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Zoo Basel what's happening at Basel?

Discussion in 'Switzerland' started by Pertinax, 13 Jul 2008.

  1. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I'm surprised we don't have any members who visit the famous & prestigious Basel Zoo and can report on recent developments there.

    The english translation of their website is a little difficult to read & understand. They seem to have got Pygmy Hippo back in the collection recently. I'm looking forward to seeing the design of the planned outdoor exhibits for all the Ape species. Does anyone knoqw when they will happen?
     
  2. Pygathrix

    Pygathrix Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Ashaki a 3 year old from Singapore has just arrived. They hope she will bejoined by a male from Paris. The two previous hippos Wamburu and Quma went to South Lakes in 2004 when the rhino/hippo area was being updated.

    I can't see any news about a new ape house.
     
  3. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    its not a new Ape house- it will be large outdoor areas added to the existing House. Have a look in their archival news(about a year ago?) and you might find it. It will be the first time their Apes have had proper outdoor access apart from tiny outdoor cages. The plan shows removal of some older exhibits to provide the necessary space for three large islands with water moats etc.
     
  4. Pygathrix

    Pygathrix Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    ZOO BASEL - Aktuell - Aktuelles aus den ZOO Basel

    It's very much at the planning stage with nothing yet fixed or decided, and no time scale given. Extension/alteration to the house is also proposed. The link shows an outline of the extension at the bottom of the page.

    Other news from Basel:
    A 10 year old boy fell into the moat around the wolves and was bitten on the head by a female wolf. He was rescued by another visitor and a 14 yr old volunteer and is not seriously hurt.

    A three yr old giraffe became entangled in ropes which were used to hang browse from trees and strangled herself.
     
  5. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I thought the mauve area on the map shows the extent of the planned new outside areas? The house is shown in red and is the same familiar shape as I know it. I can't read the text easily but from what you say it seems this redevelopment could still be some way off.

    The giraffe accident was very unfortumate- they have one of the very few groups of purebred Masai giraffe in zoos. I guess they will review the way they hang browse in future.
     
  6. Pygathrix

    Pygathrix Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Auf der Basis des bestehenden Hauses werden die Innenanlagen erneuert und darum herum Anlagen für alle drei Menschenaffenarten geplant.

    Sorry, I've just re-read it and it describes renovation of the existing indoor enclosures rather than an extension of the ape house. As you say the major change planned is the provision of large outdoor enclosures.
     
  7. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    yes, it would be really costly if they renewed the main building as well. Renovations inside would be about due though. The apes won't know what's hit them with all the extra outdoor space- but I wonder how much they (orangs and gorillas in particular) will actually use it... Seems like they are knocking down the old bear grottoes and maybe some other exhibits to give the space they want.
     
  8. BjoernN

    BjoernN Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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  9. Zebraduiker

    Zebraduiker Well-Known Member

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    I've visited Basel last Saturday, it's just an two hour drive by train from my home. They 've started recently the expansion of the giraffe enclosure, it will be nearly double in size after its completed next spring. Basel is keeping massai giraffes, but they lost the last male a few years ago , unfortuntely, Basel is the last european zoo with a group of massai giraffes, so they tried to get a new male from the usa, canada and japan, all three attempst were not succesful, so it looks very bad for the european population of massai giraffes...

    The female okapi is pregnant, she will give birth next spring.

    A few weeks ago, they have opened the new outdoor exhibits for indian rhinos, altough they are small, especially the bull enclosure, they are very good. The ground is now very soft, thats important for this species, because they all have enormous problems with the feet, because most zoos keeping them on to hard grounds indoors and outdoors. Basel changed that, and now, the feet of the rhinos become better and better. They have big outddor pools and they have new compaignons, asian small clawed otters and muntjaks.

    I've posted some pictures in the gallery. The formely muntjak exhibit is now empty, I've heared , they will get great anteaters, I don't know, if this is true.

