Part II: Rearing House and Primate Exhibits
Following the route through the collection suggested on the map, we next reached a building labelled as the "Jungtieraufzuchthaus", which literally translates to "Young Animal Rearing House"; for the ease of reference I will refer to it from now on as the "Rearing House". The first enclosure we reached, prior to entering the building itself, was a rather unusual mixed exhibit containing a single Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra) and two Domestic Chicken (Gallus gallus domestica) of no particular breed. Signage on the exhibit explained that the lemur had once been part of a breeding pair, but that on the recent death of the other individual, the survivor had become lethargic and would no longer eat; attempts to mix the Ruffed Lemur with other lemurs and monkeys had met with no success, but the addition of chickens into the exhibit had spurred the Red Ruffed Lemur to become more active and resume feeding. This was a rather unconventional display, and as such it rather stuck in my memory. The exhibit itself was relatively prosaic and nothing particularly special, comprising a soil-and-woodchip substrate, with a number of small dead trees and branches dotted around the exhibit providing space for the lemur to climb and move around; panels in the back wall of the exhibit permitted the inhabitants access into their indoor housing. As noted, the enclosure was nothing special but nor was it poor in any regard, striking me as a perfectly adequate exhibit for the needs of the animals within. A little further along, we came to a very similar exhibit which was signposted for Bearded Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens); this exhibit, despite the smaller size of the species within, was slightly larger to my eyes. In theory this - along with the fact that there were plenty of climbing opportunities provided - would presumably mean that it would be a good enclosure for the taxon in question, meeting their needs well. However, this is hard to gauge as the inhabitants of the exhibit seemed to all be inside at the time we were viewing this exhibit; as such my evaluation cannot be complete. The final exhibit which we viewed before entering the Rearing House itself was a large, but pretty bare, enclosure which was signposted for Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus); this is a species with which I am rather fond, and as such it was somewhat disappointing that the inhabitants of the exhibit were seemingly not visible. Although the exhibit was certainly large enough for the species in question - depending, of course, on the size of the group held at Wilhelma - and there were large numbers of tree trunks and wooden platforms provided in order to allow climbing and movement opportunities for the inhabitants, the floor of the exhibit was bare concrete with no additional substrate or bedding material visible. Moreover, a lot more of the basic structure of the Rearing House was visible here, with bare, grubby concrete and stark angles being the dominant "feel". I would assume that this structure may well be one of the older of the animal exhibits at Wilhelma, possibly dating to the 1950's as a result.
Entering the Rearing House itself, the initial "feel" I got from the interior decoration and the appearance of the public areas was somewhat akin to that I had gleaned from the new Monkey House at Tierpark Berlin a year before; an antiseptic "hospital" type effect, but in this case, rather than the bright and clean modern hospital feel I described at Tierpark Berlin, it would be more accurate to think along the lines of a 1960's hospital, brown floors and brown walls. Not unpleasant by any means, but I imagine this is a general "feel" which anyone reading these words would instantly recognise. The exhibit signposting within the Rearing House was relatively good, albeit old-fashioned in design and appearance, but the supplementary information dotted around here and there struck me as a little amateurish in presentation. For instance, on one wall there was a display discussing the wide variety found within the Callitrichids as an overall group, along with their behaviour, breeding habits, diet and so forth. The information presented was of a high quality; however, the way that it was presented was more akin to a primary school, a hospital or GP surgery than a zoological collection - a disparate mish-mash of laminated A4 print-outs and photographs sellotaped or pinned to a wall. This was a shame, as the exhibit quality within the Rearing House was quite good, as I shall now discuss.
