ZSL London Zoo ZSL London Zoo News 2014

Shirokuma said:
I also forgot to add that in the gorilla enclosure it's not only the visitors who are being kept back from the windows, approximately half of the outside viewing area is wired off on the gorilla side.
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How/where is it wired off?

Do you mean so that Kumbuka can't approach the glass, or in some other way?
 
SHAVINGTONZOO said:
People sometimes assume that you cannot do ANYTHING with Listed Buildings. Alterations to Listed Buildings are possible.
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This is very true, and evident in ZSL's recent refurbishment of the stork and ostrich house, and the Blackburn pavilion.

I would be very surprised if the mesh itself could not be replaced. I imagine London will install a far more transparent, lightweight netting over the structure when they come to refurbish it. The possibility for connecting wire tunnels to heated shelters would be obvious, and I imagine primates would be a likely part of any future incarnation for this reason. I don't accept that the structure is damaging or obstructive in its shape for the birds kept there, given its overall size. I just think it's become unremarkable as an exhibit, given the other, newer aviaries in the zoo, including a walk-through stork aviary. Had they attempted a Chester-style vulture aviary, perhaps it would have worked well, but London seems to be held under a great deal of licensing scrutiny as an urban zoo, and perhaps is more risk-averse. A mesh-topped tiger exhibit points to this, as does the permanent prevention of squirrel monkeys entering any of the large trees in their enclosure following an escape shortly after the opening of the exhibit.

If indeed the Indian Wetlands flight is on the agenda (and likely given the statements regarding pinioning of the flamingos), the zoo will need the Snowdon as an avairy even less, and I think again this makes it even more likely to involve primates. While the masterplan suggested colobus, and they have been kept in walk-through enclosures elswhere, they are likely to defoliate the trees very rapidly. Perhaps the Snowdon is destined to become the world's most architecturally-significant lemur walkthrough, who knows.
 
Thanks.

Kumbuka's behaviour has evidently caused problems for them, as they haven't had to resort to any of this before, or the modifications to the indoor viewing either, since the exhibit first opened.
 
It's the visitors' behaviour that's the problem! Kumbuka's reactions are perfectly reasonable IMO. It's extremely difficult to get visitors to behave with respect around gorillas, they seem to think they can try anything to get a reaction (and this is often visitors who behave fine elsewhere in the zoo, gorillas seem to bring out the worst in humans!). Also, of course ZSL didn't know before that Kumbuka was capable of breaking the glass - it was supposed to be gorilla-proof - they don't want a repeat of that little adventure!
 
How does this affect the main indoor space? Does he react in the same way while in this part of the exhibit, is he still able to it the indoor dayroom?
 
volvox said:
It's the visitors' behaviour that's the problem! Kumbuka's reactions are perfectly reasonable IMO. It's extremely difficult to get visitors to behave with respect around gorillas, they seem to think they can try anything to get a reaction (and this is often visitors who behave fine elsewhere in the zoo, gorillas seem to bring out the worst in humans!). !
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One of the best things about Howletts and Port Lympne is that visitors don't tend to behave like this around the gorillas. They get treated with respect, bordering on reverence.
 
volvox said:
It's the visitors' behaviour that's the problem! Kumbuka's reactions are perfectly reasonable IMO. It's extremely difficult to get visitors to behave with respect around gorillas, they seem to think they can try anything to get a reaction (and this is often visitors who behave fine elsewhere in the zoo, gorillas seem to bring out the worst in humans!). Also, of course ZSL didn't know before that Kumbuka was capable of breaking the glass - it was supposed to be gorilla-proof - they don't want a repeat of that little adventure!
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Agree. The improvements were made to benefit the gorillas.

Some of the worst visitor behaviour I've seen at both ZSL sites has concerned the primates. However, it's always satisfying to see when the chimps get their own back with a bit of "pick and flick," particularly when they score a direct hit!:p
 
volvox said:
It's the visitors' behaviour that's the problem! Kumbuka's reactions are perfectly reasonable IMO.
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Kumbuka is the fourth male to inhabit this exhibit. They have not had this level of problem before. Never had to screen the dayroom windows or keep the Gorillas away from the glass outside before. The visitors- at least at London- will always behave the same way, but different males react in varying degrees to it. Judging by the amount of damage and changes they have had to make recently, Kumbuka is testing the exhibit rather.
 
