Marwell Wildlife No servals, warthogs, okapis seen...

H

Hunting dogs

Well-Known Member
During my visit to Marwell a few days ago I did not see any warthogs, servals, sand cats, okapis, dama gazelles or dorcas gazelles. Are these species still kept at the zoo? According to a sign in the Desert Carnivore House two sand cats died recently (Kali and Kalahari) but the other two (Thar and Sahara) can still be seen in the exhibit. Is this true? And are dwarf mongooses going to live in the left-hand side and meerkats in the right-hand side of this exhibit (the outdoor glass-fronted enclosures)? One final question - does anybody know which zoo the grey kangaroos were sent to? Shame that they're not at Marwell any more - they were very entertaining, weren't they!
 
If all the species you have mentioned have gone, then that is indeed very sad. I'm sure Okapis are still in the collection. I thought both sides of the enclosure were for Meerkats unless the plan has changed?

Marwell is rapidly declining in my eyes, species are going left and right and there has been very little development, one of the most recent was to upgrade the penguin enclosure which I think was a waste considering the zoo is in need of some new residents! I'm wondering where the zoo is currently headed, is it in quite a bad financial state, can it not afford the many species it once had?
 
JamesB said:
If all the species you have mentioned have gone, then that is indeed very sad. I'm sure Okapis are still in the collection. I thought both sides of the enclosure were for Meerkats unless the plan has changed?

Marwell is rapidly declining in my eyes, species are going left and right and there has been very little development, one of the most recent was to upgrade the penguin enclosure which I think was a waste considering the zoo is in need of some new residents! I'm wondering where the zoo is currently headed, is it in quite a bad financial state, can it not afford the many species it once had?
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As you will see from my numerous other posts on the subject, i couldn't agree more on the sad and rapid decline of the zoo. Not long ago an expensive new entrance was being suggested on here. A ridiculous waste of money when at the current rate of decline there will be very few animals for the visitors to see, but a new entrance with no visitors going through it! The mammal collection alone must have decreased by 20 species in 5 years, with only 2 new species i can think of. 2 years ago they held 7 okapi, what is going on?! If the okapi go too, that would be the final straw!
 
Hunting dogs said:
One final question - does anybody know which zoo the grey kangaroos were sent to? Shame that they're not at Marwell any more - they were very entertaining, weren't they!
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They were returned to South Lakes (where they'd originally been sourced from)
 
Nisha said:
They were returned to South Lakes (where they'd originally been sourced from)
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Strange, but i'm sure it was said at the time they had gone elsewhere in Europe, did s lakes have any before they were returned there? If so, with Marwell's 8-10 group added it cant be much of an enclosure for them all!
 
Hunting dogs said:
During my visit to Marwell a few days ago I did not see any warthogs, servals, sand cats, okapis, dama gazelles or dorcas gazelles. Are these species still kept at the zoo? According to a sign in the Desert Carnivore House two sand cats died recently (Kali and Kalahari) but the other two (Thar and Sahara) can still be seen in the exhibit. Is this true? And are dwarf mongooses going to live in the left-hand side and meerkats in the right-hand side of this exhibit (the outdoor glass-fronted enclosures)? One final question - does anybody know which zoo the grey kangaroos were sent to? Shame that they're not at Marwell any more - they were very entertaining, weren't they!
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Was it not a case of bad weather? I cannot imagine so many species disappearing just over night and not being noticed by any regular visitors.
I would say Marwell will never go out of dorcas gazelles and okapis full stop (correct me if I am wrong Marwell regulars). All the same I do think the zoo needs a boost and a better sense of direction for the collection ex situ.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Was it not a case of bad weather? I cannot imagine so many species disappearing just over night and not being noticed by any regular visitors.
I would say Marwell will never go out of dorcas gazelles and okapis full stop (correct me if I am wrong Marwell regulars). All the same I do think the zoo needs a boost and a better sense of direction for the collection ex situ.
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Well according to a post on the main Marwell thread, 3 mammal species have gone in the last month or so, to add to all the other disappearances! I hope you are right about the okapi, but i don't think anything would surprise me about this zoo now! Unless they actually brought in a dozen new species to partially compensate for those lost!
 
I doubt the okapis have gone, there have been days where I have been unable to spot any, inside or outside. When was the last okapi birth at Marwell, out of interest?
 
According to the okapi studbook, the last birth was a male Micah (born 19 December 2010 to Zukisa x Kiburi) who unfortunately only lived for 5 days. The last birth prior to that was a female Hazina (born 2 June 2008 to Zukisa x Isiro).

