Orangutan Island/Lemur Wood » Paignton Zoo

13-10-2008

if chinta is from london she must be pretty old?

13-10-2008

Chinta was born in 1990. She came to Paignton with her mother, Senja, who died in 2000, and Bulu and her son, Nakal. Nakal is now in Fuengirola and Bulu died in May aged 47. Gambira was born in 1997, Mali in 1995 and Demo in 1998.

13-10-2008

At her age Chinta is full of life and promise and surely will do her "bit" in raising the next generation of orangs. I expect that the breeding programme will be up and running with proven Demo.

13-10-2008

Of all the Gorilla enclosures I've seen in Uk and abroad, I would rate Paignton's (at least up to 2005) the hardest anywhere to see the Gorillas in their outdoor situation. My complaint is you couldn't SEE the animals even when they are moving about, NOT that they don't show hemselves. There's a big difference between the two. This is because the increasingly dense vegetation on the public's side of the water obscured views of the island & its occupants at all but a couple of places. The first time I ever saw the exhibit I was struck at how few viewing points situated around it there were. Then even they became overgrown though Gigit tells me some of the veg has been removed to give a better views now.

The more vegetation on the island itself the better and the gorillas can always retreat away from the public viewing areas if they want. But as you've noticed, they'd still rather prefer to stay indoors a lot where people can stare directly at them through glass. I'm not sure that Apes are really bothered at all by crowds of people anyway- so long as they can get away if they wish to. The Gorilla groups at Howletts are all happy to go about their business without trying to hide away from the almost permanent flow of visitors standing only a couple of feet outside their enclosures. Sometimes they go into the less visible areas too but nobody leaves Howletts complaining they can't see the Gorillas, and this is the most successful breeding programme in the World.

14-10-2008

I always manange to SEE the animals. My point is that Paignton is a natural zoo not trimmed and manicured like some others. The wild vegetation softens the exhibit boundaries and encompasses the public into a sense of being in the animals' environment.

Your judgements are outdated and present a false and not very complimentary view of the zoo to other readers. Come and SEE for yourself and if you're still not satisfied perhaps you could redesign the enclosures and submit them to the zoo's management.

14-10-2008

I was referring to what I think was a shortcoming in the viewing facilities at one exhibit, not to the enclosure or the zoo itself. It may be improved since my last visit which would be good news(especially for photographers). As for redesigning things, all they needed is a pair of branch cutters.

14-10-2008

i never realised london had orangs upto then!

15-10-2008

Yes - they came to Paignton in 1992 when London decided to stop holding them, in favour of chimps. I've just been reliving it by watching a DVD of 'The Ark', a BBC series about how London nearly closed and the steps they took to keep it open. They decided that the public thought chimps were more interesting and that they were easier to keep. A bonus for Paignton (and ultimately, me!)

01-11-2008

I've uploaded 3 photos of tree-climbing orangutans so that you, especially Pertinax, can see that they do climb now and again! Mali is on the larger island and Chinta on the smaller - the first time I've seen anyone on it since male, Nakal, left. (keywords Paignton orangutan 2008)

02-11-2008

Orangutans in trees at Paignton? Unheard of... Actually they look pretty good against the foliage background. Hopefully the new pair will use them on a more regular basis and maybe encourage Chinta & Gambira too. There are more ropes and platforms than previously, which may help encourage access too.

Fact for the week; Did you know that 'Mali' is a full sister of 'Batu' at Twycross...?

02-11-2008

One of the more fragile looking trees is already showing wear and tear from their climbing with some broken branches. I saw Mali fall from it as a branch snapped but fortunately she wasn't very high up. She and Demo are featherweights compared to the less active Chinta and Gambira who may have to be more cautious when climbing. They are a delight to watch.
Yes, I knew about Mali and Batu but haven't noticed any family resemblances!

02-11-2008

I'd be interested to know whether Demo and Mali came from an enclosure where they had lots of climbing opportunity, or if it is primarily their younger age and 'outlook' that accounts for their climbing ability and proper use of the trees at Paignton. I feel sure the ex London Orangs were so inactive because of their previous background and Gambira just took their lead.

Its great to see the trees being climbed at last, wear and tear = regular usage!

02-11-2008

The thread on Munster Zoo has a link to a description of the orangutan enclosure there and it looks as though they do have trees etc to climb.