Colchester Zoo Colchester Zoo news 2024

Colchester Zoo have also announced that work has begun on renovating the enclosure for the buffy-headed capuchin monkeys near the zoo entrance. To allow the work to be carried out safely, which includes deconstructing parts of the current building, areas on both sides of the building will be closed off during the process.

The plans seem to include the combining of the two enclosures in the section into one larger one (one the former orangutan/sun bear space, the other formerly for gibbons), will include the addition of new husbandry and training areas, new visitor viewing areas and sustainable technology to allow the building to be heated more effectively.

While the work is going on, the capuchin troop will move off-show, although the second group next to the penguins will still be visible.

The work has now started, and it is hoped that it will be ready by summer 2025.

More information can be found in the link below:
Renovating our Capuchins Residence | Colchester Zoo
 
Colchester have announced that they are beginning the planning stages for their new African lion enclosure next to Edge of Africa (beyond the L'Hoest monkeys).

The new enclosure will include an approximately 3,000 square metre habitat for the lions, an indoor area with multi-level viewing and a section with new catering, toilet and play provisions. The indoor area will also include other species from the kopje environment (it is not stated what these are planned to be).

It is hoped that the new enclosure will eventually be home to a breeding pride of African lions, as part of the EEP for the subspecies.

The zoo have also announced the plans for the domino effect brought about by this development:
  • The lion's enclosure will become an alternative enclosure for the geladas.
  • I think the Gelada Plateau enclosure is then planned to become a new aviary for the zoo's Ruppell's griffon vultures.
  • The movement of the vultures will allow the Kingdom of the Wild paddock to be extended.
More information, including a couple of concept artworks, are included in the link below:
Exciting Pre-Application Plans for New Lion Habitat | Colchester Zoo
 
240619-Photo-1-Inside-Lion-House-REV01-WEB.jpg


if you look to the bottom right, there seems to be a terrarium in the faux rocks. wonder what species that could be?
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Colchester have announced that they are beginning the planning stages for their new African lion enclosure next to Edge of Africa (beyond the L'Hoest monkeys).

The new enclosure will include an approximately 3,000 square metre habitat for the lions, an indoor area with multi-level viewing and a section with new catering, toilet and play provisions. The indoor area will also include other species from the kopje environment (it is not stated what these are planned to be).

It is hoped that the new enclosure will eventually be home to a breeding pride of African lions, as part of the EEP for the subspecies.

The zoo have also announced the plans for the domino effect brought about by this development:
  • The lion's enclosure will become an alternative enclosure for the geladas.
  • I think the Gelada Plateau enclosure is then planned to become a new aviary for the zoo's Ruppell's griffon vultures.
  • The movement of the vultures will allow the Kingdom of the Wild paddock to be extended.
More information, including a couple of concept artworks, are included in the link below:
Exciting Pre-Application Plans for New Lion Habitat | Colchester Zoo
Click to expand...
Exciting Pre-Application Plans for New Lion Habitat! (youtube.com)
This is also covered in a brief 4 minute video on the zoos YouTube channel (that is also included in the above link posted by @DesertRhino150).

Other things that I take from this is that this development looks like it will lead to the demolition of the Red River Hog enclosure in Edge of Africa that is to the east of the L'Hoest monkeys as it appears to be located where part of the development will take place.
It also seems like they will move Bailey into the new exhibit if he is in the position to do so when it is eventually completed, something that I wasn't sure they would do (instead potentially letting him live out his days in Lion Rock) because of his age.
RIP Vulture Valley, again this will probably lead to an overhaul of the surrounding viewing of the Kingdom of The Wild paddock due to the extension which will be a big change if it goes through. It will be nice to see upgraded spaces for the Gelada troop and the vultures as well as a fancy new Edge of Africa extension for the lions.
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
Exciting Pre-Application Plans for New Lion Habitat! (youtube.com)
This is also covered in a brief 4 minute video on the zoos YouTube channel (that is also included in the above link posted by @DesertRhino150).

