Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo news 2011

Goretex

Goretex

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I visited the zoo this morning. I really wanteds to know how rajang and Tiga were doing. I saw the Southern Tamandrua in the "World's Apart" exhibit inside. I was surprised by how many penguins there were in the older pool. I don't normally visit them. There were 20 penguins I reackon which together with at least a dozen in the newer pool does make well over 30 penguins. I wonder whether Colchester are now becoming one of the main zoos with humbolts penguins.

Rajang was in the 2nd little room perched up with his back towards us. He then turned around he was very pleased to see me!! He even kissed the glass near me! Tiga was in the main indoor area with his back at the glass hideing his face with a box and eating some parsnip. Then the keepers tried to move a reluctant Tiga into the nearest little room. Tiga hid himself in hay near the window. Rajang then moved into that section and ate all the pieces of melon that the keeper had put in there for them.

I saw a binterong in the old fossa enclosure presumeably in their temporarily? The new "Wilds of Asaia" devolpment is well under way it looks as though it will soon be open.:) Also the old seal has been completely demolished and the new enclosure for the Smooth Coated Otters is starting to be built. It will be about twice the size of the old seal pool. It was lovely and quiet too.:)
 
Any idea when the young wolves are off to the NFWP, or so I've been told?
 
The last cub was moved out of Col on Sunday Zambar. The pack were very active on Sunday afternoon just after the cub had been moved out.


Junior was still there on Sunday Jordan
 
In my post 'said they were going to NFWP - which is the New Forest Wildlife Park for short. :) There's five of them I think.
 
They were named after the numbers 1 to 5 in something like Arabic! I'll double check at the weekend when I go. They were the latest set of cubs
 
Yep, the wolves seemed very active last Sunday .... we overheard a keeper saying that "one of the females" had been moved out. I was surprised to see their enclosure covered in satsumas .... not the first thing you normally associate with wolves !
 
Good for them on the L'Hoest's birth- but they will need to give them more space soon. This means the pair have 5 offspring now.

How many other zoos would give such detailed information on the parents though- I can forgive a lot of Fake Rock for this sort of detail.:D
 
I agree that this is very commendable from them Pertinax. Especially when even you will forgive them for having lots of fake rock work.:p
 
Update from today (6/2/11):

-Discovery centre: Salmon Pink bird eating spider has replaced the Chile Rose tarantula, and Giant Flower Beetles have replaced Giant Spiny Stick Insects.
-Quite a lot of birds still off show: waldrapp and Scarlet Ibis, Asian Black Hornbill, blue magpies, Von Der Deckens Hornbills etc.
-Wilds of asia is getting there-I'd imagine it will be 1 to 2 months before completion.
-Nature reserve now has a door from the tiger tunnel and a ramp going down to the hide, but this area is yet to open.
-No information on what is to replace Sasha.
-Musang the Binturong is currently in the old fossa enclosure, the two females remain mixed with the Short Clawed Otters and Silvered Leaf Langurs.
 
Gigit said:
An article about Mandrill behaviour that is possibly unique to Colchester - they have been seen to cover their eyes with their hands for up to 30 minutes at a time.
Click to expand...

*insert joke about having to look at fake rockwork all day here*



;)
 
Maguari said:
*insert joke about having to look at fake rockwork all day here*)
Click to expand...

.. you got there first...;)

Interesting behaviour -seems its been learned from each other like the wild Japaese macaques and their potato-washing.
 
could it have anything to do with being shut out with no shade? I guess not, as I'm sure there are other Mandrill groups in captivity with similar lack of shade that don't exhibit this behaviour.
 
johnstoni said:
could it have anything to do with being shut out with no shade? I guess not, as I'm sure there are other Mandrill groups in captivity with similar lack of shade that don't exhibit this behaviour.
Click to expand...

Johnstoni- I think perhaps you may be on the right track here.

I've seen one or two Albino monkeys in the past which shield their eyes from bright light in this way.

In Colchester's case their Mandrills are shut outside in the daytime and there is no overhead cover except in those 'box' shelters(if those are still there). As learned behaviour spreading through the whole group, I think it must have a function, otherwise IMO they wouldn't do it. It would be interesting to know whether the level of this behaviour varies according to the light conditions(sunshine/dull etc)

If no other groups elsewhere in similar exhibits do it, maybe that's because they've never had a 'bright' individual to show them how?
 
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I may be overly optimistic here, but I believe it is very much the exception to 'shut out' monkeys in most zoo exhibits, primarily because the indoor exhibit is almost always viewable by the public, especially in temperate zoos where monkeys spend a larger amount of time indoors. So maybe there aren't many other captive mandrill groups shut outside in very open enclosures to compare this to? Am I right in thinking that they weren't shut outside in the previous exhibit by Mangabey Forest? Am I also right in thinking the outside shelters were installed in the current enclosure some time after it was constructed?
 
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