I have just visited Twycross, Gibbon forest is looking good but I have just had a thought what is there to stop a bird of prey i.e. a Buzzard from taking a young gibbon and what is there to stop them from getting off the island ?
1. The baby gibbon's parents 2. water I think any buzzards in the vicinity would be more interested in rabbits than gibbons. Welcome to ZooChat.
Plus buzzards are usually scavengers. There are reports of golden eagles taking lambs, but this isn't such a concern in Leicestershire! The only enclosure I have seen in a zoo that seemed to have bird of prey protection is the Souslik exhibit at Bristol.
They'll take carrion if they can get it, certainly, but they are primarily hunters - see them hunting on the moorlands next to Helly's house regularly.
The lion enclosure at colchester zoo has bird protection but that is to stop the birds from flying in with the lions like what happened a few years ago.
Does anyone know of a bird of prey taking a mammal from an outdoor enclosure in a British zoo? I can imagine a duckling being taken from a pond, but I think it unlikely that even a marmoset would be taken. On the other hand, birds of prey can be a form of enrichment: keeping watch for them is a skill that we wouldn't want zoo animals to lose. Pygmy marmoset at Chester. I have seen a kestrel in Miniature Monkeys. Alan
Paignton had some metal screening over an enclosure (prairie dogs?) to stop gulls attacking youngsters.
Not exactly a danger but I know when I visited Twycross last month there was a kestrel in the roof of the elephant house tucking into a small bird. A good way to keep down rodents too I guess.
Seagulls don't count as birds of prey The ones at Paignton are total reprobates. My worst experience in an English zoo was having a smoked salmon sandwich stolen by a herring gull there Alan
No it was put up to stop the Birds used in the Flying Displays the zoo does from making a mistake and landing it and ending their display careers a little early!!!