Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2011 #2

Pertinax said:
Have any more of the Green Mile chimps been moved apart from the initial two(Jambo & partner)? To keep the rest of them in just one half of the older Gorilla House (with the pair of Gorillas still living in the other side:() for however long, they will presumably need to to have got them living as a single group before they are moved?
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No, there does not appear to be any more news at present concerning the chimps being rehoused since Jambo and Tojo were placed in the old gorilla house, does anyone know if they have been integrated with the rest of the chimps in this house yet?, As I understood the zoo hoped to have all the green mile chimps relocated into other houses by Christmas.
 
OrangePerson said:
It's not news that they are doing the introductions but any little insight into the personality profiling would be of great interest.
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It's only a tiny bit tbh. I was part of a class who were getting a talk from Betsy Herrelko about the Chimpcam project. She talked a little about the introductions of the Edinburgh chimps to the ones who arrived from Beekes Bergen.

The personality profiles involve a keeper who knows each chimp filling out the profile which includes 54 traits for each animal. It's based on a similar idea to human personality profile and includes Extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neurotisism, openness and, in chimps, dominance.

It's part of a PhD. It was very, very interesting. I wouldn't like to say too much more about it because it's obviously very complicated and I wouldn't like to say something that's not right. Fabulous talk though and it was just mentioned that she had recently visited Twycross (I believe a former Edinburgh person now works there) and had helped them do it for their meets. It sounds like it's something that could be used often. She was at great pains to make sure we realised that it could never replace keeper knowledge though. She was a great speaker.

It's mentioned briefly on the chimpcam website - http://chimpcam.com/research
 
Thanks for that Julz. Went last weekend and poor old Ricky the chimp, who I really like, was looking rather worse for wear, presumably having met Jambo who looks rejuvenated with all his new adventures.

Overheard a classic:
Young boy to mother about small monkey "Look at these, it says they're really rare."
Mother "They're not that rare, there's some more over there."
 
I was told by a regular visitor that Chimps Danny & Tommy have both moved to the top Chimp group.

Will Twycross be knocking down their enclosure, the former Ape Nursery and where Benjie is now?
 
Im slightly ignorant of the ape situation at twycross, would anyone beable to post a quick summary of the ape groups? how may groups of bonobos/chimps/gorillas/orangs are there, and how many in each group?

I was looking at the council planning page recently at the new ape enclosue plans (to replace the old ape nursey cage) and cant help but feel it looks a bit small, what are other peoples thoughts? who is it being designed for?
 
leiclad20 said:
I was looking at the council planning page recently at the new ape enclosue plans (to replace the old ape nursey cage) and cant help but feel it looks a bit small, what are other peoples thoughts? who is it being designed for?
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I think they may have scotched the plan to build this enclosure. It was to have been, at least initially, for one pair of Gorillas, in order to free up their House for Chimpanzees, but these Gorillas seem to be staying in one half of their existing house now and chimps will go in the other.

Current Ape Groups;

Chimps; Currently 2 groups in entrely seperate buildings, + several pairs and trios (about 9 animals) still in oldest run of cages(the infamous 'Green Mile' cages). The latter planned to be attempted at integration into a third group in another building.

Bonobos- 1-2 groups in Bonobo House. Sometimes one group, sometimes split into two as more recently. About 10 animals.

Bornean Orangutan. I group. I male, 2(?) females +(?) young.

Gorilla. 2 'groups'- Ist- older pair. 2nd -male/breeding female/ other female + male baby being temporarily handraised after being removed from group.
 
Any link to their council planning page, and any other Twycross plans drawn up?

I do hope Twycross' masterplans look good.
 
Thanks pertinax, very helpful.

whats the plan with this handraised infant gorilla then, can they reintroduce him back into the group?

as discussed on here to death, twycross's priority should have been to sort out its primate housing before building himalaya and bringing in more species. they really need to build a huge, single complex to house all chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, all the guenons/mangabeys, potentially drills and mandrills and african forest reptiles/birds/invertebrates and amphibians. with cafes/shops/toilets and classrooms integrated, it would have been much better investment than himalaya and freed up much of the old park for larger asian/american primates.
 
Regarding the green mile chimps, is there any recent news of any more being relocated elsewhere since Jambo and Tojo went to live in the old gorilla house and Danny and Tommy relocated at the chimp complex?
 
I believe there are still a few Chimps in green mile. Benjie's group, Coco's group, and Loius and Choppers.

I think now Tommy has moved to top Chimps, he would be seeing his mother for the first time I guess since he was rejected at birth.
 
Coco and Mongo live together with 2 other Chimps, she is Mongo's grandmother I believe. Benjie is not related to any other Chimp here as he was born at London Zoo.

In another group, Jambo is now with his daughter "Genet".

What council planning page were you looking at recently? Do you have a link?
 
Many thanx for that mate. The new look enclosure does look to be good, but as you said, it looks a tad small but we shall see.
 
Sorry if I've missed a post elsewhere, but zootierliste no longer lists the crowned guenon at Twycross. Does anyone know if it's died?
 
leiclad20 said:
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whats the plan with this handraised infant gorilla then, can they reintroduce him back into the group?

as discussed on here to death, twycross's priority should have been to sort out its primate housing before building himalaya and bringing in more species.
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In several newspaper articles its been stated they intend to(try) a reintrodution in January. He will be feeding himself and have learnt to drink from a bottle to allow supplementary feeding.

I believe Twycross received a large financial grant that allowed them to build Himalaya- money not available to build new enclosures within the Zoo. It may seem strange but I believe that is how/why it came into being while there are very bad enclosures still within the Zoo.

I think a large chimpanzee complex to house all the Chimps together in one single large group is still planned- this is not the same as the Ape enclosure I mentioned above but like the Asian Lion and Dhole enclosures, it seems to be some way off becoming reality.
 
James Barber said:
The new look enclosure does look to be good, but as you said, it looks a tad small but we shall see.
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I always have a problem opening plans on planning apps, this one's no exception, can't access it. Is what you are referring to listed as a 'Temporary Gorilla House' or the proper and much larger 'Chimpanzee Complex'? These are two seperate builds but I think the former may not happen now. The Chimpanzee complex was supposed to be after the Lion and Dhole exhibits- no sign of them being built yet either. Not really sure what is happening with the timing/chronology of these projects any more.

I doubt they are looking to deliberately breed many more chimps (apart from maybe the odd baby for the public to see) I think they'd be happy just to get them living in compatable groups and eventually into a single group perhaps. In my opinion it should not be that difficult to integrate the remaining 'Green Milers' together as they must all know each other very well indeed by sight and sound, from their many years of living alongside each other already. They may even regard themselves as a 'subgroup/clan' with their 'competitors' being the ones they can hear in the other groups which are out of sight.
 
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