Paignton Zoo Paignton Zoo news 2025

Rajang-GOAT said:
Thoughts go out to the keepers and vets at Paignton.

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra in the UK from conversation about it in last years Marwell thread:

Blackpool 1:2
Linton 0:3 (one older and two younger females)
Marwell 0:2:1

Maybe if the foal at Marwell is a male it could go to Linton? It doesn't look too good for Paignton if they want to keep with the species.
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I thought that Marwell imported a new stallion only quite recently?

This is sad news for Paignton, more particularly as they lost the other two younger females only quite recently. My feeling though is that if they want to attempt a mixed exhibit(do they?)with the Giraffe at any time, then Plains zebra may be both more suitable (as an easier species to mix) and more available?
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
Thoughts go out to the keepers and vets at Paignton.

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra in the UK from conversation about it in last years Marwell thread:

Blackpool 1:2
Linton 0:3 (one older and two younger females)
Marwell 0:2:1

Maybe if the foal at Marwell is a male it could go to Linton? It doesn't look too good for Paignton if they want to keep with the species.
Click to expand...
Marwell have 1.2. an adult female died earlier this year.
 
Pertinax said:
I thought that Marwell imported a new stallion only quite recently?

This is sad news for Paignton, more particularly as they lost the other two younger females only quite recently. My feeling though is that if they want to attempt a mixed exhibit(do they?)with the Giraffe at any time, then Plains zebra may be both more suitable (as an easier species to mix) and more available?
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As was said in the aforementioned Marwell 2024 thread, that stallion left the zoo (died?) between his arrival in September 2023 and the birth of the foal in October 2024.
Marwell Zoo News 2024 [Marwell Wildlife] - Page 16 - ZooChat

From an outside point of view it looks like Plains zebra could well be the way forward for Paignton, with the additional benefit of making a mixed species exhibit more feasible if that ever becomes something the zoo want.

okapis said:
Marwell have 1.2. an adult female died earlier this year.
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Another unfortunate loss, has another adult joined the collection as well as the sex of the recent foal being identified?
 
The 2024 inventory for Marwell does show the Mountain Zebra foal as female. I believe they did import a stallion from Germany earlier this year.

Back to the main topic, a very sad loss for Paignton. A major species they are without at a time where they really didn't need it. Hope they get a lucky break at some point.

I do agree with the comments that if they are looking to mix them a switch to Plains Zebra might not be a bad thing. Doesn't the European guidelines recommend not mixing Mountain Zebra?
 
NMM said:
The 2024 inventory for Marwell does show the Mountain Zebra foal as female. I believe they did import a stallion from Germany earlier this year.
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Wow, apologies. I must have missed that if it was mentioned anywhere. Anyway that is really great news that they have brought in another stallion, so fingers crossed they can have some more success with the species and that can spread across the UK!
 
NMM said:
The 2024 inventory for Marwell does show the Mountain Zebra foal as female. I believe they did import a stallion from Germany earlier this year.

Back to the main topic, a very sad loss for Paignton. A major species they are without at a time where they really didn't need it. Hope they get a lucky break at some point.

I do agree with the comments that if they are looking to mix them a switch to Plains Zebra might not be a bad thing. Doesn't the European guidelines recommend not mixing Mountain Zebra?
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There has been formal & informal dialogue about creating a mixed exhibit, but it’s very much being done sensitively (at sloth pace), as PZ’s giraffe herd are particularly twitchy with a canny dislike for change.
Originally, the plan was to include Red Necked Ostrich (the zoo currently holds one female) when the giraffe herd eventually move into the elephant side of the mammal barn.
With the Easter holidays & bank holidays upon us, this area of the zoo will rely upon the R River Hogs to be ‘showy’ and perhaps some creative & spontaneous programme change (education & visitor services depts) to give visitors a reason to walk the ‘long loop’ around the giraffe exhibit in the absence of Takin, Camel, Zebra and the proposed baboon exhibit.
 
TriUK said:
There has been formal & informal dialogue about creating a mixed exhibit, but it’s very much being done sensitively (at sloth pace), as PZ’s giraffe herd are particularly twitchy with a canny dislike for change.
Originally, the plan was to include Red Necked Ostrich (the zoo currently holds one female) when the giraffe herd eventually move into the elephant side of the mammal barn.
With the Easter holidays & bank holidays upon us, this area of the zoo will rely upon the R River Hogs to be ‘showy’ and perhaps some creative & spontaneous programme change (education & visitor services depts) to give visitors a reason to walk the ‘long loop’ around the giraffe exhibit in the absence of Takin, Camel, Zebra and the proposed baboon exhibit.
Click to expand...


