The Gibbon you watched with the Orangs is a bit more interesting than an Agile,as it is the last Abbot`s Mueller`s Gibbon left in Europe. I suspect what you are calling the third croc exhibit is the one on the left just before,you go into the screened off exhibit for Boa Constrictors,in which case this exhibit is for the Amazon Giant Water Lily and used to also house Matamata Turtle!
The local TV news called it a 'King Columbus' and I've since heard visitors also misreading the sign. I don't know the sex of the infant, but it's now known to some of us as 'Christopher' Golden Lion Tamarins: further to my earlier comment above, there are two Tamarins in the house, separated.
Last night I had the pleasure of a reptile ramble which included watching the crocs fed, it turns out they have 3 false gharials. A male approx 10years old on show which is supposed to be leaving at some point to go to Riga zoo, and a breeding pair off show. According to the curator the saltwater croc will also be moving on at some point so the two enclosures become one for the breeding pair of false gharials. Was a very interesting evening.
That's interesting about the Abbot's Grey Gibbon, I didn't realise that I was watching the last of that subspecies in Europe. Is that individual still of viable breeding age? If so I would imagine it's very hard to source a mate unless there are captive bred animals available in the USA or SE Asia for import? With regard to the crocodile pool - no I was referring to the 'third' crocodile pool not the matamata pool! However, as you come in I'm not sure if there are two separate pools for Cuban crocs or just one with the bridge 'dividing' it? Looking at the recent post by Ian99 there is a 10 year old male False Gharial on show in the enclosure I was referring to so he must have been hiding himself really well on the day I visited!! Looking at the Zoolex posting about the enclosure by Mike Bungard there were 100+ Gold Dust Day Geckos released into this exhibit when it opened - free ranging? Are they still there? I must admit I didn't notice any but seeing as I missed 2 metres of False Gharial I'm guessing they're still present!
As far as I am aware the pools for the Cuban crocs are one pool but divided under the bridge by a gate so they are kept separate. I am not surprised you missed the false gharial when you visited as I have visited on numerous occasions and never seen it only the large pacu swimming about but when they know its feeding time watch out they are all on the move as mostly when you visit they are all on the land resting except the gharial and that seems to vanish.
I believe Naomi was born in 1976 in Hong Kong and moved to Paignton via Perth in 1987. She's had various different homes and house-mates around the zoo since then.
Thanks for the info. 39 is quite an age. Has she always been the only Abbot's Grey Gibbon at the Zoo or did she once have a mate of the same subspecies?
Not quite - noted on ZTL that there is a second elderly female at Zoo Lyon in France. She was initially ID'd as an Agile Gibbon before being reclassified in 2013 as an Abbots Grey
I visited earlier this week, having missed going at all last year. It remains a very attractive zoo. Highlights for me included Tomistoma, Duchess looking very fit and active, Australian Magpies singing, some of the best Amherst Pheasants I have seen anywhere and Takin. However, I was confused by the Barbary Sheep/Tahr enclosure. Both species were signed, but I definitely only saw one, which I think were Tahr. Have the Barbaries left the collection?
When I visited last year there was at least one sheep left and it was mixed with the tahr. This was the end of October though so not sure how it stands anymore, the sheep may have met its maker...
As far as I know, there are still three Sheep. However, when I last checked a couple of weeks ago, I could see only two. They are often very difficult to spot so I didn't really think anything of it. I usually do a census every other week so will check again soon.
Paignton... Sorry, my mistake. Anything without webbed feet and feathers, and I'm right out of my depth.
