AFAIK the calf is doing well, after three months development, in the end of February his weight was 113 kilogram.
I visited Regent's Park on Saturday . No sign of any Okapis on view , or Malayan tapirs . The only house open was part of the Giraffe House . All that could be seen were 3 Giraffe and 3 Zebra on the top level and Hunting Dogs and Warthog on the lower level .
With the Clore not due to re-open until the end of March , the Otter enclosure being empty due to glass replacement and the Aye-aye House seemingly now permanently closed the North side of the Zoo is very disappointing , mammal-wise .
With the Clore not due to re-open until the end of March , the Otter enclosure being empty due to glass replacement and the Aye-aye House seemingly now permanently closed the North side of the Zoo is very disappointing , mammal-wise .
When I was there on the 14th Feb there was an adult okapi in the paddock, didnt seem shy as was only only a couple of feet max from it, the closest i've ever been to one. Do they have a male there that was seperated from the female due to the calf?
The calf's father Dicky was swapped with Chester in June 09 for an unrelated male named Mbuti. Mbuti is only 5 and at the time wasn't mature enough to cover Chester's female. He will most likely leave London once he is older. It was probably Mbuti you saw in the paddock.
I know this is slightly off topic given the thread but I just have a quick question for you all. I'm planning a trip to the London Zoo around the middle of June to see the Aye-Ayes (I went there 3 years ago but the day that I went the house was locked as they were breeding.....talk about disappointment!). Anyway, Bele's comment regarding the Aye-Ayes is making me wonder if the house is ever open for viewing? Any comments would be greatly appreciated! 
Bristol also has aye-ayes if you can make it there on your trip (to the west of London, over by Wales)choloepus said:
Yes , I cannot remember a visit to Bristol since the aye-ayes arrived when I have not seen at least one . The viewing area into the two enclosures is rather restricted but they often come close to the windows .
taking the thread further off-topic (sorry), I just read foz's review of Bristol Zoo from last year http://www.zoochat.com/38/bristol-zoo-review-101515/ and it sounds like a fantastic zoo
London is being really cautious, esp. with their last calf not surviving. I expect an announcement in or around Easter time, to draw a few more visitors in.
I suspect that the cold winter weather, extending with cold winds even until very recently this month, has meant they've kept the calf indoors throughout so far. Milder weather should see his debut. It may have been a similar situation for Bristol's calf too.
I saw the calf inside the house today, he's very big. The okapis seemed very popular with Mbuti outside and occasionally in his stall and the other two inside.
I was thinking that a very interesting educational display on the wall inbetween the okapis and zebras inside would be a series of photos showing the calf's development and about okapi reproduction and rearing in general. It wouldn't cost much and would really add something to the exhibit.
I was thinking that a very interesting educational display on the wall inbetween the okapis and zebras inside would be a series of photos showing the calf's development and about okapi reproduction and rearing in general. It wouldn't cost much and would really add something to the exhibit.