The first interior exhibit we came to was the indoor enclosure for the Emperor Tamarins; rather large considering the taxon within, this exhibit contained a vast number of branches and trees, with ropes, wooden blocks and hammocks stretching back and forth between them, and with a soil/woodchip substrate covering the floor relatively thickly. The base of the exhibit had a handful of shrubs and other such vegetation dotted around, providing cover and greenery for the inhabitants, whilst straw and thick mats of dry, dead vegetation was hung from the branches and ropes. As such, the exhibit looked pretty good, with the inhabitants making full use of the climbing opportunities within; there appeared to be a relatively large group of Emperor Tamarin visible within the enclosure, which may be an indication that the inhabitants were indeed thriving within the exhibits provided. The neighbouring exhibit - which contained Western Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea) - was very similar, albeit a little smaller and with significantly more lush vegetation present both close to the floor of the enclosure and dotted around the various levels of the exhibit. It is worth noting here that the vast majority of Pygmy Marmosets within the UK are either non-subspecific status individuals, or belong to the Eastern subspecies; as such, although I *had* seen Western Pygmy Marmoset before, it was quite enjoyable to get the opportunity to view this subspecies at close range and note the subtle differences to those individuals with which I am more familiar. The exhibit size and the quantity of opportunities given for the inhabitants to climb around or - through the use of little wicker baskets and sleeping areas dotted here and there - escape the view of the public meant that I felt this was a very good exhibit for the species, even if the indoor location meant it was nowhere near as naturalistic as the best enclosures for Pygmy Marmoset which I have seen. The next exhibit in this area which we reached, again very much akin to the previous two, contained a large and very active group of Goeldi’s Monkey (Callimico goeldii); in terms of scale the exhibit was more akin to that for the Emperor Tamarins, in point of fact being slightly larger than the aforementioned, whilst the level of greenery and vegetation within the enclosure was more akin to the Pygmy Marmoset exhibit. This enclosure, perhaps due to the larger size, not only contained branches and logs on various levels connected by ropes and nets as the prior enclosures had, but also contained several tree trunks and logs on the ground; this, along with the thick vegetation located at the rear of the enclosure and in the corners, made me wonder whether this enclosure was designed to hold multiple species. If this was indeed the case, the previous inhabitants had either departed, or were unlabelled and particularly elusive, as we had no luck spotting any other taxa within.
The next area of the Rearing House we reached was a set of exhibits which served both as a demonstration of the off-display rearing of birds and reptiles in an incubator, and of the maturing process in hatchling birds; in the centre of the room, there was an active incubator containing a pair of chicken eggs; one of these was visibly pipping whilst the second did not display any indication of imminent hatching. Alongside this was informational signage discussing the use of incubators within a zoological collection. We decided that, pending our having time to do so, we would return to the Rearing House late in the day in order to see if either egg had successfully hatched. Along the wall to one side of the incubator, there were three more-or-less identical exhibits, each approximately a metre across, and around half a metre deep and high, containing little other than a source of drinking water, a feeding bowl and sawdust covering the floor of the exhibits; each contained a handful of hatchling chickens at one week old, three weeks old and five weeks old respectively. One would imagine that these are regularly rotated in and out of their exhibits, with the incubator already discussed providing the source for additional chicks to enter the exhibit. As Helly's family keep chickens themselves, I have in point of fact seen juvenile chickens as they mature - however, it was nonetheless an interesting exhibit, as I imagine many visitors to Wilhelma will not have had the same experience. As such, this exhibit served an important educational purpose in my opinion.
Just opposite the third of these exhibits, there was a small corner exhibit where the public path took a sharp right turn; this comprised a well-lit alcove of imitation rock, with genuine rocks forming shelves and crevices within which the inhabitants - Arabian Spiny Mouse (Acomys dimidiatus) - were able to hide from the view of the public. The floor of the exhibit was covered in thick sand, with the back corner of the exhibit comprising a collection of dead wood and branches forming an approximation of a desert tree.
As the taxon concerned is one of the more seldom-displayed members of the Acomys genus in public collections within Europe, and one which I had seen only once before, I was pleased that a little patience and waiting at the exhibit quietly for a few minutes allowed me a brief glimpse of one of the inhabitants before it once again hid from view. Overall I thought this exhibit was rather good, although I was somewhat surprised to find it within an area which had hitherto primarily contained primate taxa; my general assumption is that this may well have been one of the species once displayed within the currently-closed Small Mammal and Bird House. Nearby, immediately next to the third exhibit for juvenile domestic chickens, there was a lushly-vegetated glass-fronted exhibit containing Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator) - again, quite possibly one of the former inhabitants of the aforementioned closed portion of Wilhelma. Being the only member of the Buttonquail family now visible within public collections in Europe, I was rather pleased to see this taxon on-display at Wilhelma; there is something special about the unique, and this particular group of birds is certainly rather unique, looking very much akin to a gamebird but being closer affiliated to the shorebirds. The exhibit itself was rather pleasant in appearance, with the thick vegetation providing plenty of opportunity for the inhabitants to avoid view if they so wished; in point of fact, it took quite some investigation before we were able to spot any!
