Are there any members who can provide an update or have recently been to Lisbon Zoo??? I visited this collection (hoping to post some scanned photos soon) in 2005 on a work trip and found it a strange mix of old and new (although I got the impression the changes were relatively new.....). For example Gibbons were kept on well planted attractive (if a little small) islands while gorillas and chimps were held in very sterile cell-like enclosures. Also the cats (with exception of lions) were in similiar 60/70s style cages. They have a dolphinarium which held bottlenose dolphin when I was there but they were also constructing a new 'dolphin' pool. Isis shows Lisbon as holding a short-finned pilot whale and I am assuming this animal is in the new pool (wild-caught?).
All i know is that they are currently rehabilitating a young pilot whale and afaik to be able to release it back in the wild.
I am going to Lisbon zoo in April and will post a proper reply on my return but it looks pretty good on their website.
Found this video of "Nazare" the pilot whale at Lisbon zoo, it looks to me as if this animal is being trained for performing, which to me rules out any sort of release.
Please find out about their Masterplan! What new projects do they intend to go for? What about the new rhinos (where did they come from and ages and stuff)? How is the African elephant breeding group coming along? What other animal exhibits are in thise African zone?
my visit to Lisbon Hi everyone, Just back from Lisbon. I went to the zoo as planned as saw loads of animals - I liked the zoo it was clean and there was lots of work going on, in particular the brown bear was in a smallish cage but a very big area right next to it with a kind of stone ruin was being given a major overhaul so hopefully they're due to settle in there soon. The small monkeys also couldn't be seen their enclosures all had the shutters down and it said they were doing improvements - the Japanese macaque enclosure was about the worst but there was only four (I think) animals so maybe there are plans for that soon. There were two lots of rhinos indian and I think white (my brain's a bit frazzled and I've not even sorted out my many photos yet so apologies - lol) the white ones had a reasonable paddock with a bridge walkway over the top - closed at one end again being worked on. The monkey temple was a good size with orang utans and (black) gibbons enjoying themselves (indoor quarters weren't as good but all the animals were outside. The front part had chimpanzees (lots of babies) on the left and then gorillas on the right. There was also the big tiger temple - one tiger seemed to have some movement problems (arthritis?) and seemed a little unsettled and there was another enclosure for two white tigers. There were also African elephants (two young) Angola giraffe, and lions (one was lazing on the back of a jeep.) Also a giant anteater, koalas - a first for me (bad reflective glass but I understand they like quiet and privacy), bennet's wallabies, red panda, reptile house, dolphin bay (sealions and dolphins) there was an enclosure for Californian fur seals but again no sign of them and a sign saying enclosure was closed for maintenance, smallish enclosure for penguins, two lynx, serval, snow leopard (couldn't spot) map said binturong - I didn't find it! Addax, bison, loads of birds, parrots, hornbills wreathed and another type I need to check Blythe (?) it was hiding! A peahen was wandering around with three gorgeous chicks too. I've probably missed some stuff. The aquarium was good too - it was chucking it down so was really quiet - one huge central tank with sharks, rays, and I think sun fish great big fabulous but rather ugly-looking slow moving thing!, that can be seen at two different levels from all angles with other smaller tanks including sea dragons (I still can't believe they're real and I saw them at barcelona a couple of years back). Top floor includes habitats - antartica with penguins (one was on an egg) and I think some kind of puffin? I need sleep - ha ha, and my favourite two gorgeous sea otters (another first - guess what I bought in the gift shop!) Don't worry I'll upload some pictures over the weekend and please forgive fast typing errors!!!!
Glad to hear that you had a good time Sue and it sounds like the zoo was a good one, looking forward to seeing your photos
Well actually .. Jardim Zoologico de Lisboa used to be a real dive for wild animals with loads of cramped enclosures, a true Victorian zoo. From Sue's comments it seems she is slowly coming out of the dark ages of ancient zoo maintenance. I know for a fact that their main man Dr. Eric Bairrao Ruivo is a science buff with a mission who sits on the EEP Commitee, EAZA Council and Executive Committee. The zoo manages the spiny hill turtle ESB (a critically endangered turtle species from SE Asia) and the emperor tamarin EEP. Mammalian species at the zoo that come to my mind are: black lemur, Goeldi's monkey, several tamarin species (pieds and lions!), black howler, brown-headed spider monkey, DeBrazza's monkey, Diana monkey, mandrill, siamang, lowland gorilla, giant anteater, northern lynx, generic brown bear, Iberian wolf, clouded leopard, Siberian tiger, snow leopard, cheetah, white rhino, Indian rhino, African elephant, Grevy zebra, lowland tapir, pygmy hippo, forest buffalo, Angolan giraffe, okapi,, bongo, sitatunga, greater kudu, addax, roan antelope, sable antelope, scimitar horned oryx, Arabian oryx. What I would really like to know from Sue is: 1. Can you give us a current plan of the zoological park? 2 What is their approach to animal presentation: is it thematic (Carnivore House, Great Apes ... etcetera) or more bio-zoogeographical (Africa, Asia ... etcetera)? 3. What unusual species could you discern/see from/in the collection? 4. What was your general impression of the zoo: is it fully out of its Victorian times now? 5. What stood really out in terms of modern zoo exhibits? 6. What was your impression of the exhibits for lowland gorilla, local carnivores (lynx, bear, wolf), African hoofstock, both the Indian and white rhino, African elephant and the primates?
