Paignton Zoo Paignton Zoo News 2011

At least Pertinax made me feel a prat before the zoo released the sad news.

That was not my intention.:) I was simply indicating that you were (unwittingly) adrift on this and have been for quite sometime. As you know I p.m'd you about it but the news has now been made public anyway.

Jordan- if you just read the posts a bit more carefully in situations like these, you wouldn't get so much flack from other members.
 
Pertinax,

I know it wasn't, but it's good to feel a prat once in a while, brings you back to reality.
 
Just got back from a trip down devon/cornwall.

Only news that I saw, which I don't think has been posted on here was that Paignton have bred Red Pandas. (See Attachment)
 

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According to ISIS Paignton have 3 cheetah cubs - anybody know if this is correct ?
 
I enjoyed a rather rushed visit to Paignton today, in spite of the misty weather. I didn't have time to see everything, but I got one or two decent photos. I enjoyed seeing the marabou chick (now adult sized but still slightly cuter than its parents) and the toco toucan fledglings. I spent too long with the cusimanses, but I was rewarded by good views of one of the Rodrigues fruit bats in the out door flight - which links to the cusimanses.
I'm not sure if I saw two stoats or the same stoat twice - near the branch in the path above the gorilla island and crossing the main path near the 'Jungle Fun' building.

Note added: I forgot to write that I saw a keeper with 3 young flamingos on the lawn in front of the Bird breeding centre. I presume they were hand-raised - unfortunately I was in too much of a hurry to ask.

Alan
 
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They do often hand rear flamingos for various reasons and walk them on that lawn.

Did you see the blind porcupine who lives with the cusimanses? It's amazing watching it find its way around and climb along the branches. I wish they'd put up a sign explaining its condition to stop children reacting with disgust at its clouded over eyes.

I haven't spotted a stoat for a while.
 
Did you see the blind porcupine who lives with the cusimanses? It's amazing watching it find its way around and climb along the branches. I wish they'd put up a sign explaining its condition to stop children reacting with disgust at its clouded over eyes.

There is a sign that says that the porcupine's eyes naturally appear to be white because of the reflective layer behind the retina (called the tapetum if I remember correctly) which is found in many nocturnal mammals. I have certainly seen it in other brush-tailed porcupine specimens, but it wouldn't be visible if they were exhibited in a nocturnal house. The porcupine shows no sign of being blind and it was competing with the cusimanses for mealworms very successfully - interestingly a couple of the cusimanses were nibbling at some cabbage left over from the porcupine's breakfast while they waited for the keeper with the mealworms. I will post some shots of the porcupine to see what other members think.

Alan
 
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