Paignton Zoo odds and ends from Paignton
- Thread starter Gigit
- Start date
Lots of commotion today in the morning .In the orang inside show cage,Bloodcurdling screams from Gambira who was being attacked by Chinta Demo was trying his best to seperate them but with no luck .in the end I heard the keeper shouting at Chinta stop it .which Chinta did and Gambira sat there licking her wounds .The keeper opened the door to let Demo and Gambira out I must say I have neer seen Gambira move so Quickly!
Any one who thinks they are just playing dont be fooled They mean business when they fight.The two younger Gorilla's were on the island today with two keepers at one stage kiri was running around with a green bucket on his head
The other 4 were inside kicking off as they have been seperated for so long Kumbuka is getting really big now even Pertinax was running around.
Lots of fun.
Another zoo reporting a bumper easter weekend for visitor numbers.
Paignton Zoo saw more than 20,000 visitors through its doors in the past five days.
In the run up to the Bank Holiday break the zoo had up to 8,000 visitors in two days, followed by 4,000 on Good Friday, 4,300 on Saturday and 5,000 on Easter Sunday.
Click here!
A zoo spokesman said yesterday: "We have had a very good weekend — just as good as last year. The weather has been a bonus and people have been wanting to come to see the tiger cubs.
Paignton Zoo saw more than 20,000 visitors through its doors in the past five days.
In the run up to the Bank Holiday break the zoo had up to 8,000 visitors in two days, followed by 4,000 on Good Friday, 4,300 on Saturday and 5,000 on Easter Sunday.
Click here!
A zoo spokesman said yesterday: "We have had a very good weekend — just as good as last year. The weather has been a bonus and people have been wanting to come to see the tiger cubs.
Gigit
Well-Known Member
Great for the zoo but horrific for the likes of us zoo fans The zoo car parks were full and there were long traffic queues around the area. I seem to remember hearing something along the lines that a good Easter can set them up financially for the rest of the year. A good year, then!
The zoo car parks were full and there were long traffic queues around the area. I seem to remember hearing something along the lines that a good Easter can set them up financially for the rest of the year. A good year, then!Great for the zoo but horrific for the likes of us zoo fans
Torbay at its very best then....
Maybe they had all come to see the baby orangutans...monkeyworld
Well-Known Member
any news regarding baby orangutans ?
monkeyworld
Well-Known Member
I really hope one of them gives birth at least ...
Gigit
Well-Known Member
From Paignton's website:
A giant tortoise with a damaged shell has been fitted with a toupee by vets at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in Devon.
Mike Bungard, Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, said: “We think the shell was damaged by another tortoise. The vets cleaned up the hole and the shell will grow back, but it could take 18 months. In the meantime we needed to cover up the hole and we hit upon the idea of making a section of artificial shell out of fibre glass!”
The Zoo’s maintenance technician Don Neilsen made the false shell. He took a cast from a scute (the plate or lump on the shell) of a similar size on another tortoise using a paper mould and plaster of Paris. He then cast a fibre glass “crash helmet” and adjusted it for a perfect fit.
The giant tortoise, a male aged 23 years, is known rather unromantically as number 91, though he has been nick-named Timmy. A mobile radiograph unit was brought in as the x-ray machine in the Zoo’s own Vet Centre was not powerful enough to penetrate the inch thick shell.
Aldabra giant tortoises can grow up to 227kg (500lb) in weight with a shell of up to 122cm (48ins) in length. They can live for well over 100 years. Number 91 weighs a modest 153 kilos.
They come from Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. Paignton Zoo’s animals were imported illegally in 1986, confiscated by Customs and re-homed at the Zoo, when they were the size of your fist. The Aldabra giant tortoise is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild).
A giant tortoise with a damaged shell has been fitted with a toupee by vets at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park in Devon.
Mike Bungard, Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates at Paignton Zoo Environmental Park, said: “We think the shell was damaged by another tortoise. The vets cleaned up the hole and the shell will grow back, but it could take 18 months. In the meantime we needed to cover up the hole and we hit upon the idea of making a section of artificial shell out of fibre glass!”
The Zoo’s maintenance technician Don Neilsen made the false shell. He took a cast from a scute (the plate or lump on the shell) of a similar size on another tortoise using a paper mould and plaster of Paris. He then cast a fibre glass “crash helmet” and adjusted it for a perfect fit.
The giant tortoise, a male aged 23 years, is known rather unromantically as number 91, though he has been nick-named Timmy. A mobile radiograph unit was brought in as the x-ray machine in the Zoo’s own Vet Centre was not powerful enough to penetrate the inch thick shell.
