Wolf cubs 'rescue' » Cefn-yr-Erw

03-09-2008

One would think that with a couple of pairs of gibbons going back to hopefully be realised, the orangutan's will have a similar future. Its a tricky situation esp where animals breed between ownership.

It would be interesting to know whether the EEP orangutan crech means just that and once there are nearing sexual maturity they will be sent of to other collections.

I don't suppose asking them about this would even get a reply?

03-09-2008

Jeremy Keeling managed Gordon Mill's private collection of orangs and gorillas at Weybridge - I was fortunate to visit the collection . As is stated above Amy was born and hand-reared by Jeremy and went with him to Monkeyworld when the Weybridge collection was disbanded . I think 2 of the gorillas went to Longleat with the rest of both going to collections in the States .

One young male gorilla came from Tyseley Pet Stores in Birmingham - I remember it being advertised for sale in 'Cage and Aviary Birds' . I also remember a pair of baby orangs being advertised . How things have changed !

03-09-2008

1. I imagine the EEP animals can be reclaimed and sent to other zoos at the EEp's discretion.

2. I'm thinking maybe the idea behind breeding orangutans there is for repatriation. I suspect if you asked they would say that was the intention. They are supposedly 'anti-zoo' so can't be breeding them to deliberately add to the zoo population(already pretty much at full capacity anyway)

03-09-2008

I went once too. The enclosures were copied from his friend Aspinall's, but concrete floored. 3 of the Gorillas went to Longleat- the 2 old females, Tessy & Flossy (non-breeders which originally came from Copenh,agen) and the male 'Monty' who later fell in the lake and drowned. The others; Winston, Olly, Tzambo, Moemba & female Katie (the only younger female but she never bred), all went to San Diego Zoo & WAP. I think Moemba is still the silverback in one group, and possibly Winston in the other.

The Tysley Pet store gorilla was 'Olly' - he had a blind eye and was a very small male (probably stunted) like London's current one. I saw him both at Tysley's Pet Shop and later at Weybridge. He died(not surprisingly) without breeding.

03-09-2008

Wasn't 'Olly' advertised for sale as a Mountain gorilla , or is it my memory ? Tysley also had a baby Asian elephant bull for sale , wonder what happended to him .

03-09-2008

no, your memory is good, he was... I don't remember the baby elephant though.

Some of Gordon Mill's orangutans came from Belle Vue when it closed, including female 'Janey' (previously at Flamingo Park.) who was later the mother of Wareham's 'Amy'
The father of 'Amy' was 'Louis'- I think he was a Tylsey pet shop orangutan that was confiscated and held short term at one or more zoos(Dudley/flamingo Park etc) before going to Weybridge.