Zoo Santillana del Mar Santillana Zoo news

I am making an update of the asian lions in Europe. Does anyone know anything of the asian lions Gita, Asha en Saiko who lived once in Santillana?
 
Recent News:
-A male Common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) has arrived from a German zoo. He will be the new breeding male in the zoo's group.
-A female Silvery marmoset (Mico argentatus) has arrived to be the mate of one of the males of the zoo.
-A Kikuyu Guereza (Colobus guereza kikuyuensis) has been born at the zoo!
 
Array of news of the last months:
- Two male Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) have been born!
- A Lyle's flying fox (Pteropus lylei) has been born!
- Two Eurasian thick-knees (Burhinus oedicnemus) have been born!
- Two Black-necked swans (Cygnus melancoryphus) have been born at the zoo!
- The zoo received a pair of Geoffroy's marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi).
- The zoo received a female Trumpeter hornbill (Bycanistes bucinator) from a french zoo.
 
Array of news of the last months:
- A female Przewalski's wild horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) foal has been born!
- A female Cotton-topped tamarin (Saguinus oedipus) has arrived to the zoo!
- A Bearded emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens) has been born!
- A Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) chick has hatched!
- Luzie, a female Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) has passed away at the age of 35. It was a very iconic animal at the zoo that has been the mother to various individuals.
 
Floods:
- The Santillana zoo is suffering the worst flood in its history. The park has always been prompt to floods but this one has caused "expensive and long-lasting damage" at the zoo. Areas that were never reached by floods have been entirely covered by water (The farm area, small primate exhibits, aquaterrarium,...).
Many animals are currently being evacuated but larger and more dangerous species such as the Sumatran orangutans are in a vulnerable position.

Las lluvias inundan el Zoo de Santillana del Mar y obligan a trasladar a sus animales
El Zoo de Santillana del Mar se ahoga y los animales corren peligro
 
Array of news of the last months:
- New species at the zoo, the Victoria crowned-pigeon (Goura victoria). A female arrived from a dutch zoo.
- New species at the zoo, the Eurasian crane (Grus grus grus).
- New species at the zoo, the Nicobar pigeon (Caloenas nicobarica).
- Two Kikuyu guereza (Colobus guereza kikuyuensis) have been born at the zoo.
- Four Blacksmith lapwings (Vanellus armatus) have hatched at the zoo.
- A Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) has hatched at the zoo.
 
News:
- Hubert, the zoo's only (and hopefully last) Common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) has passed away after an entire month of being sick.
He arrived at the zoo in 1984 with (more or less) seven years from the Barcelona zoo and has lived there since. He was caught in Guinea and bought as a pet by a family in Zaragoza, so he was hand-reared from a very young age.
The zoo's staff had a very close relationship with this animal, but he lived his entire life within terrible enclosures that should not house chimpanzees at any point of history. He will be remembered.

Muere Hubert, el emblemático y más longevo chimpancé del Zoo de Santillana
 
Array of news of the last months:
- For the first time in the history of the zoo, an Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra lutra) pup was born four months ago!
- Two Iberian ibexes (Capra pyrenaica) were born throughout last year.
- A male Przewalski's wild horse (Equus ferus przewalskii) foal was born back in June!
- Three Bearded emperor tamarins (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens) were born, one of them passed away and the other two are thriving.
- A Geoffroy's marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) was born back in October and is being hand-reared to later on be introduced to its family.
- A male Victoria crowned-pigeon (Goura victoria) arrived to make company to the female the zoo got a while back. It arrived from Heidelberg Zoo.
- The zoo received four male Roseate spoonbills (Platalea ajaja) from GaiaZoo.
- Five Black-necked swans (Cygnus melancoryphus) hatched at the zoo!
- Two Lesser flamingoes (Phoeniconaias minor) hatched last year 2023!

Additional births of other birds and herptiles have happened, although they have not been as well documented. Information has been taken from the zoo's social media accounts.
 
