Longleat Safari & Adventure Park Longleat Safari Park News 2018

Happy New Year everyone. Last year 2017 was brilliant when the seahorses, Kevin the Secretary bird, Arabella the female Binturong who is now with her new mate Tylo and Frankie and Nacho the Aardvarks arrived they all have settled in so well

 

It's a new year at Longleat. all the animals including Anne the Asian Elephant and Nico the Gorilla is doing well

 

If anyone is going to Longleat this week this will be your last chance to see the Festival of Light until 7th January

 

If anyone visiting today this is now your last chance to see the Festival of Light before the park closes throughout January until 10th February

 

What is happening in terms of exhibits this year?

New animals and exciting births to come?

 

Don't know

 

Sad news to start the year with:

It is with deep regret and huge sadness that we have to announce the death of Nico, our much-loved western lowland gorilla.

Nico, who was one of the oldest silverback gorillas in the world, passed away in his sleep on 7th January.

Everyone here has been truly saddened by the death of Nico. His main keeper has been working with Nico virtually on a daily basis since 1989 and has forged an extraordinarily close bond with him. It goes without saying that he is particularly devastated by the loss along with the rest of his keeping team who have cared for Nico over the years.

We know that so many of you cared for Nico and have visited him over the years, so please join us in celebrating the life of such a magnificent creature - you are welcome to share memories or photos of him with us below, we’d love to see them all. These photos here are just a couple of our favourites - the Longleat Team.

 

Sad news. How old was he? I know he was in his 50s. Wonder whether they will move any of the other Gorilla's over to his Island or not.

 

He was 56 apparently, so it is sad but inevitable! There can't have been any male gorillas ( even many females) that have lived that long in the UK!

 

I doubt it. They have a firm group of three brothers in the other enclosure. I think maybe more likely they will renovate the island and building for a different species?

 

I think this is far more likely....probably for a large monkey species like mandrills, baboons or some such. Someone once said chimpanzees might be an idea but the island is far too small for that.

 

They used to have chimps on the island, before the house was constructed, and they had to be moved over by boat each day.
I think they also had baboons, and they used to swim off.
With the changes in animal husbandry over the years, and the sort of requirements for housing of large apes, its probably more likely to be a group of small primates. Or perhaps let it become just an uninhabited island, as it originally was.

 

They used to advertise it as 'Man-Ape Island' in the old brochures. They then moved the chimps to an artificial island they created on the bankside of the lake, when the original Gorillas( a trio and not Nico and Samba who came later) arrived. It will be interesing to see if they use it to house another species or leave it empty, as you suggest, which is also a possibility. Small primates wouldn't be very visible from the boats so my guess is still something like Mandrills- or nothing.

 

It's been a while since I've seen the island but the norm seems to be to stick spider monkeys or gibbons on islands.

 

Colobus may be an option.would be visually appealing from a boat i imagine.

 

A large group wouldn't be a bad thing. It would still be something to see on the boat without having to sail around it to see them clearly, like they used to do with Nico and Samba.
And empty island wouldn't be bad especially as the younger gorillas are further down. Perhaps a statue of Nico in the middle of the island?
I wouldn't imagine anything would be done until the quiet months at the end of the year anyway.

 

Could they not completely renovate it and house a completely differently species that arnt apes or primates. Haven’t got any ideas was wondering if anyone else did

 

What about renovating it for the hippos, with a plan to establish a larger group, or introduce Pygmy hippo?

Or what about another pinniped species?

 

They have time now during the quiet period before Easter too...that's if they want a new exhibit there before the summer season starts.

 

This is a small grassy natural island, its really more suitable for primates than anything else- or just left empty/natural again.