IanRRobinson said:
One of the best things about Howletts and Port Lympne is that visitors don't tend to behave like this around the gorillas. They get treated with respect, bordering on reverence.
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Agree. It may be partly due to the acoustics too- the public area of Gorilla Kingdom is mostly a covered area, amplifying the noise. Howletts don't get the noisy school groups that London does either (or far less of them). Also at Howletts Gorillas tend to be spread out around the enclosures and can be viewed from all along the barrier. London with just four Gorillas in a confined area seems to provoke different reactions.
 
Pertinax said:
Kumbuka is the fourth male to inhabit this exhibit. They have not had this level of problem before. Never had to screen the dayroom windows or keep the Gorillas away from the glass outside before. The visitors- at least at London- will always behave the same way, but different males react in varying degrees to it. Judging by the amount of damage and changes they have had to make recently, Kumbuka is testing the exhibit rather.
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Or maybe it's genetic? As I recall Kumba (his grandfather!) didn't take kindly to annoying visitors. I can recall him thumping the glass viewing window on a few occasions, causing a few ****** to flee squawking.
 
Kumbuka spent a great deal of time while he was kept alone at Paignton(for several years), relating to humans. Despite a wide watermoat outdoors he would throw logs and stones at the public, possibly as a way of having some sort of contact/interaction with them as much as anything. Indoors he was kept offshow most of the time. At ZSL he's much nearer the people, both indoors and outside.. Its their behaviour and proximity which causes his excitable reactions. I don't know if its because he gets angry or is just playing games- as I haven't seen him there and its difficult to tell anyway.
 
Pertinax said:
Kumbuka spent a great deal of time while he was kept alone at Paignton(for several years), relating to humans. Despite a wide watermoat outdoors he would throw logs and stones at the public, possibly as a way of having some sort of contact/interaction with them as much as anything. Indoors he was kept offshow most of the time. At ZSL he's much nearer the people, both indoors and outside.. Its their behaviour and proximity which causes his excitable reactions. I don't know if its because he gets angry or is just playing games- as I haven't seen him there and its difficult to tell anyway.
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So was there ANY significant interaction with him and the rest of the males at Paignton? Surely it would've been beneficial for him? Other than being humanised, I'm not that up to speed on his life history.
 
What happened was- and I'm sorry to be a bit vague over the exact details here- he used to live with other males, both at his previous home in France, and when he was first at Paignton. I can't remember exactly when he became isolated but when the younger males and Pertinax were put together, because of his maturing age, Kumbuka was not reintroduced, so he then spent several years alone before arriving at London. Of course he could still see/touch the others at times through mesh indoors, but quite a lot of his time was spent alone outdoors.
 
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The Zoo

I'm a bit late posting this but I don't think anyone else has.

A new (fourth) series of The Zoo is on ITV in July - three new programmes.

There will also be (at some point) a spin-off series with Adrian in Peru regarding penguins out in the wild.
 
Hello, just wanted to see if anyone could help with the following.
1. What's happened to the Lions (they weren't there when i visited 2 weeks ago).
2. Do we have any plans for the new lion enclosure yet?
3. Has anyone ever seen the Tampirs outside?

I know the Zoo apparently has a 2014 masterplan, how to i get my hands on this?

Thanks
 
The lions are there all right, they were either indoors or in the back enclosure and you didn't know where to look for them (always ask a volunteer!). The male Lucifer has gone to Paignton and has settled in nicely; his mate Abi succumbed to old age some months ago so it's just three female daughters now. There are plans for the new lion enclosure, I'll see if I can find them, and if I can't someone else here will be able to. Yes, I've seen a tapir outside but admittedly not often!

The new young tamandua is quite a handful as she's even more fond of trundling around under people's feet than Tammy. Two or three of the squirrel monkeys in the walkthrough are pregnant, so that will be nice when they're born any week now. The tiger cubs and Melati have been swapped with Jae Jae so you can see them more easily now. Can't think of anything else at the moment.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm a member and visit every month or so, i'd heard Lucifer had gone (nice of the Zoo to let everyone know) would have been nice to say goodbye. Communication isn't the Zoo's greatest asset! I looked in both enclosures and no lions, i'll have another look this weekend. It would be good to see plans of the new enclosure if you do have them, might have to donate as we did the Tiger enclosure.. Thanks for the reply..
 
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