Twycross Zoo Twycross Zoo News 2022

Couple of bits of info to report, firstly they appear to have worked out how to upload information on there web site as there have been more posts in the last few months than the previous five years, well done this is much appreciated :). One of the red titi monkeys is of to exmoor zoo to join the bachelor group Farewell to Nacho... Why his move is important for conservation of the Red Titi Monkey - Twycross Zoo
And perhaps more interesting is the post about Dr Rebecca Biddle getting promoted to director of conservation, which reading between the lines puts her in charge of the new development. Interesting she also helps manage the black rhino population, perhaps she knows what’s happen to the third rhino they where supposed to get or how they will move forward with breeding. Dr Rebecca Biddle promoted to Director of Conservation - Twycross Zoo
Also in this post Dr Redrobe is featured ( more doctors at the zoo ) talking about the development and that the science centre and a new state of the art orangutan habitat is due to be completed by 2024. I think this is the first time we have heard official from the zoo a time line for the project.
 
haydn said:
It was both, animatronics and animals, so it makes sense for the species to align to the story, along with some more generic nature/discovery trail type stuff.
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Hopping the otters might make a return in the area also wouldn’t be surprised to find the wallabies back in a walk through area
 
Just got back from Twycross; we were able to book this morning for a 10am slot. They've changed the booking system from when I last went, you no longer have to enter member numbers.
- Snow Leopard Irma was outside at the top of the enclosure. Seemed pretty relaxed; no sign of new boy Khumbu.
-All four gibbon species were calling and active when we arrived; nobody was outside, but it was very windy so I don't blame them.
-I didn't see the baby bonobo, though I admittedly didn't spend a lot of time at their enclosure.
-The gorillas were being fed just as I got to them so everyone came out for a while (bar Asante, who stayed indoors). Both Oumbi and Ozala seemed to be chasing Lope off a lot today; probably something to do with Lope keep charging everyone and beating his chest at Ozala and Shufai.
-No orangutans seen today; indoor area still blocked off.
-All 3 Amur Leopards were out and about. Seems the breeding pair are next to each other now; they were interacting a lot through the fence.

Will upload a few photos soon.
 
hjkr said:
Just got back from Twycross; we were able to book this morning for a 10am slot. They've changed the booking system from when I last went, you no longer have to enter member numbers.
- Snow Leopard Irma was outside at the top of the enclosure. Seemed pretty relaxed; no sign of new boy Khumbu.
-All four gibbon species were calling and active when we arrived; nobody was outside, but it was very windy so I don't blame them.
-I didn't see the baby bonobo, though I admittedly didn't spend a lot of time at their enclosure.
-The gorillas were being fed just as I got to them so everyone came out for a while (bar Asante, who stayed indoors). Both Oumbi and Ozala seemed to be chasing Lope off a lot today; probably something to do with Lope keep charging everyone and beating his chest at Ozala and Shufai.
-No orangutans seen today; indoor area still blocked off.
-All 3 Amur Leopards were out and about. Seems the breeding pair are next to each other now; they were interacting a lot through the fence.

Will upload a few photos soon.
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I don’t think they have a breeding pair anymore. I’m pretty sure they have two young females and their father.
 
Jude T said:
I don’t think they have a breeding pair anymore. I’m pretty sure they have two young females and their father.
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I was under the impression one of the cubs, Samara, had moved on to Monde Sauvage Zoo in Belgium last year. I've not heard of Kristen moving on.
 
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hjkr said:
I was under the impression one of the cubs, Samara, had moved on to Monde Sauvage Zoo in Belgium last year. I've not heard of Kristen moving on.
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We were told that last yr from a keeper aswell
 
Does anyone happen to have a list of the bonobos' names? I think there are 14 altogether but I'm never sure if the names I find have left or not.

I'm missing one (if there are 14 and all of these are correct). Does anyone know who?
Diatou - age 44
Luo - age 20
Keke - age 28
Cheka - age 25
Ndeko - age 6
Upendi - 3 months
Kianga - age 16
Rubani - age 6
Lucuma - age 18
Likemba - age 11
Lola - age 2
Lina - age 36
Lopori - age 10
 
Bonobos at Twycross;
Diatou (b.1977), Lina (b.1985), Keke (b.1994), Cheka (b.1996), Louisoko (b.1998),
Maringa (b.1998), Lucuma (b.2002), Likemba (b.2009), Malaika (b.2010), Lopori (b.2012), Ndeko (b.2015), Rubani (b.2016), Lola (b.2019), Upendi (b.2022)

Luo died in 2014 (possibly, no official confirmation available), and Kianga moved to Planckendael, Belgium, with her son, Moko, in March 2019 (according to a Keeper four Bonobos moved out - Banya, Mokonzi, Kianga, Moko - the same day Lina and her 3 sons moved in!).
 
