shows the emphasis both zoos are putting on supporting native wildlife as well as rarer animals. Worth the trip.
Really enjoyed the big spaces and the general feel of the place. It’s a decent walk around (may jnot appeal to people who like species density but I thoroughly enjoyed it).
The new giraffe calf was visible to the public and I was lucky enough to see the giraffe keeper bottle feeding him. There were a couple of people there but not many so it felt like quite a privilege. She explained the keepers are providing most of the feed for the calf as Kiera his mother hadn’t been too welcoming though mother and calf were interacting nicely together after the feed was over. A lovely looking calf and very interesting to see the keeper interaction. Must be hard work for the keepers supporting the calf and have to admire their commitment.
Good to see the refurbished lion enclosure after reading about it and having the lions on holiday at Whipsnade, though obviously they are sadly now a much smaller pride. I saw jabu the male but didn’t see Kaya the female. I didn’t see a sign for Mo the other female. The viewing spaces are good, particularly the upper platform which has wires installed for safety but they don’t block the viewing / photo opportunities like mesh wire or glass can do. I like the fact you can get all the way around the enclosure too - it’s a thoughtful space. It’s not as large as say whipsnade but there’s a lot more variety in it.
Enjoyed the cheetah space and red river hogs. Some interesting enclosure design with lots of cover and plants for the cats in the cheetah and serval spaces.
Didn’t see the tiger from Banham and guess he’s off show, or I missed him.
Enjoyed the plains of Africa space - a good enclosure to see the different species in together fro giraffe to zebra and rhino and they were making use of all of it which made for interesting views from all angles.
Liked the walk around the antelope and ankole cattle and a lot of good sized spaces and variety of animals to enjoy.
The zoo being adjacent to river / farm and woodland makes for some excellent views and spaces and there were nesting swans, active oystercatchers and herons to enjoy on the lake and ‘over the fence’. I really liked the information on native wildlife around the park highlighting birds, moths and frogs among others to look out for - great to see that emphasis as well as on the exotics. Enjoyable and mellow spaces (probably less so when it’s rammed in the summer!).
I hadn’t see yellow mongoose and meerkats mixed in a single exhibit before so enjoyed the Kalahari sands enclosure. There were indeed two yellow mongoose exhibits - perfect for mongoose fans.
Enjoyed seeing the bat eared foxes - a first for me and excellent.
The young drill was jumping about and the colobus were also active. Not the largest primate spaces actually and compared to the rest of the park they feel like they are almost a different zoo, but lots of activity items.
The fossa had just been fed which meant got a great sighting.
I really enjoyed the variety of lemurs (the large walkthrough was shut which was a shame but you could see the red ruffled lemurs through the fence) on the islands and it was great to see them in different spaces with no wire. Nice to see so many sub species of lemur in one place.
The hoofstock were interesting from the domestic water buffalo through the addax to the Barbary sheep.
The flamingo lake was nice to look at.
I’ll definitely make a return visit to spend more time revisiting the areas as a few hours wasn’t really enjoy to take a good look at everything. Well laid out and good spaces with some interesting animals and exhibits. Has a good wide open space feel in many areas and shows the emphasis both zoos are putting on supporting native wildlife as well as rarer animals. Worth the trip.
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Other 2023 News:
On March 9th, the zoo announced its name, Kwanzaa.
Africa Alive Reserve
On April 5th, it was mentioned that the zoo acquired (0.0.2) red-bellied lemurs named Bisoki and Ginger from The Wild Place Project in Bristol.*
On April 30th, the zoo announced they renovated their cheetah exhibit which is now open to the public.
This weekend cheetah Shaka has enjoyed his first morning out in his newly revamped paddock - it's safe to say he's a fan! Keeper Frankie | By Africa Alive Reserve | Facebook
*Information comes from @WanderingDragon on The Wild Place news 2023 thread.
On March 9th, the zoo announced its name, Kwanzaa.
Africa Alive Reserve
On April 5th, it was mentioned that the zoo acquired (0.0.2) red-bellied lemurs named Bisoki and Ginger from The Wild Place Project in Bristol.*
On April 30th, the zoo announced they renovated their cheetah exhibit which is now open to the public.