The next exhibit which we reached was a relatively large and very well-planted enclosure containing a variety of bushes and shrubs, along with one or two trees, with the floor covered in the same soil-woodchip blend which seemed to be the standard at Wilhelma from those enclosures we had seen thus far, and with various tree trunks and logs dotted here and there. The general look of the enclosure looked a little more naturalistic than those we had seen thus far, with no additional climbing aids added; this fit the inhabitants rather well as it happens, as the exhibit contained a mixture of Asian Fairy Bluebird (Irena puella), Crested Wood Partridge (Rollulus rouloul), Mindanao Bleeding-Heart (Gallicolumba crinigera) and White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) - all taxa which are perfectly at home in a well-vegetated exhibit providing undergrowth and the foliage of trees in which to shelter, and which are not renowned for needing ropes or logs to climb on! Moreover, all of these species are rather attractive-looking birds; I have a particularly strong soft spot for the Mindanao Bleeding-Heart, but always enjoy viewing the other taxa in question too, even if they can often be a little tricky to photograph adequately! Along from here we came to a mid-size exhibit quite akin to those containing callitrichids which we had already viewed, containing trees, branches and logs dotted around the enclosure, with areas of climbing vegetation snaking up some of the trees and nestboxes at the rear of the exhibit; surprisingly there were very few additional ropes or other such additions to the enclosure, and as such this particular exhibit - which was signposted for another group of Goeldi's Monkey along with Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) - looked a little more bare than the previous enclosures. However, closer examination of this exhibit revealed that it also contained at least one Orange-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), a taxon which although very common on the continent is pretty scarce within UK collections. This pleasant surprise rather demonstrates the importance of paying close attention to exhibits on the off-chance that the signposting or labels are incomplete or, indeed, out of date. I am not sure about how well-known agouti are for climbing, but I suspect they may be rather adept at it given some of their close kin within the rodent family; as such this *may* provide some explanation for the relative lack of ropes and other such climbing material. The next enclosure was quite similar in general feel and design to its neighbour, albeit somewhat larger and containing significantly more branches and other such climbing material towards the roof of the exhibit, including a handful of nets and ropes at the ceiling itself. This exhibit was signposted for further Orange-rumped Agouti, along with Geoffroy's Marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) and Linne's Two-Toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus); the sloth in particular was making very good use of the climbing material within the exhibit, with the other inhabitants also appearing to be very active and having plenty of space, with no adverse interaction appearing to take place between the different taxa. The final exhibit which we encountered within the Rearing House was possibly the largest by a narrow margin, with a similar combination of tree trunks, logs and branches to that seen in previous enclosures once again providing climbing opportunities for the inhabitants; however in this case, these were supplemented by wooden climbing frames, platforms and - close to the ceiling of the enclosure - a pair of nestboxes. It was sleeping within these that we were just about able to spot the inhabitants of this exhibit; two male Brazilian Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis). This comprised the first mammalian lifetick of the day - a fortunately timed one, as within a few months of our visit this taxon had departed Wilhelma.
Leaving the Rearing House, the next point on our route was the old Ape House; this had once contained Western Lowland Gorilla, Common Chimpanzee, Bonobo and Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) but in recent years, subsequent to a much larger and more up-to-date Ape House being constructed elsewhere in Wilhelma, the Gorilla and Bonobo had moved into the new house in 2013 whilst the Common Chimpanzee had left the collection entirely. As such, at the time of our visit the house contained only Sumatran Orangutan, with the majority of the building standing empty. As I understand the current situation, in the near future the old house will be demolished; however I have heard conflicting reports regarding whether a new house to house Sumatran Orangutan and a number of other primate taxa would be constructed in its place, or whether this will mark the departure of Orangutan from Wilhelma entirely. Knowing this, my expectations for this area of the overall collection were rather low. The first impression I got on entering the structure was a similar sense to that which I had felt within the Rearing House; a stark, clinical and slightly-abandoned feel. The quality of the informational signposting within the house was extremely variable; whilst there was a very good display discussing the evolution of the great apes, the place of humanity within the family, and the extinct taxa which have been discovered over the course of the 20th Century which help us to fill in the gaps in our knowledge regarding the evolution of mankind, this display was something of an outlier. The majority of the labels on exhibits, and informational displays on the walls, were akin to those I have already remarked upon in the Rearing House; mere compilations of laminated pieces of paper pinned to a noticeboard. However, whilst the exhibit quality within the Rearing House had been rather good, and therefore made up for the ageing feel of the building itself, the same could not be said of the exhibits within the old Ape House; these were incredibly small and looked like nothing more than laboratories or, possibly, operating theatres.
Although plenty of climbing opportunities *were* provided, with a combination of metal poles and wooden platforms criss-crossing each exhibit, with ropes dangling from the ceiling, this cannot be said to count for a great deal when the overall height and size of each exhibit were - at most - maybe twice that of the largest exhibit within the Rearing House; which, it bears repeating, contained Brazilian Porcupine, a significantly smaller species than the Sumatran Orangutan! As such, it scarcely seems worthwhile describing each exhibit in turn, given that each one was very much akin to the others - a brief summary will suffice. The interior of the house contained three exhibits; we first reached a pair of interior enclosures for Sumatran Orangutan, which stood side-by-side but appeared not to provide access from one to the other. Each, as previously noted, looked rather like a laboratory which happened to contain a climbing frame and a handful of ropes, with a few handfuls of straw scattered on the ground providing the only visible bedding for the inhabitants. The third, and largest exhibit - now standing empty - was the former indoor enclosure for Western Lowland Gorilla; were it not for the fact I was already aware of the previous use to which this exhibit had been put, the stark, sterile appearance of this enclosure would have quite possibly made me believe it *was* a laboratory or operating room! Beyond here, another pair of Orangutan exhibits akin to the first was visible. Leaving the interior of the building, we then took the opportunity to look at the exterior exhibits for the Sumatran Orangutan held at Wilhelma. Any hope that these would be more suited towards their inhabitants, however, were sadly soon dashed; for all intents and purposes, the exterior enclosures were identical to those indoors, albeit even smaller and contained within mesh-topped glass cases, like some unholy blend of laboratory and giant fishtank.
