Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust Jersey Zoo Update 2011

jerseygorilla

jerseygorilla

Well-Known Member
Since there has not been a thread started on Jersey Zoo for a while, I thought I'd start one with news from the park.

Firstly the visitor's centre work is to be finished for April, and is looking really quite good. The plan is for a large shopping experience with the usual gifts and gifts from other countries where Durrell is currently working. There is also to be a Cafe/Restaurant which will be open for visitors and for people who are just looking for somewhere to meet there friends or stop by.

Animal wise there is 6 new Sulawesi Crested Macaques joining the existing group of just 5 individuals. There are Coati's in quarantine which will hopefully be joining the current Coati's and Howler Monkey's in the First Impressions Cloud Forest exhibit.

In the Reptile House there are a pair of Komodo Dagon's which are only currently about 2 1/2 feet-3 feet long. There are also Red Tailed Rat Snake's occupying the canopy in the Asian Spiny Turtle exhibit and Golfodulcean Poison Dart Frogs too. In the outdoor Tortoise paddocks there are 5 young Galapagos Giant Tortoises which still have a bit of growing to do!

Unfortunately the Porcuipines time at the park were short lived. After attempts to introduce Pip the baby porcuipine into the meerkat's enclosure ended in them being mobbed, they were moved to an agricultural college in the UK. :(
 
Thanks for the update! Jersey seems to be quite quiet on Zoochat at the moment, so I am grateful for the information!
 
jerseygorilla said:
Unfortunately the Porcuipines time at the park were short lived. After attempts to introduce Pip the baby porcuipine into the meerkat's enclosure ended in them being mobbed, they were moved to an agricultural college in the UK. :(
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They are now at Reaseheath College in Cheshire. Am I right in thinking that they are a mother and daughter?
 
Very grateful for the update. I'm particularly grateful for the animal news. Jersey Zoo (sorry I still prefer its original name to just the one word name "Durrell") ceased publishing a regular animal inventory when publication of its scientific journal, "The Dodo", was permanently suspended some years ago. Since then I have found it very hard to keep up to date with what species are represented there, since only the most popular seem to get a mention on its website, and its members' newsletter "On the Edge" concentrates more on its in-situ conservation than on news from the Park.
 
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zooman64 said:
Very grateful for the update. I'm particularly grateful for the animal news. Jersey Zoo (sorry I still prefer its original name to just the one word name "Durrell") ceased publishing a regular animal inventory when publication of its scientific journal, "The Dodo", was permanently suspended some years ago. Since then I have found it very hard to keep up to date with what species are represented there, since only the most popular seem to get a mention on its website, and its members' newsletter "On the Edge" concentrates more on its in-situ conservation than on news from the Park.
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I agree zooman64, I used to look forward to reading The Dodo and the animal inventory. As you say the more obscure species hardly get a mention.
 
4 Oriental Short Clawed Otter's have been born at the park. Unfortunately I have not seen them yet but have been told they are doing well.
 
I am looking for information about Durrell's spectacled bears. Does anyone know about birthdate, place of birth, arrival??
 
BjoernN said:
I am looking for information about Durrell's spectacled bears. Does anyone know about birthdate, place of birth, arrival??
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The last pair I knew of at Jersey were 'Wolfgang' and 'Barbara' but I have no other details on them, or whether they are still the current pair.

I also know the current ones aren't related to Jersey's original breeding pair 'Pedro' and 'Petrona'.
 
I can confirm the current pair of Spectacled (Andean) Bears at Durrell are Barbara and Wolfgang. They arrived at Jersey Zoo (as I still prefer to call it) in 1987. Both have recently celebrated their 25th birthday. Barbara (born 17 December 1985) came from the National Zoo, Washington, and Wolfgang (born 30 December 1985) came from Leipzig Zoo. They have produced a total of 6 cubs (3 sets of twins) - I believe all during the 1990s.
 
What is the story with the Cyclura nubila (just in this year).
Were did they come from?

Praha operates the studbook. Several specimens are in the US / SSP (allthough non-breeding as all is geared toward C. lewisii and C. pinguis and C. collei).
 
JerseyLotte said:
Mentioned in the conservation highlights for May 2010;
May conservation highlights | Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust
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It never ceases to amaze me how irresponsible some individuals can be in terms of dumping unwanted pets et al. (on the assumption that the C. nubila cannot come over to the Cayman Islands without any human assistance).

Anyway, looking forward to the Little Cayman Cyclura programme soon ... (more endangered even then the C. lewisii now).
 
The very last Dodo Journal was volume 37, published in 2001. The two reasons given why this very valuable, and in some ways pioneering, scientific journal was permanently suspended were (a) economic and (b) it was, according to DWCT, not "peer-reviewed" (funny, because I always imagined it was) . Undoubtedly the biggest factor was financial. At a time when the Jersey Trust was/is struggling financially, annual publication of the journal was a very big drain on its limited resources. Cuts were being made throughout the organisation, and this was, regrettably, one of the things that was sacrificed. It is a big, big shame and I hope that one day the rust will be able to resurrect it in some form. A zoo such as Jersey that conducts so much observational research NEEDS an outlet where its findings and observations can be published for the benefit of all zoologists abnd conservationists.
A rather less obvious contributory factor behind its demise was the retirement of the Trust's Director, Jeremy Mallinson. Jeremy, more than anyone, was responsible for the birth of the Dodo (when it was still known as the Jersey Zoo Annual Report). It was he who championed it, and who was, for most of its existence, its editor. He usually worked on it on Saturday mornings, putting in many hours. He retired on 31 August 2001. It may be no coincidence that the Dodo ceased publication in the same year.
 
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