Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo news 2017

Went for a long visit today - there have been very few arrivals or developments; some I did notice or find out about were:

- The South American walkthough (near the capuchin monkeys) has been redeveloped with waist-high glass walls by the paths
- A shoal of tiger barbs (unlabelled) have been added to the slender-snouted crocodile pool
- On asking one of the display team, there is an Asian (or common) palm civet that has been present for a couple of months and is still in the process of being habituated to the shows; it should be ready for the summer.
 
On a visit today:

-3 smooth coated otter pups have been born approx 3 weeks ago and are now starting to venture outside from their underground den
- 2:0 smooth coated otters will be moved onto another collection outside of the UK but within Europe within the next month and will be housed together.
- The Southern Tamandua have been mixed together & were very active at around 1700hrs on my visit
-Inside the "Wilds of Asia" building the enclosure that housed the young Komodo dragons has been emptied the glass has been removed
-The female Amur Leopard is currently off-show whilst the side of the Amur Leopard enclosure which houses the female is currently empty whilst "essential maintenance" is being carried out

Just a question from my visit, with the sheer size of the sealion enclosure/pool why does Colchester not house a male Sealion? As surely there is space for a breeding group to be established?
 
Because the Glass (on the viewing tunnel) isn't strong enough to withstand the impact of a fully grown bull Sealion - design flaw
 
Nisha said:
Because the Glass (on the viewing tunnel) isn't strong enough to withstand the impact of a fully grown bull Sealion - design flaw
Click to expand...

Oh I see, that is such a shame as is a truly amazing exhibit (even without the underwater tunnel). I assume that there would be no plans to strengthen the glass due to the sheer expense that would be required?
 
Went for a visit today; these are some of the things I noticed or found particularly interesting:

- A new species has arrived in the Butterfly Glade exhibit - the Peleides blue morpho. A good addition considering that almost since opening there have only been the two species of owl butterfly present.
- The pair of rufous hornbills were doing courtship feeding and also mated the one time I visited them.
- There are now definitely two false tomato frogs in Kingdom of the Wild; I have only ever seen one.
- Tiger barbs now have a large sign by the slender-snouted crocodile pool - the overhang in this pool the crocodile normally used has been blocked up with stones.
- The chimpanzee outdoor viewing area was open for visitors; although hardly the prettiest exhibit around it is more than adequate and a considerable improvement on their old outdoor exhibit.
- The green iguanas and yellow-footed tortoises were outside in the South American walkthrough exhibit during the afternoon period.
- The Victoria crowned pigeon and at least one of the Ruppell's griffon vultures appears to be sitting on nests.
- The pair of tamandua were very active just before I left at around 3:30, wrestling together. I am quietly hopeful that this pairing may result in offspring.
- My favourite observation today was actually the European minnows in the sun bear pool; the males have developed quite beautiful breeding colours (black heads covered with white spots) and are spawning in the rocks near the glass. A mesh cover has been put between the rocks and the base of the concrete pool, presumably so the assembled fish do not eat their own eggs.
 
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Went on a quick visit over the weekend, not much changes or news to speak of but did note that
-the Andrean Condors are currently off-show whilst essential maitanence work is done on their exhibit
-Still no sign of Bush-dogs (although i noticed they are in the zoo's passport activity book)
 
From the zoos Facebook account:

On the 20th June Kirk’s dik-dik Daenerys gave birth to a healthy calf! Unfortunately, Daenerys wasn’t taking to motherhood so the calf was not receiving the care she needed, therefore the decision was made to hand rear the young calf to give her the best chance of survival.

Since then new arrival has been closely monitored by keepers and we’re pleased to report that she is feeding well and it is hoped she will continue to thrive!

*Help us name this bundle of joy!*
We are looking for suggestions for this new arrivals name which begin with the letter 'D' and as her mother’s name is Daenerys we’re sure there will be a number of Game of Thrones fans eager to offer some ideas!

Let us know your suggestion in the comments below!

Newborn dik-dik receives special care from keepers - ZOO NEWS - Colchester Zoo
 
DesertRhino150 said:
My favourite observation today was actually the European minnows in the sun bear pool; the males have developed quite beautiful breeding colours (black heads covered with white spots) and are spawning in the rocks near the glass
Click to expand...

I was at Colchester Zoo last Saturday; I thought that the European minnows in the sun bear pool made a superb exhibit and I spent a long while watching them although I suspect that most visitors never gave them a second glance.
 
Had a visit to Colchester last Sunday - our first since mid 2016 so a few changes for us. I was quite impressed by the new chimp outdoor area but we did not see any chimps actually using it due to cleaning taking place in the morning and just bad luck I think in the afternoon! Upper viewing area is not open yet but the whole thing is a definite improvement imo.

Was pleased to see Taiga the new female amur tiger - and she seemed very interested in Igor, doing a lot of calling. Another zoo guest at the enclosure at the same time as us mentioned that a keeper told her the intention is to keep Anoushka but also breed Igor / Taiga. Tbh I think it is more likely that Anoushka will leave - surely they would want both sides of the enclosure available if cubs are on the cards.

We saw a very active anteater and also got a good view of the lone cheetah and the baby L'hoest monkey who seems to be doing well. Condors are still off show and the king vulture enclosure has signage saying they are sitting on eggs so foliage is being left to grow.

Managed to see one of the shows in the middle of the day - the 'American Adventure' version. Tbh it wasn't my favourite - we've seen the bird specific one previously which I preferred. The 'American Adventure' contained skunk, coati, barn owl, two types of macaw and harris hawk... I think that was it.
 
From the zoos Facebook;

We're delighted to introduce you to Nala the Serval kitten who has joined us at Colchester Zoo. You can see her in the video playing with her keepers! It is hoped that Nala will be able to join the Displays Team out on the field in the near future but for the time being she remains off show. We'll keep you updated with her progress.

Find out more about Nala here > Colchester Zoo welcome an adorable new arrival! - ZOO NEWS - Colchester Zoo

Not sure whether the zoo will build an on-show exhibit or if she will remain off-show?
 
Andean Condors are offshow (now hidden in the old chimp area) due to "essential maintenance"
 
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