Ouwehands Zoo Ouwehands Dierenpark, Rhenen

Yunha said:
A bonobo escaped its enclosure about an hour ago! The bonobo left the zoo and is now in the nearby forest. Keepers have localised it, and for everyone's safety a small portion of the park is off limits now. The rest of the park is open. Hopefully the bonobo will get back safely.
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The bonobo has now been caught and is back in his enclosure. He is doing well. Investigations will be carried out into how he was able to escape.
 
Oh, that's good to hear! After seeing footage made by a visitor, the young bonobo seemed more like a teenager which made the situation more dangerous. Thank goodness no animals or people got hurt :)
 
Yunha said:
Oh, that's good to hear! After seeing footage made by a visitor, the young bonobo seemed more like a teenager which made the situation more dangerous. Thank goodness no animals or people got hurt :)
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Anyone knows the name of this adventurous young male?
And has there been tensions in the group or groups of bonobos?
Introduction of Lopori ??
How far has she been integrated?
 
Last month multiple young Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) were spotted in the enclosure.

The green iguana is back on-show in Urucu!

JurassicMax said:
Recently 2 Northern warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus africanus) that were born in the zoo last year were send to zoos in France. The third young will also soon leave the zoo, the female in Ouwehands is expected to give birth again soon.

Source:
Instagram of Ouwehands Dierenpark (16/04/2024)
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Two weeks ago 4 warthogs were born.


Sources:
Instagram of Ouwehands Dierenpark (22/05/2024)
Instagram of Ouwehands Dierenpark (26/05/2024)
Instagram of Ouwehands Dierenpark (01/06/2024)
 
Does anyone know more about the interactions between Tooth and Duna? Has any matings been observed? The last I heard (quite a while ago) was that they didn't get along so well.
 
Yunha said:
Does anyone know more about the interactions between Tooth and Duna? Has any matings been observed? The last I heard (quite a while ago) was that they didn't get along so well.
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Ouwehands mentioned earlier this year (February) that they have not been together again since their introduction in summer 2023 because they really don't get along well. So I don't assume they have been together in recent months either.
 
Thanks MennoPebesma, that's more recent than the news I heard and I think that's a correct assumption then. Sad to hear they didn't get along at all, but a mismatch in characters can happen of course. :)
 
Actually, Tooth and Duna had problems before Tooth left for Wuppertal a couple of years ago. My understanding is she was not submissive to him when he was younger and insecure, and when he got older and stronger, he became aggressive against her. They never mated naturally, that is why he was sent away to Wuppertal. It was clearly a mistake of bringing him back to Rhenen because during the first introduction without a fence he attacked her immediately, continuing right there where things had been before his move to Wuppertal. A video of that attack was published in the internet and it looked pretty bad, they are lucky she wasn’t injured. I don‘t think they ever tried again to put them together.
 
@Yassa, yeah, I remember them not getting along earlier. In the Netherlands a short series was made about Ouwehands Dierenpark. ('Het echte leven in de dierentuin' - it's fun to watch, but Dutch) It showed the re-introduction of Duna and Tooth going wrong (the attack and all) and the staff interfering, but the staff also speaking hopefully that they might start to connect over time, even though they are both strong characters now. (I think it was the larger part of one episode that was fully about them.) I think staff were hopefull Tooth might get over the incidents when he was still a younger bull, but it shows now that he didn't.

Last time I visited the park (March) Duna and Tooth were fairly close to each other, but still seperated. Staff was observing, and there was through-the-fence contact, but considering the statement release and Tooth's move, it seems like a definite mismatch.
 
Does anyone have any idea what happened with the bonobo who escaped? Did he jump the moat or was a mistake made?
 
Perseus6 said:
Does anyone have any idea what happened with the bonobo who escaped? Did he jump the moat or was a mistake made?
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That is still not entirely clear. The latest the zoo itself has told is that they suspect he managed to escape over the wall. But the camera footage needs further study to know for sure.
 
Male Orang-utan 'Bako' died at Ouwehands Dierenpark. He had breathing issues for a while, and the staff and vets decided he needed surgery. Unfortunaly, Bako did not wake up after anesthesia.

Two of Bako's young still live in Ouwehands, and the Orang-utan was of great value to scientific studies into Orang-utan behaviour.
 
KevinB said:
Two Grey-handed Night Monkey (Aotus griseimembra) moved into the nocturnal house (presumably into the former cuscus exhibit?) last week and are getting used to their new home.
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That enclosure seems a bit on the small side... Granted, the cuscus was of a similar size, but monkeys are much more active and agile.

Would have preferred to see something smaller here, like sugar glidars.
 
Mr Gharial said:
I decided to visit Ouwehands today. Even though I was originally planning on visiting the zoo thurday. Some official news, some observations:

First off, Koalia:

In all honesty, I'm quite dissapointed with Koalia. The original announcement described it as "a journey through the different Australian biomes, starting in the Australian Desert and ending in a large greenhouse showcasing the Australian rainforest."

In truth, the new area is quite small. The outside has some mediocre theming that looks a bit childish, an educational hut has a display about bush fires, but barely explains anything about it and kind of assumes the visitor already knows about wildfires (which to be fair, most people do know about due to the Australian wildfires of 2020). The area is partially surrounded by red gravel. But it doesn't give an outback feel, it looks more like it's a playground that hasn't had its play structures installed yet.

The interior of Koalia is rather small. There is a small "island" of tropical plants, with a small play/climbing route through the middle of it, making it even smaller. The rockwork inside is, quite frankly, ugly. And looks more like something you'd find in a starter zoo. The viewing windows into the Koala habitats are nice and big, but the paths are not large enough to handle the crowd. Even on this calm Tuesday I had to worm my way through a small horde of visitors that were all taking photos.

