First major news of the year is that Red Panda have returned to the collection (the previous individuals died a couple of years ago) A male was imported from Dortmund (former breeding male) in Spring 2011 and he's just finished quarentine. His new home will be between the Black Rhino http://www.aspinallfoundation.org/portlympne/animals-at-port-lympne/viewAnimal/113
I don't know if this has been mentioned or is true but ISIS and Port Lympne's website list them as holding 1.1 Carpathian lynx. Is this true? Lynx | Kent Safari Park & Zoo | Port Lympne Wild Animal Park
Very possibly....they had 1 elderly female siberian lynx at port lympne near the caracals, and 3 elderly siberian lynx at howletts (one died, the other 2 are 19 year old sisters that cannot be long for this world!). They were probably waiting for the existing lynx to pass on before sourcing a new breeding pair.
This would be very interesting if true, this would be the third pair in the UK (with only Highland and Newquay holding them).
Can I ask where the Siberian lynx are at Howletts? When I went to Kent last summer I did both collections. Port Lympne had an enclosure next to the caracals with Siberian lynx in it [but I seem to recall there being a pair, and THINK they may have been in quarentine], and Howletts had an enclosure with [a pair?] of Northern lynx. Zootierliste puts them the other way around though, so don't know. Don't know about Carpathian lynx though.
I also did both collections last summer! The siberian lynx at Lympne is an old female is memory serves, there was only one listed on the enclosure and i don't think she was in quaratine - she's been there a while. The lynx at howletts are between the cafe and the honey badgers. With regard to their subspecie, according to the picture in the link below, they are Felis Lynx Lynx, which is the nominate subspecie of eurasian lynx and inhabist most of northern eurasia - usually called northern lynx. https://www.zoochat.com/community/posts/506076 The link in post #2 says that the subspecie at port lympne is felis lynx wrangeli, inhabiting eastern siberia (the subspecie usually called the siberian lynx). However, its worth noting that while detailed DNA and mitochondrial studies of the wildcat subspecies has been done, the same hasn't et happened for the eurasian lynx subspecies so they're unclear. I suspect most older lynx in captivity are at least partially hybrid.
just curious, if Port Lympne's own website explicitly states they have 2 Carpathian lynxes why would you be implying it wasn't true?
I was implying that they normally release a press release. Just to add on 0.0.1 Malayan tapir born 13th January. It's just been on daybreak.
you might need to look back quite a way for a press release about the lynxes: they were newly-arrived back in May last year when well-known photographer Terry Whittaker was photographing them Terry Whittaker Photo Blog: May 2011 (and in fact they are mentioned in passing in post #81 of this Zoochat thread: http://www.zoochat.com/38/something-coming-186225/index6.html)
I went to PL Sunday and Monday just gone, and they do indeed have 2 Lynx, they're right where you get off from the unbelievably bumpy African Experience 'bus'. I have a couple of photos.
I visited PL this weekend, my first visit since the changes. Have they hired Gerald Ratner? What was one of my favourite zoo's to visit has been ruined in my opinion.
Seems the same comment from most on here who have visited recently but remember as it was before 'the changes'. It will be interesting to see how it is working for their mainstream public too.
A female Greater Bamboo Lemur named Belle has arrived from France. BBC News - Rare bamboo lemur given new home at Kent animal park
Unsexed Gorilla born 26th Feb to Mumba and Djala.. Rare lowland gorilla born at zoo - Regional - Littlehampton Gazette
Birth of a female Grizzled Leaf Monkey... Monkey's business is conservation - Regional - Littlehampton Gazette
I don't think any have been born and as they are classed as endangered (Critically?) then I'm sure PL would be happy to announce it. The original group is 2.2 (?) an adult pair plus 1.1 offspring (the male Kassalo is castrated, his father Gorbi isn't) they bred a female in 2006 and a female left for Europe (Fuengirola?) Edinburgh is the only place in the UK to breed Drills apart from PL.
They have bred more than this- at least three/four young since the original group of 5/6-including the castrated younger male- came from Stuttgart. The young have mostly been females too, but I am not sure what they are doing about future breeding e.g. splitting the group to prevent inbreeding(which may have happened already) or starting a second one, or sending more of the young elsewhere.
