Monarto Safari Park Monarto's new chimpanzee exhibit...

Did u see (though no details) the provision of an exersice area- looks like a wolrd class facility- to me it looks themed like a african chimpazee reserve.
 
I did not see that area Zoo_Boy, but I feel its going to be really good, maybe one of the best
 
It has the potential to be one of the best in the region.
 
Potenetial, i say it would be! Just by sheer size and future holding potential. But you still carnt beat taronga's, its worked for 50 years, and it has a great social group, that are always active. I also beleive taronga may be set to update it a bit with in the 09 period.
 
just becuse tarongas has worked for 50 years, doesn't mean you can't top it.

i'm guessing the monarto exhibit will be the largest in the whole asia/pacific region. no doubt it will be fantastic.
 
pat u just likeing arguing.

what i am saying, if it will atke some time for monarto to socialise it chimps until it gets a grouop like tarongas. monarto are incorporating 2 females from adleiade, as well 3 males from new zeland, not to mention possible other recommended groupings. any chimps being socially intergrated is a very stressfull cocassion, where animals can fight to the death etc. i am saying tarongas will remain the best for a city zoo, and possible best around with it heirachial (?) structures, being formed over mnay generations.
 
ohhhh, your talking about the actual animal groups.

tarongas large established chimp group will be better (i assume to watch) than monartos speculative small unestablished one.

this may be true, but i thought we were talking about the enclosure.
 
we are talking all aspects, without a good animal group, really you have a crap enclosure no matter what is in it. if you have 5 chimps, in a big exhibit, that both live in 2 groups, thats boring, and no doubt much of the exhibti space is un used. But i do agree, monartos will be a good open range exhibit, and by the sounds maybe the best in the country.
 
okay. but if you have an uninteresting chimp group it doesn't make for a bad enclosure, it makes for a bad exhibit.

an enclosure is the cage the animals are in. an exhibit encompasses the animals, interps, visitor space and the enclosure.

so it'll be the better enclosure i have little doubt, but agree, it may not initially be the more interesting exhibit.
 
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When I visited Monarto in June I read some great articles on the chimpanzee enclosure, and it looks enormous. However, as previously stated, there will be some growing pains with the animals adjusting to the social grouping and hierarchal society that chimps have.

How many hyenas are there now? In June they were off-exhibit and I never had the opportunity to see any, but I'm fairly certain that they are now integrated into the park.
 
first of all taronga's chimp exhibit opened in the 1980s making it not 50 years old. by my maths anyway.
next year the chimp exhibit at taronga will be renovated substantially so thats something to look forward to.
structurally the exhibit is sound and with a bit of work in temrs of landscaping and immersion it couild be puleled into the 21st century quite easily. forgive my spelling...wine
 
thats good news glyn. the only thing that has ever held that chimp exhibit back was the lack of naturalistic and thematic landscaping and a great big ugly brick wall.
 
If Monarto can replicate their natural habitat, then great, however; from past experience of all zoo exhibits the best they can do for is bare barren habitat on the margins of the natural habitat, that fail to match the primary habitats of the species, and provide only a glimpse of fake rocks and plants the animals cannot interact with as a means to justify they maintenance in captivity.

Will there be evergreen forests, deciduous woodland and grassland and savanna habitats, interspersed with gallery forest? (This is a rhetorical question, by the way).

Reference:
"The chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) is presently listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species (IUCN, 2000). The Robust Chimpanzee is an omnivorous ape found in a variety of wooded habitats across equatorial Africa. Typically, chimpanzees inhabit evergreen forests, but marginal populations have been shown to exist in deciduous woodland and grassland and savanna habitats, interspersed with gallery forest"
Reference: Chimp World: Subspecies and habitat

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are found in 21 African countries - from the west coast of the continent to as far east as western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. Chimps live in the greatest concentrations in the rain forest areas on what used to be the equatorial forest "belt." Unfortunately, the rapid deforestation in Africa has eliminated the belt, leaving only fragmented patches of forest where it once stretched. However, they are able to move out into quite arid areas, such as southwest Tanzania and Senegal. Chimpanzees are found in secondary re-growth forests, open woodlands, bamboo forests, swamp forests, and even open savanna with bands of riverine forest and forest savanna mosaic. In these areas they seldom venture far into the savanna except to move from one forest patch to the next.
Gombe National Park, where the Jane Goodall Institute continues its more than 40-year study of one community of chimpanzees, is a mixture of woodland, some open areas on ridges and peaks, and thick riverine forest in the many valleys. Chimpanzees need a water supply and many kinds of fruits. They are omnivores, and eat not only fruits, nuts, seeds, blossoms, and leaves, but many kinds of insects and occasionally the meat of medium-sized mammals. Chimpanzees, like humans, have such catholic tastes that they are able to live in a wide variety of habitats, unlike gorillas and orangutans which have more specialized diets in the wild.
Reference:The Jane Goodall Institute
 
Nothing new to report.
 
Are all three still living at the health centre then? Does anyone know when Tsotsi is making the move to NZ? I think they should keep one of the other males at Hamilton Zoo with him so he has male company, because in the wild the males would spend most of their time together rather than with the females.
 
They are still in the health centre, and are doing really well. They have air con they can use, so they are actually quite happy right now. Can't tell you when and if Tots will go, he may be staying and the girls leave.
 
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