Orang Utan Forest » Colchester Zoo

22-10-2008

Which turtle, fish and invertebrate species are we looking at?

Any indication when new pure-bred orangs will be added?
What is the EEP current policy with the pure-bred female (how genetically important is she to the overall population)?

22-10-2008

Djambe is from well represented lines. I don't think there is any priority to breed from her which is why they have been allowed to keep her in a non- breeding situation all this time.

23-10-2008

i am going for shriek week when the zoo is open until 9pm. im gonna take pics of orangutans and put them on here. i also gonna post pics of other stuff too and will report on what its like to be at the zoo in the dark.

23-10-2008

Aww that sound great you will probably have better luck with taking photos when its darker with the glass ceiling the building is a nightmare for photographers with all the reflections.

Have a lovely time

14-02-2009

Hi all just to let you know that the outdoor area of Orangutan Forest is now open. I'm going to colchester zoo next week so will report then.

14-02-2009

Perhaps you could ask if there's any news on a companion for Rajang?

14-02-2009

Any update would be great I emailed them after christmas but no reply

The Turtles were settled in last time I went and also the insect tanks had Sapah spiny stick insects and Giant spiny stick insects. The aquarium was matured but no fish in it.

The outside area was nearly completed and was looking great EXCEPT FOR they had the most awful Orang utan statues I have ever seen! Truely awful I will upload some pics to the gallery

09-03-2009

I know there has been alot of comments in the gallery following the pictures being posted of the completed outside area but I visited the outside bit for the first time yesterday and was expecting the worst!

On the plus side (yes there are some! IMHO)

It is very deceiving size wise on the photos it is about 8 times as big as Rajys last enclosure!

The huge glass viewing windows are fantastic for giving everyone a good view, the outside viewing area is also covered and has some fake rock seats (yes the same awful fake rock colour)

If Rajang does go outside he is not playing to his audience and can potter about moving the bark!

The orangs will certainly be sheltered from the wind etc lol

There was plenty of climbing ummm wooden things plus a tree in the middle that may still be alive ?? You could see nearly all of the enclosure still.

The restored church is lovely to walk around and has some quiet spots with benches.

On the negative side

I wonder if it has been rushed to finish and a nice mural on the awful pink walls would have be nicer for both the orangs and visitors

The whole building would have been better around the other way!

It is a really odd design as in that the inside parts are so exposed to the public even the sleeping quarters (although obviously be ok at night) and if they did have babies in the future no privacy and then you have the outside bit that they have no contact with the public!?

It is also very very warm inside which is great for Rajang but is hardly going to tempt him to spend much time outside all year round!

They have barked the outside viewing area making it hard work for wheelchair/buggy users.

I am slightly biased but it wasnt as worse as I was expecting it really does need some planting outside tho. Also some bits Rajang would never use but I suppose they are looking ahead!

What ever you think of it it is a lot better than what they had before!

Its hard to justify the extra expense of building the tunnel under the road, digging down to get the height and restoring the church! At the expense of a better enclosure! Why did they not build it somewhere else in the zoo for example behind Rajangs enclosure where the indoor play area has been extended and move that! At least they would have had more money to spend on the enclosure!

09-03-2009

I have been waiting for your views on all this, interesting views.

It is a shame more money couldn't be spent on the actually enclosure. (chester enclosure is fantastic and only cost 1.5 million more) I do wonder if they had spent all the £2 million on it whether it would of been better, I still come to the conclusion that I would still not of liked what ever they came up with.

09-03-2009

The orangutan enclosure was due to be uilt where dragons of komodo and the hunting dog enclosure is now. I believe that they could not obtain planning for this as they wanted to cut down some trees but were not allowed. Personally I think the enclosure will be ok if it was planted up a bit! I also thought that there was going to be viewing all the way around this enclosure.
On the other species in orangutan forest, the turtles are now in their tank and the large aquarium will be in use soon. There is no sign of the frogs but there are giant spiny stick insects in there at the moment. Sabah spiny stick insects are also have a tank of their own.

*Work on the amur leopard enclosure will start in the summer and work on the tropical house will, start this autumn.

18-03-2009

I agree the orangutan statues outside were/are hideous and are really rather insulting to these magnificent animals. How much better it would have been if bronze statues, similar in style to the others dotted about the zoo, could have been commissioned instead.

My daughter and I visited on Monday 16 Feb ........ the baby statue was there 1st thing but when we called back to say "goodbye" to Rajang in the afternoon it had gone ! Either someone had nicked it - or maybe climbed on it and broken it ?

We went again this Saturday just gone and the baby statue is still missing and we noticed they've now erected railings around the adult statues, and also put up a plinth in memory of Djambe.

19-03-2009

I'm glad they've put up a plinth for Djambe. I'm still waiting for Paignton's memorial to Bulu who died last May.
Any news on a companion for Rajang?

20-03-2009

I see people are still making unfavourable comments in the Gallery about the new enclosure. How is Rajang using it?

20-03-2009

I think I've been about half a dozen times since the new enclosure was opened and have only ever seen him in the inside section so far. As he always used to, he spends a lot of time sitting right by the glass observing the visitors, but I also saw him quite niftily climb up to the upper storey and down again which was a 1st for me (to see him shift more than a few feet).

I've seen the comments in the gallery too and am now starting to think that a lot of them make sense. At 1st glimpse, the new enclosure seemed so much larger, brighter and cleaner than the old one so you're bound to think it's an improvement - which I still think it is overall ....... but I'm increasingly thinking that opportunities were missed outside, comparatively small things which, IMO, surely wouldn't have been that much more expensive to implement.

Someone else remarked that overhead bars from which vines/ropes could be extended would have been a good idea. Maybe, just maybe, this was discounted due to Rajang's age and relative inactivity, but if so, that seems a very short sighted attitude pending the arrival of any further orangs. Something like this wouldn't have impaired the visitors' view at all given the way it's been set up.

The other glaring omission is surely plants ! These would have softened the clean, but rather souless external area and might have provided enrichment ? A grassed area must also be preferable to the bark floor as it would have seemed much more natural.

20-03-2009

So probably Rajang would have preferred to stay where he was and be able to watch visitors from indoors and outdoors.
I find it hard to believe that they designed it without any sort of greenery, not even grass. As you say, it is soulless.