Dudley Zoological Gardens Dudley Zoological Gardens in 2016

For all the news in 2016 for DZG

 

To start this thread off, DZG has announced £200,000 is to be spent on three new projects in 2016:

£40,000 will be spent on a secondary enclosure for their breeding group of gelada baboons, which will be rotated with a breeding group of Sulawesi crested macaques. The former shop building will be turned into an indoor viewing area. Dudley's breeding group of yellow-breasted capuchins will then move into the macaques former home. Work has already begun and is expected to be completed by February half term 2016.

£40,000 will be spent transforming the Monkey Tails walkthrough into a rainbow lorikeet experience. The titi monkeys and white-faced saki monkeys will be rehoused with the other small primates (presumably behind the discovery centre). Not sure what will happen to the Goeldi's monkeys. This is expected to be completed by Easter 2016.

£120,000 will be spent building a larger flamingo pool, as well as a larger indoor area and viewing area. This is also expected to be completed by Easter 2016.

DZG's 2016 plans! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

This is just news. If you wish to discuss these plans then please use this thread;
http://www.zoochat.com/38/200k-dudley-zoo-revamp-433151/

 

Twin pygmy marmosets born. DZG has bred 27 pygmy marmosets over the last decade.
Another pygmy pair! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

 

Work has started on the new macaque/gelada house as well as clearing space for the extended flamingo pool.
Revamp work starts! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

Again, this is just news. If you wish to discuss these plans then please use this thread;
http://www.zoochat.com/38/200k-dudley-zoo-revamp-433151/

 

I forgot to mention that when I visited a few weeks ago there were lots of large, curved steel fence/roof panels stacked next to the abandoned bear pit (near the chimps).

 

Dudley's Birds Section Leader is leaving DZG to follow her passion and join a falconry centre elsewhere. This means that several birds she owns, that have featured in the birds of prey display, will also be leaving the collection. These are the Gyr-Saker falcon, Ferruginous buzzard, American kestrel, Harris Hawk and African spotted eagle owl.
Goodbye, Kellie! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

Hopefully the popular falconry displays will continue, as they are an excellent way of utilising the space within the 16th century castle courtyard.

 

Brazilian tapir

Six year old male Brazilian tapir, Ronnie, has left DZG for Five Sisters Zoo in West Lothian.

Goodbye, Ronnie! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

 

I visited the Zoo yesterday - it was freezing, despite the sunshine.

Work is progressing on the flamingo enclosure and the planting between it and the chairlift. Personally I liked the flamingo enclosure and was quite sad to see the wall around it being demolished - the fact that it hadn't changed for years made it seem familiar and welcoming, like the iconic wave structure above the turnstile entrance.

I was fortunate to arrive at the snow leopards at the same time as a couple having a Zookeeper for the day experience, so all 3 snow leopards were very active around the enclosure and interacting with each other. Joao, the male Sumatran tiger, was also the most animated I've ever seen him (in fact, I think he's been asleep on all my previous visits!)

As I passed by the tapirs, I was amused to hear a youngster describing the yellow mongoose as a squirrel

I was pleased to see that a couple more enclosures in the reptile house had been revamped - I just wish they would hurry up and do the rest.

Monkey tails was very quiet - I didn't see a single monkey in there. I like the fact that they've moved the largest koi carp into the big pool (where the porcupines used to be). They are sizeable fish and are now shown to much better effect.

I would love to see bear ravine used for something apart from rheas and goats. Bears for preference, or a wolf pack. Or an equine species perhaps - zebra / onager / Przewalski's horse. And I do wish they'd get rid of that awful funfair

 

DZG has discovered that its pair of West African dwarf crocodiles are different sub-species.
They have been separated and DZG's female will soon be swapped with a female from France. A snap decision | Dudley Zoological Gardens

 

I visited 11th March.

The flamingo enclosure is still in the middle of a revamp. It looks like they've started from scratch with the pool and poured a load of concrete to create a new one in the same place. However I don't think it's any bigger! I thought they were merely going to extend existing the pool. They have gained a lot more land though, as the enclosure boundary has encroached more than a metre onto the visitors path and it will no longer slope down. Also, the new house it set much further back (where the trees were), so they will gain space there as well. The new house looks good quality, made of metal and with two viewing windows, it is at least four times bigger than their little old shed. I think they've put a new fence up around the back of the enclosure above the waterfall as well. There was some damage to the willow tree and they've ripped out most/all of the plants at the back, exposing the rock wall. I also couldn't see the large Gunnera, but I'm not sure if that dies back in Winter. In the end, a lot of effort and expense for only slight improvement that wasn't drastically needed in the first place.

The new macaque/gelada baboon enclosure was supposed to be ready by February half-term, but they hadn't publicised it being finished, so I suspected there had been delays. I was right. The house and the enclosure look weeks away from completion and no one was working on it. They've hammered in the fence posts on the hillside so you can see the extent of the enclosure. It's less than half the size of the enclosure that the breeding gelada group currently have and tapers towards the house. It won't provide the geladas with much additional grazing. I think they could have made it a lot bigger, but maybe they didn't want the breeding and bachelor gelada groups being too close together. I think the idea is to swap the macaques and geladas every 6 months. I also noticed a proper sign on the converted house, but it just read 'Macaque'. Maybe they will swap the signs every 6 months as well.

