Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo news 2012

4ways NAP said:
What has happened to the pelicans that used to be on the lake ? Went on Sunday and they are no where to be seen and the little mess fence which use to spilt the lake in two has now been removed.
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There has only been one Dalmatian pelican for quite a while, and it seemed to disappear late last year. I assume it either went off to another collection or has died.
 
Jordan-Jaguar97 said:
I also agree with Pipaluk's point. The White tiger enclosure would have been perfect for the pair, lush, had a viewing platform (For the Tiger) and is big enough for two specimens possibly more.
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When the plans for the lemurs were announced the zoo stated that the enclosure was no longer suited to heavy-footed species due to the increased amount of water now flowing through it from the gravel pits upstream. Being relatively large and pretty active the sun bears probably would have made short work turning it into an oversized mudpit... :p

Sun bears would have required significantly more planning and investment to upgrade the indoor housing, fencing and enclosure furnishings to make them bear-claw proof. :)
 
4ways NAP said:
What has happened to the pelicans that used to be on the lake ? Went on Sunday and they are no where to be seen and the little mess fence which use to spilt the lake in two has now been removed.
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over the years i also have noticed the steady decline in the number of pelicans. i think it's probably just because they have unfotunately died of old age
 
Roz said:
On my last visit, work had restarted on the new sun bear enclosure. It will be named 'Bears of the rising sun'.
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I know I go on about silly names for exhibits, but this one is a classic. Surely it has to hold Japanese black bears.

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
I know I go on about silly names for exhibits, but this one is a classic. Surely it has to hold Japanese black bears.
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Its a Colchester speciality.;) Orangutan 'Forest' ; Gelada 'Plateau' etc- very unsuitable names for the reality of the exhibits though.
 
Pertinax said:
Its a Colchester speciality.;) Orangutan 'Forest' ; Gelada 'Plateau' etc- very unsuitable names for the reality of the exhibits though.
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My favourite was 'Medellin Monkeys' for Colombian Black Spider Monkeys, a pun so obsure I was convinced it was a spelling error for years. Turns out it's a pun.

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medellin]Medellín - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]
 
Maguari said:
My favourite was 'Medellin Monkeys' for Colombian Black Spider Monkeys, a pun so obsure I was convinced it was a spelling error for years. Turns out it's a pun.
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If I had noticed it I would have been none the wiser either, and assumed it was meant to be 'meddling' monkeys.

And as Black Spider Monkeys aren't, to my knowledge, city dwellers, the connection is tenuous to say the least!.
 
Went for another (longer) visit earlier this afternoon. Very little has changed over the week, but here are some observations:

- Finally saw all three L'Hoest's guenons and the four hyraxes all sharing their enclosure.
- The sign on the Francois' langur enclosure now says a female will be arriving in 'the coming weeks'.
- Saw the single tamandua in its indoor area.
- No sign of the new red-bellied lemurs.
- Part of the Komodo dragon exhibit was closed up, as the female is digging her nest in preparation for laying.
- There is a new undercover stall area (presumably for horses) being built near the new giant tortoise enclosure at Familiar Friends.
- There are now five demoiselle cranes together in the Edge of Africa.
- Managed to spot a young Madagascan tree boa in one of the reptile rearing tanks at Worlds Apart
- In the filtration room at World Apart (behind pacu and stingray pond), there is an aquarium with a species of pufferfish.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Went for another (longer) visit earlier this afternoon. Very little has changed over the week, but here are some observations:

- Finally saw all three L'Hoest's guenons and the four hyraxes all sharing their enclosure.
- The sign on the Francois' langur enclosure now says a female will be arriving in 'the coming weeks'.
- Saw the single tamandua in its indoor area.
- No sign of the new red-bellied lemurs.
- Part of the Komodo dragon exhibit was closed up, as the female is digging her nest in preparation for laying.
- There is a new undercover stall area (presumably for horses) being built near the new giant tortoise enclosure at Familiar Friends.
- There are now five demoiselle cranes together in the Edge of Africa.
- Managed to spot a young Madagascan tree boa in one of the reptile rearing tanks at Worlds Apart
- In the filtration room at World Apart (behind pacu and stingray pond), there is an aquarium with a species of pufferfish.
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Regarding Tamanduas, do you know;

1. Which is no longer there?

2. Any plans for a new mate?
 
I think the pair were imported by the RSCC for Colchester (I'm 99% sure).

With one or two exceptions, there seems to be a problem with long-term survivial of individuals, and very little breeding of tamandua in the UK. Yet this is one of those bizarre situations where an exotic species doesn't fare well in zoos but can be kept as a pet as if a domestic dog, and breeds more readily with private owners.

I feel this, and many other species, would benefit greatly from closer relationships with keepers and the opportunity to be 'walked' and interact outside of their enclosures.
 
They kept tamandua for several years in the 'wilds of asia' (strange i know!) indoor building next to the lion tailed macaques. were the pair in the new enclosure not the same ones? In many visits i only ever saw one in the old enclsure on just the one occasion. If they acquired a new pair of a rare sub-species, then RSCC would be a likely source..
 
pipaluk said:
They kept tamandua for several years in the 'wilds of asia' (strange i know!) indoor building next to the lion tailed macaques. were the pair in the new enclosure not the same ones? In many visits i only ever saw one in the old enclsure on just the one occasion. If they acquired a new pair of a rare sub-species, then RSCC would be a likely source..
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No the pair that were in the Wilds of Asia were the same pair,that moved to the new exhibit for them!
 
johnstoni. said:
I think the pair were imported by the RSCC for Colchester (I'm 99% sure).

With one or two exceptions, there seems to be a problem with long-term survivial of individuals, and very little breeding of tamandua in the UK. Yet this is one of those bizarre situations where an exotic species doesn't fare well in zoos but can be kept as a pet as if a domestic dog, and breeds more readily with private owners.

I feel this, and many other species, would benefit greatly from closer relationships with keepers and the opportunity to be 'walked' and interact outside of their enclosures.
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Your right regarding the RSCC the pair were both born in 2005/06. The both arrived in 2008/09 they didn't breed successfully to my knowledge. I thought Colchester's sub-species were only one pair of a few individuals left around Europe.
 
Jordan-Jaguar97 said:
Your right regarding the RSCC the pair were both born in 2005/06. The both arrived in 2008/09 they didn't breed successfully to my knowledge. I thought Colchester's sub-species were only one pair of a few individuals left around Europe.
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Colchester hold the only ones of this sub-species and have done since the one,that was at Amazonworld died in 2005 or 2006,I first saw them at Colchester in 2004!
 
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