Bongos » Western Plains Zoo

27-04-2007

they're still ugly
only joking, dont want to offend the camel fan club

27-04-2007

NO! absolutely not!!! this is a very interesting and open discussion about bongos. we can talk here about bongos in the wild, bongos in captivity, bongos in any part of the world.

but NOT %$*@! CAMELS!!!

27-04-2007

lol
sorry to stray, i know that would of driven you nuts, but the invitation had been extended to me for commet
back to bongos. and if i can figure out how to load photos on to the computer i will post my photos of the bongo exhibit at Western Plains Zoo. Also took a few snaps of the landscaping around the exhibit which i was actually impressed by...mature figs, swamp foxtails, umbrella sedge and bamboo. care needs to be taken to avoid introducing weedy species, but the landscaping did give it a nice forest edge appeal.

27-04-2007

i know i've said this befor a bazillion times but i have a real soft spot for congo buffalo. maybe because i always loved watching the fat little bull at melbourne who use to love basking in the sun on his side. maybe because of their appearance, a rich chestnut coat and stocky little dwarfed bodies.

they got him a female from dubbo (the only female in australia) as a partner but despite my high hopes, they were housed together but never bred. i believe this was on purpose. there are a few bulls at dubbo, and i wonder "if we are gonna inbreed bongo, why not at least hold off a little longer and breed me a few buffalo? - that said, odds are our congo buffalo may already be inbred!!

i don't know of any congo buffalo/bongo mixed species exhibits at any zoos, but i so do think it would be nice. i love those congo documentaries and photographs where you see herds of the two species grazing together in jungle clearings.

melbourne wanted bongo, yet never made the most of their buffalo and sent them to an off-display section at werribee. they would have made a much missed contribution to the african rainforest theme...

since dubbo is the only zoo with both species - they should give it a go....

27-04-2007

As long as the yard is for Bongos, then its okay for this thread....

27-04-2007

[quote=patrick;12160]
i don't know of any congo buffalo/bongo mixed species exhibits at any zoos, but i so do think it would be nice. i love those congo documentaries and photographs where you see herds of the two species grazing together in jungle clearings.

I've often wonder why several of the Congo species are orange or red coloured- Congo buffalo, Bongo, Red River Hog etc. Is it to match the soil? Bongo are increasingly common in UK zoos nowadays, even a number of Safari Parks have them too. Congo Buffalo are less common over here but a few zoos have them (I think they're far more attractive than the Big buffalo species). No-one over here has tried a mixed exhibit yet. I guess one day in the future somewhere with a lot of money will attempt a massive 'Congo' complex to house these species, plus perhaps Gorillas and other species mixed in too?

28-04-2007

The forest buffalo are kept at around 5 UK zoos Chester and Knowsley just to name 2, and are much common than the cape or African buffalo.* There are only 2 collections in the UK. 2 bulls at West midlands Safari park and 5 females At Knowsley.
As Grantsmb said, the bongo is becoming more and more common in UK zoos. That may be that they breed so frequently. Chester has 3 a year I think. As well as this the Red river hog population is also Booming in the UK. Chester had the first british birth in 2002/03. London has bred them and now Whipsnade, Knowsley, Edinburgh and One of the aspinall parks all hold at least a pair of them.

28-04-2007

I once saw a large group of Forest buffalo at Marwell zoo (1988) i think they may still hold the species, also Port lympne had Cape buffalo when i saw last there, there was also a group of Asian water buffalo which are not that common in the UK.

28-04-2007

Port lypme doesn't hold the cape buffalo anymore but I'm pretty sure they still have water buffalo. I know that west midlands safari park have a small group of them.

28-04-2007

They used to be house the Cape Buffalo in the same paddock with the Black rhinos, I am a little surprised to hear they dont hold them now as they had a nice looking herd there.

28-04-2007

I've just Chescked on ISIS and Port Lypme doesn't have cape or forest buffalo. As you said before Marwell does have a large herd. 1 mlae and 8 females. From what I have been told Chester holds the studbook for this species. They've had 21 calves and have started a breeding group at Knowsley. They are the only zoo in England to Hold Cape and Forest buffalo.


Just checked up on the water buffalo. They don't have them at Port lyme or Howletts anymore either. They have lowland anoa at Port Lypme. They are relativily commmon in European zoos. Unlike the mountain Anoa. I think that there is only one zoo that holds them. It's in Germany but I don't know the name.

28-04-2007

I've never seen Cape Buffalo in Uk except at Whipsnade- who may no longer have them. Never seen them at Port Lympne tho I've been many times. Water Buffalo, yes, they did have a herd until recently, I thought they still do.

As Mr Hornbill says, the only places with Cape Buffalo in UK are West Midland and/or(??) Knowlsey Safari Parks. Marwell still have their small herd of Congo Buffalo.

Red River Hogs. Interesting that Port Lympne have had a pair(from Duisburg) for many years now but I don't think these have ever bred. More recently they got a 2nd pair at Howletts but probably not bred by them. Other zoos I know of in Uk with this species are London, Whipsnade(born London) Chester, Colchester, Paignton, Edinburgh, maybe Belfast? Soon every zoo will have some...

28-04-2007

The population of red river hogs is almost staring to get out of control. Every zoo wants to breed them. This means that sometime in the furure we'll have to think about what to do with the surplus stock.

About the buffalo mixed exhibit with the rhinos, Was it working? I know that Chester is trying to mix lechwe with it's rhino with little sucess.

28-04-2007

I saw them there in 1988 and have a guide book with pics of them there, i am just a little surprised they are gone, i never heard of any problems with them and the black rhinos, but they were in a very large area.

28-04-2007

Black rhinos don't mix as well as whites do they?