Some devastating news regarding the newest baby Gorilla - BBC News - Baby gorilla dies at Jersey's Durrell wildlife park
Yes, awful news. Very sad for everyone involved, and especially sad for Bahasha. She was really doing her best to get the youngster to suckle, and was clearly very taken with her youngster. To see her today was heartbreaking, truly.
A Visit to Durrell I spent 2½ days at Durrell last week. I first visited some 12 years ago so there was a lot that was new to me. Here's my guided tour: At the entrance, you are greeted by a statue of Sumatran Orangutan 'Gina' and once you're in the park, there's the famous statue of Gerald Durrell with a lemur. Behind the statue is Cloud Forest, a mixed exhibit of a pair of Black and Gold Howler Monkeys and their youngster, Ring-Tailed Coati and Barbara, the Andean Bear. Her partner 'Wolfgang' died in March after 25 years together. The outdoor enclosure is very attractive, with a moat, waterfall and plenty of climbing opportunities. Inside the two-storey house are free-flying South American birds, such as Red-Crowned Cardinal and Brazilian Tanager.The dens are downstairs where the mammals can be mixed or separated. Across the path is Jewels of the Forest, a walk-through aviary of Asian tree-dwelling and ground-living birds including Pekin Robin, Chestnut-Backed Thrush, Emerald Dove and Nicobar Pigeon. The aviaries have identification sheets that you can take through with you - a good idea! The Reptile and Amphibian House is next, a very well laid out exhibit including Komodo Dragon, Mountain Chickens, Burmese Python, Beaded Lizard,, Cane Toads and Poison Dart Frogs. The spacious Discovery Desert houses Slender-Tailed Meerkats. Across the lawn are groups of cages holding Tamarins and Marmosets - Pied Tamarin, Black Lion Tamarin, Silvery Marmoset. The cages have dense vegetation so patience is needed to spot the occupants! Around the corner are the Gorillas, in an enclosure I did remember. Badongo is the silverback and his family is Kishka, Hlala Kahilli and her 7 month old son Indigo, and Bahasha, who very recently lost her premature son. The females all fell in love with Badongo when he arrived in 2011 and everything looks calm and peaceful. At one point, Badongo high-jumped over the electric fence around a tree and broke off some of the branches which he, Bahasha and HK then sat in the sun eating. Indigo is adorable! The Red River Hogs are next door to the Gorillas - male Noah and sisters Lara and Lola. On to the Sumatran Orangutans, another area familiar to me. Living here are males Dagu, Jiwa and Jaya and females Anette and her son Jantho, born 1 April, pregnant Dana (due in a few weeks) and Gina. Currently, Anette and Dana share one half of the house with the rest in the other half. Here I had a special treat with an Animal Encounter. I went behind the scenes with the keeper. There was some very appetising looking food prepared in the kitchen. Dagu and Anette & Jantho came close to see me and demonstrated their raspberry-blowing skills! Dagu had managed to steal and bisect a rubber boot but posted it back through the bars when asked, in exchange for some fruit. Fabulous! £50 very well spent! The BBC currently have filming equipment in the house for a programme comparing human and orang pregnancies and hopefully they'll capture the birth of Dana's baby. George and Hazel, the Lar Gibbons, have access to half of the orang house (they usually come in for the daily talk) and one of the two islands. They used to have their sleeping den in the house but their early morning singing was so painfully loud for the keepers and the orangs that new quarters were built for them on the side of the house. There is plenty of room on the two islands for the orangs to choose whether to be alone or have company. The Sulawesi Crested Macaques are near the orangs, at two ends of a 3 enclosure area, the middle one being currently empty. There is viewing of part of the main house. The enclosures look good. I'm not sure how many macaques there are - I saw 3 in one enclosure and one in the other. It's quite possible for them to become 'invisible'. Down into the woods, and there are free-range Emperor Tamarins. They looked quite feisty! On past White-Naped and Blue Crane, waterfowl and Alaotran Gentle Lemur to a very attractively sited Wild Bird Hide. The Madagascar Wetlands include Black-Winged Stilt, Meller's Duck and Madagascar Teal. There's an Organic Farm in this area but I didn't have time to visit it. On to the Island Bat Roost, home to large Livingstone's Fruit Bats and the smaller Rodrigues Bats. Great to see them flying but my camera kept fogging up as it's very warm. Rammed earth tyres were used as building bricks and have a high thermal mass which heats the building passively (it says in the guide