Twycross Zoo Twycross zoo
- Thread starter KJ
- Start date
- Status
johnstoni
Well-Known Member
my (rather shaky) reference point is I remeber reading an article in some terrible animal magazine I happened to pick up(wild about animals?) around 1990, and there was a piece about Molly Badham, with pictures of all the animals she was handrearing in her house at the time (chimpanzees in jumpers, orangs, etc), and there was a 3-4 month old baby tapir also being reared, running around her hallway with a great dane, only it's stripes were almost white, I assumed it was a malayan. However, it's hard to be sure as Twycross have always had lowland tapirs as well. Also, given the record for infant mortality in Malayan tapirs anyway, I'm pretty sure news of a successful hand-rearing of this species would have got into IZN or a similar publication at the time.
The keepers currently believe that Madge (the female Tapir) is pregnant but the ultrasound scan didn't show a great deal so cannot confirm 100% just yet.
I took a few photo's of the enclosure: MexPirate Gallery - Photo Gallery
The muddy mess you can see in the first picture is a fenced off area that is in front of the Tapir enclosure that they do not appear to have access to, guessing this could be for a new exhibit although I didn't get around to asking about it so not sure just yet. It seems that the malayans are in the enclosure at the back and don't have access to the adjoining paddock as all the signs there are for the tufted deer - when I was working on that section over the Summer there was a Tapir in each paddock as a temporary measure before they were introduced properly.
I took a few photo's of the enclosure: MexPirate Gallery - Photo Gallery
The muddy mess you can see in the first picture is a fenced off area that is in front of the Tapir enclosure that they do not appear to have access to, guessing this could be for a new exhibit although I didn't get around to asking about it so not sure just yet. It seems that the malayans are in the enclosure at the back and don't have access to the adjoining paddock as all the signs there are for the tufted deer - when I was working on that section over the Summer there was a Tapir in each paddock as a temporary measure before they were introduced properly.
Twycross have bred Malayan tapir before (first time was in the late 70s). In the book "Chimps With Everything", published in 1979, there is a few paragraphs on pages 120-121 about their first Malayan tapir birth (and a photo of the baby with a Boston terrier, as mentioned in an earlier post). They had bred Brazilian tapirs many times, but they had had the pair of Malayans for ten years without any success until they finally produced a baby in December (1978). The baby, which they named Peg, couldn't stand so they removed it from the mother and took it into their house to hand-raise. They strapped her legs up to help her walk and by fourteen weeks old she was walking normally. At the time the book was published the tapir was still living in the house, and the parent's had been mating again so they were hopeful for a second baby.
Last edited:
It was a French Bulldog
They had a French bulldog and a Great dane(maybe more than one of each- but these dogs certainly met plenty of strane animals!)
well I don't know anything about domestic dogs...
the caption to the photo says "Peg, the Malayan Tapir baby finds a pal in the form of the Boston terrier, Bosun"
the tapir is licking the dog's head, who doesn't look too impressed.
the caption to the photo says "Peg, the Malayan Tapir baby finds a pal in the form of the Boston terrier, Bosun"
the tapir is licking the dog's head, who doesn't look too impressed.
I'm only being picky....
If the caption says Boston terrier then that's what it undoubtedly was. I know they had at least one French Bulldog at some other time- the two breeds being very similar.Any idea what happened to the young tapir, or if the adults bred again? Presumably the current female tapir is no relation to them...
nope, not a clue. I tried a Google search but couldn't find anything. I guess someone over there will have to ask at Twycross, seeing as lots of you seem to be planning visits there this year...lucky sods.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Just been checking on ISIS and Twycross is now listed as only having 1.1 hybrid Giraffes does anyone no if one has died since my last visit 3 weeks ago as they had 1.2 then.
Kaya, Keisha and justin were all at twycross yesterday
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
In that case the ISIS gremlins strikes again!!!!!!!!!!
I'll be visiting twycross on thursday for the first time in 5 years so I have a few questions... (these may have already been answered before, so sorry in advance)
- Does my Chester Zoo membership still allow me free entry?
- Are there any new exhibits (besides the elephant redevelopment and bornean longhouse)?
- Is there anything in particular that I should look out for?
Thanks!
- Does my Chester Zoo membership still allow me free entry?
- Are there any new exhibits (besides the elephant redevelopment and bornean longhouse)?
- Is there anything in particular that I should look out for?
Thanks!
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Yes your Chester membership does get you into Twycross free,as for what to look out for the Langurs are a must,Tufted Deer,Red-tailed Guenon,Crowned Guenon and the Rufous-vented Chachalaca in the tropical House.Not sure what else to look out for,as for new exhibits its only the Longhouse but you will notice a few changes since your last visit but then again you will find just as many thing if not more that havenot changed at all.
I'm only being picky....
Any idea what happened to the young tapir, or if the adults bred again? Presumably the current female tapir is no relation to them...
Aren't Boston Terriers very similar to French Bulldogs? They look like more-or-less the same thing to me.
CZJimmy,
If you can ... please get a leghold trap on one of the gorilla and elephant keepers (lol).
a) I really would like to know what the plans are for both gorilla troupes now several adult members have suddenly died.
b) Can you find out for us if there is to be AI on the older cows Tonzi and Minbu shortly (after the successful op with Noor Jahan.
- Status