ZSL London Zoo Colobus Monkeys

Zambar

Zambar

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
So, have they actually ever mixed these with the gorillas on the island yet? That fake tree, the bridge to allow them access, isn't particuarly nice to look at, and if they don't use it I see no point in it staying.
 
I asked a volunteer when I went last week, and apparently they have, but because the keepers couldn't get them back into their indoor enclosure in the night, they've stopped the mixing.
Seems like a bit of a stupid reason to stop it if you ask me, just chase them!
 
I agree, thats what every other zoo keeper does isnt it?

Ive seen them at marwell chasing the gazelles in!
 
Tigerlemurguy said:
I agree, thats what every other zoo keeper does isnt it?

Ive seen them at marwell chasing the gazelles in!
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Gazelles is a different situation to primates, where many zoos have a strick hands off (do not enter) policy. The only exception to that may be lemurs.
 
tamarins and marmosets, ive seen keepers go in with them as well, anyway back on subject
 
I just think it's a bit of a bad excuse to not let them be mixed.
 
Keepers in many zoos routinely enter colobus or other large monkey enclosures with the monkeys present. I've worked with guenons that we went in with, but we didn't go in with our capuchins, whereas some other collections do. It varies from collection to collection, and would depend on the policy at London. I can imagine it would be difficult to 'chase in' animals that are up in trees into a small wire tunnel. Even if they are not mixed, this function of the exhibit is not an entire waste of time as the colobus are often given access at times when the gorillas are inside, and the olfactory stimulation of species rotation should not be underestimated.
 
johnstoni said:
Even if they are not mixed, this function of the exhibit is not an entire waste of time as the colobus are often given access at times when the gorillas are inside.
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Several European Zoos nowadays routinely exhibit a Monkey Species with their Gorillas and they don't seem to have suffered the drawn-out teething problems that London have experienced- after 18 months the ZSL one is still not a working exhibit. Why is it so hard to achieve here? :confused:
 
Is there any way another Passage way to the colobus enclosure could be made? Or is it just being not used to the fake tree being the entrance if they saw a normal Tunnel they may just go through without any fuss?
 
They just don't want to go back inside, at least that's the impression I got from the volunteer I asked.
 
they are in a different enclosure, but yes they could be swapped round, although i think the mangabey enclosure is too small for colobus monkeys...
 
They could swap the Mangabeys and Colobus- the enclosures are not that much different in size. Or they could construct a wire tunnel from the existing Mangabey cage and save moving them.

Mangabeys appear more intelligent than Colobus- they might figure out what's required of them better than the Colobus have.;)
 
Guys and dolls ;)!

Colobus and mangabey occupy the same forest patches in central and western Africa with gorillas. They are not competitor species and can happily live in close proximity to oneanother.

The species combination has not been tried often in zoos - and I cannot remember a recent one - and if the zoo exhibit is well designed their simulteanous occupancy of the exhibit should not pose a problem.

I would applaud ZSL for trying out a new concept. Besides I cannot remember that we went from maintaining single gorillas in cramped cages to open island/forest bai environments for gorillas inside 2 seconds (it bloody took a half century)! What I mean is that this experiment and redesign of the enclosure to fit the full mixing of gorillas, colobus and mangabeys has not yet come out of the hat! ;)

Still I think we should be happy what ZSL is trying to project and I personally feel the exhibit and interpretation are well laid out. It is just sad that your average zoo visitor is to damn blase to even read a single sentence! :(
 
Thankyou for your information Jelle and i understand and agree with you,things take time and Gorilla Kingdom has only just started.Lets hope things go alot better for it with the new group and maybe and hopefully the Mangabeys and Colobus idea can be trialed.Lets hope next time they may be able to find there way out of the Island!
Regards
 
jelle said:
Colobus and mangabey occupy the same forest patches in central and western Africa with gorillas. The species combination has not been tried often in zoos - and I cannot remember a recent one - and if the zoo exhibit is well designed their simulteanous occupancy of the exhibit should not pose a problem.

I would applaud ZSL for trying out a new concept.
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There's no indication that London are currently looking at trying to bring the Mangabeys into the Gorilla exhibit, instead of the Colobus, but I think its a good idea- and even better if both the Colobus and the Mangabeys could use it together. Maybe it might happen in the future?
 
Hopefully it might would be an interesting mix for Zsl to try out. What are the Other monkey enclosures in Gorilla Kingdom like?
Regards
 
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