An array of news of the last months:
- Two Cotton-topped tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) have been born at the zoo after a while of this species not breeding at the park.
- Three Geoffroy's marmosets (Callithrix geoffroyi) were born to the same mother.
- A Pygmy marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea) has been born.
- A male Kikuyu guereza (Colobus guereza kikuyuensis) has been born at the zoo.
- Two Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) calves have been born at the zoo.
- Two Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica) calves have been born thus far this year!
- Western capercallies (Tetrao urogallus) have hatched at the zoo for the first time in five years! Eight chicks have hatched out of a clutch of eight eggs.
- Eight Australian shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides) chicks have hatched at the zoo. First time in 40 years this species has bred at the zoo.
- Two Black-necked swans (Cygnus melancoryphus) hatched at the zoo.
- Three Lesser white-fronted geese (Anser erythropus) have hatched at the zoo.
- Other than those mentioned beforehand, most anseriformes at the park have had chicks this year. Between those we can find Eurasian wigeons, northern shovelers, gadwalls, northern pintails, red-crested pochards, mandarin ducks, wood ducks, common shelducks, Chiloe wigeons, cape teals,... Most duck species the zoo wanted to breed have been bred.
- Five Blacksmith lapwings (Vanellus armatus) have hatched through the year
- Three Eurasian spoonbills (Platalea leucorodia) have hatched at the zoo.
- Two Scarlet ibises (Eudocimus ruber) have hatched through the year.
- Four Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) chicks have hatched at the zoo.
- Three Superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus) have hatched at the zoo.
- New species; a pair of Eurasian bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) can be seen in backstage.
- New species; a group of trouts (species not determined) is now living in the pond right in front of the restaurant.
- Seven Red-bellied piranhas (Pygocentrus nattereri) have arrived at the zoo from Acuario Fluvial de Zaragoza.

Additional births and movements might have happened, although they have not been as well documented. Information has been taken from the zoo's social media accounts.
 
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Yesterday I was in Santillana and spent the day at the zoo, here is an array of changes and new things I noticed compared to last year:
- The orangutan exhibits have been swapped around and the empty exhibit was left behind when Hubertus the chimpanzee passed has been occupied by them. The move has been made mostly because 4-year-old orangutan Ohiana's parents Budi and Tuah have been showing aggressive behaviour towards each other. Now Tuah lives in the central exhibit, and a small gap has been drilled on the wall so Ohiana can cross exhibits and keep on contact with her mother, father, and sister Nuba, who is living alongside Budi in the grassy exhibit at the left of the complex. Victoria, Juliana and Dahulu have occupied the old chimpanzee exhibit.
- I spotted a newly born Common squirrel monkey (Saimiri sciureus) within the troop!
- I saw a single snow leopard the whole day, in difference from the usual two the park has housed for quite a long while.
- I could also spot a few turtles on a sea of pond sliders that the zoo houses, all decommissioned pets. The species I could identify were the Florida cooter (Pseudemys floridana), Chinese stripe-necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis) and an animal I couldn't ID but is apparently within Graptemys.
- In the invertebrate house a new exhibit has been built for Leafcutter ants (Acromyrmex octospinosus) taking over several terrariums connected by PVC tubes. The zoo also received a few new scorpions, two pairs of Malasyan forest scorpions (Heterometrus spinifer) and Vietnam forest scorpions (Heterometrus laoticus), as seen in this video.
- In the aviaries and duck ponds around the zoo, I was able to spot the following species I didn't get to see last year; European eider (Somateria mollissima mollissima), Namaqua dove (Oena capensis), Egyptian plover (Pluvianus aegyptius), Western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis ibis), Western European barn owl (Tyto alba alba), Cuban grassquit (Phonipara canora), Blue-faced parrotfinch (Erythrura trichroa), Black-throated finch (Poephila cincta), Plum-headed finch (Aidemosyne modesta), Star finch (Bathilda ruficauda) and Brahminy starling (Sturnia pagodarum). A small brown passerine I haven't identified yet is to be added to this list as well. Sadly, I didn't spot some of the birds I got to see last year (The bishops, northern cardinals, goldeneyes, smews,...).
- In the farm area a small hut has been adapted to house English spot rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus domestica), the only breed-specific rabbits at the zoo. They also added signs to some of the pigeon coops, which they lacked last year.
- Sadly the European mink signs have been removed from their exhibit and there is no trace of the species being at the park. Wouldn't be surprised if the zoo received other non-breeding individuals in a future given the zoo's involvement in LIFE Lutreola.​
 
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