    They are plans for outdoor exhibits for the apes, I think, it will be the next big projekt after the giraffe exhibit. And there are future plans for a new elephant house and outdoor exhibit. The 55 years old female is still alive.

    Unfortunately, in july a wild fox killed the whole group of Kirk-Dik-Dik's. What i like at this zoo is, most animals, so the elephants, giraffes, zebras,hippos and even the okapis can use in summer the oudoor exhibit in the night also. A few german zoos keeping some hoofed animals and elephants in the nights outdoors in summer, too, but not okapis or giraffes, thats very amazing.

    Basel is a great zoo, I enjoy every visit, altough at saturday it was raining the whole day...
     
  10. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    That's a really good update, thanks. Do you think there's any chance they could import a new Masai giraffe bull from Africa to allow them to continue breeding from this unique group?
    Also;
    1. Is the Indian rhino house on the same site as before, or is it a completely new location?

    2. Any idea when they might start(which year) the outdoor Ape enclosures?
     
  11. Zebraduiker

    Zebraduiker Well-Known Member

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    No chance to import a giraffe from africa to switzerland, the same with canada, usa or japan. Ithe population of masai giraffes in these countries are to small, so I think, this is one of the reasons, Basel couldn't import a massai giraffe bull from one of these states.

    I have no idea when they will start the construction of the new ape outdoor exhibits. I read in the Basel zoomagazine, that this will be the next projekt after the giraffe exhibit, so I could imagine, that they could start in 2009 or 2010. And there are also plans to get giant pandas....

    The rhino house is the old one, it was build in the mid fifties, and itw as home for the indian rhinos, pymy hippos and for a sumatran rhino, which has lived there between 1959 and 1961.
     
  12. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Thanks. The giraffe situation is a problem for them. Is there any young male in the current group?

    Re. the Rhino House- I guess the indoors has been completely redesigned. Is the outdoor enclosure the same size/area as before, or is it different now(apart from the substrate)?.
     
  13. Zebraduiker

    Zebraduiker Well-Known Member

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    No, they have no male giraffe, only four females.

    i've posted some pictures of the rhino house and the outdoor enclosurs in the gallery in the Zoo Basel section. I think, the female exhibit is the same size as it was before the reconstruction, but I'm not sure in the case of the bull exhibit.
     
  14. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    thanks. Good to get an update on Basel from you.:)
     
  15. gentle lemur

    gentle lemur Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Time for experiments with artificial insemination - I wonder if it's ever been done with giraffes?

    Alan
     
  16. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I wouldn't think it was impossible- provided you had a long stepladder....;)
     
  17. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    I think Taronga zoo did some work in this area in the resent past maybe Zoopro could shead some light about that
     
  18. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    It would be interesting to know. It seems another problem would be obtaining semen from a bull of the same purebred race ( Masai has a beautiful leaf-patterned marking) as Basel is the only European group with them to my knowledge.
     
  19. Zebraduiker

    Zebraduiker Well-Known Member

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    AI is the wriong way to breed animals, a few zoos makes it to easy by themselfs,oh, we want an elephant byby, but no bull. No problem, AI is the magic word. AI is to stressful for wild animals, especially for giraffes, you can't do it with giraffes without to narkotosize(is that correct, you know what I mean)them, and this is a very big risk for giraffes. I hope, they will never do it with giraffes, they should forbid it to do it with any wild animal in captivity.

    I don't like AI, natural breeding, thats the right way to breed animals in captivity. Its amazing, most of the elephants,which are made by A!, are bulls !

    It makes no sense to keep masai giraffes, if Basel Zoo is the only holder and breeder of them in europe. They should stop with them after the group has ided out, and then start with another subspecies. Its the same with the import of angolan giraffes to europe in 1986. Theer are only three euroepan collections with them, the population is totally inbreed.
     
  20. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    AI has its place in the breeding of animals and with endangered species it can be a big help, not all zoos have enough bloodlines in stock and its a lot easier to tranfer a small amount of semen than shipping a live animal is it not, not forgetting shipping an animal can cause stress as well