Hamerton Zoo Park Hamerton Zoo News 2018

From facebook:

We unfortunately have some sad news to share today.
On Tuesday we had to say goodbye to our serval ‘Mr’.
Mr was 19 and a few months off reaching the big 20, he lived a great and long life here at the Zoo, from helping to raise his kittens to being a star during his photographic groups. A firm favourite among keepers, visitors and members of our photographic courses.
Having been in great health all throughout his life here, over the last few days he had started to deteriorate.
 
Two extra pieces of news from the park's website:

- Three young greater grisons have recently left Hamerton for two zoos in Germany (the zoos in question are not named in the article).
Hamerton Zoo Park - Animal Park Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

- Development is continuing on the new Outback Aviary which will be home to over 100 wild budgerigars along with several other species including a new enclosure for the current brush-tailed possums. It is hoped that the new aviary will be previewed at the private IZES evening meeting on the 7th July.

The moving of the possums means that the finishing touches can be made to the new complex of four enclosures, pending the arrival of their planned inhabitants later in July.
Hamerton Zoo Park - Animal Park Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
 
DesertRhino150 said:
- Three young greater grisons have recently left Hamerton for two zoos in Germany (the zoos in question are not named in the article).
Hamerton Zoo Park - Animal Park Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
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Given the context of the following statement.....

We are delighted to be able to work with our German colleagues in this way, on a long-term basis to hopefully establish this species in European zoos; and we hope to receive some animals new to our collection in return over the next year or so.

....the implication would be that they have gone to the two existing collections holding the species - Tierpark Donnersberg and Wildkatzenzentrum Felidae - in order to form breeding pairs.

The following statement is petty interesting too:

2018 (and 2019) will see more new arrivals at the Park than have ever been welcomed since we opened in 1990 - along with quite a number of departures too.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
The following statement is petty interesting too:

2018 (and 2019) will see more new arrivals at the Park than have ever been welcomed since we opened in 1990 - along with quite a number of departures too.
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I like the idea of arrivals, not so keen on the departures! Obviously it depends what they are!
 
pipaluk said:
I like the idea of arrivals, not so keen on the departures! Obviously it depends what they are!
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Well, bear in mind that the above doesn't necessarily mean the departure of species - I suspect it is just as likely, if not moreso, to primarily apply to individual animals as is the case with the Greater Grison move discussed.
 
Here is a list of species and subspecies that should be kept and another list of animals found in several other collections:

Keep: Brush-tail possum; Linnaeus’s two-toed sloth; collared lemur; Javan and/or Malaysian binturongs; southern and eastern aardwolves; Canadian lynx; oncilla; Malayan tiger; black-backed jackal; greater grison; Australian brush-turkey; yellow-knobbed curassow; red-tailed black cockatoo; budgerigar;eastern bearded dragon; Gillen’s pygmy mulga monitor; Cook’s tree boa

,


Departures: Red-necked and parma wallabies; giant anteater; ring-tailed lemur; Goeldis monkey; cotton-top and red-bellied tamarins; black-and-gold howler monkey; Seba’s short-tailed bat; yellow mongoose; meerkat; serval; South African cheetah; tiger; corsac fox; maned wolf; Asian small-clawed otter; striped skunk; northern raccoon; ring-tailed coatis; Grant’s zebra; greater rhea; southern cassowary; little bittern ; European white stork; marabou; scarlet ibis; greater flamingo, Rueppell’s griffon and hooded vultures; great curassow; vulturine guinea fowl; Himalayan monal; Malaysian great argus; eastern grey-crowned, red-crowned, demoiselle and Indian sarus cranes; giant wood rail; red-legged seriema; southern and masked lapwings; blue-and-yellow macaw; yellow-naped and orange-winged amazons; galah; Victoria crowned pigeon; snowy, northern white-faced scops, Eurasian great grey and brown wood owls; white-cheeked turaco; blue-winged and laughing kookaburras; Asian azure-winged and red-billed blue magpies; Bali mynah; red-footed and African red-footed tortoises; Gila monster; savanna monitor; corn snake; Thai bamboo rat snake
 
Dassie rat said:
Here is a list of species and subspecies that should be kept and another list of animals found in several other collections:
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You don't seem to want them to hang onto much..... :rolleyes:

Moreover, given the fact they are one of the most successful collections in Europe where the breeding of South African Cheetah is concerned, I would argue that this is the one species they least need to lose!
 
TeaLovingDave said:
You don't seem to want them to hang onto much..... :rolleyes:

Moreover, given the fact they are one of the most successful collections in Europe where the breeding of South African Cheetah is concerned, I would argue that this is the one species they least need to lose!
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I can't understand why Tayra, Rusty-spotted Cat and Swamp Wallaby are not on the 'keep list' for a start , yet the Sloth is?!
I would certainly have the Cassowary on the keep list too
 
I tried to be objective and was surprised about how many of Hamerton's animals were relatively common in other zoos, according to ZTL. If Hamerton is going to bring in new species, I would prefer the departures to be ones that can be easily seen elsewhere, rather than ones that are found in very few zoos.
 
Dassie rat said:
I tried to be objective and was surprised about how many of Hamerton's animals were relatively common in other zoos, according to ZTL. If Hamerton is going to bring in new species, I would prefer the departures to be ones that can be easily seen elsewhere, rather than ones that are found in very few zoos.
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I doubt many would be too worried if meerkat, Coati , asco , red-necked wallaby were to leave , but as I said I don't understand why Sloth is on the keep list (ZTL lists 16 holders in England , 18 in UK). Cassowary only has 5 other holders, one being in Scotland and one in Devon, it isn't common at all !
 
As I said, it is more likely that the departures alluded to are of individual animals being sent to other zoos rather than Hamerton deciding to clear out a load of species - so the discussion is probably academic :p although I do find it a little curious that you deem Linnaeus' Sloth (at 104 European holdings) a species found in "very few zoos"
 
pipaluk said:
I can't understand why Tayra, Rusty-spotted Cat and Swamp Wallaby are not on the 'keep list' for a start , yet the Sloth is?!
I would certainly have the Cassowary on the keep list too
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You're right. The sloth (104 zoos) should have been on the Departures list, not the Keep list. I thought that the tayra was less common in captivity, but with 18 zoos, I put it in a separate group from Keep or Departure. Similarly with the swamp wallaby (20 zoos). The southern cassowary (67 zoos) is found in more zoos than I thought it would be.
 
Dassie rat said:
Here is a list of species and subspecies that should be kept and another list of animals found in several other collections:
Click to expand...
Keep the budgies and move the tigers on? :confused:
I visited Hamerton for the first time on Friday*. As I arrived at 10 am, I noticed two unusual things: the red kites circling the zoo and the car park and the number of visitors rather like me who were arriving at the same time. I mean, of course, that they were older gentlemen with larger cameras than your average visitor. There were also a group of younger people with various cameras and bags who had met up in the car park. I soon realised that they had all turned up for Big Cat Photography all-day workshop. I gave them a wide berth, but I did see them later in the day lined up alongside the large cheetah enclosure and subsequently toddling off towards the tigers.
Looking at Google I think there may be half a dozen of these days per year, run by different companies, but they must be a nice little earner for the zoo, as I'm sure the zoo gets much more from these customers than from freelance civilians like me.
Of course the tigers and cheetahs attract many other visitors too. Indeed I suspect that one way or another they generate a very significant proportion of the zoo's income. I'm sure they will stay ;)
* Photos and a short review to follow.
 
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