Paignton Zoo news at Paignton zoo
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Cosmo the pileated gibbon
I am not sure if Cosmo departed before the final closure as he was unrelated to the zoo population and I assume wild-caught . Penscynor was originally the private bird collection of Idris Hale , a local builder . He started by occassional open days for charity before developing a bird gardens open daily .Cosmo was the first mammal , a family pet , I think a woolly monkey was also an early resident .
The big group of woolly monkeys arrived with owner Herbert Dornbrach (?) who became curator for a time . He had previously been at Banham with his monkeys then moved on possibly to Coombe Martin . I don't know what happened after that but wonder if these woolly monkeys were the original stock at Apenheul - anybody help with that ?
Quite a few chimps were born at Penscynor and mostly hand-reared , a bit like the situation at Twycross here . They were treated as pets and would be exercised on the lawns in the walled garden in the afternoon .
Penscynor displayed a good variety of primates over the years - they had a House with many groups of marmoset and tamarins , Diana and De Brazzas , breeding colobus , lar gibbons , the large group of sooty magabeys , brown capuchins , vervets , amongst others I can't recall now .
I am not sure if Cosmo departed before the final closure as he was unrelated to the zoo population and I assume wild-caught . Penscynor was originally the private bird collection of Idris Hale , a local builder . He started by occassional open days for charity before developing a bird gardens open daily .Cosmo was the first mammal , a family pet , I think a woolly monkey was also an early resident .
The big group of woolly monkeys arrived with owner Herbert Dornbrach (?) who became curator for a time . He had previously been at Banham with his monkeys then moved on possibly to Coombe Martin . I don't know what happened after that but wonder if these woolly monkeys were the original stock at Apenheul - anybody help with that ?
Quite a few chimps were born at Penscynor and mostly hand-reared , a bit like the situation at Twycross here . They were treated as pets and would be exercised on the lawns in the walled garden in the afternoon .
Penscynor displayed a good variety of primates over the years - they had a House with many groups of marmoset and tamarins , Diana and De Brazzas , breeding colobus , lar gibbons , the large group of sooty magabeys , brown capuchins , vervets , amongst others I can't recall now .
G.I. Hornbills in UK
That explains a Pensynor 'multi-view' postcard I have which includes a Great Hornbill sitting on a 'keep of the grass' notice.
I've just looked on ISIS and was surprised that only 3 UK zoos are now listed with this species; Chester 1.2. Burford(Cotswold) 1.1. and Dublin 1
Formerly there were a larger number of UK zoos & bird gardens exhibiting this impressive bird. Are there any others that aren't listed I wonder?
That explains a Pensynor 'multi-view' postcard I have which includes a Great Hornbill sitting on a 'keep of the grass' notice.
I've just looked on ISIS and was surprised that only 3 UK zoos are now listed with this species; Chester 1.2. Burford(Cotswold) 1.1. and Dublin 1
Formerly there were a larger number of UK zoos & bird gardens exhibiting this impressive bird. Are there any others that aren't listed I wonder?
I believe you said they were from Colchester. I'll wager they collected them at the same time as the King Colobus male...
No, I'm wrong. As others have said, Colchester don't have Western Colobus. This new male must have come from either Blackpool or Marwell- probably Blackpool as they have the most. Oddly this species of Colobus seems to be kept just in a few UK zoos and at Duisburg in Germany., and nowhere else...
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It wouldn't surprise me at all- they are all prime aged and now living with a proven breeder...
I would second your comments. I visited the new complex just prior to it being opened and thought the inside pens and viewing to be very good - on par with the similarly designed great ape quarters. The outside pens were dull and uninspiring, certainly given all the hype after knocking down the old primate buildings. More hot air than heights.
it was my fault for weaving it in here. I might start another thread about them though.
Yes,they are obviously modelled on the same design but smaller. It is very odd outside though...
More 'lows' than 'heights'?
Gigit
Well-Known Member
I wonder how they will accommodate the orangs if they have three successful births together. The females all get on well with Demo but seem wary of each other. Will they put one mother and baby in the show den while the others stay off show? The orangutan half of the Ape House doesn't seem all that well planned. It would have been better with two smaller show dens, I think.
You are right, it isn't. Obviously they just twinned the indoor accomodation for both Gorillas and Orangs with no forward planning for what they might need in future. Both halves are more suitable for Gorillas in my opinion..
I think the female Orangs are just demonstrating how they live in the wild- this is NOT a social species though they will tolerate each other in captivity but these 'groups' aren't natural. They may be able to keep at least two mothers and infants together, maybe all three- depends on temperament, if they fight etc. Individual mothers and babies have lived together okay at other zoos(e.g. Twycross, Chester, Dublin etc)
I'd like to see a purpose- designed Orangutan house constructed at Paignton, and a breeding group of Gorillas move into in their current housing. Dream on....
Gigit
Well-Known Member
I can forsee problems keeping them together.
From my observations, Gambira's fearful attitude towards more dominant females is down to her experience of living with Chinta, who has few social graces, and watching what happened between her and Gigit, and later with Bulu. And she had her mother to hide behind then. Mali doesn't appear to be aggressive towards Gambira but she still backs away from her. I haven't seen Mali and Chinta together and don't know if it's happened, but I would think Chinta is always going to be the fly in the ointment.
At Twycross, Kibriah, daughter Maliku, son Tiga (when younger) and granddaughter Miri were OK together but had to be kept apart from her other daughter, Theodora. And poor Gigit was mistreated there too.
How about making the whole Ape House and islands orangutan-friendly and moving the gorillas elsewhere
I can forsee problems keeping them together.
How about making the whole Ape House and islands orangutan-friendly and moving the gorillas elsewhere
You know their relationships much better than I do. It depends entirely on that as to whether they'll need to segregate them more and the existing housing doesn't allow for that.
I would do it the other way around as I think the Mary Le Fevre House is more suitable for Gorillas than the orangs which need less ground space but more height, and as you have indicated, possibly some more seperate housing. Outside the large area would probably be better utilised by Gorillas too.
I also think Paignton deserve to be allowed a breeding Gorilla group in future(in addition to the male one) as they have demonstrated they can manage them capably- in fact its the best managed bachelor group I know of....
I think they have demonstrated that very well. But the current Ape House is really more suited to Gorillas so it would be good if they had both a male group and a breeding group(or even two male groups?) and the orangutans were given a purpose built enclosure. (Just an idea of course...)
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johnstoni
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know when/why the Paignton group of red-faced black spider monkeys disappeared? They had a fair-sized group in 1994, the last time I saw them, in the old monkey house. London seems to have kept this species going just about, as with twycross, while the Welsh mountain zoo appears to have recieved a pair in the last few years. Did they come from Paignton?
AL may be able to tell us, he can look background stuff up on ISIS. I remember the Black Spider monkeys at Paignton, virtually from my very earliest visits there, including the one with the 'spectacle' growths on its face, as mentioned t previously. I felt it was a pity they didn't keep them- being such active animals they would have made a better display in the Monkey exhibit than one of the two groups of Colobus.
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