That's right - the wonderfully named Arnold and Adrian, born in Helsinki in 2008. For ease of identification (mine anyway), Arnold has a cut in his left ear and Adrian one in his right.
It would appear that the death of the male has nothing to do with the female leaving, as it was stated on here several months ago that the takin would be leaving this year anyway!
You are in outland on the death and departure being related! Nobody even suggested the like. It will be interesting to see what will come into the vacated enclosure!
From post 236, 'Marwell will be looking to move the female NOW', could definitely imply they are linked! Not that it matters, was just pointing it out!! I fear the enclosure will go the way of several others at Marwell recently - empty or demolished!
What enclosures are empty? Off the top of my head I can only think of the small mammal pit-style enclosure near the Somali wild ass...
As I understand it the takin were due to move to Europe earlier in the year but the female was not well so it did not happen,the fact is Marwell did not want takin any more,as for what replaces them,in the past Capybara,Okapi,and Malayan Tapir have been there,but the zoo does not seem to want to have animals on this area or side of the zoo,next door there is a group of peccary which are in a non breeding situation,the old lion house next to them is still up but empty,again the area next door which used to hold Babirusa now has or did have an Anoa in it and next to that house which used to hold Pudu has been knocked down.
Areas I can think of where an enclosure has been removed or left empty : for a start, as mentioned immediately before the takin discussion - the pond at the entrance The old pudu enclosure Lion enclosure Red panda enclosure behind the snow leopards Old Siamang area Tree shrew cage Enclosures that held cranes, 2 of them near tigers, one by toilet block, other near mansion Aviary at end of row of monkey cages by mansion lawn Aviary in corner of zoo near the red pandas Mara paddock behind penguin? Some of these may have needed replacing, but all that remains is an empty space! Going back further in time you can add the area where the jaguars were too
Are any of these still enclosures that just remain empty or have all been removed? I only visited for the first time last year so am unfamiliar with what used to be held in certain areas!
Inside Giraffe house area for sable and weaver bird aviary,inside buffalo bongo house area for potto and monitor lizard,area by gibbons for prevosts squirrel.
In cold blooded corner there are one or two empty tanks that now just have reptile skeletons. The enclosure in world of lemurs that used to house mouse lemurs. The former mongoose enclosure in the gardens behind Marwell Hall. It is usually empty although occasionally is used as a temporary home for extra meerkats. The site of the old snow leopard exhibit that for several years has just been a giant egg. What happened to the kangaroo area when they left?
Also don't think its been mentioned that an Arabian Oryx was born in August. Marwell currently hold the only ones in the UK
I am very happy with the new male Sulawesi crested macaque and Arabian oryx calf. However, I somehow fail to understand why the Arabian oryx as a flagship species has almost quietly disappeared from almost all UK collections. We should be championing our conservation successes first and second only focus on others when they are deemed "safe". Whereas the species has quite recently been downgraded by IUCN, we have yet to see any significant large and sustainable populations existing in the true wilds (semi captive and fenced reserves …, somehow fail to qualify for that description).
Marwell has tried to get at least another UK zoo to keep a second group but there is no one interested.
I mentioned it in post 214, but didn't make too much of a statement about it because I thought it had been posted earlier than that. Was probably wrong though!
