Edinburgh Zoo Edinburgh Zoo News 2014

Darwin Rhea chicks at Edinburgh :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t_sUmuL1-E&feature=youtu.be

 

9 chicks being hand-reared , great news !

 

I see from the ZSL 2013 Annual Report that London Zoo also received a new Diana monkey during the year . Hopefully all these moves will result in some births before too long .

 

To save me trawling all the way through it, does it say what sex it was?

They don't say where from usually but as I'm no longer sure either Newquay or Exmoor still have this species any more, possibly its come from one of these?(just a guess)

Otherwise in UK there appear to be currently;

1.1. at Edinburgh.
1.2(?) at Paignton.
1.2(or 3?) at ZSL.

Howletts/Port Lympne- current number unknown.(about 2.2 at a guess)

 

Twycross still had at least one when i visited in March, can't remember if there were more though.
From recent visits, Port Lympne at least 2 (sexes unknown ) & London have 3(1.2 i assume).
I haven't been to Howletts for 2 years, so don't know about there.

 

London is definitely 1.2

 

I forgot Twycross. That might have been another possible source as I believe they are in the process of slowly weeding out the single or non-breeding monkeys in the collection, except if ZSL received one in 2013 (not this year), its unlikely to have been sourced from here I think.

 

I can't remember ever seeing Dianas at Howletts, only at PL. They both have De Brazza groups though.

 

The Panda circus roles into Edinburgh again:
Edinburgh Zoo giant panda Tian Tian conceives after artificial insemination - Daily Record

 

An eastern kiang and twin crowned lemur have recently been born.

 

Was at the zoo this week, nothing remarkable to report (except the weather!), the place seems to have had a general spruce up since I was last there, with all the fences etc repainted.

Didn't see the Diana monkeys or the L'Hoest monkeys as work was being done on their indoor enclosure and we didn't go to the outside.

Saw both anteaters out and about, which was a first!

I think it has been mentioned before, but all the aviaries behind the Sun Bears/Small carnivores have been demolished. Doesn't look like any redevelopment is planned any time soon as there has been some new planting in that area.

I did get the impression that there were more empty enclosures than before (Old meerkat, small carnivore house for example) - hope the cost of pandas isn't biting.

The penguin parade consisted of two rockhoppers - first time I've seen those on parade! I overheard a keeper saying that it was the first time one had come out and only the second time the other one. Neither managed the whole walk and had to be carried home.

I liked the new meerkat enclosure, but suspect they will need to get more prominent 'These animals bite' signs as I saw several people try to touch the animals.

 

Updates from Facebook: the southern three-banded armadillo (Dillon, used in the animal show) has moved into Brilliant birds along with some yellow footed tortoises & there are now at least 5 of the (already quite large) Darwin's rhea chicks on show. There is also an older post from 26th July about the arrival of a female Mindanao bleeding heart dove to brilliant birds that I don't think has been mentioned. (As an aside when I was last there I really missed the Cock of the Rock)

Also, panda's indoor viewing is now closed to public & there will be no advance viewing tickets for September while the zoo prepares for possible birth (but they do seem to be keeping this fairly low key this year I think).

 

Update from facebook re panda breeding-there is now evidence Tian Tian has implanted and is pregnant:

A giant panda update from Iain Valentine, Director of Giant Pandas for the RZSS.

“The latest scientific data suggests Tian Tian the giant panda is now pregnant and that implantation has taken place, therefore she may give birth at the end of the month. This is all very new and complex science and we still have a bit of time to go yet, as like last year, the late loss of a cub remains entirely possible."

To read the full update please visit our website:
Edinburgh Zoo - Giant Panda Update

 

Another article about nthe Panda pregnancy :
New Statesman | Panda Sutra: the ups and downs of getting grumpy bears to have sex

 

Exciting baby news at Edinburgh zoo!!!!

Edinburgh Zoo - Meet Edinburgh Zoo?s New Baby Chimp

 

A run of the mill event in many zoos, but perhaps almost as exciting as a Panda birth for Edinburgh, given its the first successful birth they have had in Budongo. It also sounds like it was touch and go at first whether she would rear it- in the old days in that situation it would have been removed for handraising, but their perseverance has obviously paid off in that respect.

Hopefully she will now be a model for any other youngsters they have. It seems breeding in Budongo has been very slow to appear so far.

 

Very good news - the new infant is important in itself but it will also help the group dynamics and instruct the other females in infant care.

Alan

 

Yep, they are also restricted by only some of the group being the 'versus' sub-species.

If I recall they originally planned to let one of the non-pure females breed again to show the others what to do, but that proved unsuccessful. (I think it was Lyndsay, who has since died)

By my reckoning this is the 6th birth since they started trying to breed again, but the first to survive past 30 days.

 

I think there may now be four(?) pure 'verus' females that came from Holland, or is it five? I believe one of each sex of the 'pure' group died a while ago.

I also wonder if any of the other of the pure females have bred yet, or why they seem to have had such difficulty breeding-wise. Possibly because they come from an ex -Laboratory background and were not well socialised when young?

 

They list 4 of each gender as being P.T. versus, the three remaining Dutch males plus Louis from the original group.

One female is a Central Chimpanzee (P.T.T) and the others 4 males and 5 females are Common or hybrids. I'm not sure they have ever publicly stated the origins of the Dutch group - the only studbook online I could find is a 2009 issue, but it states Pearl, Sophie, Heleen and Lianne are all Westerns

Ricky was a pure Western, but he showed no interest in breeding due to his domestic upbringing. The other deaths in the group since the two were brought together have been Claus and Bram from the Dutch group and Lyndsey from the Edinburgh group. Bram was listed as a Western, Claus and Lyndsey as others.