Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo news 2016 #1

I don't know if the adult Bonobo swap at all, but the youngsters always seem to be in the same group, apart from Malaika who never seems to have a playmate :(

Anyway, I went today and spent a couple of hours looking for the newborn Bonobo. Mum was keeping secure and didn't like me pointing my camera towards it.
Also overheard that the Hyena is still on the surplus list and that they're hoping to find her a new home, which is contrary to what someone else here was told.
 
Shame you didn't spot the new bonobo baby :(

And Diatou is Malaika's mother, and I'm quite certain she was Lopori's 'adoptive mother' for a while...in any case I reckon Keke and Kakowet are switched from time to time (the former to impregnate Cheka, Kianga and Banya, and the latter to impregnate Diatou), and they really should put Banya and Mokonzi, or Cheka and her sons in with Diatou and Malaika, to allow Malaika some kids of her own age to play with :)
 
ShonenJake13 said:
Shame you didn't spot the new bonobo baby :(
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Oh, I did see it, just not for the first couple of hours :) I kept giving way to groups of school kids, probably at the wrong time :rolleyes:
It was their turn out today, but too cold, so only took advantage of it for a couple of short spells.
 
Apology from Twycross:

Dear all, we are very sorry for the upset caused on Sunday 6th March with the delays due to the volume of traffic. Once it was evident that we would not be able to admit everyone, updates were posted on Facebook, but we realise this was too late for people in the queue. The subsequent lack of communication was due to all our staff being out on the ground trying to help people get in. Thank you so much to all those being supportive and patient, we are doing all we can to improve the car parks to improve efficiency going forward and really hope you will continue to visit us to see these improvements
 
Pertinax said:
Surprised if they are not still there as they are a comparatively recent acquisition(within last few years that is).There was talk that the last Javan Langurs would go however. One Monkey House is a 'Langur House' and I think they were in there- if that house was closed then maybe as Nisha suggested, they were doing introductions.
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I really really would not hope the Javan langurs would be on phase out! What is the current size of the group?

Also: any info on the group of dusky langurs would be appreciated!

I would advocate a new langur house along / close by the new Gibbon Forest! in all fairness.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I really really would not hope the Javan langurs would be on phase out! What is the current size of the group?

Also: any info on the group of dusky langurs would be appreciated!
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I could only see two Javan langurs; a black and a rufous individual.

And the dusky langurs were four that I could see, three adults and a child.
 
News of the new Bonobo

https://www.facebook.com/ukzooguide/posts/1085744768114544

Endangered baby bonobo born at Twycross Zoo.
Primate keepers at Twycross Zoo are celebrating the birth of the second baby bonobo to be born at the Park in seven months.
Born on 9th February to ten-year-old first-time mum, 'Kianga', the birth of the male youngster brings the total number of bonobos at the zoo to thirteen.
With bonobos facing increasing threats in the wild, efforts to safeguard captive-held populations become critical in conserving the species. The two recent births at Twycross Zoo are part of a carefully planned European Endangered Species Programme which ensures healthy genetic lines.
Following the recent arrival at Twycross Zoo, keepers were worried that the first-time mother might not have been feeding her baby very well and there was concern that he was becoming weak. But they didn’t anticipate what followed next, whereby an experienced bonobo mother helped out the new mum. 'Cheka' is another female bonobo at Twycross Zoo and she has successfully reared several of her own babies. Her latest youngster is 'Ndeko', who was born in August 2015 and who is still being reared. Two days after the new baby was born, 'Cheka' noticed that 'Kianga' was not holding her new baby properly to allow him to suckle. Zookeepers were then amazed to see 'Cheka' moving the baby into a position on his mother 'Kianga', which allowed him to feed properly. After these initial worrying few days, the baby has been developing well.
Dr Charlotte Macdonald, Director of Life Sciences explains, "Bonobos use sex as a communication tool, so it is not always used for reproduction, but also to establish social hierarchies, or to avoid potentially aggressive situations. Because of this promiscuous behaviour, we need to carefully manage their breeding cycles. It is very exciting to welcome a second baby to our bonobo group in such a short space of time. We were astonished to find out about the wonderful intervention by Cheka, as it is unique to observe such an important social teaching behaviour. It makes us all proud of our fantastic lively bonobos, who are in fact the only group in the whole of the UK."
To support the bonobo population in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Twycross Zoo provides funding to Lola Ya Bonobo, the world's only bonobo sanctuary, which cares for orphaned and injured bonobos. Also, researchers from Lola Ya Bonobo have visited Twycross Zoo and given talks to visitors to raise awareness of the plight facing the bonobo.
Sharing 98% of their DNA with humans, bonobos are found only in the basin of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Bonobos are classed as 'Endangered' by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to high levels of exploitation, loss of habitat and habitat quality due to expanding human activities. Bonobos are estimated to have experienced a significant population reduction in the past 20 to 30 years (one generation is estimated to be 25 years) and it is thought that this reduction will continue for the next 45 to 55 years.
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ShonenJake13 said:
I could only see two Javan langurs; a black and a rufous individual.

And the dusky langurs were four that I could see, three adults and a child.
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Javans- that sounds like the same two I saw a year ago- their last ones I believe. Definately heard talk of them being phased out.

Duskies- I think I saw five- male, three females and there was a young one being handraised(?) in a small pen within the enclosure. Maybe this one is now in the group and an older one or two have died this year, but another has been born?
 
I think the young one is the same one you are thinking of, it was no longer orange.

And there may have been five, but I could only see three adults sitting indoors with the youngster. One was definitely a male.
 
Lemur walk through update:

We have a new species in lemur walk through! You can now walk among the red-ruffed lemurs who have been introduced in with the ring-tailed lemurs for the first time.
 
ShonenJake13 said:
I think the young one is the same one you are thinking of, it was no longer orange.

And there may have been five, but I could only see three adults sitting indoors with the youngster. One was definitely a male.
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There was definitely youngster 'missing' or just hard to spot there was a young one similar age to the one being hand reared but last time I was there I could only locate one. No idea which one it is though
 
OrangePerson said:
Is it really called Chimp Eden or is that sarcasm?
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Once the entire complex is complete, and the Bonobo's, Gorillas and Orang-utans are in their with the chimps, I believe the plan is for it to be called 'Kingdom of the Apes'
 
I was on the Twycross website the other day and noticed that they have a brand new zoo map for 2016. I quite like it myself.

I hope "Kingdom of the Ape" does become real.
 
I would be confident that the working title will change once all great apes are rehoused into the new facility.
 
March 2015 Press release states 'Chimpanzee Eden' will be the first phase of a planned 'Cognitive Centre' for all their Great Apes. Maybe it will be called that when completed.
 
Pertinax said:
March 2015 Press release states 'Chimpanzee Eden' will be the first phase of a planned 'Cognitive Centre' for all their Great Apes. Maybe it will be called that when completed.
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'Cognitive Centre' reminds me of the anatomy of the brain. Might it at be at the top end of 'Spinal Avenue' linking the houses of the different vertebrates? I hope I'll be able to visit 'The Hippocampus', where a range of seahorse species will be displayed :)
I know I'm getting grumpier as I get older, but I'm sure that zoos really are giving features sillier and sillier names each year.

Alan
 
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