Will do
. If it is not brought up before Sunday (I assume it will do, but people may have other questions) would it be a wise decision to ask a keeper why she is being kept off-show? Or do you think they might see this as prying?Chester Zoo Visits Late July/August
- Thread starter LeeMac13
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Will do
. If it is not brought up before Sunday (I assume it will do, but people may have other questions) would it be a wise decision to ask a keeper why she is being kept off-show? Or do you think they might see this as prying?I think you're perfectly entitled to ask as regular visitors would obviously notice if one Okapi isn't on view over a period of time.
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I think you're perfectly entitled to ask as regular visitors would obviously notice if one Okapi isn't on view over a period of time.
Ahh cool, like I say I assume somebody will beat me to it, but if it is not mentioned on here I shall make it a priority question
Jordan-Jaguar97
Well-Known Member
could you try ang det some pictures of pele the black jaguar and some of the new exibhits
Pele the black jaguar is (in my opinion) very difficult to photograph. However, I have attatched my best (so far) effort.
Also, I couldn't find a keeper when I was around the giraffes to ask about why Stuma might be off-show? Does anybody else know and if so are they at liberty to say?
Cheetah fan
Well-Known Member
Ok I have a question. On page 1 and 2 people mentioned stuff like 1.1 and 1.2 can I ask what this means?
And I was there when the Okapi was panicked. It was running back and to at the end of the enclosure where the ditch is. Two keepers came and moved everyone on and they were quickly joined by another. I dont know what had spooked it but something had and thats as much as I know.
And I was there when the Okapi was panicked. It was running back and to at the end of the enclosure where the ditch is. Two keepers came and moved everyone on and they were quickly joined by another. I dont know what had spooked it but something had and thats as much as I know.
It's a way of showing how many males and females a zoo has in a given group of animals - the first number is males, the second females.
1.2 is one male, two females.
Sometimes there is a third number for animals of unknown gender (such as newborns). So 1.2.1 would be one male, two females and one animal of unknown gender.
Some bits and pieces from today.
The female cheetah is in heat and the studbook coordinator has selected the male named Matrah. She was interested in him, he got interested in her, and now she doesn't look quite so keen. If their interaction remains positive however, they're likely to be put together. If they fail to mate, I was told that they may introduce a new female. Hopefully the audience monitoring their behaviour - three keepers with clipboards and video equipment - won't put them off too much.
I observed the giant otters behaving a little differently; they were face-to-face, pushing their heads and torsos together and clear of the water. A number of otter species mate in this way, so perhaps they're heading in that direction.
There are new identification boards in the Butterfly Journey. Hard to read but an improvement on what we had before - nothing, basically - and we'll no longer have to rely totally on Maguari's crib sheets.
Not to anthropomorphise too much, but Nayan looks like a funny little guy. He's clearly grown and appears to be feeding well, but at the same time he keeps getting into little tangles and is still quite ungainly.
Bush dog pups doing well, red panda cub too, although it's turning out to be incredibly camera shy. I didn't see it after multiple visits, so it's currently the must-have shot in the zoo.
On the amenities side I heard that the pottery studio is likely to close and be replaced with a café. The miniature boats are operational; book your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
The female cheetah is in heat and the studbook coordinator has selected the male named Matrah. She was interested in him, he got interested in her, and now she doesn't look quite so keen. If their interaction remains positive however, they're likely to be put together. If they fail to mate, I was told that they may introduce a new female. Hopefully the audience monitoring their behaviour - three keepers with clipboards and video equipment - won't put them off too much.
I observed the giant otters behaving a little differently; they were face-to-face, pushing their heads and torsos together and clear of the water. A number of otter species mate in this way, so perhaps they're heading in that direction.
There are new identification boards in the Butterfly Journey. Hard to read but an improvement on what we had before - nothing, basically - and we'll no longer have to rely totally on Maguari's crib sheets.
Not to anthropomorphise too much, but Nayan looks like a funny little guy. He's clearly grown and appears to be feeding well, but at the same time he keeps getting into little tangles and is still quite ungainly.
Bush dog pups doing well, red panda cub too, although it's turning out to be incredibly camera shy. I didn't see it after multiple visits, so it's currently the must-have shot in the zoo.
On the amenities side I heard that the pottery studio is likely to close and be replaced with a café. The miniature boats are operational; book your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
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Following the okapi discussion on Sunday they were both out, the female was wandering about and the male was following her as best he could on the other side of the fence, he kept sticking his head up over the top.
