The zoo has received a black back jackal from the Czech Republic to be paired for breeding with the pup born this year at the zoo.
The zoo has had a lot of recent animal activity: The zoo has welcomed two goat kids. 4 New Guinea Singing Dog pups were born from the zoo, all from a rare bloodline. Sky the Eurasian brown bear cub has unexpectedly bonded with one of the rescue dogs at the zoo, Silly the terrier.
The zoo is currently adding on a two story addition to the reptile building to serve as indoor holding for some of the more tropical animals.
I may be visiting this Zoo in the near future. Does anyone have any advice on viewing for the black-backed jackals and palm civets? Are the exhibits easy to look into? Specific places within the exhibits to look? Certain times of the day better? Both are species I haven't seen before, and it would be awesome to check them out. Also on the website they have listed something called a pacaguitia. What is that?
maybe it's a hybrid between a paca and an agouti? On the same page they list a "Royal Tabbetin Yak" as well... I guess their statment "You may discover a few you didn’t even know existed!" holds true!
There's some bad press about the zoo's duo of chimpanzees. While I agree that no great ape should be in such small groups (except maybe orangutans): I don't agree with PETA, and 2. These chimps has lived with humans for most of its life, so separating it from its "parents" may not actuallybe the best thing for it. What do all of you have to say? Chrissie Hynde Urges DeYoung Family Zoo to Free Solitary Chimpanzees Andy Serkis Gives Voice To Lonely, Suffering Chimp - Look to the Stars
I think that whatever is best for the chimpanzees is what should be done. I can't confess that I know what that is; if they can be properly socialized and integrated into a chimp group, I think that should be the goal, but if they cannot be integrated then sending them elsewhere wouldn't be the best outcome for them. In addition to my not knowing what the best option is, I'm certain that PETA doesn't know either and these articles, as with everything PETA publishes, only seem to offer their biased perspective.
Preach. I agree with everything you just said. I really wish peta would actually do research instead of making biased assumptions that make them look like Heros and zoos like prisons.
PETA will never do that. It is somewhat similar to the tactics of Neo-Con / Alt-Right in the US with loads of conspiracy theories coupled with an all pervasive self important self interested "WE ART BETTER THAN THOU" attitude. A good example for Neo-Con / Alt Right f.i.: Denying climate change exists, denying we burn fossil fuels like there is no tomorrow while 97% of the respected climate scientists (those dealing with every day weather reporting and climate research) have concluded that it does and that the only discourse may / can be to what degree(s) stage climate change has already occured and what future trajectory lies ahead with continued unabatted burning fossil fuels and ever increasing populations. Similarly, as in the case of this small zoo the zoo is criticised for simply holding chimpanzees. And allthough their arguments claim animal welfare and "better off in the wild ...." as if the status of wild chimpanzees is safe and set in stone. The real issue we should have is that mainstream media seem most uncritical of that particular attitude, the blatantly incorrect information and unscientific non factualism they are designed to put out and the temperamental even dangerous emotionalism they seem to exude over the silent masses. If only they - animal welfarists of the PETA-kind - were really taking to task over this and the lies and the hearsay they make do for their arguments supporting their case.
Natgeo recently ran a series about this zoo called Backyard Zoo, filmed in 2010?. Its certainly entertaining but its easy to see how it would attract the odious and unwelcome attention of the anti zoo crowd. The couple who run it are eccentric and loud but there is no doubting their commitment to their animals. They also run a rescue centre for injured and/or neglected Wildlife and Domestics. The show itself seems a bit contrived and dramatic with lots of domestic disputes and luvy duvy stuff. They are real and fearless animal people who regularly risk life and limb jumping into alligator pools and kissing adult hyenas. In one scene Bud is cutting down massive trees in a bear enclosure and hes chain sawing the tree while looking over his shoulder at the bears and all the time the wife is nagging at him lol. Another scene shows a chicken straying into a Tiger pen and Bud running to the rescue with a broom to rescue the hen from the tigers jaws. Great stuff. The enclosures look pretty big and the woodland setting is great. I was so entertained by this show that I purchased Buds book on Kindle and am currently reading this and its is a decent read so far.
Additionally while I was talking to the owners during my visit last year, they discussed a possible Safari area. The only species I can recall being mentioned are zebras and the jackals.
Updates from my visit today: Lots of animals have been moved around or disappeared for no apparent reason. Some of the more notable missing animals included warthogs, zebras, cavies, Chimpanzee, kangaroo, and Black-Backed Jackal. The Striped Hyenas are in the process of getting a new enclosure. Two rescue Eurasian Brown Bears have arrived at the zoo. A 4-month old female Spotted Hyena has arrived from another zoo. Signs are still up about the need for a new hippo barn. Many baby Domestic Goats were born. A Domestic Cow was born. Some construction is going on near the entrance. I didn't ask what it was, but it LOOKS like it MIGHT be a new primate complex.
I worry about what might have become of that poor chimpanzee. I hope he's been given a home in a better facility.