As we had been unable to spot *any* of the five individuals housed within the old Ape House, there must presumably be off-show sleeping quarters somewhere in the building for the Sumatran Orangutan to escape the view of the public; however, considering the size and quality of the display enclosures, one is not filled with confidence regarding how well the off-show enclosures would be suited to the taxon which they contain. Reflecting on the fact that at one point, this house once contained four species of Great Ape is an even more unpleasant thought; all in all, I think it is safe to say that this building was the second-worst exhibit I had seen thus far in a German collection; the first place still being held by the internal exhibit for Sun Bear at Tierpark Berlin, which coincidentally also had once held multiple Great Ape taxa.
Opposite the exterior enclosures for the Sumatran Orangutan, we were able to see a rather strange and unorthodox exhibit for a relatively large group of Colombian Brown Spider Monkey (Ateles hybridus); a large and angular ornamental pond, with a series of concrete islands dotted within. These islands held various tall climbing frames and platforms with rope bridges connecting them to one another, and to the nearby interior house for the Spider Monkeys; this was not accessible to the public, so no judgement of the interior enclosures can be made here. Unorthodox and strange-looking as this exhibit was, resembling a work of art more than it did a zoological enclosure, it wasn't actually as bad as it first seemed. A little more height for the climbing frames and platforms, and possibly one or two more islands for the inhabitants to move between, would have been very much beneficial; however, it did provide a reasonable amount of space and was nowhere near as unpleasant-looking as the contents of the building which we had just exited.
Looking to our right, a massive structure loomed above us; the Gibbon House. At a rough estimate, the building and the exterior exhibit for White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) visible at the front of the structure could not have been less than approximately ten metres tall and perhaps a similar distance in terms of width, with the exhibit in question extending forward for approximately six metres. Around two thirds of the way up the exhibit, there was a public walkway allowing visitors to look at the inhabitants both from a height and at ground level; this was a feature that I particularly liked, as it allows the public to appreciate just how much space the inhabitants of the enclosure have - there tending to be something of a foreshortening effect when one is looking directly up into an enclosure. The floor of the exhibit was thickly covered with the same woodchip-soil combination which we had encountered within the Rearing House, with a handful of trees - including fir trees and a tall palm-tree - located here. The main body of the enclosure contained a vast array of wooden poles, platforms and struts, supplemented by ropes, hammocks and tyre-swings at the very top of the exhibit. As such, this exhibit - although by no means naturalistic - granted its inhabitants plenty of space and climbing opportunities; quite possibly significantly more of both than would be found within the majority of more "standard" gibbon exhibits elsewhere in Europe.
Overall, I felt this was the first truly excellent mammal exhibit we had seen at Wilhelma, certainly beating any of the other primate exhibits which we had seen thus far hands-down. From the higher viewing point - accessible via steps - we were also able to see the interior exhibits for the group of Javan Langur (Trachypithecus auratus) which were also present within the Gibbon House; these were quite similar to those found within the old Ape House, if truth be told, but due to the significantly smaller size of the inhabitants, the presence of a natural woodchip substrate rather than bare concrete flooring and the significantly brighter and airier "feel" of the Gibbon House they seemed a lot more acceptable than the aforementioned enclosures had been. Moreover, the standard of informational signposting within this area struck me as somewhat better than had been found within the Rearing House and old Ape House; although a little old-fashioned looking, the signage and information posters here was well-presented and provided a good level of detail whilst avoiding the "primary school" look which I have bemoaned previously.
The public footpath around the higher viewpoint into the Gibbon House and associated exhibits allowed us to continue to the next major feature on our routeplan, the Sub-Tropical Terraces and the vast number of parrot aviaries found here.
