I think it may be both but climate may be the more major factor. I saw a cage full of Douc Langurs years ago in the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand. Despite quite poor housing they were clearly bursting with health and lively in a way the ones in Europe never appeared to be.
What would you like to see in the UK?
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I think it may be both but climate may be the more major factor. I saw a cage full of Douc Langurs years ago in the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand. Despite quite poor housing they were clearly bursting with health and lively in a way the ones in Europe never appeared to be.
In European and American zoos, they seem to be delicate and particularly prone to digestive disorders. Both climate and diet are likely to be factors - particularly the problem of supplying fresh browse in winter.
I remember reading in one of the IZYearbooks or Zoonews how the Doucs in Cologne were prone to spontaneous abortions and/or fits of some sort from which they would normally recover. I agree diet was probably as much a problem as climate.
As mentioned in my earlier post in this thread I was very surprised to read that Twycross had a proboscis monkey in 1997 However, without knowing the source of that information, I didn’t like to categorically say it was wrong.
I do, though, agree with those who have posted since that it is probably an error.
ZooTierListe is a great resource but it needs to be used with caution. I am sure, for example, that the claim on ZooTierListe that London Zoo received a Sulawesi tarsier in 1930 is fallacious. The ZSL Annual Report for 1930 year does not list a tarsier arriving that year.
Moreover, the ZSL report for 1948 lists the arrival of a trio of Philippine tarsiers and records these as not only a species but also a genus new to the collection – which indicates there wasn’t a tarsier there eighteen years earlier.
Sorry to rub it in(hehe) but I have a photo on my desk of myself feeding him(Torgamba). Probably my biggest zoo highlight ever.
I’ve a photograph of myself feeding “Torgamba” too
.I hasten to add that I wasn’t flouting the ‘no feeding’ rule; this was with the permission of a keeper.
I’ve a photograph of myself feeding “Torgamba” too
I hasten to add that I wasn’t flouting the ‘no feeding’ rule; this was with the permission of a keeper.
The keeper actually took the photo(s) for me- loaded me up with fruit to feed him with too.
I don't know but it would far closer to their natural environment e.g. leaves of native or similar plants. In Europe browse would have to be of species quite foreign to them and an all round supply only obtained by storing or freezing it too.
I agree completely. Tropical zoos can provide native foliage all year round and a much greater variety of species too.
giant_anteater
Well-Known Member
I once read that for each koala a zoo keeps, they'll need access at least 1000 eucalyptus trees. I'd imagine it'd be similar for the langurs? Except, several eucalyptus species and, for pandas, bamboo species, are hardy enough to grow in the UK and the rest of Europe. Whatever the langurs eat may not be so tough, and I doubt anywhere is willing to invest in a greenhouse big enough to keep 1000 full grown trees.
I'd love to be proven wrong though!
The keeper actually took the photo(s) for me- loaded me up with fruit to feed him with too.
A friend took my picture but the keeper, very kindly, provided me with a tray of exotic fruit to feed the Sumatran rhino with.
SealPup
Well-Known Member
Koala, echidna and a potorid: maybe an egernine skink and some birds (rosellas?) for a walkthrough. Bettongs seem a bit diurnal in captivity, compared to potoroos (based off SLWAP). Sadly a lot of fauna like numbats and platypus seem off-limits for Bristol, and others are nocturnal. But especially if you blur Australasian biomes the way S American exhibits usually do...
I'm sure bettongs and potoroos can all be trained to be somewhat active during daylight hours. However in my experience left to their own devices, long-nosed potoroos are more likely to be active during daylight than any of the three bettong species we have kept.
Paignton have a kiwi which is kept off-show but there is a CCTV camera showing it in it's den
SealPup
Well-Known Member
I know kiwi are often displayed with boobook owls but I assume Owls pose some danger to hatchlings. Kiwi are supposedly too shy to breed or thrive in a zoo exhibit with human disrurbances. Tuatara are present outside NZ but are predatory.
What prey size do tawny frogmouths take? The stone curlews and kookaburra will prey upon rats; maybe just placid-ish hookbills (not cockatoos), pigeons etc are suitable. Magpies are too aggressive.
What prey size do tawny frogmouths take? The stone curlews and kookaburra will prey upon rats; maybe just placid-ish hookbills (not cockatoos), pigeons etc are suitable. Magpies are too aggressive.