I think tayra would be okay if given enough climbing apparatus.
Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Zoological Gardens in 2019
- Thread starter Benosaurus
- Start date
I think tayra would be okay if given enough climbing apparatus.
The thing is that the zoo has already set its standards for macaque exhibits as being like this...
I'd rather they didn't slip down to something like this...
I think for any kind of primate to go in there would be highly unsuitable. I agree with @Brum above that a small mustelid would be good or even a small cat... maybe black-footed cat or even Geoffroy's
The very reason I didn't say red panda, a great fit but a huge downgrade in quality.
maybe black-footed cat or even Geoffroy's
Great as that would be, I feel a small cat would be practically invisible in there for most of the day. Especially judging from Bart's previous behaviour...
Very true, but sometimes I don't like to walk up to an enclosure and instantly see the animal. I suppose I quite enjoy the challenge of looking for the animal and then it's a better feeling when you do finally spot it (it would drive me up the wall if it happened at every enclosure though).
It would make for an excellent small cat enclosure that went above and beyond and I'd happily trade a bit of visibility for an increase in quality at Dudley.
Although it is indeed a great feeling to strike lucky after a little patience and careful observation, the exhibit in question would nonetheless not be suitable for the particular species you cite given the fact that a) they are both very small species, even for small cats and hence b) even if they were ridiculously showy you wouldn't exactly see much
for similar reasons I think any mustelid much smaller than a tayra would also be ill-suited to the exhibit.With a little work, I think it would be quite well-suited to a species such as white-nosed coati or crab-eating raccoon however.
Good idea.
How about a pair of Ocelots looking at the exhibit in Birmingham I think it would be a good fit.
I think honestly.... I don't really like the idea of Inca's enclosure being used to house a species of Primate, and I definitely wouldn't want it to become merged along with the Tigers enclosure next door.
The only other animals I can see being housed in there would have to be either...
Either way, I don't mind if they leave the enclosure empty for a few months but I don't want it to become all boarded off again like they did after the Polar bears left about 30 years ago (Blimey!).
In a way, Inca's death kind of reminds me of when Longleat lost their famous gorilla, Nico, who used to be the only gorilla on his island up until his death in January last year. It was truly a devastating loss for both the keepers at Longleat and the people who visited the Safari park to meet Nico - who truly was the king of his island at the time after his companion Samba passed away in 2007.
Nico was such an iconic animal for Longleat and I feel the same way about Inca as she was a very iconic animal for DZG. When her companion Gretel died back in the late 2000's she became like the 'Queen of the Tecton Pits' for the next nine or ten years up until her death recently this Thursday. Inca and Nico were both very old, yet very popular animals at their collections and will both be greatly missed so much by staff and visitors alike....
The only other animals I can see being housed in there would have to be either...
- White-nosed coati - It could work, and they sound to me like the DZG kind-of-animal to me IMO. Wouldn't hurt to have another UK Zoo housing this species, right Belfast?
- Indian sloth bears - Considering that Whipsnade already has the Sri Lankan subspecies of this type of bear, it would be pretty nice IMO to see another UK Zoo house Sloth bears considering their small size despite how aggressive they can be (similarly to sun bears nethertheless). Plus, the enclosure would look far more suitable to house at least either 3 or 4 sloth bears or even a pair of Sun bears than any larger species of bear.
Either way, I don't mind if they leave the enclosure empty for a few months but I don't want it to become all boarded off again like they did after the Polar bears left about 30 years ago (Blimey!).
In a way, Inca's death kind of reminds me of when Longleat lost their famous gorilla, Nico, who used to be the only gorilla on his island up until his death in January last year. It was truly a devastating loss for both the keepers at Longleat and the people who visited the Safari park to meet Nico - who truly was the king of his island at the time after his companion Samba passed away in 2007.
Nico was such an iconic animal for Longleat and I feel the same way about Inca as she was a very iconic animal for DZG. When her companion Gretel died back in the late 2000's she became like the 'Queen of the Tecton Pits' for the next nine or ten years up until her death recently this Thursday. Inca and Nico were both very old, yet very popular animals at their collections and will both be greatly missed so much by staff and visitors alike....
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
It's too small for bears, unless there is another geriatric one looking for a home.
I think it would suit very well any small mammal that will climb up to the eye level of the visitors, which mostly rules out small cats, although perhaps you could get adventurous with rockwork and Pallas's cats.
Coatis et cetera would be an obvious choice but I don't really think the zoo should be going into a species that, as I understand it, is now prohibited from breeding in Europe.
Contrary to others, I think a small family group of primates could do very well in here; something a little cold tolerant perhaps. Maybe Japanese macaques?
On the whole I agree with @pipaluk, moving the binturongs across would work and would free up an enclosure that could hold pretty much anything small. If I was feeling generous I would suggest this might have been DZG's plan all along, as it would to some extent explain why that cage feels quite strange as a binturong exhibit.
I think it would suit very well any small mammal that will climb up to the eye level of the visitors, which mostly rules out small cats, although perhaps you could get adventurous with rockwork and Pallas's cats.
Coatis et cetera would be an obvious choice but I don't really think the zoo should be going into a species that, as I understand it, is now prohibited from breeding in Europe.
Contrary to others, I think a small family group of primates could do very well in here; something a little cold tolerant perhaps. Maybe Japanese macaques?
On the whole I agree with @pipaluk, moving the binturongs across would work and would free up an enclosure that could hold pretty much anything small. If I was feeling generous I would suggest this might have been DZG's plan all along, as it would to some extent explain why that cage feels quite strange as a binturong exhibit.
White-nosed Coati are not subject to this rule.
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
Yes they are. The UK has gone beyond the position of all/most other European countries and included both Nasua nasua and Nasua narica.
Oh dear, I had assumed it was only the common species (which as we all know breeds in the sewers and is a threat to life and limb). Have they also knobbled Crab-eating Raccoon?
Andrew Swales
Well-Known Member
DEFRA documents on file show that N.nasua was listed because of an example - an introduced population on Chiloe Island off the coast of Chile, which is descended from two pregnant females. Member countries are able to go beyond the central EU lists, and in the UK, N.narica was added because it was thought that the average Government official would not be able to differentiate between the two spp. This is the reason why numerous spp of green parrots and brown owls, which are not endangered, are included on CITES. The Crab-eating Raccoon was not included on the first list, but remember that the EU has thousands of species on its 'invasive lists', and the first round is only the start.
Bennett's/Red-necked Wallabies (for example) were on the first list, but DEFRA decided they were too contentious a spp to attempt to control in the first round, and it would be easier to slip them in to subsequent updates, so removed them.
Where/if Brexit affects this legislation, no-one will tell us; but Zoos seem to have accepted it without opposition - although in some European countries of course Zoos are exempted. This is not the case in Britain. The EU does not produce a 'level playing field' despite its aims of political union..
Another split coming I guess, as this has little directly to do with Dudley...
Thanks for clarifying this. I'm not a fan of banning species. Anybody can keep rats, but buSacred Ibis are too dangerous to have around.
I appreciate that non-native species can cause damage, but I feel they get scapegoated, and other issues get missed. I'm aware this is not a fashionable opinion, and expect to be lambasted if anyone reads this.
Also, there's a lot of double standards out there. We are allowed to over produce non-native Common Pheasants in their millions for release, with knock-on effects for other wildlife (and I'm not saying this should be banned, but it maybe needs moderating), but not allowed to release a few Golden Pheasants to look pretty. So, shooting things has a higher value than aesthetics?? Getting a bit deep here, need a cup of tea.