The Koala indoor habitats are partially planted, which is nice I suppose. But the floor is made of that poured material they use in school classrooms, and it's not covered in any subtrate. It looks more like an elementary school and a low-budget zoo had a baby and it is ugly.

The Parma wallabies are in a separated enclosure, not mixed with the Koalas. Today was the first day they were allowed to go outside, and there were multiple cameras present. I didn't see them actually go outside. The Wallaby indoor habitat does have some straw to cover the bottom, which is a big improvement but it still doesn't look amazing.

I also think it's a shame how Ouwehands operates with new exhibits. Both with Pandasia and Koalia. They grab a single species and make a nice enclosure but refuse to create a larger area around it. Both areas are surrounded by ugly and outdated enclosures that suddenly stick out like a sore thumb. Not only does that show the age and quality (or lack thereof) of the surrounding exhibits, but it also means it feels weirdly empty. Made worse by the fact that there are signs in both new areas that showcase other animals from the regions, that weren't included in the zoo. Koalia has signs for Greater bilby, Australian brush turkey, Grey-headed flying fox, Thorny devil, etc. And yet only includes two Australian animals. Pandasia has a sign including pictures of Takin, Clouded leopard, Golden pheasant and Snub-nosed monkeys, some of which can actually be seen in Ouwehands, but none near the Giant panda habitat...

Filming the Wallaby's first day out:
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Habitats inside koalia:
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(Note: To take these pictures I'm pressing myself into the plants to fit it into my phone screen)

Exterior of Koalia:
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Interior of Koalia (with ugly rockwork):
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Contrast between Pandasia and the enclosure directly next to it:
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I visited Ouwehands to see the new koala house "Koalia", which is just as good/bad as its name implies.... @Mr Gharial already gave his views, but here are some additional thoughts:

It is 100% an Ouwehands Dierenpark building and fits perfectly within the zoo, which means it doesn't look quite like it belongs there... While there is a lot to complain about, I am sure the general visitor doesn't care and it will be a good investment for the zoo...

For starters the building is quite tall and cramped between the sea lion pool, the flamingo aviary, the gorilla thing & both polar bear enclosures, the space is used optimally for sure ;). But unlike in a historical zoo where buildings from different styles are often in close proximity and where this can create an unique atmosphere, it just doesn't work here... It is all just too cramped and dystopian.

Then there is the use of 5 different themes/building styles:
- An outdoor empty red sand area with a shed & 2 charred trees to talk about forest fires (in the outback?)
- A functional building of concrete blocks + a centre of wood & glass, which includes the actual exhibit space for the koala & wallaby
- Entrance & exit tunnels from that functional building in the style of red rock caves with Aboriginal paintings, not sure what the Australian would make of that....
- A cramped dark indoor "garden" with a "rainforest" theme with a waterfall one might find in an average garden centre and mostly generic looking rainforest plants & orchids.
- Some weird mockrock blobs located throughout the building, serving as planting areas.

I am not sure what the idea was, but I wouldn't be surprised if the architect is schizophrenic....

And to top it of, there are some bizarre design choices:
- Putting the koala on relatively high trees, but placing the visitor area clearly lower than the exhibits, so one always has to look up to see a sleeping piece of grey eucalypt fungus.
- For some reason they want to put butterflies in the cramped visitor room, but they have serious problems to regulate humidity and temperature. On top of that there is no room for butterflies to retreat at ground level from groping hands & no nectar plants and hardly any natural light. It probably would mean all butterflies would locate at the narrow skylights high up in the building, if they survive at all...

I have now seen 12 koala enclosures in Europe (all current holders except Madrid, Edinburgh & Longleat), but I would comfortably place it at the bottom close to Pairi Daiza. That is not about the husbandry level these koala receive at Ouwehands, I am sure the level of care at Ouwehands is good, but from a visitor perspective it leaves much to be desired. Though I am sure >95% of regular visitors doesn't care because this is their best chance to see koala and don't have a lot of options to compare this building with...
 
MennoPebesma said:
Ouwehands mentioned earlier this year (February) that they have not been together again since their introduction in summer 2023 because they really don't get along well. So I don't assume they have been together in recent months either.
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Why has it taken so long to have him leave the Ouwehand Zoo? Really, it is important to put some expediency and hard decision making into the African Elephant EEP in order to ensure these situation-coms are swiftly resolved and a switch of bulls takes place more speedily.

I wonder how Bioparco Valencia has done with the cows that have not yet calved? Any status update or BTS knowledge there?
 
Perseus6 said:
Does anyone have any idea what happened with the bonobo who escaped? Did he jump the moat or was a mistake made?
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MennoPebesma said:
That is still not entirely clear. The latest the zoo itself has told is that they suspect he managed to escape over the wall. But the camera footage needs further study to know for sure.
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The bonobo's escape route is now known. CCTV footage showed him stealing a piece of fruit after which the whole group turned on him, and he was cornered. He then jumped through a barrier of live wires in a panic and landed on a small ledge in the moat. He then passed a second live wire barrier and ended up outside the enclosure.

He is now back with the group and all is well. The outside enclosure has been closed since the escape. The zoo will now take measures to make the enclosure 'escape-proof'.
 
MennoPebesma said:
The bonobo's escape route is now known. CCTV footage showed him stealing a piece of fruit after which the whole group turned on him, and he was cornered. He then jumped through a barrier of live wires in a panic and landed on a small ledge in the moat. He then passed a second live wire barrier and ended up outside the enclosure.

He is now back with the group and all is well. The outside enclosure has been closed since the escape. The zoo will now take measures to make the enclosure 'escape-proof'.
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Thanks for the information.
And who has been that young guy??
 
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