Other things that I take from this is that this development looks like it will lead to the demolition of the Red River Hog enclosure in Edge of Africa that is to the east of the L'Hoest monkeys as it appears to be located where part of the development will take place.
It also seems like they will move Bailey into the new exhibit if he is in the position to do so when it is eventually completed, something that I wasn't sure they would do (instead potentially letting him live out his days in Lion Rock) because of his age.
RIP Vulture Valley, again this will probably lead to an overhaul of the surrounding viewing of the Kingdom of The Wild paddock due to the extension which will be a big change if it goes through. It will be nice to see upgraded spaces for the Gelada troop and the vultures as well as a fancy new Edge of Africa extension for the lions.
Click to expand...

If they do demolish the enclosure for the Red River Hogs, I hope that they relocate them elsewhere in the zoo.
 
Colchester Zoo have released an article about many of the little developments that have been going on throughout the zoo. The developments include:
  • The changes to the lion-tailed macaque enclosure and viewing area (includes a good aerial picture showing what the space now looks like).
  • The trail of Lego animals, called Woodland Hollow Walkway, which is said to now be open to visitors.
  • A new pathway in the zoo's Nature Reserve beyond the tigers. I don't think it goes anywhere new, but is a new connective pathway to the furthest left area of the boardwalk.
  • Upgrades to the old wooden viewing platforms by the lowest of the zoo's lakes (next to the road train station).
  • New flooring has been put down at the Rivers Edge exhibit to remove old floor markings.
  • Some scenery upgrades have been done at Dragons of Komodo.
  • The roof of the elephant house has also been upgraded.
The article can be found in the link below:
Developments at the Zoo | Colchester Zoo
 
Not too too much I noticed new apart from the new Woodland Hollow between the Hyenas and Familiar Friends. Really nice small addition. The renovated Lion-tailed Macaque enclosure is awesome but only saw the one individual outside.

Been told that the boards between Esra and Crispin (Amur Leopards) have been removed so they can see each other again through the mesh. Esra stayed up there the whole day with Crispin dipping in and out periodically.

However, some sad news with the passing of female Fennec Fox Sammy. Nothing on the website/social media but there was a sign on the viewing windows. It also noted they are searching for a new companion for Otis, the male, to arrive in the near future.
 
Sheepy12 said:
Been told that the boards between Esra and Crispin (Amur Leopards) have been removed so they can see each other again through the mesh. Esra stayed up there the whole day with Crispin dipping in and out periodically.
Click to expand...
That makes a lot of sense (assuming this was not only the case today), I visited yesterday (post reviewing of things to note will come soon) and Esra was seemingly invisible, when normally she tends to at least be able to be seen on her shelf. Now that I think about it, Crispin also wasn't as visible as he normally is from the indoor Ussuri Falls viewing area.
 
Something else I completely forgot to mention was that there is now a second Great Grey Owl. Just remembered as I was looking through my camera. Seems to have settled well with Aphrodite, the female, after they lost the male. Unfortunately, I have no clue on the name, sex or where it has come from.

Also, don’t know how much of it was public knowledge. But I was made aware by a keeper that Oni, the female Aardvark from Chester, was pregnant and in the late stages. However, I’ve been updated in more recent weeks that the baby passed a few days after being born. Wasn’t sure on if I should share it since it was more private news but just in case anyone else was notified about the pregnancy. I don’t know how long the two Chester aardvarks are supposed to be remaining at Colchester for.
 
Sheepy12 said:
Something else I completely forgot to mention was that there is now a second Great Grey Owl. Just remembered as I was looking through my camera. Seems to have settled well with Aphrodite, the female, after they lost the male. Unfortunately, I have no clue on the name, sex or where it has come from.

Also, don’t know how much of it was public knowledge. But I was made aware by a keeper that Oni, the female Aardvark from Chester, was pregnant and in the late stages. However, I’ve been updated in more recent weeks that the baby passed a few days after being born. Wasn’t sure on if I should share it since it was more private news but just in case anyone else was notified about the pregnancy. I don’t know how long the two Chester aardvarks are supposed to be remaining at Colchester for.
Click to expand...
What I have seen and heard myself matches this. Very unfortunate about the Aardvark baby but hopefully this is a good sign that one or both females can breed successfully as I think it has been over 3 years since the last surviving offspring was born (went to Jersey).
I would expect that Koos and Oni will have left by this time last year (probably earlier, maybe significantly so) as the Heart of Africa development is I believe expected to be finished by next summer, so they could return then, or maybe as soon as when construction finishes.
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
What I have seen and heard myself matches this. Very unfortunate about the Aardvark baby but hopefully this is a good sign that one or both females can breed successfully as I think it has been over 3 years since the last surviving offspring was born (went to Jersey).
I would expect that Koos and Oni will have left by this time last year (probably earlier, maybe significantly so) as the Heart of Africa development is I believe expected to be finished by next summer, so they could return then, or maybe as soon as when construction finishes.
Click to expand...