The lemurs' enclosures (six in a circle with pygmy hippos in an central enclosure) looked new to me - with fair sized strong netting tent-like shaped enclosures. There was ring-tailed in one, black lemurs in another, red ruffed, black and white ruffed, brown lemurs and gentle lemurs with lots of signs on Madagascar conservation. I will scan a map but they were near the giraffes, lions, and elephants oh and there were three hippos (one was a baby). Monkeys I hadn't mentioned that I saw included spider monkeys (in the amusement park bit) siamang and lar gibbons - but will be checking my pictures today. There was Grevy zebras, addax, bongo, eland, blackbuck (okapi on map but didn't see them), and highest part of zoo up past cats was closed off - again for work. They seem to have a mainly thematic approach to layout with the main exception of the african part. I would say ithe zoo is definitely moving away from old style cage-like enclosures, but they are limited by the space they have from what I could tell. The thing I liked most aside from the animals was the cable car that gave you a bird's eye view of the park - a bit like being in a shopping basket but great fun. I thought the apes enclosure was good - the apes were very active and seemed to enjoy the climbing structures (not the gorillas obviously - lol). I also - rather to my surprise - enjoyed the dolphin show and the dolphins seemed to love it too and seemed to have close bonds with their trainers - they weren't really doing a lot of were mainly showing off their swimming skills rather than doing lots of tricks. Didn't see any wolves, big cats enclosures were ok could be bigger but that's often the case in UK zoos too. Hoofstock enclosures agan were prety standard - you'll get a better idea from my pictures. Hope that helps a bit till then
Thanks for the update Susan. For context re: development since 05 see my photos in the lisbon gallery. Seems quite a lot has been done since then as the gorillas and chimps were in awful enclosures in 05 (although I see the baboons and macaques are stil stuck with theirs). The bear area was originally a number of enclosures but sounds like they are expanding into a single one but still a very bare, sterile space. Likewise tigers appear to have upgraded enclosure. Did you see the pilot whale?
Would anyone know anything of the asian elephants that used to be in Lisbon? Samicuta and Ganapathi left right before they could be used for breeding, what happened to this plan, was it because all of a sudden they wanted to keep Africans?
Before Sami and Ganapathy left, Lisboa had 2 groups of elephants - the 2 asians and the current group of africans (3 females, 1 male + their offspring). sami had a baby before leaving Lisboa but this baby did not survive the first days. Both elephant enclosures were terribly small and barren and consisted mainly of concrete, and the zoo decided to keep the africans and give them more space, and thanks god the asians were moved to Selwo (where they are living in much better conditions). I`m not sure that the enclosure the african herd has now is good enough, but that`s another problem...
Thank you for clearing that up, so it is true samicuta's previous calf was not a stillbirth, I read somewhere that the baby was born but died, I hope this Baby will grow up stong and healthy,
I've just returned from Portugal and had half a day at the Lisbon zoo. Like most zoos it had good and bad points. As others have noted, there has been and there continues to be a lot of work underway. I'll think more about this and try to do a fairly comprehensive point. Off hand, I thought that all birds were poorly housed (squashed) and that elephants and giraffes should be somewhere in much wider spaces. My favourites (although not necessarily the best housed) were the okapi, Indian rhinoceros and tapirs - so many young! More later - anything special needed? Paul (PS: this is my first mailing on this forum - the reason why I don't know what is expected!)
Thanks. Lynx, tapir, giraffe, chimps, elephant, various bovids, - I'll need to llok through my photos for clarification/more! Tomorrow. Goodnight, Paul
Hey, welcome, I'm a some-what fan of the three-toed ungulates as well, espcially asian Rhinos and Tapirs,
In december a new silverback arrived at Lisbon. He ist twelve years and called Nasibu. Nasibu was born in Belfast, a few month later he was travelled to Stuttgart for handrearing. 2000 he was send to Kolmarden. Now in Lisbon there are living 1,3 gorillas.
