Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo news 2013 #4

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IanRRobinson said:
I am really surprised that nowhere else in the UK has sought to get Bonobos. London has never kept the species in its history.
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I think Marwell talked about it at one time, but like many ideas, it didn't happen.

I believe Twycross acquired them to give it a 'full flush' with the Great Apes- its interesting that nowhere else has followed suit since. It is also probably the Ape species(along with Orangutans) that Twycross has been the most successful with.
 
Pertinax said:
I think Marwell talked about it at one time, but like many ideas, it didn't happen.

I believe Twycross acquired them to give it a 'full flush' with the Great Apes- its interesting that nowhere else has followed suit since. It is also probably the Ape species(along with Orangutans) that Twycross has been the most successful with.
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It winds me up on how Twycross advertise themselves on a falsehood with this one. I don't know if they still do, but they did at one point say 'the only place in the UK you can see all species of great ape.' - well you couldn't, because at the time there was the glaring omission of Sumatran orangutan and Eastern gorilla. They are as valid as the difference between Chimp and Bonobo surely. If Twycross got bonobo to have the set, then why didn't they feel the need to get the other two to have the full set of species, or was it that they couldn't get them so we will tell the public that we have every species, considering they wouldn't know the differences in orangutans and gorillas?
 
Javan Rhino said:
It winds me up on how Twycross advertise themselves on a falsehood with this one. I don't know if they still do, but they did at one point say 'the only place in the UK you can see all species of great ape.' - well you couldn't, because at the time there was the glaring omission of Sumatran orangutan and Eastern gorilla. They are as valid as the difference between Chimp and Bonobo surely. If Twycross got bonobo to have the set, then why didn't they feel the need to get the other two to have the full set of species, or was it that they couldn't get them so we will tell the public that we have every species, considering they wouldn't know the differences in orangutans and gorillas?
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Actually that is incorrect from a certain point of view. When Twycross would have first received the bonobos there was only one species of gorilla and only one species of orang-utan identified. The various subspecies had not yet been 'formally' elevated into full species status. Therefore at the time of receiving the bonobo group they would not have been incorrect to make that statement (they did have at least one Sumatran orang-utan then also). That they continued to advertise this fact after the change in classification is the mistake.
 
Blossom said:
Actually that is incorrect from a certain point of view. When Twycross would have first received the bonobos there was only one species of gorilla and only one species of orang-utan identified. The various subspecies had not yet been 'formally' elevated into full species status. Therefore at the time of receiving the bonobo group they would not have been incorrect to make that statement (they did have at least one Sumatran orang-utan then also). That they continued to advertise this fact after the change in classification is the mistake.
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That's what I mean, maybe I should have stated that. Fair play if the common thinking was that back then -any advertising would have been technically legitimate. Like I say though, I recall seeing this since I've been visiting and I only started visiting in 2009 [other than a childhood visit or two that I don't recall].

As an aside, I knew Bornean/Sumatran orangs were treated as a subspecies as opposed to different species until fairly recently, but I thought that Eastern and Western gorillas had always been treated as different species [or at least for a very, very long time].
 
Javan Rhino said:
As an aside, I knew Bornean/Sumatran orangs were treated as a subspecies as opposed to different species until fairly recently, but I thought that Eastern and Western gorillas had always been treated as different species [or at least for a very, very long time].
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Gorillas were split in 2000. Orang utans in 2001.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
I think the Orang split was 1996.
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Really, as early as that. That predates Groves publication on Primate taxonomy and the paper by Brandon-Jones et al on Asian primate taxonomy by several years. Even the IUCN have a later date recorded than that. Goes to show how variable dates on classification can be.
 
Originally Posted by bongorob View Post
Gorillas were split in 2000. Orang utans in 2001.
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TeaLovingDave said:
I think the Orang split was 1996.
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I think this debate can neatly be taken back to something under discussion previously, which is that Twycross has allowed itself to get stuck in a timewarp. Letting your marketing use the taxonomy of twenty years ago is one of the less harmful results of this....:(
 
Indeed.

Of course, there are many zoos in the UK which could be argued to be stuck in something of a timewarp and which are not in nearly such dire straits; Twycross is unfortunately a perfect storm of an antiquated attitude combining with - if I have been given to understand correctly - very poor investments and financial handling since Molly stepped down. This has resulted in a very rapid loss of money which feeds the antiquated nature of the zoo by rendering meaningful change impossible.

An unfortunate vicious cycle which I am growingly unsure the zoo will escape.
 
The sad thing is that potentially Twycross could do very well for itself. There are very few collections in the East Midlands - many of you will be able to hear my howls of frustration in Northampton I imagine!

There is enough space at 50 acres, certainly for a zoo that intends to make primates the core of its collection, and it isn't bogged down by the deadweight of useless old buildings like London or Dudley. It could be a very good, maybe even a great, zoo. But it isn't.
 
TeaLovingDave said:
As a complete guess, I would suspect that most places would not want to keep bonobos if they already keep chimps, as they would look very similar and require separate housing, and the general public would not have a clue they were something special.

A shame, I feel. Give me a bonobo any day.
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Having never seen a bonobo (yet) I can only say from the photos I've seen, they look much more nicer than a boring old chimp. :p
 
This yet another case that suggests there are some pretty uninspiring people who make the decisions in UK zoos. If they really don't feel able to tell people the difference between Chimpanzees and Bonobos maybe they're in the wrong line of business.
 
IanRRobinson said:
There are very few collections in the East Midlands - many of you will be able to hear my howls of frustration in Northampton I imagine!
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Compared to those of us, like myself, living in the Northeast you are spoilt for choice ;) for a start, Hamerton is even closer to you than Twycross is!
 