Following the route through the collection suggested on the map, we next reached a building labelled as the "Jungtieraufzuchthaus", which literally translates to "Young Animal Rearing House"; for the ease of reference I will refer to it from now on as the "Rearing House". The first enclosure we reached, prior to entering the building itself, was a rather unusual mixed exhibit containing a single Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra) and two Domestic Chicken (Gallus gallus domestica) of no particular breed. Signage on the exhibit explained that the lemur had once been part of a breeding pair, but that on the recent death of the other individual, the survivor had become lethargic and would no longer eat; attempts to mix the Ruffed Lemur with other lemurs and monkeys had met with no success, but the addition of chickens into the exhibit had spurred the Red Ruffed Lemur to become more active and resume feeding. This was a rather unconventional display, and as such it rather stuck in my memory. The exhibit itself was relatively prosaic and nothing particularly special, comprising a soil-and-woodchip substrate, with a number of small dead trees and branches dotted around the exhibit providing space for the lemur to climb and move around; panels in the back wall of the exhibit permitted the inhabitants access into their indoor housing. As noted, the enclosure was nothing special but nor was it poor in any regard, striking me as a perfectly adequate exhibit for the needs of the animals within. A little further along, we came to a very similar exhibit which was signposted for Bearded Emperor Tamarin (Saguinus imperator subgrisescens); this exhibit, despite the smaller size of the species within, was slightly larger to my eyes. In theory this - along with the fact that there were plenty of climbing opportunities provided - would presumably mean that it would be a good enclosure for the taxon in question, meeting their needs well. However, this is hard to gauge as the inhabitants of the exhibit seemed to all be inside at the time we were viewing this exhibit; as such my evaluation cannot be complete. The final exhibit which we viewed before entering the Rearing House itself was a large, but pretty bare, enclosure which was signposted for Drill (Mandrillus leucophaeus); this is a species with which I am rather fond, and as such it was somewhat disappointing that the inhabitants of the exhibit were seemingly not visible. Although the exhibit was certainly large enough for the species in question - depending, of course, on the size of the group held at Wilhelma - and there were large numbers of tree trunks and wooden platforms provided in order to allow climbing and movement opportunities for the inhabitants, the floor of the exhibit was bare concrete with no additional substrate or bedding material visible. Moreover, a lot more of the basic structure of the Rearing House was visible here, with bare, grubby concrete and stark angles being the dominant "feel". I would assume that this structure may well be one of the older of the animal exhibits at Wilhelma, possibly dating to the 1950's as a result.
Entering the Rearing House itself, the initial "feel" I got from the interior decoration and the appearance of the public areas was somewhat akin to that I had gleaned from the new Monkey House at Tierpark Berlin a year before; an antiseptic "hospital" type effect, but in this case, rather than the bright and clean modern hospital feel I described at Tierpark Berlin, it would be more accurate to think along the lines of a 1960's hospital, brown floors and brown walls. Not unpleasant by any means, but I imagine this is a general "feel" which anyone reading these words would instantly recognise. The exhibit signposting within the Rearing House was relatively good, albeit old-fashioned in design and appearance, but the supplementary information dotted around here and there struck me as a little amateurish in presentation. For instance, on one wall there was a display discussing the wide variety found within the Callitrichids as an overall group, along with their behaviour, breeding habits, diet and so forth. The information presented was of a high quality; however, the way that it was presented was more akin to a primary school, a hospital or GP surgery than a zoological collection - a disparate mish-mash of laminated A4 print-outs and photographs sellotaped or pinned to a wall. This was a shame, as the exhibit quality within the Rearing House was quite good, as I shall now discuss.
The first interior exhibit we came to was the indoor enclosure for the Emperor Tamarins; rather large considering the taxon within, this exhibit contained a vast number of branches and trees, with ropes, wooden blocks and hammocks stretching back and forth between them, and with a soil/woodchip substrate covering the floor relatively thickly. The base of the exhibit had a handful of shrubs and other such vegetation dotted around, providing cover and greenery for the inhabitants, whilst straw and thick mats of dry, dead vegetation was hung from the branches and ropes. As such, the exhibit looked pretty good, with the inhabitants making full use of the climbing opportunities within; there appeared to be a relatively large group of Emperor Tamarin visible within the enclosure, which may be an indication that the inhabitants were indeed thriving within the exhibits provided. The neighbouring exhibit - which contained Western Pygmy Marmoset (Cebuella pygmaea pygmaea) - was very similar, albeit a little smaller and with significantly more lush vegetation present both close to the floor of the enclosure and dotted around the various levels of the exhibit. It is worth noting here that the vast majority of Pygmy Marmosets within the UK are either non-subspecific status individuals, or belong to the Eastern subspecies; as such, although I *had* seen Western Pygmy Marmoset before, it was quite enjoyable to get the opportunity to view this subspecies at close range and note the subtle differences to those individuals with which I am more familiar. The exhibit size and the quantity of opportunities given for the inhabitants to climb around or - through the use of little wicker baskets and sleeping areas dotted here and there - escape the view of the public meant that I felt this was a very good exhibit for the species, even if the indoor location meant it was nowhere near as naturalistic as the best enclosures for Pygmy Marmoset which I have seen. The next exhibit in this area which we reached, again very much akin to the previous two, contained a large and very active group of Goeldi’s Monkey (Callimico goeldii); in terms of scale the exhibit was more akin to that for the Emperor Tamarins, in point of fact being slightly larger than the aforementioned, whilst the level of greenery and vegetation within the enclosure was more akin to the Pygmy Marmoset exhibit. This enclosure, perhaps due to the larger size, not only contained branches and logs on various levels connected by ropes and nets as the prior enclosures had, but also contained several tree trunks and logs on the ground; this, along with the thick vegetation located at the rear of the enclosure and in the corners, made me wonder whether this enclosure was designed to hold multiple species. If this was indeed the case, the previous inhabitants had either departed, or were unlabelled and particularly elusive, as we had no luck spotting any other taxa within.
