Bristols new zoo » Bristol Zoo

23-11-2008

Orangutans used to occupy main land asia, but have since wipped out, so if the right signs are shown and there current plight highlight it may get more sympathy from visitors. So I think if that is all done bristol are on to a winner there.

23-11-2008

dont tapir occupy sumartra as well

23-11-2008

a quick google search tells me that the tapirsdo occupy central sumatra, apparenty

24-11-2008

just looked it up and they do live on the island of sumatura so if they get orangutans they they SHOULD be sumaturan orangs!

Image:Malayan Tapir Habitat 2003.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

25-11-2008

Would it honesly matter that much LOL

25-11-2008

I don't think it does, as long as the animals get on together

25-11-2008

As I understand it, the Sumatran sub-species (?) is much more difficult to come by.

25-11-2008

Actually, they are not sub-species but distinct species. Borneans are pongo pygmaeus and sumatrans are pongo abelli...or is it the other way round

25-11-2008

Its the right way round you are right. but sumatrans are pongo abelii

25-11-2008

I took it that Zooplantman was meaning Sumatran tapirs were harder to come by, not the orangutans.....

25-11-2008

Nope, orangs
Fewer in zoos if I am correct

26-11-2008

well monkey world managed to get thier hands on one! they arent "as" common as borneo ones but there are still quite a few in zoos across the world, from an education point of view it should be all sumaturan animals!

26-11-2008

Correct overall/numerically. In the Uk only Chester and Jersey currently exhibit them ,but in Europe I believe the zoos keeping Sumatrans equal and may actually outnumber those with Bornean orangutans and some e.g. Heidleberg, Zurich, Basel, La Boisierre etc have large breeding groups. Bristol have kept Sumatran Orangutans previously and it shouldn't be difficult for them to obtain them again on that basis.

Monkeyworld's only Sumatran orangutan 'Aris' was sent to them from a European zoo(Basel?) for socialisation purposes, but I believe he was wrongly introduced to older animals which resulted in his injury and subsequent death.

26-11-2008

Berlin Zoo has two seperate groups of Sumatran Orang-utan, around 9 animals total I believe - strangley though the information board they have up states that "orang-utans come from Borneo" and also they have BOS material around.

I would be really pleased to see more Sumatrans in the UK and hopefully some sort of education/funding relating to the sumatran species - having spent the summer in Sumatra/Bornea you can really see the difference in support between the species, the critically endangered sumatran orang "rehab" centre was basically a hut, a couple of horrible looking cages and a feeding platform - whereas both of the centres I visited in Borneo were on a much larger scale with much better funding and facilities, it seems that it is always BOS that is the group that gets supported by the Zoo community, would be really amazing to see some kind of link between this new project and genuine in situ conservation in Sumatra before the last few animals are exterminated. I guess the problem is making sure the money does what is needed and not just end up in the pocket of some corrupt Indonesian official.

27-11-2008

are the only sumaturans in uk at chester at the moment?