Colchester Zoo Colchester zoo
- Thread starter MARK
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- african elephant
stop the press: either this is again a huge blunder on wikipedia or we are on the verge of something huge according to the colchester zoo wikipedia page, colchester are bringing in or are planning to bring in beluga whales for the aquatic zone. Now i have seen elsewhere that someone in Britain has applied for a licence to display cetaceans and the suspicion fell on the new owners of Blackpool zoo, could it be Colchester? mind you in the past Colchester has been linked to getting giant panda......we will see.
On wikipedia it mentions the Patagonian Sealions are in the 'old polar bear exhibit', but I don't ever remember Polar bears at colchester, and the sealions occupy the site of the old elephant house. Also, I have read interviews with the director before where he has stated that visitors most often want to see gorillas or dolphins when surveyed, but that the zoo does not have the space for either. So I'd be surprised if they were adding cetaceans.
I can't believe that their sea lion pool is remotely suitable for beluga, and there's nowhere else. I suppose it's possible that when they have finished the new orang house they could start more construction, but I don't think they have much space left.
Alan
Alan
just had an email from colchester zoo, beluga whales will not be coming to colchester, and i was getting so excited there, new animals coming in though will be phillipine deer, 2 female binturong from europe, black kite, von der deckens hornbill and a currasow species not named and a marmoset species not named
1st, can we term wikipedia a tinge unreliable here. Internet is a fine medium when it comes to gleaning information fast, but some sources like wikipedia are methinks .. well people publish instantly and rarely check their facts first.
Kiang, as for the new animals coming in: I can understand the von der Deckens hornbills (the zoo has an African them) as a savannish species in the African Zone. Fine.
But where will they put up the Philippine deer and binturongs. Colchester has already have an Wilds of Asia exhibit (which is being rebuild for 2008 to house a breeding pair of orangs), but it is not exactly a massive area. Will the zoo management think of enlargement and extend the Asian Zone (now with Komodos also coming in)?
And the South American species, where will they go? The current zoo map gives few clues on this.
Kiang, as for the new animals coming in: I can understand the von der Deckens hornbills (the zoo has an African them) as a savannish species in the African Zone. Fine.
But where will they put up the Philippine deer and binturongs. Colchester has already have an Wilds of Asia exhibit (which is being rebuild for 2008 to house a breeding pair of orangs), but it is not exactly a massive area. Will the zoo management think of enlargement and extend the Asian Zone (now with Komodos also coming in)?
And the South American species, where will they go? The current zoo map gives few clues on this.
The new orang house is being constructed in an undeveloped area next to the entrance road. So 'Wilds of Asia' will be continue to be available for the binturongs; their cage is a decent size and could accomodate the extra females (on a rotation basis at least).
The website says that the Phillipine deer will go into an enlarged enclosure on the site of the old one for blackbuck, which was near the Siberian tigers if I remember correctly. It also says that a new primate species will be kept with the sloths in their new house, which also has space for a bird species. I guess the kites will either be used in the bird show and kept in the mews, or added to the vulture aviary. As for the hornbills . . . (is anyone really interested in hornbills?
) they might find themselves in a mixed species exhibit if they put a net over the dik dik and storks.
BTW the Komodo dragons have been at the zoo for over a year, but they are only half-grown and there is an empty section in the dragon house too.
Alan
The website says that the Phillipine deer will go into an enlarged enclosure on the site of the old one for blackbuck, which was near the Siberian tigers if I remember correctly. It also says that a new primate species will be kept with the sloths in their new house, which also has space for a bird species. I guess the kites will either be used in the bird show and kept in the mews, or added to the vulture aviary. As for the hornbills . . . (is anyone really interested in hornbills?
) they might find themselves in a mixed species exhibit if they put a net over the dik dik and storks.BTW the Komodo dragons have been at the zoo for over a year, but they are only half-grown and there is an empty section in the dragon house too.
Alan
Writhedhornbill
Well-Known Member
Was that a rhetorical question?
Which species of orang utan and from where will they be sourced?
They have applied to EEP for a pair of Sumatran Orangs. They already have one purebred female-Djambe(originally from Twycross) living with the hybrid 'Rajang' so she could (maybe) be bred from too.
No decision yet as to where these animals will come from. One obvious candidate could be Chester's 10yr male Padang- he's a nice little male already old enough to breed. A female would have to come from Europe though.
They have registered concern for her health over many months now and I think have been preparing for this eventuality by seperating her calf 'Jambo' and integrating him into the main group, which has in fact worked well. He's three years old so should be able to do okay without her now. Sad nevertheless.