Newquay Zoo Sulawesi Crested Macaque Webcam!

[Paix]

Just to let you all know that Newquay Zoo has recently installed a Webcam on their Sulawesi Crested Black Macaque exhibit, it pritty much shows the whole exhibit and I know I personally will spend many hours watching them, seeing that I enjoyed them very much when I visited.

Sulawesi Crested Black Macaques

Here is a straight link to the webcam although if you are attempting to access it from the home page it is under Conservation.

And just to spice up discussion, what do people think of the exhibit, how could it be improved, I will give my opinions later.

Thanks, Paix

 

[foz]

I really enjoy the macaque exhibit, making use of the old bear den. The group is really active and show well on the webcam/when visiting. Improvement wise the indoor viewing can prove quite difficult - stooping down to see your own reflection basically.

 

[Paix]

To see your own reflection? Dont humans do this anyway when they are viewing primates!

EDIT: Aswell, seeing that I visited in 2008, I have always been very unsure where the new Madagascan exhibit is, now i realise it is on the slope near the Visayan Wart Pigs, I can see it from the Webcam.

 

[pinkback]

I seem to remember there was a lot of fuss about them putting a surplus male to sleep so they could bring in breeding females, from a conservation point of view it must have been the right decission, I counted 3 babies at least on the cam!

 

[Paix]

I seem to remember there was a lot of fuss about them putting a surplus male to sleep so they could bring in breeding females, from a conservation point of view it must have been the right decission, I counted 3 babies at least on the cam!

From a conservation point of view, and a species point of view, it must have been a good desicion. The monkey profiles are just below the webcam!

 

[johnstoni]

I really hope no fans of any primate rescue centres read that.

How removed do you have to be to see it as a numbers game?

Google: Eugenics

Sulawesi macaques breed easily in captivity. The fact Newquay are breeding them is not some miracle borne out euthanasia of some of their previous, healthy males. They could have set up a bachelor group elsewhere, perhaps Paignton, they have enough space and money to do so. The positive outcome does not justify the unpleasant end their predecessors had.

Its weird, you could not get away with doing that to a chimpanzee in this country. With macaques, somehow its fine. Because UK science/cosmetics/household product testing uses macaques for vivisection? Or what, then? I've worked with single, male primates held apart from their group having been driven out who were in far from ideal circumstances, being in holding cages off-exhibit for months sometimes, but with perseverance gradual introductions resulted in them having some meaningful social groupings eventually. It sometimes means, inconveniently, holding more than one group, or an offshow pair that can't be mixed with the main group, but the alternative is to, what, just put them down?

Zoos can be selective about EEP/ESB recommendations. Drusillas didn't kill off its surplus males when they transitioned this year to a breeding group, IMHO Newquay didn't have to.

 

[Paix]

I really hope no fans of any primate rescue centres read that.

How removed do you have to be to see it as a numbers game?

Google: Eugenics

Sulawesi macaques breed easily in captivity. The fact Newquay are breeding them is not some miracle borne out euthanasia of some of their previous, healthy males. They could have set up a bachelor group elsewhere, perhaps Paignton, they have enough space and money to do so. The positive outcome does not justify the unpleasant end their predecessors had.

Its weird, you could not get away with doing that to a chimpanzee in this country. With macaques, somehow its fine. Because UK science/cosmetics/household product testing uses macaques for vivisection? Or what, then? I've worked with single, male primates held apart from their group having been driven out who were in far from ideal circumstances, being in holding cages off-exhibit for months sometimes, but with perseverance gradual introductions resulted in them having some meaningful social groupings eventually. It sometimes means, inconveniently, holding more than one group, or an offshow pair that can't be mixed with the main group, but the alternative is to, what, just put them down?

Zoos can be selective about EEP/ESB recommendations. Drusillas didn't kill off its surplus males when they transitioned this year to a breeding group, IMHO Newquay didn't have to.

Whether they can be bred easily in captivity or not, correct me if Im wrong, this is an endangered species and I do beleive in this situation I see it right to look at a whole species rather than individuals.

I am unsure whether they could of created a bachalor group at Paignton but whatever could of been done, I respect the Whitley Trust and I respect their choices, whatever the reason for them doing so.

But I dont want to get in a heated debate, and I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this situation.

 

[Pertinax]

Whether they can be bred easily in captivity or not, correct me if Im wrong, this is an endangered species and I do beleive in this situation I see it right to look at a whole species rather than individuals.

It is an endangered species but one which breeds very freely in captivity. So breeding more Sulawesi macaques is no longer of major importance, particularly where there may be difficulty placing zoobred young in other collections in the future. I think rather than any strong necessity to breed them, Newquay preferred to exhibit a social group rather than just males, hence the decision taken over the extra ones.

Its worth noting there are several Monkey sanctuaries around the UK now- some of them with excellent facilities, which offer an alternative to euthanasing unwanted monkeys- but Paignton/Newquay have still elected for primate euthanasia, rather than rehoming, on more than one occassion recently.

 

[Paix]

I do not know the situation/sitatunga and I am only just becoming interested in Primates, something I have never gone into before. I am still learning, so bare with me.

Anywho, I like Newquay, and I really like this enclosure (seeing what was kept in it in the past) and I think there are fantastic climbing oportunities.