I overheard someone say, from over my shoulder, that one of the spider monkeys was pregnant. However, I don't know if this is true as I didn't see if it was a keeper or a visitor who said it.

The chairlift was not in operation. All the chairs were stacked up at the base.

I think the cage for the common raven, which can't be released back into the wild, is far too small. I think it's time it moved elsewhere.

There was a new house being built next to the tecton pit that currently contains the macaques. Presumably the new house will be for when the capuchins eventually move in.

I saw Inca! Well, she raised her head, looked around, had a sniff, then went back to sleep. Still nice to see her though. Her fur is in excellent condition for such an old bear. Dudley made a very good decision in turning the disused polar bear tecton into a retirement home for her.

Both tigers were very active. The male especially is normally asleep whenever I visit. I've never knowingly seen a pregnant tiger, but I don't think Daseep is pregnant despite the rumours. I could easily be wrong though!

The lone elderly red panda was extremely active and mobile, which is very out of the ordinary. I must have stood watching it wander quite nimbly all over its enclosure for nearly 15 minutes. Then upon seeing the enclosure for the second time, from the top, it was still going!

I saw all three otter cubs. Very noisy. One of them has much, much paler fur than the others.

The male Lion was very active and very vocal, which had been missing from Dudley before he arrived. He also had quite a large lump on his back.

The Cameroon sheep have a new enclosure. It's on the motte that the castle keep sits on. It extends from the penguins, right around the keep above the meerkats, towards the gatehouse. It looks good but also looks temporary. I think they're there to keep the grass down.

The bull sea lion is still separated from the females. I'm wondering if they will ever introduce them.

I went to the birds of prey display in the castle courtyard. It only included a Harris Hawk, but I thought the new person doing the display was excellent and gave out lots of interesting information. Hopefully, the zoo can add more birds to the display in the near future.

The female West African dwarf croc is still in the reptile house but separated from the male.

The sensory garden has been flattened. It's a relatively large space and it will be interesting to see what goes there. Although, I wouldn't mind if it just becomes a picnic area.

Monkey Tails was closed. I saw the two titi monkeys and two male saki monkeys with the other small primates behind the discovery centre. I didn't see the Goeldi's monkeys. From a picture on a sign it looks like they'll definitely be rainbow lorikeets and the building will be renamed 'Lorikeet Lookout'. I wonder if it will also have its very own logo.

Finally, the funfair is back up and bigger than ever. I think it's a disgrace to have put noisy rides next to and directly in front of the wild bat cavern that goes under the hill.

 

Spring 2016 newsletter SPRING Zoo Nooz

(Includes articles on the recent developments as well as briefly mentioning fundraising for an extension to the Snow Leopard enclosure).

 

The official launch of 'Flamingo Falls' and 'Macaques on the Bank' is Saturday 26th March.
Saturday's launch day! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

 

Really really hope we'll be seeing Giant Anteater at Dudley Zoo in the summer.

 

Dear @Benosaurus: do I hear a plan or is this a project in the final stages of getting done for this year?

 

The sensory garden is quite a large space. I hope they do something exciting with it. Now that the Geladas have been extended up to the top of that bank they might add viewing down the hill towards them.

 

On Saturday the new flamingo and macaque enclosures were officially opened by a local BBC radio presenter at 12 o'clock midday. For two hours prior to the ribbon cutting he presented his usual radio show live from the zoo. This included interviewing keepers and feeding some of the animals. It was an entertaining show and was a very good way of promoting the zoo to a wider audience.

During the live radio show the presenter interviewed the zoo curator. He briefly mentioned that the zoo will hopefully be looking at getting anteaters in the summer. Obviously this is not set in stone.

You can listen to it here if you like...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03mssyg

 

Inca (the oldest Asiatic black bear in Europe and possibly the world) turned 36 today. Also, she will soon get underfloor heating in the outdoor area of her enclosure.
Inca turns 36! | Dudley Zoological Gardens

 

Visit to the zoo

Had a great visit to the zoo yesterday and since I've last been quite a bit has changed. The Macaque house/exhibit is coming on quite well. They were building the tunnel bit to let them get to the outside part of their exhibit, which still needs tiding up. I could only see two in the viewing area although it was quite crowded around there so I might not have been able to see them.

Flamingo falls looks very nice but still needs more work as it only has one "fall". It also seems a fair bit larger.

Chairlift was working again all though it stopped when I was on it for a minute.

Sensory garden was flattened as you all know but it will be interesting to see what it turns into.

Work is still being done to the building near the soon to be capuchin home it will be infesting to see how they incorporate that into the exhibit.

Monkey tails was closed and has signs near about it being turned into Lorikeet lookout, Which has a nice new logo.

I'm quite pleased with all the work done and I'm looking forward to my next visit.

P.s On my way into the car park I noticed quite a few caravans parked near.
And children from them are running around and I nearly ran one over as he ran into the road. There is a large amount of litter there. Don't know If any one knows about this.

 

The male at Heythrop Dennis must be around the same age ??