Howletts » Howletts Wild Animal Park

04-09-2007

I was under the impression that Norfolk wildlife park recieved 3 European wolves from Wildwood in Kent, did they also have Iberian wolves?

09-09-2007

I was at Port Lympne last month. They are building a new house just north of the bachelor gorillas and the animal health centre. The sign says it will be for black rhinos, which currently use the paddock, and the baboons. I couldn't tell how it was going to work, a mixed species exhibit seems unlikely (but what do I know?). It would be nice if the baboons had a spacious open-topped exhibit, rather than another 'drum' of wood and wire.

Alan

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09-09-2007

I would definitely agree with you regarding mixed species. I don't think Black Rhinos will mix with anything- never mind anything as mischievous as baboons!

09-09-2007

port lympne originally had their black rhino mixed with cape buffalo.

09-09-2007

I think the 'drums' of wood and wire are largely a thing of the past now.. The new enclosures for primates are a whole lot better.

I'm really glad they're doing something for those Guinea baboons, they've been in that cage by the entrance for too long. And I reckon you COULD keep them with Black Rhinos- Port Lympne's rhinos are really quite tractable and docile- maybe an electric fence around the paddock to contain the Baboons? Perhaps its too 'avante garde' though, but their latest enclosures have been good.

I'm hoping the Drills too will eventually be given a 'woodland zone' around their existing cage. It would be quite easy to put an electrified fence around a section of trees. Incidentally, when I saw them last year, the male 'Gorbi' was much more active than the previous year, and was trotting nimbly around the branches in the top of the cage. I suspect that even that ugly old enclosure has far more room than they had at Stuttgart and so he is corespondingly fitter....

09-09-2007

I believe that they did. I would be very interested to know if the Iberian Wolf pair at Howletts and the pair on loan to Colchester came from there originally. I think they could well have done so as Norfolk Wildlife Park closed as a wild animal collection last year and the stock was dispersed around the country.
Also I think that they had about 4 Four Spanish wolves and I see that the total for Howletts and Colchester is also 4... I could be totally wrong on this though as I'm guessing here.

moloch gibbons
25-12-2007

does anyone have any information about the Moloch Gibbon group at howletts, eg. numbers, how it started, involvement with other zoos etc.
according to their website they have 8 males and 12 females, representing half the global zoo population.

25-12-2007

Kelvin, ISIS has Howletts numbers listed for them as 6m. 9f. 2.

Port Lympne numbers as 3m. 2f. they hold most of the silvers in captivety, there is a website about this species on the net.

25-12-2007

Howletts has recently been redistributing silvery gibbons born at their zoo parks to EAZA zoos. Belfast have received 1.1 (Omar+Assini) with their offspring 0.1 (Dieng) and 1.0 (Wayang).

Another zoo to recently have received a prospective breeding pair is Saint Martin La Plaine primate zoo in France.

04-03-2008

Just seen a video uploaded today from Howletts, showing an new African elephant calf, anyone confirm?

05-03-2008

Yeh thats right a female born to Tammi - born late last month i think - where did u find the video of her ?

10-03-2008

Have many of the elephants born at Howletts left for other collections?? I know Osh went to the US and i think another young male left because of fears he may be injured by Jums but other than the females that left for Port Lympne to join Kruger i don't think many have left. I suppose its like the common argument on the Black Rhino thread about the Aspinall parks being reluctant to help other institutions.

Is there any news on Kruger's herd over at Port Lympne?? Pregnancies, etc

10-03-2008

I asked one of the keepers there and she said they never re-home female elephants because female elephants would never leave their mothers in the wild, and it would cause too much stress to the other elephants.

10-03-2008

Isn't it common practise for zoos to keep female elephant calves in the group unless there is different circumstances (space, fights etc)?

10-03-2008

Howletts used to be a forward looking place ....? It is just that the argument over not breaking up female alignments is fine in sofar that the numbers game does not come into play. It obviously has at Howletts, so they sent on 3 females off to Port Lympne.

Anyhow, it is now becoming more common practice in the Asian elephant EEP to move part female family units to other zoos if the herd gets to large. A most recent example has been the 2 pregnant females that left Rotterdam Zoo for Dublin Zoo in 2006/7. To no ill effect as both have now given birth to a healthy calf and the new location is contemplating building a bull enclosure for future breeding ..... So, the above mentioned argument becomes somewhat superficial.