I've just returned from visiting Dublin. There were no Gorilla Talks on the three days I was there 'for husbandry reasons' so I was unable to ask any relevant questions. I felt sorry for the gorillas and mangabeys gathering at the appointed time and having to drift away again, although I think food had been thrown out on one of the days (as it would have been for a Talk). The gorillas do look like a very young group now, making Bangui appear larger. However, he may need to learn to stand up for himself as we saw him being chased off by the mangabeys! Elephants - bull, Upali, is permanently separated from the herd now as they don't need him for any further breeding. He's being prepared for a move to Europe or the UK. I didn't like to ask for more details, but Blackpool isn't far from Dublin! I'll add more later.
The group of five is indeed very young. Bangui,(male) and Kafi, (female) are 9, Kambiri,(female) is 7, and Tebogo,(male) and Vana,(female) are 6. Kambiri the offspring of Harry and Mayani is the only link to the old group. It seems that they are getting on reasonably well so far, but there didn't seem to be a closeness yet, which is probably to be expected. The Mangabys (all male) looked to be very pushy and almost dominant, so these may have to be moved to other quarters unless the young gorillas regain the high ground soon. The very large enclosure seems even bigger now with the loss of the three bigger animals. I have known Harry's group for many years and have seen all the offspring (kesho etc) grow and move off and then the move to the fine new enclosure and then the recent deaths and unavoidable move of Mayani. Speaking to some of the keepers it is plain to see that they were shattered by the run of bad luck, so it will be great if this young group can succeed and start a new chapter.
More from my visits: Blackbucks: 1.3 sharing with the elephants. They are not breeding as the zoo doesn't have the facilities for more than that. Orangutans: Although it had been implied that 8 year old male, Jin, would move from Monkey World to Dublin in the summer, it seems that there are no definite plans for this as yet. If he does move in, he'd live with females Riona, Mujur and Sari. Male Sibu and 37 year old female, Leonie, currently share indoor quarters, but all 5 are mixed outside so this arrangement would have to change somehow. 9 year old Sari arrived from Barcelona last November and appears to be settling in well. Though still a bit wary, she certainly enjoys the climbing and swinging opportunities and Riona looks out for her. Minor gripes: Trying to fit in Keeper Presentations can be difficult in such a large zoo where it's easy to get distracted en route. So arriving in time at say, the giraffes, the rhinos, the gorillas and even the orangs on one occasion (I know, why do I need to attend more than once - because I enjoy watching them!) to find nothing happening is somewhat annoying. With the meerkats only viewable from the restaurant, it is also a tad irritating when you're sitting at a table and parents stand their small children on the ledge in front of the window and block your view. Especially when said children don't even look at the meerkats. Not the fault of the zoo, of course, and I know meerkats are ubiquitous, but on one occasion they were being filmed and it was interesting to see their antics. Finally, an easily solved gripe - you are given a nicely designed ticket ( a dinosaur skeleton this time) at the ticket office outside the zoo and then it is whipped away from you seconds later as you enter through the open turnstiles. Feeling cheated of a souvenir, we asked to keep one on our second visit and were given them both! Once again (or should that be thrice) we really enjoyed our visits to this very attractive zoo. I'm looking through 400 photos to find some to share in the Gallery.
Does anyone think that the two males will fight for dominance as they are both young an unrelated. If this does happen I think that the younger male would be moved on. The two male gorillas I meant sorry for any confusion
It has indeed been a run of bad luck starting with Harry's death, but I see no reason why the new younger group shouldn't prosper, many other breeding groups in the past have been developed from individuals a lot younger than this. I think Kambiri will become Bangui's No 1 female(if she isn't already) as she is mother-raised-whereas Kafi and Vana are both handraised so less likely to have a normal/good relationship with him though. To answer Hedgehog's question, Tebogo is younger and smaller than Bangui, I see no problem in them staying together, at least in the short term.
Dublin zoo is offering weekend half price tickets for October. I was there a few weeks ago and although it was a pleasant visit, the lack of birds and small mammals would discourage me from visiting more than once a year. Talking to some of the keepers it is clear there is no intention of adding any new species in the near future. The current director aided hugely by the then PM, has done a great job of turning Dublin zoo around and attendance has nearly doubled on his watch, so I am reluctant to be critical but it all feels a bit minimalist and dull for me. The last two expensive makeovers have been more museum than zoo. Litigation is a major problem for public attractions in Ireland and when Leo o... took over he had to prioritise upgrading paths fencing etc.,also the anti zoo lobby were in full flow with regular pickets outside the gates. I remember the zoo at this time as a somewhat depressing place getting constant bad press, so it was necessary to almost start from scratch and rebuild an almost new zoo. Which they have done and it's beautiful, but at this stage Dublin has probably got the smallest and least diverse collection of any medium to large zoo. About 50 species plus a few domestics.
We did comment to ourselves on the small number of bird species on our last visits. Zoorassic World is nicely done but mainly aimed at children, I think, and is not very thrilling. I've just realised from looking at the map that I didn't go into the Discovery and Learning Centre, but I imagine that is child-centred too. That said, I always enjoy our visits. There are enough different species from those at Paignton, my home zoo, to pique my interest. My favourite mammals are there. I don't think I'm a typical Zoochatter in that I'm not particularly interested in lists or ticking off species. But I am very interested in watching animals so can spend ages at one enclosure. Fortunately, Mr Gigit is like-minded! And, of course, the city of Dublin is a great place to visit, and easily accessible from Exeter. So, as far as people like me are concerned, it's all good
I went to the wild lights event at Dublin zoo last night, and I thought the displays were spectacular. Most of the animals' enclosures were boarded up, obviously for their welfare, and also the African plains was closed off. However, we did see the red pandas, flamingos, and some penguins, as well as some sheep and goats at the family farm, although I also heard one of the sea lions barking, but didn't see them. I was not really disappointed because I thought it was absolutely magical going under a tunnel of bright lights, and seeing lots of lantern models of different animals. It was a truly enjoyable experience .
Elephant Bull Upali will be leaving for Parc le Pal in France sometime in the new year. This is a good move, as their breeding cow there, Nina, is very genetically valuable and not getting any younger, and of course Upali has more than enough offspring at Dublin.
The cubs were born in October and have since been sexed as two females. They should be onshow sometime in January Endangered tiger cubs set to be unveiled to public in new year
I had a visit to Dublin zoo today, and I have a couple of things of note: The grey wolves are in the former Sumatran tiger enclosure between the lions and snow leopards, as their enclosure is being developed. As mentioned by @tom_bear in the New Developments in Ireland 2018 thread, there will be a new Wolves in the Woods exhibit next year. Looking forward to that! I saw both okapi (male Kitabu and female Lumara) in the enclosure where Isiro used to live (as mentioned by @ArboLowe, Isiro has now passed away). We watched Kitabu doing a poo for some time (this would have been a great video opportunity, but unfortunately I missed my chance), then he started sniffing at Lumara's rear before licking her ear. I've heard that these are signs of courtship, so lets hope for okapi calves in the future!
Zoo has created a 10 year (until 2028). The €30 million master plan includes wolves in the woods (opening this summer) and development of a Himalayan Forest, improved habitats for the penguins, and the restoration of Cottage Ornee, the original entrance building. https://extra.ie/2018/12/28/news/irish-news/dublin-zoo-investment-new-animals
Is there any sign of anything being done to the orang accommodation so that Sibu will be able to be separated from Jin when he arrives from Monkey World?
