Can you tell me if the individual dens the chimps sleep in are still the original ones in part of the Tropical House. And are the original indoor viewing areas(big indoor yards viewed from above through glass) still there? The chimp area has changed so much, there used to be three seperate islands which were infilled to make the one current outdoor area. The circular indoor communual area is quite new too. Originally the chimps lived as two or three small seperate groups on the islands and were viewed through a public passageway above(like the orangs) between the outside and indoor areas. Is all of that still there but closed off to the public?
No. As far as I know they are in a purpose built house next to the tropical house. They also live as one big group on one Island. There is no other area that they could possibly go to.
Yes, I know they live on the one Island(that used to be three with water moats in between) but where do they go indoors when not in the 'Round House' which is the indoor exhibit, e.g. they aren't fed in that. Do they have a load of dens behind there? When it was three old islands they used to have loads of inside dens behind the scenes in the tropical house, you could hear them screaming when they were being fed....
There used to be a passageway behind the line of aviaries in the tropical house, and all the individual chimp dens were along that- there was a whole long row of them. The lowland gorillas probably used these too as when young, they lived on what was the nearest of the three islands(that would be the part of the chimp outdoors that is now alongside the wall)
It is going behind the red river hog enclosure I think. It's hard to tell when you're in there. You can smell the Chimp urine and you're worried about whether the chimps will burst through the door at Any minute.
Yes, that would be the general area. There used to be five outside islands for the Apes at CHester, two(now the red river hog enclosure) were at a right angle to the other three(now all one, the Chimpanzee area. The Eastern Lowland gorillas and Orangutans each had one of the two where the hogs are. The lowland gorillas and two chimp groups had the other three. Orangutan and Eastern Gorillas had the indoor areas which are large Hornbill(?) aviaries now. Chimps and lowland gorillas had indoor yards which were viewed from a passageway which has long been shut to the public.
The night time accommodation for the chimps is behind the roundhouse. There are 7 sleeping dens, all inter-connected, with access to the island without going through the public inside area. I think one of the signs on the enclosure has a plan of the building on it.
Do either of you Chester experts know which is now Chester's oldest chimpanzee since 'Meg' died a few years ago? And how old was Meg when she died?
I read on another thread there's a female chimp at Sydney Zoo that's just turned 60. I thought Meg didn't reach that and was more like in her mid-fifties?
It don't know. The only Chimps I know are Boris ( the oldest currently in the group) and Cleo. Cleo has a permently large bottom.
Meg died on 30th December 2001 aged 54. She was the oldest Chimpanzee in the UK, and probably the oldest in Europe. She was donated to the zoo on 16th January 1950 aged 3 and a half. She was a memeber of the Western Chimpanzee subspecies (Pan troglodytes verus) and was the mother of the first Chimpanzee to be successfully reared at Chester Zoo. This was Jeannie in 1961. Grantsmb was right, Meg was in her mid-fifties. I'm going to Chester tomorrow, I'll look and see who is the oldest Chimp.
Re Meg- yes, I thought she was about fifty four when she died. I remember Jeannie, she was a bit stunted, perhaps through poor rearing.. Bongorob- could you find out which Zoo the new Liontailed Macaque male hails from? (and where the last male went to as well?) Any other details like name, age etc useful if you can ask anybody. An update on the rhino situation would be good too- general news e.g. any plans for trying to breed quinto' with a female?
You remember Jeannie, what a feat. All chimps look the same to me. You can guess I'm not a chimp fan. I was at the opening of the new house in 1989 when the Princess of Wales came, and my claim to fame is that I stood next to two of the retired head gardeners, Philip Gallup and Walter Worth. I'm not bothered that no one has ever heard of them. I asked about breeding rhinos in March, there were no plans to pair any up then, but I'll try to see if the situation has altered.
I can remember some of the other old Chimpanzees too. On one island lived the oldest ones including Meg, plus another female Babu, and two or possibly three males, Bolden, Prince and...(?) Jeannie lived on the next island with several others, including a very active male 'Algy' who used to hurl great sods of grass at the public glass windows above the islands. I think virtually all of Chester's current chimps, including the four(?) adult males,(Boris, Nicky, Wilson & Friday)) were born at Chester, apart from a couple of females(Halfpenny & Farthing) from Colwyn Bay. For many years the group has produced nearly all female offspring.
Quote from grantsmb Bongorob- could you find out which Zoo the new Liontailed Macaque male hails from? (and where the last male went to as well?) Any other details like name, age etc useful if you can ask anybody. An update on the rhino situation would be good too- general news e.g. any plans for trying to breed quinto' with a female? Sorry, didn't get to see anyone at the Monkey House. Quinto has not yet been housed with a female but he will be as soon as one comes into season. Saw the Indian Rhino, the blackbuck and deer are in with him now.
