I popped in for an hour today, not expecting to see anything worthy of a new thread ... and I didn't. There's some refurb work going on in the Jaguarundi enclosure, but I didn't see anything else. However, I see someone (i'm sure they are/were on here) has posted a recent Serval kitten photo on the zoo's facebook. Also, does anyone know if the two white tigers are being kept separate now, as i haven't seen them both in the main enclosure for a few months?
Last I heard the two weren’t getting on, so are being kept separate for now. Not sure why they weren’t in the main paddock.
I've only seen one at a time in the main paddock over the last few months, but haven't stayed long each time; it did look like the hatches were down though to stop Mohan(?) from joining his sister outside. Would it not be that they are brother and sister that they would eventually be separated?
Popped in today and saw the two Serval Kittens Still locked inside so not easy to photograph through two wire barriers Nice to see the Canadian Lynx all fluffed up for winter.
They now have a quite large Monitor in one of the sheds by the Cranes/Flamingos. I misheard the keeper, thinking he said it was a fox monitor but now I see there isn't such a thing and I didn't have a short enough lens to take a photo. Three Ring Tail Lemurs were in one of the new huts where the Possum are. I suspect this is temporary and might be moving on.
Interesting. Given what unusual mammals/birds they keep, I’ve always found Hamerton’s reptile collection to be surprisingly lacking! So even the savannah monitors aren’t exactly the most unusual of species at least it’s a step in the right direction!
I noticed a baby Cotton Top Tamarin today, clinging tightly on to an adult and not showing it's face yet Work well under way around the outside eating area; I wonder if that will swallow up the reception and shop.
Something rather interesting that I have noticed on the park's website - a news piece they have released says that recently there have been a total of twenty new animals arriving at the park of six different species (the actual species concerned are not specified); it says that some of the animals are species new to the zoo and the others will provide new bloodlines for their existing breeding programmes. Looking at the photo in the article, some of the transport crates look quite sizeable while others are much smaller. The article ends by saying that further information will be released over the next few weeks on the website and social media pages. Hamerton Zoo Park - Animal Park Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
There is a batch of fantastic photographs that has just been posted in the Hamerton gallery by @ro6ca66 . They are certainly worth seeking out - beautiful pictures of some of the zoo’s wonderful collection (grison, jackal and Canadian Lynx amongst them - although possibly the turaco and monal pictures are the most striking).
Thanks @sooty mangabey for those kind words. The cheque's on its way Seriously though, I had a very enjoyable day there, despite the grim weather -- often a plus for (my) zoo photography, for various reasons. Nice to see the continued steady progress with exhibits and new species at Hamerton; a couple of no-shows but that's always a good excuse for return visits.
Australian Scrub Turkeys are now on show with the Potoroo; I noticed them last week, but wasn't sure if I'd simply bypassed them in a different enclosure previously. And another bit posted on their website last week During the bad weather in March, new Cranes arrived from a specialist breeding facility in The Netherlands. Female Crowned and the rarely seen Wattled Crane, will form new pairs with males already at the Zoo. Work is underway to replace their old enclosures near the entrance. This was scheduled to be completed by Easter, but the appalling weather has delayed our plans - and we are sorry for any inconvenience caused whilst the birds are in their temporary accommodation; and the work should now be completed by the May Day holiday. As the Park is continually expanding and old enclosures being replaced, there is always likely to be a digger or other machine busy at work. Our work is never done, and the Zoo is not either - but this does mean there will always be something new and fascinating to see!
I noticed these two tucked away off show today. I couldn't see the photos on the camera prperly and hoped they were those White-striped Dorcopsis I miseed at Pairi Daiza. Another visitor suggested they were Rock Wallabies, which I now believe is right.
Hamerton is beginning to revamp and enlarge its current reptile area, moving away from accepting unwanted pets or disposals from other zoos. The first new species to arrive for this development is a pair of red mountain rat snakes Oreocryptophis porphyraceus coxi. The male is already on exhibit, while the female is off-show for now as she is still young and has some more growing to do. Information comes from the article included below: Hamerton Zoo Park - Animal Park Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
Work is now also progressing well on our Australian themed 'Outback Aviary'. A raised board-walk will take you through our first walk-through aviary housing our flock of wild 'Bush' Budgerigars which now numbers almost 100 birds, along with our wild Zebra Finches. Other species will be introduced to this new exhibit as the season progresses, including Australian King Parrots later in the summer. Three pairs of Galahs and a pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos arrived earlier in the year! Yesterday they moved into their new enclosure and are settling in really well. The Rusty-spotted Cat is the smallest cat in the World and is found in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka. It's wild status is unstudied and the species is very rare in Zoo collections. Keepers at Hamerton were suspicious of the changed behaviour of our female over the past few weeks, and her increasing aggression and defensiveness indicated she might have given birth. Disturbance has been kept to a minimum to ensure she is undisturbed, but this morning the briefest of opportunities confirmed that she does indeed have a baby. The single kitten is well grown and in perfect condition, and looks to be about a month old.