We really enjoyed the Tsavo Bird Safari. I've never been in before but we were lucky to arrive just as they'd been given live food and so there was loads of activity. I watched a weaver bird start putting the first pieces onto a branch to start a new nest, I've always thought the first bits must be the most difficult!
Some people who visit the orangutans very frequently told me that the two groups can see each other through the tiny window in the second or third Sumatran 'room' which I didn't realise. Puluh and/or Padang spent a great deal of time peering through this window and the 'door' above it.
Puluh was playing with Padang, Budi and Utara which is a sight I don't tire of. I also saw the Sumatrans out at the end where the otters are, I didn't even realise they can go there, I thought that was just the gibbons.
The Bornean mothers & infant orangutans were both out at opening time although no sign of Martha. I've never spotted Tuan even though I peer in every possible nook & cranny. The Borneans enclosure looks very messy where they've just pulled everything up by the roots, even the ones they've not managed to pull out look as if they've had a good try.
This may have been said already - are the Grevy's shut in because of the baby oryx?
We spotted both the young sitatunga.
The coatis came dashing across the top of the bears waterfall, about 6 or 8 of them. We glimpsed one of the nears only right round the back.
The lion-tailed macaques were out and very active, again I've never been up that path before!
We really enjoyed the Tsavo Bird Safari. I've never been in before but we were lucky to arrive just as they'd been given live food and so there was loads of activity. I watched a weaver bird start putting the first pieces onto a branch to start a new nest, I've always thought the first bits must be the most difficult!
Some people who visit the orangutans very frequently told me that the two groups can see each other through the tiny window in the second or third Sumatran 'room' which I didn't realise. Puluh and/or Padang spent a great deal of time peering through this window and the 'door' above it.
Puluh was playing with Padang, Budi and Utara which is a sight I don't tire of. I also saw the Sumatrans out at the end where the otters are, I didn't even realise they can go there, I thought that was just the gibbons.
The Bornean mothers & infant orangutans were both out at opening time although no sign of Martha. I've never spotted Tuan even though I peer in every possible nook & cranny. The Borneans enclosure looks very messy where they've just pulled everything up by the roots, even the ones they've not managed to pull out look as if they've had a good try.
This may have been said already - are the Grevy's shut in because of the baby oryx?
We spotted both the young sitatunga.
The coatis came dashing across the top of the bears waterfall, about 6 or 8 of them. We glimpsed one of the nears only right round the back.
The lion-tailed macaques were out and very active, again I've never been up that path before!
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So glad Stuma is back out . Does anybody know exactly what happened to keep her off-show for so long?.
I was concerned about the Lion-tailed Macaques the other day, since they were all fighting on the island and one fell into the moat (luckily it was only onto the reeds near the Mandrill island, and he managed to gt up, but was concerned that this could happen elsewhere).
. Does anybody know exactly what happened to keep her off-show for so long?.I was concerned about the Lion-tailed Macaques the other day, since they were all fighting on the island and one fell into the moat (luckily it was only onto the reeds near the Mandrill island, and he managed to gt up, but was concerned that this could happen elsewhere).
Lion-tailed macaques are good swimmers, which is one reason why the canals around Monkey Islands are discreetly hot-wired.
I think what's meant is they can prove to be good swimmers in captivity, whereas in the wild Lion tailed Mcaques live almost excusively in evergreen rainforest and very rarely come into contact with(deep)water. So yes, you're correct the watermoats are supposed to be an effective barrier. Most monkeys(but not necessarily the Great Apes) can swim if they have to though.
Yup, I think I read somewhere that gorillas have an absolute fear of water, and will never cross it if they can avoid it, but I think it was on Wikipedia
.Yup, I think I read somewhere that gorillas have an absolute fear of water, and will never cross it if they can avoid it, but I think it was on Wikipedia
That is basically correct. They cannot instinctively swim and several have drowned in deepwater moats in zoo exhibits. Some do like water though-they play in it and wade in it(as they do in the wild). Gogal the female who was at Chester many years ago was one such who would wade in her moat though I'm not sure she ever crossed it.
Some Monkeys are very good swimmers even in the wild e.g. Proboscis Monkeys and Crab-eating and Japanese Macaques. Crab-eating Macaques will dive underwater for food too.
Makes sense. I think I have seen a pic of a wild gorilla on the edge of a river (still in the water) but can't seem to find it again.
Given that the water was the only barrier, I think we'd have heard if she had.