Longleat Safari & Adventure Park monkey jungle closed?

Hmmm, do y'know, this doesn't dissapoint me so much. I've yet to pass my test and get a car so when I go, it's always in other people's cars so we always bypass the Monkey Jungle anyway (which is fair enough). I've only ever been through the Jungle twice as it is. Once when I first ever went when we were about to get rid of the car anyway, and the second time was in a college minibus.

So to be able to drive past it will mean I now get to actually see the Monkeys each time. Out of interest, does anybody know anymore about this mini safari, which is said to be opening during the 10/11 season. Anybody know what this is gonna be about?
 
No idea, but with all the Pets Corner now in AA, I imagine that will feature more domestic and 'handleble' animals with the Mini Safari having more small exotics.
 
Some further information from Longleat's website:

As part of our routine health and welfare checks we have, for many years, been blood testing our troop of Rhesus Macaques. The tests began in 2000 and have always proven negative. In 2009 however, one monkey tested positive for Simian Herpes B virus and we took the immediate action of closing the Monkey Jungle to visitor traffic whilst we undertook further tests.

During the past year we have been conducting exhaustive research as to how this monkey could have contracted this virus, but the results have been inconclusive. The Longleat troop is and always has been a closed group; how one of our monkeys tested positive to Simian Herpes B virus is sadly a question that will always remain unanswered.

Our main concern is always to ensure that our visitors are kept safe at all times. Alongside this we have a duty of care to our monkeys. With this in mind and following consultation with the Health and Safety Executive we have taken the difficult decision to close the Monkey Jungle to visitor traffic.

Instead we are designing and building a new fenced-off enclosure within the existing Monkey Jungle area where they can live happily and still be viewed by our visitors. The rest of the Monkey Jungle will continue as a drive-through and will include Black Buck antelope and other species.

We do hope you will appreciate our reasons for these changes and thank you for your understanding and continued support. It is hoped that the “new look” Monkey Jungle and surrounding area will open later in 2010.
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Thanks for this. All in all, I'm glad the park is keeping their Monkeys, and I can now see them on every visit. I'm looking forward to seeing what 'other species' are joining the current animals in the other area of this section. Is it just the Black Buck and Waterbuffalo that are currently in there with the Monkeys?
 
It is strange! How could they contract the virus? I was thinking that it may have been a mistake but I am sure they double checked it. I wonder have any tested positive since? Would they have all been destroyed if one had? A real mystery!
 
I think you may have the wrong thread, but though I've never visited so I don't know for sure, ISIS says they have one male.
 
Vulpes said:
It is strange! How could they contract the virus? I was thinking that it may have been a mistake but I am sure they double checked it. I wonder have any tested positive since? Would they have all been destroyed if one had? A real mystery!
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I believe the large Rhesus Monkey troops at two other Safari Parks- Woburn and ? were all euthanased some years ago because of this apparent risk.

There have been other cases of misdiagnosis of illness/disease in Primates in the past e.g. TB which later proved false.

Its puzzling how just one animal tested positive but I'm pleased Longleat have found another solution to the problem. This must be the only large troop of Rhesus in the UK nowadays, though they don't appear to be listed on ISIS.
 
Cat-Man said:
Lowland Anoa
do they keep these at WMSP
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Last time I was there there was a single animal (which would match with HuxleyPig's ISIS findings). It was in a little side pen just after the Addax reserve.
 
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