Adelaide Zoo Tamarins and Marmosets at Adelaide

Ara said:
Adelaide seems to be the only zoo in the region truly committed to tamarins; the others are rather half-hearted.
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oh... i dunno if thats fair - last i checked it was perth and melbourne keeping the emperor tamarin population alive in australia - not adelaide.

melbourne also have a long and current history of keeping/breeding cotton-tops and golden lion tamarins and are planning on soon adding pygmy marmosets to that list (a species bred by perth and mogo).

i don't think adelaide is any better than any of these above mentioned zoos. i'de say they are all pretty "committed"

emps, cottontops, golden-lions and pygmy marmosets are all being bred with the intention of maintaining the species.

common marmosets are bred at some private zoos and research facilities and are in good numbers, but unfortunately are not being embraced by major zoos. black-lions look destined for a definite phase-out.

i agree it would be nice to keep them all. and i agree wholeheartedly it would take minimal effort compared to larger species. but four definite species, thats more species than most individual zoos keep.
 
Small primates ? Wellington Zoo could utilise these

I think that small primates ( Tamarins , cappuchins , marmosets etc ) is something that Wellington Zoo could do alot more with / capitalise on , instead of megaprojects ( that the zoo cant afford , anyway )

The animals wont take up THAT much room , they can be housed on sloping ground that arent cliff faces , the zoo has a proven record for breeding primates
and are a draw with many members of the public -- even if they cant tell the difference between a cappuchin and a tamarin ( even I got them mixed up until about a year ago )

Housed in decent enclosures , with alot of appropriate vegetation will make Wellington Zoo look more attractive aesthetically , also . Although in all fairness , it is much more attractive now than it was a decade ago
 
yes i agree - smaller projects like that are the cost-effect ones that give the best returns for you buck.

i said it before... something like - "miniature monkeys", consisting of a series of large marmost/tamarin cages circling a free-ranging area (with the species taking turns at free ranging) would be a big attraction in my mind. something people would insist on visiting every time they visit the zoo. the combined power of 4 or so species in one area is much stronger than having them all scattered around the zoo...(and not on zoo maps).
 
yes , its a pity that all the primate enclosures at Wellington Zoo are scattered throughout the whole grounds .
If they were linked together in a more logical pattern , it could be easily marketed as NZs first/only Primate World or similar name .
Unfortunately they are currently scattered hodge podge due to historic or zoogeographic region sectors .
I reckon they should build a new chimpanzee enclosure/s along the back of the zoo between the baboons and the ex giraffe paddock ( making it approx 4 times the size of what they have now ) and have new primate enclosures along the old bird row ( which needs a bulldozer ) and the ex zebra paddock .
 
i'm a zoogeographic boy at heart. i love exotic places, not just animals, so what appeals to me most is a recreation of a region - taking into account the botany, zoology and culture and architecture.

i think within this realm there is still plenty of scope to work and teach lessons based on biology etc... indeed a geography-based display is probably better at sending conservation or ecology lessons (which to me is much more important that biology).

however, i admit some smaller things work particularly well in a taxonomical display. certainly i'm not going to underestimate the value of side by side comparison.

fortunately marmosets and tamarins all come from the same greater region so they work in both.

"primate world" on the other hand? not my thing so much, but certainly the mix of just about everything at melbournes tree-top exhibit is hugely popular.
 
I too like the zoogeographic approach - in fact I'd like to see the various regions clearly defined in a zoo ( though I don't know how - hedges? fences? gateways? any ideas?) and not just, say, on different sides of the same path. (It destroys the ambience.)
I'd also like the vegetation to be as correct as possible.

Of course, I'm talking about the perfect zoo here- not very realistic.

In practice it's very hard for a long-established city zoo to be convincingly zoogeographic, when available area is limited and you can't just "pick up " the lion enclosure and move it away from the tigers.........

And what happens when your pygmy hippo gets sent away on a breeding loan and (for arguments sake) you desperately need extra accommodation for your tapirs? Do you put a tapir in the former p. hippo paddock and ruin the zoogeographic theme, or do you leave it empty and leave your tapirs with accommodation problems?
 
Exhibit

Patrick mentioned "miniature monkeys", and so here is the link to Chester Zoo's impressive-looking set of small monkey exhibits.
 
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