I am proud of my zoo (Paignton) and I'm supportive of everything they do, however, there are some things I do not get! Can anyone out there help me with a few questions re. Paignton's primate policy and future plans? 1) Why have the two gibbons (1 Lar/1 grey?) at the end of Orang -Utan Island been couped up in that small holding enclosure for so long? I have seen successful mixings with Orangs at other collections and I understand that there may have been husbandry, building and quarantine issues....but why so long to release them? Their total sq. metres of enclosure appears smaller than the old monkey house (pre-Monkey Heights)! 2) Why are some species kept in two's (Ark fashion) when I see the same species in other collections kept in groups? i.e. Howler Monkeys, Allen's Swamp Monkeys. 3) Where will the new Hamadryas Baboon enclosure be built? The Barbary Sheep enclosure or the rodents area? 4) Why is Lemur Wood so inconsistent? i.e. It can be a world class immersion exhibit, but at times it can be a real disappointment (lemurs kept in house and reduced stock). 5) Could the Abbysian Colobus be mixed with the Batchelor Gorilla group, or the Diana Monkeys be mixed with the Colobus? 6) What is the 'master-plan' for the Geoldi monkeys, Pied Tamarins and [new] mangabey's? Cheers
2. It's probably to do with avaiability of animals. According to ISIS there's only 10 Allen's Swamp monkeys in Europe, so enjoy the privilege of seeingthem while you can. 4. Luck of the draw, any seasoned zoo visitor knows you can't see everything every time. Most zoo trips have a mixture of some disappointing no-shows evened out by unexpected pleasurable surprises (that's part of the fun). I'm sure there's some sound husbandry reasons for restricting the Lemurs movements.
Paignton Zoo Lemurs and Swamp Monkeys Thanks, I appreciate your reply. I love the swamp monkey enclosure and we're so lucky to see them foraging in the surrounding moat. I hope they breed. Lemurs - I agree that every visit is, and should be so different. Seeing the lemurs leaping over your head or trying to find them at all is a great joy. The Red Ruffed Lemur group has been all female as there was a UK halt on breeding. Fair enough! but, the area is big and could support another species (extra to the Red Fronted, which are enclosed) e.g. Ring Tailed or Black? The general public need to be informed of why, at times, some animals have to be kept índoors', as they make judgments (based upon one unlucky visit per year) that it is unfair, cruel or they leave feeling 'hard done by'! If they were told the reasons why their personal experience did not live up to the TV commercial they would be more likely to re-visit. I often reply to negative visitor comments while at the zoo, explaining some basic husbandry or studbook stuff and it always makes a difference to their impressions of the site. Would it take much effort to inform visitors of changes to breeding groups, exhibits or maintenance? What do you think? Cheers
Slightly off topic but what is the swamp monkey enclosure like? (photos anyone? ) Perhaps zoos should do more to explain aspects of mangaing animals. Some zoos sucessfully achieve this through TV; I imagine Loongleat visitors have a much better idea of why they see some animals and why some are kept in seperation etc .
In my opinion, excellent! It consists of a small paignton-style primate house with glass viewing linked to a small (but perfectly formed) island surrounded by a narrow moat and viewed on two sides. The island is centred around a large tree with ropes tied to the lower branches and has lots of dense undergrowth and plants on which the monkeys can climb and forage. Sorry, I haven't got any photos.
The Allen's Swamp Monkey enclosure was converted from a Lemur enclosure so that the electric fence is out-set from the island to allow the occupants an opportunity to forage and wade (which they do!) in the red clay moat. A clever conversion at a World Class Park! I will search my archives for some photo's.