WanderingDragon said:
Bonobos at Twycross;
Diatou (b.1977), Lina (b.1985), Keke (b.1994), Cheka (b.1996), Louisoko (b.1998),
Maringa (b.1998), Lucuma (b.2002), Likemba (b.2009), Malaika (b.2010), Lopori (b.2012), Ndeko (b.2015), Rubani (b.2016), Lola (b.2019), Upendi (b.2022)

Luo died in 2014 (possibly, no official confirmation available), and Kianga moved to Planckendael, Belgium, with her son, Moko, in March 2019 (according to a Keeper four Bonobos moved out - Banya, Mokonzi, Kianga, Moko - the same day Lina and her 3 sons moved in!).
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Thank you for the information. Do you know who is related to who and which groups they are in at all? I do have that Likemba is Lola's mother, and Ndeko/Upendi were born to Cheka. Is Keke the breeding male?

Many thanks :)
 
Diatou is Keke's mother. Keke, I think I can safely say, is the father of Upendi. Diatou's daughter Malaika, Cheka's son Ndeko and Maringa's daughter Lopori were all sired by former breeding male Kakowet. Likemba arrived at Twycross pregnant, so Lola's father would be one of the males at Berlin Zoo. It was my understanding that Louisoko and Lucuma were also brought in for breeding purposes.

Louisoko, Lucuma and Rubani are the 3 sons of Lina by 3 different males.

When I visited last August the groups were;
(1) Diatou, Keke, Malaika, Cheka, Ndeko (and now Upendi), and Maringa
(2) Lina, Louisoko, Lucuma, Rubani, Lopori (formerly the one that always hid behind a big pile of woodwool visitors would see moving about at the back of the indoor enclosure), Likemba and Lola.
 
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WanderingDragon said:
Diatou is Keke's mother. Keke, I think I can safely say, is the father of Upendi. Diatou's daughter Malaika, Cheka's son Ndeko and Maringa's daughter Lopori were all sired by former breeding male Kakowet. Likemba arrived at Twycross pregnant, so Lola's father would be one of the males at Berlin Zoo. It was my understanding that Louisoko and Lucuma were also brought in for breeding purposes.

Louisoko, Lucuma and Rubani are the 3 sons of Lina by 3 different males.

When I visited last August the groups were;
(1) Diatou, Keke, Malaika, Cheka, Ndeko (and now Upendi), and Maringa
(2) Lina, Louisoko, Lucuma, Rubani, Lopori (formerly the one that always hid behind a big pile of woodwool visitors would see moving about at the back of the indoor enclosure), Likemba and Lola.
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That's great thanks! Are you able to identify any of them from photos at all? I know Lola and Rubani but that's it. I have a few different photos from my last visit. I will upload them to the gallery if anyone here can tell me who they are.
 
hjkr said:
Interesting article posted today: Twycross Zoo celebrates a pioneering Mum this Mother's Day - Twycross Zoo

Amur Leopard 'cub' Kira (b. 2016) is moving to the USA.

It also details that it is hoped the offspring of one of the previous Twycross cubs Arina, living at Highland Wildlife Park, will be released into the wild one day.
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Just beat me to it saw this article this morning but was in a rush so though I would post it later today :), hope fully then they will be able to breed there leopards again sone as they have a successful pairing there and Kristen the female is only ten so should have at least one more litter in her. Another thing to take from the article, the family photo they are offering isn’t just for Mother’s Day it’s been there a few weeks now, they have a green screen set up as you go into the entrance building and you collect your photo as you leave in the gift shop kinda like an on ride photo you might get at a theam park. I would imagine this will sone be heavily Gruffalo theamed sone.
 
jamie779 said:
Anyone on here been to the PR launch of Gruffalo?
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No, but there are now quite a few photos on social media. They all pretty much focus on the Gruffalo character installations and photo-ops though and not the live animals within the new area. :(

But it seems to definately features at least goats, boa constrictors, owls and the existing butterfly house.
 
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haydn said:
No, but there are now quite a few photos on social media. They all pretty much focus on the Gruffalo character installations and photo-ops though and not the live animals within the new area. :(

But it seems to definately features at least goats, boa constrictors, owls and the existing butterfly house.
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Judging by the few photos that can be seen on social media, I find it really difficult to find where all of the money invested into the Gruffalo area has actually gone. All of the species that I have seen appear to be existing species at the zoo. While I understand why the zoo have done this, I really don't think that it was the best investment. There were already a lot of areas designed for children in the zoo, more than most zoos in my opinion. I think that a simple renovation of the existing explorer zone would have been both cheaper and more enjoyable for visitors of all ages. I don't want to complain too much before seeing it but I can't help but think about the orangutans and amur leopards' living conditions.
 
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