Don't get it. Integrating her with the others will have no effect with breeding, apart from with her. They have no schweinfurthii male. They have no breeding age verus females anymore either. Its a stalemate until they can acquire more verus females, or simply allow mixed breeding again if they want a baby chimp or two now to make the group more complete.
Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2021
It apears to be simply transferring one female from the group of 4 to the bigger group. Leaving the other 3 still together. Don't quite understand why though.
It’s not ‘top secret’ if she’s planting marketing seeds on social media! Hopefully it’s to move the Orangs from that cell with adjoining patio garden - to provide them with a naturalistic enclosure & much needed space!
It could have something to do with the work going on at the 'explorer zone' but that's not exactly top secret and I was hoping we would see it before 2022 but that could be wishful thinking.
Probably, it’s a much larger area of the zoo to transform so will take a while to complete I would imagine and I don’t think it’s been announced what’s going to be there yet so maybe she is building up to that. Any other exhibit of size would have to begin construction sone for next year so I don’t think they would take on two large project in a year, certainly not this year anyways . The only other thing could be a new species going in to one of the empty enclosures, red panda perhaps
I think Red Panda would be good too. But the photo of repairs to that older ex Gorilla/chimp house indicate otherwise perhaps- after all Red Panda usually requires only an outdoor exhibit with trees and some sleeping boxes.
I didn't think they will get another enclosure until they embark on their 'major Ape development' which would rehouse the Orangutans plus the Gorillas & Bonobos. But I guess that may be delayed further, due to the past year's events. Or worse still, put back indefinately, which could change things for the orangutans sooner e.g. a revamp of another enclosure maybe? Certainly now the Chimps have decent housing, of the other Apes the Orangutans are most in need of better housing there.
I keep saying to myself that Twycross should have Red Panda's, they were actually meant to join the zoo around the late 1990s but nothing ever became of it.
Rude.
But yes, the orangs do need an upgrade, despite that slight extension they put on a few years back.
If it was ‘top secret’, the management shouldn’t be mentioning any development. The Orang enclosure is dated and utterly unfit for the apes unlucky enough to be kept in it. In 2021 it is a disgrace. My opinion. I grew up 40 minutes cycle ride away (practically lived there as a kid), and the zoo is special to me in so many ways. But, like many collections up & down the country it’s taken a different path. Sorry if my tone sounded rude.
Twycross do have lots of outdated enclosures but IMO only a handful of these outdated enclosures actually have a negative impact upon the animals, these being the enclosures housing amur leopards, gorillas and orangutans. While some older enclosures like the bonobos and the penguins are old and looking a bit worse for wear, IMO they are adequate for the species and numbers that they hold. Twycross have come a long way these past few years with providing bigger and better enclosures for species such as the chimps and gibbons as well as new enclosures for giraffes, snow leopards, tigers and the revamped elephant enclosure now holding rhino. All of these enclosures are, I believe, among the best in the country for the species they hold. The pandemic might have pushed back certain developments but I have no doubt that Twycross zoo and Sharon Redrobe will go above and beyond to deliver the best possible conditions for all of their species. Just appreciate the fact that they built so many new, high quality enclosures in recent years which is a huge feat for any zoo. If Twycross had the money, I have no doubt that it would soon become one of the best zoos in the country. I apologise if I come across as defensive or rude, but I've grown up visiting Twycross and I remember that just a few years ago it was a rundown place with almost all of their species living in inadequate conditions but now it has improved so much in such a short space of time.
I completely agree with all of this. I don't think TZ always gets the credit on here for how far it has come in a short space of time. I am sure that they will continue to push forwards, under Dr Redrobe. Still a way to go I would agree ( the amur leopards in particular) but the transformation has been astonishing.
The Hedgehog
Well-Known Member
@GiraffeJack10 how can the Amur Leopard,Snow Leopard and Tiger enclosure be outdated they are all less than 10 years old?? I believe I read somewhere that Elephants could return in the future in a new enclosure that includes a Bull paddock. With exiting news being in the pipeline for next year I have a feeling the Elephant enclosure could be built sooner than we anticipate. @GiraffeJack10 Twycross are going to build a new Gorilla house and enclosure as declared in their long term plans.
Highly unlikely that elephants will return. Dr Redrobe has stated her dislike to captive elephants. This was a key reason to the Elephants move along with costs and inadequate space and bull housing.
The exciting plan she's states is most likely the children's zone . It hasn't officially been released to the press apart from the masterplan. It could also be the tigers introduction success leading to a pregnancy. Either way it's nothing major as the site is still in debt and needs to make a income.
The exciting plan she's states is most likely the children's zone . It hasn't officially been released to the press apart from the masterplan. It could also be the tigers introduction success leading to a pregnancy. Either way it's nothing major as the site is still in debt and needs to make a income.
I used the snow leopard and tiger enclosures as examples of good enclosures to show what Twycross zoo is really capable of, I have no bad words to say about either as you would've seen if you read clearly. I even referred to these as some of the best in the country! It's the amur leopard enclosure that I have a problem with. While it has only housed the leopards for a few years it previously housed chimpanzees. The enclosure is inadequate for both species. My problem is the lack of height, not the space it covers. Both chimpanzees and Amur leopards love to climb and it is almost impossible in that enclosure. Only minor adjustments were made for the transition between the species and still feels old an quite frankly ugly to look at. I haven't once been to Twycross and not seen their Amur leopards displaying stereotypical behaviours like pacing up and down the narrow 'cages' , it's such a shame because they are such a beautiful and impressive species living in a fantastic zoo. The snow leopard enclosure, on the other hand, is absolutely stunning. I've never seen them pacing or acting stressed and it's such a visually appealing area of the zoo. I hope the amur leopards stay at Twycross because they're one of my favourite felines and it's so close to my home but I really wish they would get an enclosure that's at the incredibly high standard of Twycross zoo's other recent developments.
Edit: I'm aware of Twycross zoo's future plans for building state of the art enclosures for all of their apes which is great because their primate collection is really impressive, I really hope this still goes ahead despite the zoo's current financial situation.
Because "outdated" and "old" have different meanings.
If somewhere built a monkey house this year based on the 1960s Chester Monkey House (the one with small metal cages and no outdoor runs) it would be brand new. And totally outdated! (Frankly that horror was outdated in the 1960s but that's another story.)
I completely agree. That hideous amur leopard enclosure is grotesque and the leopards are constantly pacing. It looked OK - ish when they first converted it from the old chimp row; now it is just an eye sore. Awful.( Not to take away from the amazing progress TZ has made though!)