Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo news 2013

DesertRhino150

DesertRhino150

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
Time to start off a thread for the new year with some exciting news.

From a comment on Colchester's Facebook wall and a recent addition to the Breeding Programmes page on the zoo's website, it appears that Colchester may have now got some new Negros warty pigs.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Time to start off a thread for the new year with some exciting news.

From a comment on Colchester's Facebook wall and a recent addition to the Breeding Programmes page on the zoo's website, it appears that Colchester may have now got some new Negros warty pigs.
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The Negros Warty Pigs are fast approaching to be the Meerkats of 2013. :p
 
I can confirm they do indeed now hold Negros Warty Pigs. I am not sure how many there were, I could only just see them through a small bit of mesh at the back of the Philippine Spotted Deer enclosure. Unfortunately I could not get an image of them.
 
The zoo opened in 1963 and had 747,495 visitors in 2009 and 801,643 in 2011. It is home to many collections of rare and endangered species, big cats, primates and many other animals.
Colchester Zoo is supported by Action for the Wild, which assists conservation projects worldwide through the both financial and technical assistance. The zoo celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The Story of Colchester Zoo : Paperback : S. C. Kershaw : 9780752493466
 
Does anyone have data for UK zoo attendances for 2011?

I'm guessing that out of the purely animal attractions in this country (ie excluding Chessington) probably only London and Chester exceeded Colchester's gate figure for that year. Any ideas?
 
Been looking through Facebook to find any updates of information, and there are three items of interest:

- Male cheetah cub Malawi has left to be part of the breeding programme at Overloon in the Netherlands
- The Visayan warty pigs are being gradually introduced to the Philippine spotted deer
- The second species to be living in Koi Niwa, other than the koi carp themselves will be Japanese bitterling

EDIT: Just checking the zoo website, and there is another piece of news:

- On February 16th, female gelada Keecha gave birth to her first offspring, which was sired by Bruno
 
I visited 11 days ago. I really want to just say that I think that the zoo really needs to get cracking on their sun bear enclosure. Does anyone know why they are taking so long to build this exhibit.:confused: There is no way they will complete the enclosure by Easter considering the stage which they are at.

On a more positive note I do like it and feel comforted when I see the two orangs getting along in a very peacefull manner together.:)
 
Goretex said:
I visited 11 days ago. I really want to just say that I think that the zoo really needs to get cracking on their sun bear enclosure. Does anyone know why they are taking so long to build this exhibit.:confused: There is no way they will complete the enclosure by Easter considering the stage which they are at.
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I think there has been some problems with waterlogging on the site of the sun bear enclosure, which is what has been largely holding up the building work.
 
some of the stories i could tell you about this zoo...like the time the white rihno went walk about, or when 6 canidian timber wolves escaped (two of which are buried along the mini railway, if thats still there?) or the time i saw a rihno viper bite the head keeper (and believe me he deserved it), or arthur the albino camel...i could go on....does old boy trocadero still own it? and the bear enclosures still havent been done, god, they were terrible when i was there.
jason
 
Gelada Baboon Keecha has followed in the Meerkats footsteps and added to the early babies by giving birth to her and Bruno’s first off-spring on the 16th February.

How is the long awaited sunbear enclosure coming along? In the current weather i should imagine any work around the zoo will have slowed if not stopped for the time being.
 
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kiang said:
Well done Colchester!

Here we go, catch me out, Colchester now joins the following list for breeding the dragons.

Reptilandia
London
Chester
Rotterdam
Prague

Where have i left out?
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Barcelona last year
 
Fantastic news for Colchester! Hopefully the start of a great 50th year from them!!

Were all of those listed natural breedings or did they include Parthenogenesis??
 
jbird330 said:
some of the stories i could tell you about this zoo...like the time the white rihno went walk about, or when 6 canidian timber wolves escaped (two of which are buried along the mini railway, if thats still there?) or the time i saw a rihno viper bite the head keeper (and believe me he deserved it), or arthur the albino camel...i could go on....does old boy trocadero still own it? and the bear enclosures still havent been done, god, they were terrible when i was there.
jason
Click to expand...

When were all these incidents?
 
Went on a nice long visit today- got several pieces of news:

- Koi Niwa is now actually open but only has a handful of goldfish in the larger aquarium as the tank needs to cycle before the koi are added
- Misters have been added to the visitor area of Orangutan Forest and the upper terrarium (housing Sabah spiny stick insects) has been removed
- A black-spotted pufferfish has moved into the coral reef tank in Orangutan Forest
- There are several history boards around the zoo, showing where the elephants, rhinos, giraffes, orangutans, bears, lions, tigers, harbour seals and snow leopards used to live
- Wolves, spotted hyaenas, binturong and red pandas all extremely active today
- Red-bellied lemurs are indicated on the new arrivals board but I was unable to find any enclosure signage
- There has been a second crowned pigeon chick fledging
- A new baby cherry-crowned mangabey was born on the 8th March
- Fregate Island giant beetles are in one the vivaria in the Discovery Centre
- Golden mantellas are indicated to be going into Kingdom of the Wild according to the signage, although again there was no sign of any actual frogs
- A pair of large kunekune pigs have taken over the old Essex pig enclosure in Familiar Friends
- Glass windows appear to have been added to the sun bear indoor area
- The sun bear enclosure will also feature a new aviary housing the zoo's pair of rufous hornbills
- Red ruffed lemurs are being kept both in their old enclosure by the lemur islands and in Out of Africa
- The four Visayan warty pigs were out with the spotted deer today- on the plus side the pigs are wonderful additions (love their Mohicans) but on the negative side they seem rather aggressive towards the deer and also have rendered half the deer paddock into a ploughed field
- Great news! The female spotted hyaena is pregnant again!
- Saw common teal along the Roman River nature reserve and there also appears to be a mink monitoring raft in one of the ponds
 
Excellent news about the Hyena!
Is the Rufous Hornbill aviary going to be an outdoor one?
 
DesertRhino150 said:
A new baby cherry-crowned mangabey was born on the 8th March

- The four Visayan warty pigs were out with the spotted deer today- on the plus side the pigs are wonderful additions (love their Mohicans) but on the negative side they seem rather aggressive towards the deer and also have rendered half the deer paddock into a ploughed field
Click to expand...

Does anyone know what the composition/sex ratio of the Mangabey group currently stands at?

Deer/Warty Pigs- as discussed over the photos, they may find in time they need to rethink this.
 
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