They won't want a range of empty zebra stables for longer than they have to, so may be looking for new zebras from within the UK (to avoid import delays) as soon as possible, which means they may end up with whichever species is available. Perhaps more Hartmann's would be least likely, in that case. They are also more 'crabby' in temperament than the other species, often preferring a little distance between each other and so probably from other species too, perhaps why they aren't recommended for mixed exhibits. A trio of Plains zebra may seem the simplest option if they can find some, or Grevy's if any are available
 
Pertinax said:
They won't want a range of empty zebra stables for longer than they have to, so may be looking for new zebras from within the UK (to avoid import delays) as soon as possible, which means they may end up with whichever species is available. Perhaps more Hartmann's would be least likely, in that case. They are also more 'crabby' in temperament than the other species, often preferring a little distance between each other and so probably from other species too, perhaps why they aren't recommended for mixed exhibits. A trio of Plains zebra may seem the simplest option if they can find some, or Grevy's if any are available
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I was also under impression that Grevy's can also be difficult to mix with other species?
 
Cat-Man said:
I was also under impression that Grevy's can also be difficult to mix with other species?
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I think Grevy's are better than Hartmann's, but Plains better than either. In fact its often quite tricky mixing all zebra with other species, particularly some antelope sp. as they will chase and even kill the calves. With Giraffe it seems to work okay-at least in large spaces.
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
Wow, apologies. I must have missed that if it was mentioned anywhere. Anyway that is really great news that they have brought in another stallion, so fingers crossed they can have some more success with the species and that can spread across the UK!
Click to expand...

They did bring in a new stallion and it was mentioned on here somewhere. I remember being pleased to see that an import from Europe was still possible despite the complications nowadays.
 
Pertinax said:
I think Grevy's are better than Hartmann's, but Plains better than either. In fact its often quite tricky mixing all zebra with other species, particularly some antelope sp. as they will chase and even kill the calves. With Giraffe it seems to work okay-at least in large spaces.
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Thanks Pertinax. It seems that space is always key, here!
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
Thoughts go out to the keepers and vets at Paignton.

Hartmann's Mountain Zebra in the UK from conversation about it in last years Marwell thread:

Blackpool 1:2
Linton 0:3 (one older and two younger females)
Marwell 0:2:1

Maybe if the foal at Marwell is a male it could go to Linton? It doesn't look too good for Paignton if they want to keep with the species.
Click to expand...
Linton just has the 2 younger females now
 
Rajang-GOAT said:
A sad loss but possibly not unexpected, thank you for mentioning it. Do you happen to know where the younger mares arrived from (were born)? As they could be related to other individuals in the UK anyway.
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They came from Planckendael , around 6 years ago I think. I will check back, but think they were around 3 when they arrived
Edit: They arrived in July 2019 according to my post in the Linton thread but I didn't note their ages
 
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pipaluk said:
They came from Planckendael , around 6 years ago I think. I will check back, but think they were around 3 when they arrived
Edit: They arrived in July 2019 according to my post in the Linton thread but I didn't note their ages
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That's good news for any potential breeding prospects that they came from outside the UK.
@Baringogiraffe12 mentioned in the Marwell 2024 thread that they were indeed born in 2016, so are still fairly young.
 
pipaluk said:
Why move the Linton females when they have by some distance the best enclosure in the country?
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Because given the information I had at the time, it makes more sense for them to move to a zoo with a male, than it does for a zoo to give up their only male.

Anybody have a photo of this enclosure?
 
Does anyone know how many Plains Zebra there are at Newquay? That might be Paignton's first port of call...
 
Cat-Man said:
Because given the information I had at the time, it makes more sense for them to move to a zoo with a male, than it does for a zoo to give up their only male.

Anybody have a photo of this enclosure?
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Here is one angle from my visit in October 2023.
20231025_150947.jpg
ZooNews2024 said:
Have Linton not had a series of zebra deaths in this enclosure? Maybe I had heard this wrong and stand corrected.
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In the last 7 or 8 years or so an older stallion and two older mares have passed away I belive, though I haven't ever seen anything to suggest it was anything else rather age related issues responsible for any of these.

I appreciate I am partly responsible for this continued discussion but maybe it is time for a Mountain Zebra in the UK thread?
 

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