The next area of the Rearing House we reached was a set of exhibits which served both as a demonstration of the off-display rearing of birds and reptiles in an incubator, and of the maturing process in hatchling birds; in the centre of the room, there was an active incubator containing a pair of chicken eggs; one of these was visibly pipping whilst the second did not display any indication of imminent hatching. Alongside this was informational signage discussing the use of incubators within a zoological collection. We decided that, pending our having time to do so, we would return to the Rearing House late in the day in order to see if either egg had successfully hatched. Along the wall to one side of the incubator, there were three more-or-less identical exhibits, each approximately a metre across, and around half a metre deep and high, containing little other than a source of drinking water, a feeding bowl and sawdust covering the floor of the exhibits; each contained a handful of hatchling chickens at one week old, three weeks old and five weeks old respectively. One would imagine that these are regularly rotated in and out of their exhibits, with the incubator already discussed providing the source for additional chicks to enter the exhibit. As Helly's family keep chickens themselves, I have in point of fact seen juvenile chickens as they mature - however, it was nonetheless an interesting exhibit, as I imagine many visitors to Wilhelma will not have had the same experience. As such, this exhibit served an important educational purpose in my opinion.
Just opposite the third of these exhibits, there was a small corner exhibit where the public path took a sharp right turn; this comprised a well-lit alcove of imitation rock, with genuine rocks forming shelves and crevices within which the inhabitants - Arabian Spiny Mouse (Acomys dimidiatus) - were able to hide from the view of the public. The floor of the exhibit was covered in thick sand, with the back corner of the exhibit comprising a collection of dead wood and branches forming an approximation of a desert tree.
As the taxon concerned is one of the more seldom-displayed members of the Acomys genus in public collections within Europe, and one which I had seen only once before, I was pleased that a little patience and waiting at the exhibit quietly for a few minutes allowed me a brief glimpse of one of the inhabitants before it once again hid from view. Overall I thought this exhibit was rather good, although I was somewhat surprised to find it within an area which had hitherto primarily contained primate taxa; my general assumption is that this may well have been one of the species once displayed within the currently-closed Small Mammal and Bird House. Nearby, immediately next to the third exhibit for juvenile domestic chickens, there was a lushly-vegetated glass-fronted exhibit containing Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator) - again, quite possibly one of the former inhabitants of the aforementioned closed portion of Wilhelma. Being the only member of the Buttonquail family now visible within public collections in Europe, I was rather pleased to see this taxon on-display at Wilhelma; there is something special about the unique, and this particular group of birds is certainly rather unique, looking very much akin to a gamebird but being closer affiliated to the shorebirds. The exhibit itself was rather pleasant in appearance, with the thick vegetation providing plenty of opportunity for the inhabitants to avoid view if they so wished; in point of fact, it took quite some investigation before we were able to spot any!
