News at Chester » Chester Zoo

News at Chester
12-07-2008

Chester zoo is listed as having 4025 seba's short tailed bats. Is this right? Last time I looked the population was around 500!

12-07-2008

Surely that must be an error there.

12-07-2008

I think it must be wrong. Not so long ago they were trying to bring the numbers down. They had 659 at the beginnig of the year. That's an increase of 3363 in just over 6 months, I don't think they breed that fast. Perhaps it should read 425.

Some of the rodent figures I think are errors also.

13-07-2008

I argee bongrob, must be a mistake and the real number is surely around 425.

Parrots
13-07-2008

Chester now has 2.1 Blue throated conure-do they plan to breed this species again?

Chester is listed as having 1.1 golden capped conure- where are these kept in the zoo?

13-07-2008

I think the Golden Capped Conures are in the round aviaries.

13-07-2008

The Campbells Monkeys are no longer in with the Mandrills so i think they may have left the zoo.

13-07-2008

It looked like they were being prepared for leaving because there were animal carriers in the keeper area behind the mandrill enclosure. The carrier looked too small for a mandrill so I assumed the monkeys were being caught up.

13-07-2008

The Campbell's monekys are in the zoo's animal food breeding centre. The new female mandrills were bullying them. Chester are looking for a new home for the monkeys.

13-07-2008

Could this be a foretaste of what happens with mixed monkey exhibits in the future? I think it is asking for trouble when the different species are going to be in enforced proximity with each other.....

13-07-2008

Pertinax you could be right, but I think it depends on the animals themselves.

Chester used to house mandrill, grivet monekys, Campbell's guenons and African crested porcupines together with out any problems. All the primates regularly groomed each other regardless of the species.

14-07-2008

Shame, i really liked the combination of the 4 species together.

21-07-2008

ISIS now lists Seba's bats at Chester as 435. That sounds more like it. It seems the last entry of 4025 really should have been 425.

21-07-2008

Their were quite a few problems which is why they removed the Grivet Monkeys and the African Creasted Porcupines from the exhibit.

21-07-2008

Are we talking about in the existing Mandrill enclosure in the Monkey House here? (there was a period when I never visited Chester for many years so I wouldn't have seen this...)

I also agree the 'mixed exhibit' idea depends largely on the individual species(and individuals) concerned. I imagine that where a large or dominant species- like Mandrills- is in a minority with only a pair or so, they won't present much trouble to another species but as the group enlarges they become a more powerful force. Chester may need to establish the correct balance in each mixed exhibit and then maintain this ratio longterm.