Aldabra giant tortoises can grow up to 227kg (500lb) in weight with a shell of up to 122cm (48ins) in length. They can live for well over 100 years. Number 91 weighs a modest 153 kilos.
They come from Aldabra Atoll in the Indian Ocean. Paignton Zoo’s animals were imported illegally in 1986, confiscated by Customs and re-homed at the Zoo, when they were the size of your fist. The Aldabra giant tortoise is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN (facing a high risk of extinction in the wild).
Johnny Morris.
Well-Known Member
The Aldabra tortoises at Paignton should now be sexually mature. It wil be interesting to see whether any serious attempt at breeding them in Paignton (and Europe at large) will take place for the world's second extant giant tortoise species.
It will equally be interesting whether any commitment to the newly discovered Seychelles tortoise breeding programme - over and above presenting Aldabra tortoise in captivity - may be forthcoming.
I would love to see an ESB for Aldabra giant tortoise and an EEP for Seychelles tortoises (some of which are scattered across the globe, including quite a few in amongst the European Aldabrans!!!!!
It will equally be interesting whether any commitment to the newly discovered Seychelles tortoise breeding programme - over and above presenting Aldabra tortoise in captivity - may be forthcoming.
I would love to see an ESB for Aldabra giant tortoise and an EEP for Seychelles tortoises (some of which are scattered across the globe, including quite a few in amongst the European Aldabrans!!!!!
I think there is a very strong case for doing something about the Seychelles tortoises - provided they can be identified accurately. I know the big males at Blackpool and Bristol have been suspected of being Seychelles tortoises in the past and I expect there are more in other European zoos. Has any further work been done on them?
If there are no females or if there are only a handful of animals, perhaps it would be better to repatriate them to the Seychelles, to add them to the breeding programme there.
As it happens I am working up some photos of 'Darwin' at Blackpool Zoo at the moment.
Alan
Alan,
There are a few in European zoos. I can only think of a male in Dresden Zoo for now, but ... there are others. Not too sure about females though (I am afraid most have been males all along in captivity). And I agree that it would probably be better to relocate some of the males to the Seychelles for breeding.
What might make it more difficult is the fact that the founder group of one taxon has been released in the wild (I would much prefer their progeny to be released instead and thus be able to control the genetics of the group and ease up introduction of others into them). The group in the wild have a few males and adding on a few more might just lead to major harassment in the species.
K.B. (for more info pm us)
Gigit
Well-Known Member
From the website:
Zoo resident clocks up 50 years 08/06/2009
One of Paignton Zoo’s quietest residents has clocked up 50 years with the Devon conservation charity – and still has all his own teeth!
Colgate the male dwarf caiman arrived at Paignton Zoo on 7th June 1959, aged around one year old. Mike Bungard, Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, said: “He was wild caught during one of the animal collecting expeditions they used to have back then. I think he may qualify as the Zoo’s oldest resident.
“He is quite inquisitive when keepers are around. He’s not particularly aggressive – he is pretty chilled out for a crocodilian! Dwarf caimans are normally quite shy in the wild.”
The smallest living species of crocodilian, the dwarf caiman can grow up to 1.6 metres (over 5 feet) long and comes from the north and central parts of South America. It is semi-aquatic, lying perfectly still in the water for long periods. It has heavy scales on the belly as well as back as added protection. Dwarf caiman can live for between 30 to 60 years.
Dwarf caiman have around 80 short, backward-curving teeth. Appropriately enough considering his name, Colgate still has an impressive set of gnashers. Mike Bungard: “Most crocodilians regenerate teeth as they tend to lose them fairly easily. So he is very toothy and his teeth are in great condition!”
There have been huge changes at Paignton Zoo during his time. Over the last half century the attraction has made the transition from an old-style zoo to a modern environmental park. Colgate lived in the old reptile house before moving to Reptile Tropics when it opened in 2000. He is one of a pair – he has been with the female for 11 years but they have not bred.
Zoo resident clocks up 50 years 08/06/2009
One of Paignton Zoo’s quietest residents has clocked up 50 years with the Devon conservation charity – and still has all his own teeth!
Colgate the male dwarf caiman arrived at Paignton Zoo on 7th June 1959, aged around one year old. Mike Bungard, Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, said: “He was wild caught during one of the animal collecting expeditions they used to have back then. I think he may qualify as the Zoo’s oldest resident.