The next exhibit which we reached was a relatively large and very well-planted enclosure containing a variety of bushes and shrubs, along with one or two trees, with the floor covered in the same soil-woodchip blend which seemed to be the standard at Wilhelma from those enclosures we had seen thus far, and with various tree trunks and logs dotted here and there. The general look of the enclosure looked a little more naturalistic than those we had seen thus far, with no additional climbing aids added; this fit the inhabitants rather well as it happens, as the exhibit contained a mixture of Asian Fairy Bluebird (Irena puella), Crested Wood Partridge (Rollulus rouloul), Mindanao Bleeding-Heart (Gallicolumba crinigera) and White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) - all taxa which are perfectly at home in a well-vegetated exhibit providing undergrowth and the foliage of trees in which to shelter, and which are not renowned for needing ropes or logs to climb on! Moreover, all of these species are rather attractive-looking birds; I have a particularly strong soft spot for the Mindanao Bleeding-Heart, but always enjoy viewing the other taxa in question too, even if they can often be a little tricky to photograph adequately! Along from here we came to a mid-size exhibit quite akin to those containing callitrichids which we had already viewed, containing trees, branches and logs dotted around the enclosure, with areas of climbing vegetation snaking up some of the trees and nestboxes at the rear of the exhibit; surprisingly there were very few additional ropes or other such additions to the enclosure, and as such this particular exhibit - which was signposted for another group of Goeldi's Monkey along with Golden-headed Lion Tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas) - looked a little more bare than the previous enclosures. However, closer examination of this exhibit revealed that it also contained at least one Orange-rumped Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina), a taxon which although very common on the continent is pretty scarce within UK collections. This pleasant surprise rather demonstrates the importance of paying close attention to exhibits on the off-chance that the signposting or labels are incomplete or, indeed, out of date. I am not sure about how well-known agouti are for climbing, but I suspect they may be rather adept at it given some of their close kin within the rodent family; as such this *may* provide some explanation for the relative lack of ropes and other such climbing material. The next enclosure was quite similar in general feel and design to its neighbour, albeit somewhat larger and containing significantly more branches and other such climbing material towards the roof of the exhibit, including a handful of nets and ropes at the ceiling itself. This exhibit was signposted for further Orange-rumped Agouti, along with Geoffroy's Marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) and Linne's Two-Toed Sloth (Choloepus didactylus); the sloth in particular was making very good use of the climbing material within the exhibit, with the other inhabitants also appearing to be very active and having plenty of space, with no adverse interaction appearing to take place between the different taxa. The final exhibit which we encountered within the Rearing House was possibly the largest by a narrow margin, with a similar combination of tree trunks, logs and branches to that seen in previous enclosures once again providing climbing opportunities for the inhabitants; however in this case, these were supplemented by wooden climbing frames, platforms and - close to the ceiling of the enclosure - a pair of nestboxes. It was sleeping within these that we were just about able to spot the inhabitants of this exhibit; two male Brazilian Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis). This comprised the first mammalian lifetick of the day - a fortunately timed one, as within a few months of our visit this taxon had departed Wilhelma.
Leaving the Rearing House, the next point on our route was the old Ape House; this had once contained Western Lowland Gorilla, Common Chimpanzee, Bonobo and Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii) but in recent years, subsequent to a much larger and more up-to-date Ape House being constructed elsewhere in Wilhelma, the Gorilla and Bonobo had moved into the new house in 2013 whilst the Common Chimpanzee had left the collection entirely. As such, at the time of our visit the house contained only Sumatran Orangutan, with the majority of the building standing empty. As I understand the current situation, in the near future the old house will be demolished; however I have heard conflicting reports regarding whether a new house to house Sumatran Orangutan and a number of other primate taxa would be constructed in its place, or whether this will mark the departure of Orangutan from Wilhelma entirely. Knowing this, my expectations for this area of the overall collection were rather low. The first impression I got on entering the structure was a similar sense to that which I had felt within the Rearing House; a stark, clinical and slightly-abandoned feel. The quality of the informational signposting within the house was extremely variable; whilst there was a very good display discussing the evolution of the great apes, the place of humanity within the family, and the extinct taxa which have been discovered over the course of the 20th Century which help us to fill in the gaps in our knowledge regarding the evolution of mankind, this display was something of an outlier. The majority of the labels on exhibits, and informational displays on the walls, were akin to those I have already remarked upon in the Rearing House; mere compilations of laminated pieces of paper pinned to a noticeboard. However, whilst the exhibit quality within the Rearing House had been rather good, and therefore made up for the ageing feel of the building itself, the same could not be said of the exhibits within the old Ape House; these were incredibly small and looked like nothing more than laboratories or, possibly, operating theatres.
Although plenty of climbing opportunities *were* provided, with a combination of metal poles and wooden platforms criss-crossing each exhibit, with ropes dangling from the ceiling, this cannot be said to count for a great deal when the overall height and size of each exhibit were - at most - maybe twice that of the largest exhibit within the Rearing House; which, it bears repeating, contained Brazilian Porcupine, a significantly smaller species than the Sumatran Orangutan! As such, it scarcely seems worthwhile describing each exhibit in turn, given that each one was very much akin to the others - a brief summary will suffice. The interior of the house contained three exhibits; we first reached a pair of interior enclosures for Sumatran Orangutan, which stood side-by-side but appeared not to provide access from one to the other. Each, as previously noted, looked rather like a laboratory which happened to contain a climbing frame and a handful of ropes, with a few handfuls of straw scattered on the ground providing the only visible bedding for the inhabitants. The third, and largest exhibit - now standing empty - was the former indoor enclosure for Western Lowland Gorilla; were it not for the fact I was already aware of the previous use to which this exhibit had been put, the stark, sterile appearance of this enclosure would have quite possibly made me believe it *was* a laboratory or operating room! Beyond here, another pair of Orangutan exhibits akin to the first was visible. Leaving the interior of the building, we then took the opportunity to look at the exterior exhibits for the Sumatran Orangutan held at Wilhelma. Any hope that these would be more suited towards their inhabitants, however, were sadly soon dashed; for all intents and purposes, the exterior enclosures were identical to those indoors, albeit even smaller and contained within mesh-topped glass cases, like some unholy blend of laboratory and giant fishtank.