This weekend cheetah Shaka has enjoyed his first morning out in his newly revamped paddock - it's safe to say he's a fan! Keeper Frankie | By Africa Alive Reserve | Facebook
*Information comes from @WanderingDragon on The Wild Place news 2023 thread.
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Made a return trip to Africa Alive today to catch the things I missed on my previous visit. Weather was a bit chilly but the sun came out here and there. Was pretty quiet for a Saturday.
Enjoyed seeing the young Milky eagle owl (noted on the enclosure as born end Feb) as I’ve not seen one of those as a chick previously and I hadn’t seen it mentioned before.
The giraffe calf was outside which was nice to see. Also got a good view of the Egyptian vulture which ticked off another vulture. Got some good shots of the bat eared foxes too. Saw the dwarf brown porcupine out briefly which was a first sighting for me.
The cheetah was in full view this time as were the hunting dogs. Saw both lions. The rhinos did some thundering about - the big male showing a lot of interest in the cow with the growing calf.
Really enjoyed the different lemurs - all the groups were active this time. The lemur islands are a good way to display them - no wire / glass just the water between the visitor and the animals and good spaces for them to run around in. It’s an interesting spot for a lemur fan with crowned, black, mongoose, red bellied, blue eyed black etc across the series of islands. The walkthrough with red ruffled lemurs was also good.
Definitely recommend a trip. Was very easy to take the whole day wandering around.
Enjoyed seeing the young Milky eagle owl (noted on the enclosure as born end Feb) as I’ve not seen one of those as a chick previously and I hadn’t seen it mentioned before.
The giraffe calf was outside which was nice to see. Also got a good view of the Egyptian vulture which ticked off another vulture. Got some good shots of the bat eared foxes too. Saw the dwarf brown porcupine out briefly which was a first sighting for me.
The cheetah was in full view this time as were the hunting dogs. Saw both lions. The rhinos did some thundering about - the big male showing a lot of interest in the cow with the growing calf.
Really enjoyed the different lemurs - all the groups were active this time. The lemur islands are a good way to display them - no wire / glass just the water between the visitor and the animals and good spaces for them to run around in. It’s an interesting spot for a lemur fan with crowned, black, mongoose, red bellied, blue eyed black etc across the series of islands. The walkthrough with red ruffled lemurs was also good.
Definitely recommend a trip. Was very easy to take the whole day wandering around.
On June 6th, the zoo announced that they acquired a (1.0) bat-eared fox named Pongùe from the Paris Zoo in France in May, and is now on exhibit.
Africa Alive Reserve
On June 19th, the zoo announced that (0.0.2+?) Tanzanian red-legged millipedes hatched.
Africa Alive Reserve
Africa Alive Reserve
On June 19th, the zoo announced that (0.0.2+?) Tanzanian red-legged millipedes hatched.
Africa Alive Reserve
Just the one left now in the old fennec fox exhibit
Lafone
Well-Known Member
Had a fun afternoon at Africa Alive today as was over that side of the country visting the European bee eaters in the quarry in Trimingham - well worth a visit, never seen them in the wild before, recommend it if you like birds as it's not a species we see in the UK much. The true birders were very generous with their telescopes (even on a long lens I got mostly blur).
Lots of native wildlife work going on at the zoo too, with species recording in the ponds near the lemurs. Interesting and informative stuff with newts, pond snails and lavae to take a look at.
Was also nice to see the giraffe calf outside. It was pretty quiet (on such a hot day people head to the coast it seems) but lots of active animals including the bat eared foxes enjoying the sun, even the lions were out, so that was a bonus.
Lots of native wildlife work going on at the zoo too, with species recording in the ponds near the lemurs. Interesting and informative stuff with newts, pond snails and lavae to take a look at.
Was also nice to see the giraffe calf outside. It was pretty quiet (on such a hot day people head to the coast it seems) but lots of active animals including the bat eared foxes enjoying the sun, even the lions were out, so that was a bonus.