book!). There are also stained glass windows made from recycled bottles. Lemur Woods are next. Red Ruffed and Alaotran Gentle Lemurs are on one side of a lake (not mixed) and Ring-Tailed and Red-Fronted Brown Lemurs, mixed, on the other. Very attractive. A little bit further, in a separate enclosure, are Black and White Ruffed Lemurs. The Aye-Ayes are in nocturnal houses around Les Augres Manor and I'm very pleased to say that I actually saw one! The Kirindy Forest aviary is next with birds from Madagascar including Hammerkop, White-Faced Whistling Duck, Madagascar Teal, White-Backed Duck and Madagascar Fody with their bright red males. Exiting the aviary, you find Kirindy Forest mammals - Narrow-Striped Mongoose and Lemurs: Red-fronted Brown, Ring-Tailed,Gentle and Aye-Aye. Back down towards the valley there are the Northern Bald Ibis and Chough Aviaries. Tucked away in the back of the Chough aviary are some Mountain Chickens. Both species are destined for the wild, I believe. There's a flock of the ever-picturesque Chilean Flamingos at one end of the valley and at the other end are Greater Flamingos with their paler feathers and bubblegum pink beaks and legs. I hadn't seen them before. A lot of squabbling going on! In between is a lone Crowned Crane. Oriental Short-Clawed Otters make a very lively exhibit in a delightful setting. That leaves various aviaries. I didn't make a note of all the occupants but remember Bali Starlings, Echo Parakeets and Pink Pigeons amongst others. I apologise for not mentioning everything. We ate in the Dodo Restaurant, with a view of the Meerkats. Delicious, reasonably priced food. The cappuccino in Cafe Firefly was decorated with a chocolate sprinkle Dodo - a nice touch! All the staff we came across were cheerful, welcoming and helpful. They obviously set great store by customer service, something I haven't come across very often in zoos. Standards across the park are very high. The setting is beautiful. The talks are interesting and informative. The shop sells more than the usual zoo tat. I can't think of anything negative to report. Full marks, Durell! Well worth the effort of getting to Jersey! Photos to follow.
Glad you had a good visit. Were the bears, otters and howler monkeys all mixed in the front exhibit or were one of the species using the back enclosure? When I went last year there were no animals in the back enclosure from what I can remember.
The Andean Bear, Howler Monkeys and Ring-Tailed Coati were together outside in front of the house on two of my visits. On the third, the Coati were in one den, the Bear and Monkeys in another. The Otters are in another enclosure in the valley.
Sadly, Wolfgang's long term partner, Barbara, was euthanised this morning too. It was a tough decision for her keepers, but ultimately they cared for her enormously, and couldn't stand to see her in pain. For a while, her pain from arthritis had been managed with medication, offering her some relief. However, this is only masking an ongoing health issue, and as she began to develop a tolerance, it would have required more medication, which could have compromised her health in other ways. She was 28, and ultimately led a happy life - with 6 surviving cubs and their ensuing offspring as a shared legacy with Wolfie.
Sad but they had good long lives. I wonder if this will see the end of Spectacled Bears at Jersey, or if they will be replaced, Jersey having kept this species almost since its inception.
Good .. to hear Durrell is continuing with spectacled bears. What has become of the work with mountain coati? Perhaps some of the lame ducks at South Lakes? (new spectacled bears ... that is)
Hi Mr. Rhino! We have a few graduates from Durrell Conservation Academy (formerly known as The International Training Centre) who went on to work with mountain coatis in the field. The intention is still, as far as I am aware, to look into captive breeding, with the intention of re-introducing them in a few generations... but it depends whether there enough viable habitat available, so that we don't create an even larger problem. We currently have ring-tailed coatis in the 'First Impressions' exhibit with howler monkeys. Sadly, no bears now, which is hard to imagine for those of us who spent much time watching Babs and Wolfie over the years. R
More than hopeful... expecting, at any time now! An ultrasound scan on Dana yesterday showed the head down (possibly engaged), and going by copulations witnessed, the expected day was June 1st! Of course, Dana's last pregnancy resulted in a stillbirth, and nearly cost her life. This time she is being constantly monitored, and there is a slew of keepers, vets and the Head of Obstetrics from Jersey General Hospital on standby. Fingers crossed, and I'll be sure and post here when we know more. R