Rare species in European zoos

05-05-2007

Oh. Well they wen't shown on a TV programme I watched About it.

05-05-2007

yer well i guess they can only show you so much of a large collection in the limited time on the tv.

05-05-2007

I think there are still a few macaws at Howletts, but they are the only birds there that I know of- there used to be peacocks wandering about but I haven't noticed any on recent visits. Similarly there's a couple of Pythons but no other reptiles that I know of.

Birds/reptiles were never part of Aspinall's masterplan to 'befriend and conserve big mammals' which is why they don't have anything in that line.

06-05-2007

I prefer zoos when they have alarge collection of birds and mammals, like san diego or Chester.

23-05-2007

quote from Jwer

Does Twycross still have one dwarf-siamang? Heared it was the last of it's kind in Europe?

I went in June 2006 and he had died. A keeper told me they would not be acquiring any more because of their rairty in captivity. She also told me they no longer kept Mhorr gazelles, but I subsequently found out it was not true. They still have them, in the childrens' play area of all places. Not somewhere I thought of looking.

23-05-2007

I thought It was only Belfast that had the mhorrs. Does twycross still have the Malayan Tapirs. When I last Checked on ISIS only 1 was listed, but I've learned to be a bit wary about ISIS.

23-05-2007

When I last visited, which was quite a while a go now, Twycross had one Malayan Tapir, called Hoover. I'm not sure if that's still the case, or whether they've found some other ones to keep with him. I saw their Aardwolf back then too, but at the time they only had one.

It's definitely not only Belfast with the Mhorr because I've seen one at Twycross. They were pretty new when i went, and that was about 5 years ago (ish).

23-05-2007

Do any zoos in the area have bald uakaris? I was told only Los angeles had them outside South America, but Goodzoos online says that a german zoo has a pair of them.

23-05-2007

The elderly pair of white bald uakari's at Zoo Cologne both died shortly after each other in, i believe, 2006 (else 05).

LA Zoo holds, to my knowledge 1.3 red uakari's. An elderly pair and 2 younger (later imported) females.

According to Antwerp Zoo fans the zoo received 2.0 kiwi's from Frankfurt Zoo, but because they are kept in a daytime aviary noone actually ever sees them...

24-05-2007

I found that quite annoying. You can only see them on a big screen and I don't even think that they are antwerp's kiwis. What European zoos hold Shoebills? Have any zoos bred them?

24-05-2007

The only zoo I have ever seen Shoebills in was Frankfurt, but that was many years ago. THere may be others elsewhere in Europe nowadays. I imagine they are very difficult to breed.

24-05-2007

I've only seen them at Zurich zoo. They are kept just outside of the Black rhino house. I've heard that parc paradisio have a pair, but when I went in 2003, they hadn't got any.

Antwerp and kiwis
24-05-2007

Does Antwerp zoo not have a Nocturnal house ?
It is totally pointless having kiwis "on view " in an ordinary aviary as they will not be interesting to any visitor . Kiwis get stressed if they are aroused during the day on a regular basis , and it is not a good way to view a bird that can be VERY active when it wants to . You should see them feeding !
Given Antwerp Zoo reputation , I am surprised to hear this .
I hope the other zoos in Europe that house kiwis and other nocturnal birds in a proper nocturnal house if they are supposed to be on view

24-05-2007

First about the shoebills, they have never been bred in captivity according to many sources. Afaik that's true, at least in zoos. Paradisio holds 3.1. A pair lives in an aviary and are able to fly and produced an egg last year, but unfortunalely it was infertile. Frankfurt, Walsrode, Wuppertal and Zurich have them too. Prague Zoo recently imported 5 animals, they are building an exhibit for them atm, and untill that is finished they are off-display.

As for the kiwi's. Antwerp does have a nocturnal house and just about everyone is surprised they didn't get a spot in it. Noone really knows why. The only two other zoos do keep them in a nocturnal house, Berlin Zoo is upgrading theirs and Frankfurt in their infamous Grzimek-house.

26-05-2007

Does paradisio update it's ISIS records?
You have mentioned the pair in the aviary, where are the other 2 males? Do you know how many hornbills they have?