“He is quite inquisitive when keepers are around. He’s not particularly aggressive – he is pretty chilled out for a crocodilian! Dwarf caimans are normally quite shy in the wild.”
The smallest living species of crocodilian, the dwarf caiman can grow up to 1.6 metres (over 5 feet) long and comes from the north and central parts of South America. It is semi-aquatic, lying perfectly still in the water for long periods. It has heavy scales on the belly as well as back as added protection. Dwarf caiman can live for between 30 to 60 years.
Dwarf caiman have around 80 short, backward-curving teeth. Appropriately enough considering his name, Colgate still has an impressive set of gnashers. Mike Bungard: “Most crocodilians regenerate teeth as they tend to lose them fairly easily. So he is very toothy and his teeth are in great condition!”
There have been huge changes at Paignton Zoo during his time. Over the last half century the attraction has made the transition from an old-style zoo to a modern environmental park. Colgate lived in the old reptile house before moving to Reptile Tropics when it opened in 2000. He is one of a pair – he has been with the female for 11 years but they have not bred.
any orang updates ?[/QUOTE
The orangs are not pregnant .According to a release to newspaper yesterday from the zoo. I think we all realised that when they were a tad overdue like 8months!!!!!!!!!!!
Gigit
Well-Known Member
I am so shocked 
Here's the newspaper article:
HOPES of an orangutan baby boom at Paignton Zoo this summer have been dashed.
Zookeepers announced earlier this year that three of its female orangutans were expecting babies this spring and summer.
But now keepers suspect they have been hoodwinked.
Zoo curator of mammals Neil Bemment said from last autumn they thought the orangs were pregnant.
"Now it seems this is not the case.
"There had been no observed matings for some time, and as none of the females were coming into season, we thought that male Demo had been a 'demon' in the fathering stakes.
"However, they have recently been seen mating again, so regrettably our initial excitement would appear to have been a false alarm."
Even experienced zoo staff find it difficult to tell if an orangutan is pregnant and urine testing is not 100 per cent reliable.
Female Mali, who was supposedly due first, seemed to have got a lot fatter without overeating and at one point had 'obvious signs of pregnancy'.
"There is a possibility either it was a phantom pregnancy brought on by a temporary hormone imbalance or she actually aborted in the early stages of pregnancy in her spacious outdoor enclosure and we never saw the signs."
He said anaesthetising to establish pregnancy by ultrasound is possible but unnecessarily risky so a training programme is underway for them to accept such a procedure without the need for anaesthesia.
"This takes time as orangutans are by nature very suspicious of anything new and putting conductive jelly on their abdomens without them licking it off immediately is just one of the challenges.
"We made preparations in case a mother rejected a baby. I'm sure they will stand us in good stead in the future, and we are hopeful one or more of our females will become pregnant soon."
Paignton Zoo's group of Bornean orang utans is made up of male Demo, aged 10. and females Gambira 11, Chinta 18 and Mali 13.
Here's the newspaper article:HOPES of an orangutan baby boom at Paignton Zoo this summer have been dashed.
Zookeepers announced earlier this year that three of its female orangutans were expecting babies this spring and summer.
But now keepers suspect they have been hoodwinked.
Zoo curator of mammals Neil Bemment said from last autumn they thought the orangs were pregnant.
"Now it seems this is not the case.
"There had been no observed matings for some time, and as none of the females were coming into season, we thought that male Demo had been a 'demon' in the fathering stakes.
"However, they have recently been seen mating again, so regrettably our initial excitement would appear to have been a false alarm."
Even experienced zoo staff find it difficult to tell if an orangutan is pregnant and urine testing is not 100 per cent reliable.
Female Mali, who was supposedly due first, seemed to have got a lot fatter without overeating and at one point had 'obvious signs of pregnancy'.
"There is a possibility either it was a phantom pregnancy brought on by a temporary hormone imbalance or she actually aborted in the early stages of pregnancy in her spacious outdoor enclosure and we never saw the signs."
He said anaesthetising to establish pregnancy by ultrasound is possible but unnecessarily risky so a training programme is underway for them to accept such a procedure without the need for anaesthesia.
"This takes time as orangutans are by nature very suspicious of anything new and putting conductive jelly on their abdomens without them licking it off immediately is just one of the challenges.
"We made preparations in case a mother rejected a baby. I'm sure they will stand us in good stead in the future, and we are hopeful one or more of our females will become pregnant soon."
Paignton Zoo's group of Bornean orang utans is made up of male Demo, aged 10. and females Gambira 11, Chinta 18 and Mali 13.