Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo news 2016 #2

I do agree. The animals that really need new enclosures now are the apes and the Amur leopards.
And Twycross really need to transfer their four siamangs not living in the new accommodation. People will, like me, feel quite sad for them in their current homes after seeing the new islands at the front of the zoo.
 
Hexaprotodon said:
I feel that Twycross is really moving in the right direction here. Sorry to upset those who prefer the 'stamp collection' approach, but less really is more when you see the advances in husbandry and welfare standards that this new accommodation brings.
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Actually they seem to have managed to house all the Gibbons they had previously in the new enclosures, bar 4 Siamangs. I was told last year that they had around 17 Gibbons. I counted 3+3+3+5(?) =14 in the 4 new enclosures, so maybe it was actually 18. Maybe they will be looking to rehome the other Siamangs.

This building marks a big step forward for Twycross.
 
I think it's an adult pair and their two sons, as one is clearly changing colour from his young (lighter) colour and the other is just black.
 
Visited last Friday and was impressed with the developments since my last visit a few years ago .

I really liked the Gibbon Forest . The youngest white-cheeked gibbon was out on the island for a while , the rest of the family watched from the hatch . The agile gibbons were also looking out . Siamangs and pileated gibbon hatches were shut .

Good to see a number of baby monkeys - Diana and De brazza , dusky langur , red titi . The primate collection has been reduced quite a bit but is still large . Appeared to be only 1 colobus left .

The zebra and nyala were in separate sections of the paddock . The map provided shows nyala in the old Camel House but this is empty .

The Lorikeet Walk-through is very spacious but the solid roof meant that the planting inside did not appear to be thriving .

All the chimps in the Old Gorilla area were inside and so not seen . The young gorilla is thriving , looking rather tubby .
 
Bele said:
All the chimps in the Old Gorilla area were inside and so not seen . The young gorilla is thriving , looking rather tubby .
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That's the disadvantage now that house has had to be permanently closed- you cannot rely on seeing them at all. They have a notice saying if they are not visible you can see the others in the 'colony' building but this is a very small group(two sets of three) and the indoor house looks badly dated. The whole set-up is badly in need of the new chimp enclosure now.

The young Gorilla does look tubby. So does his father 'Oumbie' nowadays. I can remember the days when the Twycross gorillas used to all be badly overweight -but I don't think they will ever get that bad again.

Interesting how the youngest Gibbon has been the first to venture outside- that old thing of the young being the most adaptable/adventurous no doubt.
 
Visited today and was greeted with a nice surprise. All of the bonobos were together as a single group, or at least it appeared that way. I didn't get a chance to ask anybody how long they'd been like this, but all of them seemed very relaxed! Although I must admit, I'm no ape expert.

Also, the rhea has apparently left the collection, as its house and paddock where empty. Twycross' bird collection seems to have taken a slight dent recently, with the loss of both the rhea and the emu. I hope they bring in some more interesting birds soon, I think it's an area that the zoo is lacking.
 
Very sad news; male bonobo Kakowet collapsed and has had to be put to sleep. Arriving as part of the original group of bonobos in 1992, Kakowet was born in San Diego Zoo, and lived in Antwerp, Leipzig and eventually Twycross during his life time. The son of the most prolific pair of bonobos in zoo history, Linda and Kakowet I (Twycross Kakowet being named after his father).
During his tenure at the zoo Kakowet sired 6 offspring; two boys (Keke and Ndeko) and four girls (Yasa, Gemena, Malaika and Lopori). Both boys are still at Twycross, whilst Malaika and Lopori remain at the zoo and Yasa and Gemena are now in Leipzig. One of his daughters in Leipzig (Yasa) has since had 2 children herself (Fimi and Kasai II), and one of his sons (Keke) has sired a total of 6 offspring as well (daughters Khaya, currently in France, Banbo, currently in Stuttgart, Bokela, deceased, and sons Bili, currently in Frankfurt, and Winton and Moko II, in Twycross). Khaya and Banbo now have daughters of their own, Khalessi and Yanola, so Kakowet is a father, grandfather and great grandfather.
Kakowet was the approximately third oldest bonobo male in Europe. May he rest in peace.

I hope they find a new male to replace him soon.
 
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ShonenJake13 said:
Very sad news; male bonobo Kakowet collapsed and has had to be put to sleep

.
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I read this first on your Bonobo in Europe thread and commented there too. When I was there a couple of weeks ago he was exhibiting rather stressed behaviour with a lot of screaming. Giant anteater posted above(221) that they saw them all apparently as one group just the other day, since then. I'm wondering if his death has anything to do with that, either as 1. his death was related to the excitement created by that mixing, or 2. the single grouping has happened since his death and is a consequence of it.
 
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OrangePerson said:
No I don't know what you mean. I know Danny well and I'm interested in exactly what you mean.
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Due to his hand-reared state, Joey the bonobo finds it very hard to gel with others of his own kind and behave in a natural manner. He has some slight mannerisms (I don't know what they are specifically, I've never been to Leipzig) that cause the rest of the group to occasionally gang up on him. And he doesn't know how to behave sexually which obviously in bonobo society is a really important thing to know.

I'm not saying he's completely the same as Danny, but it's for similar reasons that the group of six at Twycross is still two groups of three, as well as Samantha and Peter's unhealthily close relationship.

All I know is Joey's transfer history is the longest of all bonobos currently living in Europe; he was born in Antwerp in 1982, transferred to San Diego in 1988, transferred back to Antwerp in 1989, then moved to Planckendael in 1992, but again returned to Antwerp not even six months later, then transferred to Apeldoorn in 1996 to start a group there, and most recently transferred to Leipzig in 2001 when the collection decided to once again keep bonobos.

EDIT: I've since remembered Joey's behaviours include outbursts and occasionally overbearing displays.
 
Popped in today and noticed the chief lady was being interviewed (TV maybe) by the Bonobos, who were all out chilling (apart from the 2nd youngest and an adult, who appeared to prefer to stay inside).
All the Gibbon hatches are open to the Islands, but I didn't seen any of them venture right out.
 
Visited today, was nice to see gibbons out on the islands at last. Very busy with school children, had to walk away when one explained to another that he'd heard we'd evolved from apes but it must be rubbish.
 
wayne4swfc said:
Visited today, was nice to see gibbons out on the islands at last. Very busy with school children, had to walk away when one explained to another that he'd heard we'd evolved from apes but it must be rubbish.
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Were all four species out?
 
I think someone asked to see a picture of Kibale.

Apparently bonobo Lopori has been seen being groomed by her mother Maringa and today we saw her sitting near her mother and following her when she went to the other room. She still however spent time alone. She went and sat outside alone with her bundle of straw at one point.

I have never seen the bonobos so worked up or GG rubbing on such a massive scale! I guess they are still unsettled after recent events.
 

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