The four okapis currently living at Marwell are the male Kiburi (born 10 July 1987 to Bahati x Afmadu), the male Isiro (born 17 January 2000 to Lisara x Kiburi), the female Dumela (born 17 November 2002 to Yenthe x Zidan) and the male Shomari (born 25 January 2006 to Zukisa x Ziburi). So basically, Kiburi lives there with two of his sons and an unrelated female.
 
I saw 2 warthogs , 2 okapi together in one paddock , dama and dorcas gazelle together , also dorcas gazelle with addax . Did not see any serval or Arabian oryx , though both labelled .
 
mhale said:
According to the okapi studbook, the last birth was a male Micah (born 19 December 2010 to Zukisa x Kiburi) who unfortunately only lived for 5 days. The last birth prior to that was a female Hazina (born 2 June 2008 to Zukisa x Isiro).

The four okapis currently living at Marwell are the male Kiburi (born 10 July 1987 to Bahati x Afmadu), the male Isiro (born 17 January 2000 to Lisara x Kiburi), the female Dumela (born 17 November 2002 to Yenthe x Zidan) and the male Shomari (born 25 January 2006 to Zukisa x Ziburi). So basically, Kiburi lives there with two of his sons and an unrelated female.
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It sounds like they could do with swapping 1 or 2 of the males for some new females. Would be great to get them breeding again properly.
 
mhale said:
According to the okapi studbook, the last birth was a male Micah (born 19 December 2010 to Zukisa x Kiburi) who unfortunately only lived for 5 days. The last birth prior to that was a female Hazina (born 2 June 2008 to Zukisa x Isiro).

The four okapis currently living at Marwell are the male Kiburi (born 10 July 1987 to Bahati x Afmadu), the male Isiro (born 17 January 2000 to Lisara x Kiburi), the female Dumela (born 17 November 2002 to Yenthe x Zidan) and the male Shomari (born 25 January 2006 to Zukisa x Ziburi). So basically, Kiburi lives there with two of his sons and an unrelated female.
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There is one female and two male Okapi. The Grey Kangaroos did not all come from South Lakes but from various zoos, most of the older females were infact were born at Marwell, the last animal brought in was the young breeding male who came from Blackpool. South Lakes hold most of the UK Macropod studbooks which is probably why they went there.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I am pretty sure that there was talk last year of relocating the Arabian oryx within the zoo. Separately, they recently transferred a male to a zoo in France for the EEP breeding program.
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The Arabian oryx were labelled for the enclosure opposite the new meercat enclosure ( behind the dama gazelle ). there were none in the paddock and the doors to the house were shut .
 
Bele said:
The Arabian oryx were labelled for the enclosure opposite the new meercat enclosure ( behind the dama gazelle ). there were none in the paddock and the doors to the house were shut .
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That's where i saw the Arabian oryx on my last visit nearly 4 months ago.
I may be going this weekend(weather permitting). My list of disappeared mammal species stands at 21 in not much more than 5 years, i really hope i don't find that there are even more to add!
 
I didn't make it to Marwell today to check my list, but as of my last visit 4 months ago, the following have either left, gone offshow(nearly as bad as far as i'm concerned) or arrived & left since i began visiting regularly again in 2006:
Golden Lion Tamarin
Golden Headed lion tamarin
Emporer tamarin
Pygmy marmoset
Goeldis monkey
Diana monkey
Mouse lemur
Potto
Madagascar jumping rat
Tree shrew
Prevosts squirrel
Parma wallaby
Grey kangaroo
Sand cat
Yellow mongoose
Cusimanse
Gemsbok
babirussa
Pudu
Vicuna
Arabian gazelle
Hyrax
Mara
Chipmunk
A bat species(cant remember which!)
Another tamarin species of which it was said on here they held only one in europe i think.

New species:
White tailed gnu
Brazilian tapir

This is only the mammals & done purely from memory!
 
What a depressing list. What happened to the Golden Lion Tamarins after the walk through didn't work out for them, have they left the collection?

Do they still have the noctural enclosure in the lemur area, what is housed there now?

Such a shame to see so many primates leave, they used to have a pretty good collection of them.
 
JamesB said:
What a depressing list. What happened to the Golden Lion Tamarins after the walk through didn't work out for them, have they left the collection?

Do they still have the noctural enclosure in the lemur area, what is housed there now?

Such a shame to see so many primates leave, they used to have a pretty good collection of them.
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I haven't seen the golden lion tamarins since the walk through was closed & turned into an aviary.
The nocturnal area where the mouse lemur & jumping rats were was boarded up last time i was there & several other small primate/other mammal enclosures stood empty.
It is a very depressing list and i've probably forgotten a few!
 
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