Part of the Mandrill exhibit at Colchester 29/11/09

Like Gorillas and other forest living primates, I get the distinct impression Mandrills prefer cover over their heads. Although Colchester's big group look happy and active outdoors, its probably a case where they are used to being shut out and so behave accordingly. Chester's group( and those at Trotters too) demonstrate what happens if given the choice- they stay inside much of the time.

In Colchester's case, no indoor viewing probably means people wouldn't see them if they had indoor access in the daytime- so they shut them out and nobody is any the wiser.

No indoor viewing means more privacy. The mandrills are allowed indoors sometimes during the day but as you can imagine it takes a lot of time, patience and wits to move 26 + mandrills out outside to enable keepers to clean up. (they make a hell of a mess!) This is the main reason why Colchester do leave them outside for most of the day. I am not saying it takes all day to clean up!

But surely it doesn't take all day to clean up? And an off-show indoor area doesn't mean more privacy if they only have access to it when the zoo is closed - Chester's have just as much privacy at night!

They are sometimes allowed indoors during the day. Indoor viewing as well as outdoor viewing is ridiculous. They ahve just extended the off-show area to make it easier to move the mandrills around off-show.

I'm not sure why you say it's 'ridiculous' - Colchester have both indoor and outdoor viewing for the orangs, chimps, Geladas, Patas, mangabeys, one group of colobus, the spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys and many other primates. The only places I'm aware of that make a conscious effort to avoid this are the Aspinall sites (and even there there are exceptions).

I'm not damning Colchester's Mandrill exhibit for not having indoor viewing, or even for shutting the Mandrills out on occasion, but these are among the reasons why I think Chester's exhibit is better.

Ok Maguari, lets leave it a that shall we. What do you make of the warthog exhibit? I feel this would have been more suited to the mandrills as its a large (was!) green enclosure and would be a nicely planted area for them. I also feel the off-show area is better here than the current mandrill pad.

Gah, where's your stamina, man? Thrust, parry, argument, counter-argument!

I don't know about the off-show area, but am I right in saying the two enclosures were built at the same time? I rather like this area of Colchester, in truth; the open paddocks with open viewing are a welcome break from the glass windows of the older part of the zoo.

I don't quite follow your argument here. It is completely hypothetical as the layout and design of the enclosure precludes access by public to the indoor area anyway. In their old Mandrill house and enclosure both inside and outdoor could be viewed at the same time and I do seem to remember they had access indoors during the daytime in those days.

The new primate enclosures at both Howletts and Port Lympne incorporate public viewing windows in the inside areas, so they have moved away from catering for any 'privacy' needs with these newer enclosures.

I agree about the Colchester enclosure- I am sure the Mandrills don't suffer unduly when they are shut outside- though on a very cold & raw day like today I imagine(& hope!) they had access to the indoors.

I do prefer exhibits where there is 'free choice' between in/out access though.

I think the Mandrill one is older by several years.