ANNOUNCED TODAY!
Twycross Zoo Announcement
The Board of Trustees of Twycross Zoo is very pleased to announce that Sharon Redrobe has been appointed Chief Executive and that the appointment will take effect as of Monday 14th October 2013.

Sharon Redrobe, 44, a vet with distinction in Zoo Medicine, started her career by developing a commercial enterprise: an exotic pet vet service. In 1999 Sharon was appointed Head of Veterinary Services at Bristol Zoo Gardens, where she worked on the Zoo's development plan and became recognised as an influential international speaker and ambassador for the zoo community. By 2010 she was Clinical Associate Professor at Nottingham University as well as Director of Life Sciences at Twycross Zoo, where she has become a key member of the Board, working across many departments.

Susan Bell, Chairman, said that "after a lengthy, rigorous and independent selection process, we are confident that we have a capable and enthusiastic new Chief Executive with the right skill set and experience to lead Twycross Zoo through the next phase of its development". She further added that "the Board is very grateful to our fellow Trustee, Mary-Lorraine Hughes, who stepped into the role of Acting Chief Executive without notice, at a very difficult time last November, and has successfully steered the Zoo through a challenging 10 months. Mary-Lorraine, who had been Chairman for only a year prior to this, will revert to the position of Executive Chairman of Trustees simultaneously with the appointment of our new Chief Executive on the 14th October. This will provide the continuity and confidence needed at this time."
 
Himalaya will be closed to the public from Monday to Wednesday (16th-18th September) next week while a new soft play area is installed on the premises.
 
canaryboy said:
ANNOUNCED TODAY!
Twycross Zoo Announcement
The Board of Trustees of Twycross Zoo is very pleased to announce that Sharon Redrobe has been appointed Chief Executive and that the appointment will take effect as of Monday 14th October 2013.

Sharon Redrobe, 44, a vet with distinction in Zoo Medicine, started her career by developing a commercial enterprise: an exotic pet vet service. In 1999 Sharon was appointed Head of Veterinary Services at Bristol Zoo Gardens, where she worked on the Zoo's development plan and became recognised as an influential international speaker and ambassador for the zoo community. By 2010 she was Clinical Associate Professor at Nottingham University as well as Director of Life Sciences at Twycross Zoo, where she has become a key member of the Board, working across many departments.

Susan Bell, Chairman, said that "after a lengthy, rigorous and independent selection process, we are confident that we have a capable and enthusiastic new Chief Executive with the right skill set and experience to lead Twycross Zoo through the next phase of its development". She further added that "the Board is very grateful to our fellow Trustee, Mary-Lorraine Hughes, who stepped into the role of Acting Chief Executive without notice, at a very difficult time last November, and has successfully steered the Zoo through a challenging 10 months. Mary-Lorraine, who had been Chairman for only a year prior to this, will revert to the position of Executive Chairman of Trustees simultaneously with the appointment of our new Chief Executive on the 14th October. This will provide the continuity and confidence needed at this time."
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I'm not entirely sure that an internal promotion of someone with a largely scientific background is what Twycross needs right now if the talk of a perilous financial position is accurate.
I think that any animal welfare/conservation issues could be guided by experienced staff at the zoo and perhaps this is a missed opportunity to bring in a commercially savvy CEO to shore up the finances moving forwards.
I hope I'm proved wrong...
 
Twycross are currently having a soft play area installed in the Himalaya complex, due to be open for the children's half term holiday in October. The cost to use this new attraction will be £4.50 per child, of course you do not have to be a paying zoo visitor to use it as Hmalaya is open to the general public. After the initial purchase I would say this will be cheap and easy to run, hardly any maintenance involved, no electricity to run it, and only requiring one person to staff it to collect the £4.50s. Also when visiting the soft play area visitors to it may spent money in the café and in the gift shop, and may even decide after to pay to go into the zoo.I do not know where exactly in the Himalaya this new attraction is being installed, but one thing does concern me, will there be any excessive noise coming from this while the children are enjoying themselves, which may disturb other visitors who are dining in the Himalaya restaurant?
 
TARZAN said:
Twycross are currently having a soft play area installed in the Himalaya complex, due to be open for the children's half term holiday in October. The cost to use this new attraction will be £4.50 per child, of course you do not have to be a paying zoo visitor to use it as Hmalaya is open to the general public. After the initial purchase I would say this will be cheap and easy to run, hardly any maintenance involved, no electricity to run it, and only requiring one person to staff it to collect the £4.50s. Also when visiting the soft play area visitors to it may spent money in the café and in the gift shop, and may even decide after to pay to go into the zoo.I do not know where exactly in the Himalaya this new attraction is being installed, but one thing does concern me, will there be any excessive noise coming from this while the children are enjoying themselves, which may disturb other visitors who are dining in the Himalaya restaurant?
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TBH, for all the apparent use the Zoo seem to make of it the aviary might as well be converted into a playground. However, that's not the impression I get, in which case I would have thought this new installation is going to cause bedlam.
 
Integrity said:
Dinosaur valley was ending on the 1st of September, 2nd September and the 8th of September, depending on what news story you read? My concern is that if the Zoo cannot decide on when animatronic dinosaurs will be going what chance have those animals got? Being indecisive is probably in their mission statement.........
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Given the fact that in none of your posts do you attack the mangement,of the zoo under Mrs S.Boardman anybody could start to think that you where part of her senior mangement team,that has since left the zoo!So therefore now has a bit of an axe to grind with the zoo,so to end I will say what goes around comes around!!!
 
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