There have been a number of births at DZG in the last 10 days - a yellow breasted capuchin on April 23rd, a black lemur on April 24th, a Barbary lamb on April 30th and two Seba bats in the Castle Creatures exhibit. Babies spring up - Dudley Zoological Gardens
Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Zoological Gardens in 2018
- Thread starter Benosaurus
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I have noticed over the last few years that the Barbary Sheep have been having less lambs is this because there current stock are now getting to old.
Possibly, or due to inbreeding and resultant higher mortality in the young ones. Ungulate groups like this often exist as 'closed' herds with long periods between introductions of unrelated animals, or sometimes never. The Barbary sheep on the Mappin Terraces at ZSL used to suffer similarly from high mortality of the newborn.
Many thanks for the info Pertinax
I wonder if the Dudley group descends from the London animals?
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I've read somewhere that they are... I think?
Pretty sure they are, the older strain of Barbary Sheep have rather gone out of fashion in zoos as they are not subspecifically attributable. Not sure if anyone has brought any known subspecies in to replace them.
Nice animals that used to be a staple zoo animal. I for one, would like to see them back in numbers. And Blackbuck. And Axis Deer......
Nice animals that used to be a staple zoo animal. I for one, would like to see them back in numbers. And Blackbuck. And Axis Deer......
I know of a large-ish herd of Axis Deer in pirvate hands - lovely looking animals.
I think they are probably descended from ZSL animals also. I think ZSL supplied quite a lot of other zoos with 'starter groups' from their herds in the past. They certainly supplied places like Colchester( and through them others like Marwell and Paignton) with Blackbuck in the past though now I cannot find anwhere that still has Blackbuck descended from the old ZSL herd. Axis used to be similarly common in our urban zoos- Dudley had a small group of these too- where the Hunting Dogs are now, and Bristol of course in the hilly Kangaroo paddock near the old Guthrie Road entrance (theirs came from Ashton Court apparently) Sad to hear Whipsnade are to, or have already, ditched their longstanding Axis Deer herd.
Possibly now more Axis Deer in private parks etc than in our Zoos. I know of a couple of private herds too- both are in Norfolk and I'm sure there are more elsewhere. The Childe-Beale Trust at Basildon have(or had) some, and Knowsley have a large herd (well over 40). West Midlands have just a few females left, so probably not much longer a keeper. They are listed for Woburn Deer Park also though I haven't actually ever seen them there. Howletts still have them of course and I think PL also.
Yes, I think all the Barbary sheep in the UK (and many in continental Europe too) originally descended from the London Zoo herd which actually pre-dated the Mappin Terraces.
Very sad: I think there have been axis deer, continuously, at Whipsnade since the park first opened in 1931.
I certainly remember Axis deer at Dudley being in the paddock under the Tropical House (where the Asiatic lions are now) although not where the hunting dogs are.
In the late 1960's there were American Bison where the Lions are, Axis deer where the Hunting Dogs are and Zebra in the paddock the other side of the Orangutan House.
I don't really understand why they have decided to discontinue with them.
The binturong has arrived! Binturong makes Dudley debut - Dudley Zoological Gardens
Whereabouts in the zoo is this enclosure?
it's the old Yellow Mongoose enclosure opposite the Tapir it has been refurbished will be visitng after the Bank Holiday
I know I haven't yet seen it in person and the photo may not show it in its completed state, but I'm extremely disappointed and annoyed at what they've done to the outdoors.
No wooden walkways; just a few ropes suspended from front to back that don't really go anywhere, and loads of dead space.
No landscaping! Nothing naturalistic!
No grass or natural substrate; just the standard DZG woodchip. I know woodchip may be more convenient and better from a husbandry perspective, but a even a little bit of grass/naturalistic substrate would be nice.
No foliage apart from a few scrubby plants. And WHY are they in raised beds à la Alan Titchmarsh?
From what I can see from the photo, no climbing equipment or tree trunks, apart from what looks like a few spindly upturned dead branches. But hey, I suppose they could always throw in a rose arch instead
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No wooden walkways; just a few ropes suspended from front to back that don't really go anywhere, and loads of dead space.
No landscaping! Nothing naturalistic!
No grass or natural substrate; just the standard DZG woodchip. I know woodchip may be more convenient and better from a husbandry perspective, but a even a little bit of grass/naturalistic substrate would be nice.
No foliage apart from a few scrubby plants. And WHY are they in raised beds à la Alan Titchmarsh?
From what I can see from the photo, no climbing equipment or tree trunks, apart from what looks like a few spindly upturned dead branches. But hey, I suppose they could always throw in a rose arch instead
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FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
I know I haven't yet seen it in person and the photo may not show it in its completed state, but I'm extremely disappointed and annoyed at what they've done to the outdoors.
No wooden walkways; just a few ropes suspended from front to back that don't really go anywhere, and loads of dead space.
No landscaping! Nothing naturalistic!
No grass or natural substrate; just the standard DZG woodchip. I know woodchip may be more convenient and better from a husbandry perspective, but a even a little bit of grass/naturalistic substrate would be nice.
No foliage apart from a few scrubby plants. And WHY are they in raised beds à la Alan Titchmarsh?
From what I can see from the photo, no climbing equipment or tree trunks, apart from what looks like a few spindly upturned dead branches. But hey, they could always throw in a rose arch instead
I was hoping they'd replace the yellow mongoose with an asian mongoose species. Doesn't look so likely now.