I don’t know if Oni can breed successfully. She can carry a pregnancy as such but this baby and the last have apparently both died shortly after birth. OQ has raised offspring successfully but she’s not exactly young from what I remember when I met her and Afer in 2023.
 
Sheepy12 said:
I don’t know if Oni can breed successfully. She can carry a pregnancy as such but this baby and the last have apparently both died shortly after birth. OQ has raised offspring successfully but she’s not exactly young from what I remember when I met her and Afer in 2023.
Click to expand...
Fair point, I also met OQ, Afer and their son in 2022, but I'm not sure I was told her exact age, though given her and Puq (the other breeding female who died a few years ago) are the only breeding female Aardvarks I'm aware the zoo has had, you wouldn't expect her to exactly be in her prime. On the other hand, Oni and Koos produced the first successful Aardvark birth at Chester only 2 and a half years ago, so that would be a good sign for the zoo.
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
Fair point, I also met OQ, Afer and their son in 2022, but I'm not sure I was told her exact age, though given her and Puq (the other breeding female who died a few years ago) are the only breeding female Aardvarks I'm aware the zoo has had, you wouldn't expect her to exactly be in her prime. On the other hand, Oni and Koos produced the first successful Aardvark birth at Chester only 2 and a half years ago, so that would be a good sign for the zoo.
Click to expand...

I was hoping that the baby Oni was pregnant with would survive and stay as company for OQ (if that’s what they decided). It is a sad loss. I wouldn’t be surprised if Colchester wait for OQ to pass and start with the Aardvarks again. They’re one of my favourites. I’m glad I got to meet Afer and OQ.
 
Sheepy12 said:
I was hoping that the baby Oni was pregnant with would survive and stay as company for OQ (if that’s what they decided). It is a sad loss. I wouldn’t be surprised if Colchester wait for OQ to pass and start with the Aardvarks again. They’re one of my favourites. I’m glad I got to meet Afer and OQ.
Click to expand...
Perhaps that will be the case if an offspring is successfully produced, but if not, maybe the zoo will make sure there is another male and female pair to breed, accompanying Oq even if she won't breed herself anyway.
 
