Chessinton zoo will be expanding its animal collection with a new ride similer to rhino rally at busch gardens. It will be an extension of the new african area and will include giraffes, rhinos and flamingos. Scroll down to the bottom of the linked page for more infromation. Chessington World of Adventure Disucssion Thread - Page 7 - Theme Park Review
I think its appaling that the gorillas are to remain in the current cage-like exhibit while a new specie is bought in to make a nice busch garden-esque tourist ride. The field the are devleping now is easily large enough to have accomodated a new gorilla enclosure (open topped, or on a island, colobus/diana monkeys as labelled on orginal plans for that site, and larger avaries for african birds. The gorilla house could have held reptiles/invertebrates and amphibians and thereby replaced the current creepy caves with a more focussed exhibit. There would probably have been space still for larger leopard and lion enclosures too. The field would then have been nicely zoned with savannah animals in one part, african forest animals in the next bit and then persian cats in the third. This has become a common theme in zoos recently ive noticed, leave your exhisting animals in small cages and spend lots of monye on new exhibits for new species (e.g. twycross as the prime suspect, possibly newquay too (monkeys left in cages while new field given over to ostrich, nyala and zebra), and now chessington). How many gorilla groups does chessington keep? there are 10 animals on the website but are they in 2 groups or 1?
I would think 3 habitats would really suit one of the more solitary species better. Being a social species the white rhino would require a herd paddock / exhibit and at least one separation area for females in calf and bulls not currently wanted within the herd structure (e.g. competitor bull to stimulate the dominant male into breeding and territorial behaviour).
Gorilla groups... The gorilla groups are two consisting of four in group one. The remaining are six in group two. Group one Kumba, the dominant male (Retired). Bafia, Kumili and Kumi are the other members in the group. Group two Damisi, the dominant male (Only breeding male at Chessington). Shani, Shanga and Asili are the other members of the group. The two I haven't mentioned are a mother and son. Buu and her son Mbula who is her first (successful?) baby, he was born 10th March 2009. Buu was born 30th November 1996 at Chessington to Shani and Kumba. Kumba was wild caught and born in 1968 along with Bafia. Asili and Shani are half sisters born 1991 and 1990 respectively.
Thanks for that, are the 3 females with the retired male also retired/too old to breed? If not, will they be integrated with the breeding group?
I assume that Bafia is retired. I don't know about breeding but Kumili and Kumi are his offspring. http://library.sandiegozoo.org/studbooks/primates/gorilla2010.pdf
'Kumba's group consists of himself and Baffia, the female he was originally imported with circa 1970, who has never bred with him and will never breed now. The two others with them are the two youngest offspring of Kumba (Kuni is male, Kumili is female, both born in 2004 to Asili and Shani respectively)) who were placed in this group for safety as they were still quite small when new male Damisi was added to the main group. I presume the young female Kumili, now 8 years old, is being contracepted to prevent breeding with her old father. Presumably, when the old male Kumba dies, the others will be added to the main group, or maybe the two younger ones will be at some time before that. Chessington currently have three females(Shani(22) and her two daughters, Shangha(11) and Kumili(8)) now all of breeding age but seemingly(afaik) still being prevented from breeding, whereas it was announced this time last year that Asili ((21) she is also the mother of London's Mjuku) was being allowed to breed again to even up the family-line balance within the group. I do not know if she has become pregnant yet, but females that have been on contraception sometimes have problems with fertility afterward. Regarding the Housing- originally it was planned to build a large new open Gorilla enclosure in the new African section but for some reason this was scotched (cost?) and an extra extension cage was built instead, next to the existing one, to give the smaller 2nd group fulltime access outside. I don't know if plans for a completely new enclosure will be resurrected in future, perhaps unlikely. In the meantime, the potential of Chessington's group remains underused, with the apparent restrictions on the group's expansion.
Excellent news! My suspicion that contraception might delay pregnancy was unfounded in this case as they announced she was taken off the pill almost exactly a year ago. I hope its a female baby though.
Article on Asili's new bub and some nice photos too: Chessington Zoo blessed with a little miracle: Gorilla mother keeps baby close to her heart just hours after giving birth | Mail Online
There seems to have been a resurgence of interest in gorilla breeding lately. I do hope all the positives continue to surprise us ...! I would assume that other gorilla females not yet having had a bub will now be allowed to breed or are already pregnant.
There are three other females of breeding age there, Shani (22) and her daughter Shangha(11) and Asili's younger daughter Kumili(8) which are (afaik) still on the Pill. Its a curious situation,as its potentially a very free breeding group but they are held back from breeding from all females- possibly due to space or because they are from well represented genetic lines on both sides- maybe a bit of both? Asili( also mother of Mjuku at London)was allowed to breed again primarily to give her more family representation in the main group.
It did for one of Chessington's younger females too- there was confusion over Shangha's sex for several years before they were sure. It depends how soon they can get a proper look at the relevant parts. The ill-fated Tiny at London zoo was clearly a male, you could see that when Mjuku held him on her lap. Asili is also mother of the females Mjuku(now at London) and Kumili (still at Chessington.) I was amused by their description of the older youngster Mbula 'hopping around' the enclosure- what do they think they are, Kangaroos?
Since, it is an endangered species and perhaps overrepresented in zoos (but not in situ) ... provide surplus zooborns to reintroduction projects in the central African Congo zone. It has been done and is ongoing. So, why do not more zoos provide source animals (as in a metapopulation management model).
She was taken off the pill on Valentine's day 2011- Chessington Zoo blessed with a little miracle: Gorilla mother keeps baby close to her heart just hours after giving birth | Mail Online