As we had been unable to spot *any* of the five individuals housed within the old Ape House, there must presumably be off-show sleeping quarters somewhere in the building for the Sumatran Orangutan to escape the view of the public; however, considering the size and quality of the display enclosures, one is not filled with confidence regarding how well the off-show enclosures would be suited to the taxon which they contain. Reflecting on the fact that at one point, this house once contained four species of Great Ape is an even more unpleasant thought; all in all, I think it is safe to say that this building was the second-worst exhibit I had seen thus far in a German collection; the first place still being held by the internal exhibit for Sun Bear at Tierpark Berlin, which coincidentally also had once held multiple Great Ape taxa.
Opposite the exterior enclosures for the Sumatran Orangutan, we were able to see a rather strange and unorthodox exhibit for a relatively large group of Colombian Brown Spider Monkey (Ateles hybridus); a large and angular ornamental pond, with a series of concrete islands dotted within. These islands held various tall climbing frames and platforms with rope bridges connecting them to one another, and to the nearby interior house for the Spider Monkeys; this was not accessible to the public, so no judgement of the interior enclosures can be made here. Unorthodox and strange-looking as this exhibit was, resembling a work of art more than it did a zoological enclosure, it wasn't actually as bad as it first seemed. A little more height for the climbing frames and platforms, and possibly one or two more islands for the inhabitants to move between, would have been very much beneficial; however, it did provide a reasonable amount of space and was nowhere near as unpleasant-looking as the contents of the building which we had just exited.
Looking to our right, a massive structure loomed above us; the Gibbon House. At a rough estimate, the building and the exterior exhibit for White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar) visible at the front of the structure could not have been less than approximately ten metres tall and perhaps a similar distance in terms of width, with the exhibit in question extending forward for approximately six metres. Around two thirds of the way up the exhibit, there was a public walkway allowing visitors to look at the inhabitants both from a height and at ground level; this was a feature that I particularly liked, as it allows the public to appreciate just how much space the inhabitants of the enclosure have - there tending to be something of a foreshortening effect when one is looking directly up into an enclosure. The floor of the exhibit was thickly covered with the same woodchip-soil combination which we had encountered within the Rearing House, with a handful of trees - including fir trees and a tall palm-tree - located here. The main body of the enclosure contained a vast array of wooden poles, platforms and struts, supplemented by ropes, hammocks and tyre-swings at the very top of the exhibit. As such, this exhibit - although by no means naturalistic - granted its inhabitants plenty of space and climbing opportunities; quite possibly significantly more of both than would be found within the majority of more "standard" gibbon exhibits elsewhere in Europe.
Overall, I felt this was the first truly excellent mammal exhibit we had seen at Wilhelma, certainly beating any of the other primate exhibits which we had seen thus far hands-down. From the higher viewing point - accessible via steps - we were also able to see the interior exhibits for the group of Javan Langur (Trachypithecus auratus) which were also present within the Gibbon House; these were quite similar to those found within the old Ape House, if truth be told, but due to the significantly smaller size of the inhabitants, the presence of a natural woodchip substrate rather than bare concrete flooring and the significantly brighter and airier "feel" of the Gibbon House they seemed a lot more acceptable than the aforementioned enclosures had been. Moreover, the standard of informational signposting within this area struck me as somewhat better than had been found within the Rearing House and old Ape House; although a little old-fashioned looking, the signage and information posters here was well-presented and provided a good level of detail whilst avoiding the "primary school" look which I have bemoaned previously.
The public footpath around the higher viewpoint into the Gibbon House and associated exhibits allowed us to continue to the next major feature on our routeplan, the Sub-Tropical Terraces and the vast number of parrot aviaries found here.
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Imo the drill enclosure for example is way too small imo, even now when they have moved to the former prehensile-tailed porcupine enclosure, they still have only very little space, even for the 2 drills they currently have. I would have seemed more logical to move them into the former gorilla enclosures... On the other hand I did not find the orang enclosures that terrible, there are certainly worse ones around, though it must have been a terrible house with 3 or 4 different species....
I have only seen one species of tinamou, the Tataupa, although with a little luck I will be seeing more in a few months when I visit Walsrode.
