As I mentioned above, I was at Colchester for two days this week. The sole purpose of my visit was to see Paignton's orangutans, mother and daughter Mali and Tatty, in their new home. I would never normally visit a zoo other than Paignton in the school holidays, but in these Covid times you can't be sure of what the future holds. We did cover most of the zoo but I doubt whether I can answer any specific points about any other animals. Probably not worth reading on if you're not into orangutans!
It is a huge, confusing zoo and was very busy and hot. We last visited in 2016 and I had a vague memory of where things were. There are no paper maps available - you are expected to use a QR code on your phone - and the maps around the zoo are not very helpful. But by the end of Day 1 we'd almost worked it out.
The indoor orangutan enclosure is good enough with height and climbing structures. There is no privacy for them and they seem to deal with this by keeping their backs to the public. While we were there they could go in and out as they pleased once cleaning was finished.
I didn't have good memories of the outdoor exhibit and nothing has altered to change my mind. It's still a climbing frame in a pit. There is very little sensory enrichment with nothing to see beyond the high walls, a scrubby patch of grass, a reedy, watery area beside the house, no real reason to climb as the hoses don't lead anywhere. Named 'Rajang's Forest', it was probably OK for him, an old, sedentary orang, and also for his companion, Tiga, who apparently has only become active since Mali and Tatty arrived.
In my opinion, it is unsuitable for Mali and Tatty, used to the natural expanses of Paignton (admittedly not as good as it was but still far superior to Colchester). Tatty spent nearly 8 years 'free-ranging' on the islands, climbing, swinging, foraging for all sorts of natural food, making her own entertainment surrounded by the sights and sounds of the local wildlife and nearby parts of the zoo. Now, watching her over the two days, I'm concerned that she's lost her joie de vivre and is possibly developing stereotyped behaviours - circuiting the enclosure and stopping in the same places to do the same things. She spent most of her time on the ground. Mali is now in her third zoo and seems to have adapted better, but is far less active than she was. Tiga trails round after her constantly but they are related so there will be no breeding.
The keepers obviously care about them and it was interesting to watch some training going on for all three. They vary the enrichment items, which were food-based on my visits apart from odd bits of sheeting. I did take some sheets in as I know they love them and used to provide them at Paignton. However, Tiga got the one given to them on Day 2! We were around for 4 keeper talks which were well attended by people who chatted all the way through them. They were identical talks so we did manage to hear all the content eventually.
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I have a couple of photos of them, I'll upload them in a minute.
