Here's a link re. Columbian spider monkey birth: Evita, a 16-year-old black Columbian spider monkey, gave birth in the outside paddock in front of stunned onlookers on Friday – one of the hottest and busiest days on site. The new arrival is the first to be born at the zoo in four decades. Evita and baby are doing well, and living together as a natural family unit with 15-year-old dad, Chester, and fellow adults Valentine and Charlie. Richard added: “For a first-time mum, Evita is being really attentive and the baby, who is yet unnamed or sexed, looks to be thriving. Full article: Visitors witness surprise arrival of endangered spider monkey at Dudley Zoo
The Colombian black spider monkey baby is a female and has been named Nina. Camera captures newest family – Dudley Zoo and Castle
I highly recommend watching this superb talk hosted by The Twentieth Century Society all about the history of the Tecton structures at Dudley Zoo, as well as the work that went into restoring the Bear Ravine, Station Café, entrance and kiosk.
A female Linne’s two-toed sloth has joined the collection. The one-year-old, named Flo, has arrived from Dierenpark Amersfoort in the Netherlands to partner DZC's resident Linne’s two-toed sloth, four-year-old Reggie, as part of a European Studbook Breeding Programme. Hello Flo! – Dudley Zoo and Castle
Despite having to delay some of their other projects due to lockdown, the zoo is still ploughing ahead to start work on the new orang enclosure and have announced a basic plan of action... The new orang enclosure will cover the entirety of the existing African wild dog enclosure. The African wild dogs will be moving into the current bush dog enclosure (which in my opinion will be too small for African wild dogs, although there are only 3/4 of them and they are very old now). A new bush dog enclosure will be built on the site of the zoo's small primate exhibits (not sure exactly where, I presume they mean the ones behind the old discovery centre). The zoo have already started rehoming several of their small primate species throughout the site. "We forecast the funding for each stage will be achievable as we work through the 12-month programme of construction, but this dependent on the site remaining open to visitors and that we’re not affected by any potential localised spike in covid infections." A plan of the proposed new orang enclosure: Celebrating orangs – Dudley Zoo and Castle
That is an interesting item, and could possibly tie in the the new £100m ZooFund which allows future developments to be taken into account as well as current earnings, in forecasts. The caveat at the end 'this is dependent on the site remaining open to visitors and that we’re not affected by any potential localised spike in covid infections'. would suggest this too, ie that the announcement is made now to support an application under the new Zoo-Fund, which has to be made by this November...
Maybe, but the zoo have been fundraising for the orang project over the past 2 or 3 years and have managed to raise over £600,000 for it, whereas all their other planned projects, that the zoo were relying solely on their cash reserves for, are postponed until further notice.
To be honest I think the zoo have made the above a bit overcomplicated for themselves... Not that I know anything about how zoos work but from an outside perspective surely it would be much easier to send the African wild dogs to another collection. That way the African wild dogs don't end up in the current bush dog enclosure, which would seem too small for them and would need new housing built and possibly a new fence constructed. On top of that a new bush dog enclosure would not need to be built and the zoo would not need to rehouse their small primates across the site*. I wonder how many small/medium sized collections in the UK would welcome Dudley's small pack of African wild dogs (presuming they are able to house them at little additional cost) given the added publicity and potential income it may bring in these meagre times. (*I hope the pygmy marmosets don't get moved as the zoo have been incredibly successful with them in their current exhibit over the years. Also, given that the capuchin enclosure is fairly new I think it's safe to assume that it will remain as is)
African Hunting Dogs are freely available, dangerous, aggressive and destructive and are potentially difficult to re-home. I would have thought that any collection interested in them would either have them already or have had plenty of offers.... They have huge litters, with the potential of swamping demand and interest very quickly, like many dogs...
I guess what Dudley's group have going for them then is that they are small in number, old, and non-breeding. Just a thought anyway.
Yes, and I suppose moving around elderly wild dogs is not the best way to go for animal welfare. So, better off on site in a sub optimal enclosure than being shoved off to some new zoo and all the stress involved in transport and things.
Good point. I suppose it's a matter of thinking about which stressor is larger and which stressor is more long term.
@Benosaurus, for Dudley Zoo's sakes I would love the orang utan project to go forward now and more soonish (despite Corona and financial challenges). It would certainly solve a major hurdle for Dudley Zoo (this apart from the Chimpanzee House and the Giraffe yards). Allthough, personally I would love them to make a little more too of their planned for expanded Sumatran tiger yards. And dreaming a little on ..., if only they would go for sun bears (they are really active, inquisitive and down right breakers and shakers like orang - never a boring bolt in the iron panel)!
I still can't get passed the thought of the Orangs still having that horrible old building for them to be housed in or are they going to build a new house if not I would rather see a completely new complex for the Orangs.
The indoor areas for the orangs are fine. I imagine the old male Benji and the two females will be regularly swapped between the old and new outdoor areas. Once the new outdoor area is built the two old outdoor areas could of course be merged into one.
The indoor enclosures were greatly improved some years ago by shutting off the old indoor viewing area for visitors, to use that space for the orangs, and building an outdoor walkway for visitors to view the apes through windows. I don't think they are ideal, but I would far rather see the money spent on building the really spacious outdoor space shown in the plans and then furnishing it well.
I'd also like to see them get rid of the watermoat and also roof over the old outdoor enclosure(s) so producing a covered outdoor area which could be better equipped with far more climbing facilities etc. But maybe outside of the budget?
I agree completely, but this next step is the big one. I think that further improvements, however desirable, will have to wait.
Visited dudley zoo yesterday, fairly busy and an active day. However I noticed on the snow leopards enclosure it said that the zoo was home to 1 female and 1 male who arrived February 2020. Does anyone know if this is in reference to the previous male or if its a new animal ?
The new male is Makalu (a very popular name), from Jardin des Plantes, Paris. He was born at Basel Zoo on 29 May 2015.
