Edinburgh Zoo Sad at some sights in Edin Zoo

[Maisie]

I'm coming to this thread very late, but just wanted to say that knowing corvids (I currently live with 6 magpies - 3 free-flying in the house, one azure-winged magpie and 8 temporary rehab crows) I doubt the raven was unpicking the wire as an attempt to escape. It had probably just seen an opportunity to entertain itself, rather like my magpies' assaults on the wallpaper and coving.

 

[IanRRobinson]

I'm coming to this thread very late, but just wanted to say that knowing corvids (I currently live with 6 magpies - 3 free-flying in the house, one azure-winged magpie and 8 temporary rehab crows) I doubt the raven was unpicking the wire as an attempt to escape. It had probably just seen an opportunity to entertain itself, rather like my magpies' assaults on the wallpaper and coving.

Not that you're looking to crow about your knowledge...

 

[Mr T]

Not that you're looking to crow about your knowledge...

hahaha brilliant!

 

[Mr T]

I'm coming to this thread very late, but just wanted to say that knowing corvids (I currently live with 6 magpies - 3 free-flying in the house, one azure-winged magpie and 8 temporary rehab crows) I doubt the raven was unpicking the wire as an attempt to escape. It had probably just seen an opportunity to entertain itself, rather like my magpies' assaults on the wallpaper and coving.

How did you end up with these birds? Sounds like an interesting little collection.

 

[FBBird]

Many years ago I had a juvenile hand-reared Rook flying free. He stripped all the roofing felt off the garden shed, apparently for the fun of it. I also had a group of Bengal Eagle Owls that made a big hole in the aviary wire -- again apparently for the fun of it, as they made no attempt to get out before it was repaired. If my dog chews something up, there doesn't need to be a motive, other than the fun of chewing something up.

 

[Maisie]

How did you end up with these birds? Sounds like an interesting little collection.

Close work with the local wildlife hospital since 2007, becoming their unofficial "corvid people" and taking on the too-tame or disabled unreleasable birds or those needing longer-term rehab or particular TLC. We also have two starlings (one too-tame, one with an old wing injury) and a sparrow (fell out of nest at a day old, broke leg, hand-reared and now over-tame) in the house. Oh, and a cat who thankfully ignores birds when they're not trying to peck her tail. The azure-winged magpie is ex-Chester Zoo. We took her and her mate/father in 2009 after the Arcades aviaries were demolished. We sadly lost the (12 year old) male at the beginning of December.

Apologies for sending this thread off-topic!

 

[Mr T]

Close work with the local wildlife hospital since 2007, becoming their unofficial "corvid people" and taking on the too-tame or disabled unreleasable birds. We also have two starlings (one too-tame, one with an old wing injury) and a sparrow (fell out of nest at a day old, broke leg, hand-reared and now over-tame) in the house. Oh, and a cat who thankfully ignores birds when they're not trying to peck her tail. The azure-winged magpie is ex-Chester Zoo. We took her and her mate/father in 2009 after the Arcades aviaries were demolished. We sadly lost the (12 year old) male at the beginning of December.

Apologies for sending this thread off-topic!

Don't apologise it's a very interesting little story, thanks.

 

[zoogiraffe]

Well have finally caught up with this thread after 24 hours away from zoochat,all I can add is thanks to all involved some for entertaining me,others for just frustrating me with their views,but then if everyone had the same views what a boring world it would be!!!

 

[cracker]

You are right on both counts. I guess I should'nt have said that in a general sense when I really meant to say that I reckon the penguins seem happy enough and I love the fact they have all these little nesting pods to simulate how it is in the wild. I would love to see little piles of pebbles everywhere in there too so they could actualy be involved in the building of their nests.

The penguins build their own nests every breeding season and that starts around about the middle of February, the nest rings are only put out at that time as well for the gentoos and at the same time they are given lots of differently sized pebbles to collect and put in their nest rings. The have a set time of year when they breed so to put the nest rings and pebbles out outwith that time would likely have a negative effect on their breeding. I don't think there is anywhere else in Europe if not further afield that keeps and breeds gentoos penguins better than Edinburgh zoo and most of the other gentoos you might see in other zoos around Europe and further afield originated from Edinburgh. If you are interested in their breeding behaviour you should visit during the breeding season- eggs are laid from March onwards and chicks start hatching a month later. It's fantastic to watch and they show all the same behaviours as you would see wild penguins show as they rear their young themselves.

 

[cracker]

About the lack of keepers to answer questions, this may have been in part due to the fact that January is low-low season. A lot of zoos schedule keeper talks only in the busier season or on weekends/holidays. A lot of zoos also use volunteers or even employ extra staff for "keeper" talks/ questions-and -answer-seassions in the high season. I don`t know about Edinburgh, though, but you might have had a bit of bad luck due to the time of the year.

Edinburgh runs a full programme of keeper talks every day thoughout the year, even on Christmas day, and it varies depending on the season. The chimp talk is on every day and most days it takes place outside, where they are given a feed and it is a talk between a educational presenter and the keeper and there is time after the talk for anyone to ask questions. Very often there are also volunteers on duty too, particularly in Budongo Trail and they can be very knowledgeable too as they have had quite detailed training and as they are volunteers are obviously genuinely interested in the animals themselves.

 

[SMR]

Edinburgh rates very highly with me for their volunteer program and in turn,their knowledge and their enthusiasm. I often run into at least one of the education officers, keepers are helpful - especially when asked odd questions - and if it wasn't for all the staff, the panda experience would have been significantly poorer.

 

[OrangePerson]

Very often there are also volunteers on duty too, particularly in Budongo Trail and they can be very knowledgeable too as they have had quite detailed training and as they are volunteers are obviously genuinely interested in the animals themselves.

Yes, the day I visited there was someone there all the time, I was worried she'd have me down as a nutter because I spent so long in there.

 

[Shorts]

Well have finally caught up with this thread after 24 hours away from zoochat,all I can add is thanks to all involved some for entertaining me,others for just frustrating me with their views,but then if everyone had the same views what a boring world it would be!!!

Impressive, were you using patches or the chewing gum?

Otherwise, agree with you -this thread has been very entertaining (I knew it would get heated so kept out, besides others made the points I was thinking anyway, which I'd anticipated)).

 

[zoogiraffe]

Impressive, were you using patches or the chewing gum?

Otherwise, agree with you -this thread has been very entertaining (I knew it would get heated so kept out, besides others made the points I was thinking anyway, which I'd anticipated)).

Nope patches were not involved just a bit of good old fashioned zoo visiting!!

 

[Shorts]

Nope patches were not involved just a bit of good old fashioned zoo visiting!!

Fair enough, sometimes I forget, especially when temporary housebound by illness, that ZooChat is the methadone to the opiate that is zoo visiting (but like methadone has it's own addiction issues).