Africa Alive » Africa Alive!

15-08-2008

They just improved it. It used to hold rare breed domestic pigs, but was made into a simple lion exhibit for a few years before rebuilding it with a viewing platform etc and a little more space.

15-08-2008

What species would you guys like to see at Kessingland?

15-08-2008

I think the site would be really suitable for a gelada/ibex exhibit similar to the Bronx zoo one. Also, the lake and surrounding area would be ideal for common hippo/pelicans.

Really, though, before anything else, it would be great to see them do something amazing for their chimpanzees, maybe add a couple of older females to the group and give them something approaching the standard of MonkeyWorld. The aardvark housing is pretty basic too, considering how hard it is to successfully breed this species I don't see it as particularly conducive to raising offspring under such clumsy parents.

15-08-2008

Yes, I think they should do away with the older-style cages still in the top part of the Park. They contrast poorly with the modern approach of the rest of it. As Johnstonii says- the chimps need something better- a bigger group and more room in an interesting open enclosure would be ideal. I would get rid of any monkeys they still have and replace with one other group of active 'tough' primates e.g. Geladas or failing them, Savanah baboons (Have they got Hamadryas already?) I think 'Africa Alive' would do best concentrating on the simple and larger exhibits really.

15-08-2008

They have no baboons at present. Hamadrayas baboons would work well with the barbary sheep, Windsor Safari Park mixed these two species some years ago. The previous owners had Barbary macaques on what is now the largest lemur island (or not, if the walk-through area has caused the lemurs to be relocated, I haven't seen it), and a couple of hotwired grass pens up at the top of the zoo for crab-eating/rhesus macaques.

Someone else mentioned that the top row of cages were partly boarded up now as if some building work was to start? I wonder if the fossas will be given new housing. The cages are run-down, and despite previously housing gibbons and various guenons, are smaller than most other captive habitats for this species.

16-08-2008

I was surprised when I saw these cages- very old fashioned from the previous administration. Yet they have remained still housing animals when the cost of replacing them would be minimal compared to what they've spent on their other 'large animal' exhibits. But this is such a common situation.

16-08-2008

I was confusing them with South Lakes. Hamadryas would work well at AA too- I do think this is the sort of primate(or Colobus perhaps?) they should be keeping, rather than more delicate species.

16-08-2008

well the miracle of the Africa alive revolving door as far as primate species goes has already gone through a group of eastern colobus, hopefully they were just sent to banham and didn't die, out of all the monkeys they've had I would have expected them to have been okay. Surely King colobus are going to fare less well, but obviously I hope not.

16-08-2008

Maybe they were moved back to Banham (which has a group anyway). B/W Colobus breed like flies in most zoos (even Twycross have bred enormous numbers- in distinct contrast to their 'failing' guenon species...) so I'd be surprised if AA lost theirs. King Colobus are a bit more delicate I think- so I agree they are maybe not the best choice for AA.

17-08-2008

it kind of begs the question though as to why....they only ever had about 3 or four easterns, Banham has always had a large breeding group, unless my memory is hazy and they (and the de brazza pair) were succeeded by rarer hamlyn's and l'hoest's monkeys since I last saw the park in 1999, in which case they would have just been held temporarily.

17-08-2008

To my knowledge, the Hamlyns Owl faced were always at Banham. They were a nice little group of 4 animals (a pair or a trio + 1/2 young) until they suddenly disappeared.

There were 4 De Brazza at Kessingland- I never saw these at Banham. They too have since disappeared.

L'Hoests- only at Kessingland too.

Colobus- maybe Kessingland's were a splinter group from Banham's? Banham group has been there a long time- nowadays it has an open enclosure(pix on the gallery) but from that it looks very much like a lawn with some climbing apparatus in the middle.

21-08-2008

i think Marwells Last rhino baby went to Flamingoland im sure thats where the other one went to might be wrong tho

21-08-2008

Ok, it was just a guess based on the fact that ISIS showed 3.2 at AA for a while, at the same point as marwell went back down to 1.2 I am pretty sure flamingoland already had 2.0 before the last calf left Marwell, maybe it was a previous calf that Flamingoland acquired...

22-08-2008

Both the male rhinos born at Marwell did go to Flamingoland. Flamingoland is only a 'holding' zoo for Rhino, so both would have moved on. I am am fairly sure that the 1st then moved on within Europe, but not to Africa Alive. I am not sure about the second.