As I said above, I visited last Friday 2/8, so here are some things I noticed of note:
  • At the entrance a large area has been closed off for the Buffy Headed Capuchin enclosure redevelopment, however the viewing area was still accessible with the monkeys visible in the on show enclosure.
  • At Chimpanzee Lookout I arrived with the keepers setting up (themed) enrichment for dominant male Tombe's 28th birthday celebrations in the main indoor daytime space while all 5 chimps excitedly waited on the other side, huddled around the window giving the best view, entertaining a crowd of visitors. It was nice to see them eventually enjoy the items set out for them but the crowd didn't stick around for long after the chimps tucked in.
  • I was impressed by the redevelopments and refurbishments that have taken place around Dragons of Komodo since my last visit. Work on the coffee shop, repainting of the dragon viewing areas, and additional rockwork for theming makes the area much more visually attractive, add to that developments to the viewing and climbing frames at the Lion Tailed Macaque outside enclosure as well as the overhaul to the viewing area for the now Cheetah enclosure when male Abasi moved in a year and a half ago, means that the area is almost unrecognisable to how it was 2 and a half to 3 years ago.
  • Similarly the new window/s(?) in the Amur Tiger house were also a nice development and the extended Nature Reserve Walkways was looking good and offered some pleasant views.
  • Pygmy Hippo Venus was avoiding the heat as much as possible by resting in her outdoor pool (which seemed to be deeper than it had previously appeared to me) but not far behind her there appeared to be a boxed off square to the back left of the enclosure which seemed to be a mud wallow, if so newly installed since my last visit.
  • At Edge of Africa the L'hoest Monkey enclosure was almost surreal to see with the treeline behind them significantly trimmed down to such an extent where an open meadow that some of the new lion exhibit will be built on has become visible.
  • Also at Edge of Africa, I managed to see a Blue Duiker for the first time in a while, and I got good views of a Blue Crane and 4 Dik Diks for the first time in many visits.
  • It was also made apparent to me that Common Warthog piglets can grow a lot in almost 4 months!
  • It appeared there had been a new sand pit installed near the front of the Spotted Hyena enclosure.
  • I found that the trail of lego animals in the new Woodland Hollow Walkway provided good and useful information for the species represented and their groups at the zoo.
  • When I got to Elephant Kingdom it was the time of day when the paddocks are being cleaned out and checked over and the elephants are temporarily kept inside, however slightly unusually, the set up comprised of Tanya and Opal in the hard standing in the cow area of the house, Zola in the sand part of the cow area, and Tembo in his space at the front of the bull area of the house. While for Tembo the set up was the same as normal, usually I find Tanya and Opal to have access to the whole cow area of the house while Zola is in the back part of the bull area. I would however be surprised if this meant anything important as nothing else appeared to be out of the absolute ordinary.
  • At Lion Rock Bailey was relaxing outside in the sun while the Cherry Crowned Mangabeys were also making good use of the weather outside, but the platform that gives elevated viewing of their exhibit and the walkthrough lemur exhibit, was not yet completed and it seemed that could be the case for a while yet.
  • Despite the new youngsters, the Rock Hyrax still proved to be just about invisible, I think I have seen them only once or twice since they moved into their new enclosure at Inca Trail unfortunately.
  • Near the end of the day the three Bornean Orangutans couldn't seem to decide if they wanted to be inside or outside, while Malayan Sun Bear Jo Jo was happy resting inside on a hammock.
  • In the main hall of Worlds Apart, there seemed to be work being done on what possibly looked like a new enclosure on the right hand side wall of the room.
 
Went for a good visit to Colchester Zoo this morning. Some additional things I noticed, in addition to things mentioned above:
  • The redevelopment of the old indoor display formerly for the young Komodo dragon inside Worlds Apart is continuing. A stand-off barrier has been put up, and access holes out into the titi and tamandua enclosure have appeared. Because the glass windows and the doors on the access holes have not been added yet, the titis and tamanduas are at present confined to their indoor enclosures.
  • As mentioned, the Lego animal trail contains lots of details about the animals at the zoo and potential plans for them - the depicted animals that I can remember are the lion, meerkat, grey wolf, slender-snouted crocodile, red panda and Western lowland gorilla (the latter talking about the future plans for keeping them).
  • The green tree skink has now gone on-show inside Kingdom of the Wild.
  • I think there may have been a switch-around with the Aldabra giant tortoises - for as long as I can remember, there have been two very distinct individuals, one with a smooth rounded shell and the other with some tenting on its scutes. Today, the two tortoises I saw both had tenting. Makes me wonder if the smooth-shelled individual has been swapped out for another.
  • There is a very young baby Gariau forest dragon living in with the adults in the large display next to the chimpanzees.
  • Had the good fortune to see quite a few of the animals more active than I have seen them previously - all seven Solomon Island skinks were active and crawling around, the small-clawed otters were all out and feeding, and I saw the pygmy marmosets outdoors for the first time as well.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Went for a good visit to Colchester Zoo this morning. Some additional things I noticed, in addition to things mentioned above:
  • The redevelopment of the old indoor display formerly for the young Komodo dragon inside Worlds Apart is continuing. A stand-off barrier has been put up, and access holes out into the titi and tamandua enclosure have appeared. Because the glass windows and the doors on the access holes have not been added yet, the titis and tamanduas are at present confined to their indoor enclosures.
  • As mentioned, the Lego animal trail contains lots of details about the animals at the zoo and potential plans for them - the depicted animals that I can remember are the lion, meerkat, grey wolf, slender-snouted crocodile, red panda and Western lowland gorilla (the latter talking about the future plans for keeping them).
Click to expand...
The indoor display in Worlds Apart you talk about seems be the one I reference above, which was to the left of the door that allows you into the corridor to see the Goeldi's Monekys. I have a photo of it that I will upload to the gallery.
One species you are missing in the lego trail is Malayan Sun Bear, where the difficult start to life Jo Jo and Srey Ya at the zoo had is briefly detailed.
 
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