Yesterday the new enclosure for the Aldabra giant tortoises opened. It's home to a group of no less then 31 Aldabra giant tortoises !
A good number! Any info on ages and sex of individuals in the group? BTW: Can't remember they had that many before! Recent imports from Mauritius or Reunion among these?
The Grey crowned cranes have become a new aviary, directly next to the Giraffe-enclosure : https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1766423743500963
Last time I visited (around August early September) only one giraffe was on exhibit. Now - see video - 2 individuals. At the time, the Giraffe House and exhibit were still under renovation. One bull was on the hardstand outside the stall. The grass yard and the front entrance were still fenced off and out of bounds to public and giraffe.
Probably too late for you now, but for future reference for everyone else: There is a small building past the red panda enclosure - this is the zoo's nocturnal house. The cuscus is in the left hand enclosure in there, the right hand one is inhabited by a pygmy slow loris (formerly a Sulawesi tarsier before his death), and the back one should have (although I heard something about them going back offshow again?) Chinese crocodile lizards. The cuscus is pretty showy - like most (if not all) Phalangeridae he is unphased by visitors and is very food-motivated!
Some news from a visit to Ouwehands: - The new tortoise enclosure is really good! One of the better tortoise enclosures in Dutch zoos I think. Definately one of my favourite recent developments, especially as reptiles are a bit of weakness in Ouwehands. - The grey crowned cranes next to the giraffes were still quite nervous. The giraffe house itself is also open again. There's some new education material and a small display of bones and skulls has replaced the empty spiny mice enclosure. - The red-bellied tamarins in Urucu have received an expansion to their enclosure. It is higher now, giving them more space to climb. There's also quite some construction work on the old caiman enclosure. - The anemone and lion fish tanks in the aquarium are being refurbished. - The weaverbird aviary is empty. The lorikeets next to them are still there - Lots of construction on the new bonobo enclosure. It is still very hard to judge the size of the exhibit. Ouwehands is really developing fast and it is better every time I visit. There's a lot of old stuff still there that needs updating, refurbishing or replacing, but the rate of development is high. There's this vibe of refreshment around many parts of the zoo currently that wasn't there a few years ago. Despite legacies of the past that is will have to deal with sooner or later, Ouwehands is certainly moving in the right direction! It was still alive and well today!
Privacy settings Hopefully the elephant cow Duna will get pregnant. The results will be known by March.
Small news from a very quick visit today. - The gourami tank was empty and work has started on the former lionfish tank - The caiman enclosure is repaired and occupied again, and a cage is build around it (presumable to add some arboreal species) - The small enclosure in the back of the noctural house is visible and occupied again. I saw a single African Giant Millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas I think) in it - The bonobo enclosure is advancing well. The building is huge and the outdoor part seems to become sizable as well, though it is hard to judge at this stage.
