The zoo is so busy today but I've found tranquility in the 'crayfish' garden by the lower Amphibian Ark entrance - actually reminiscing about when I was a kid and there was a finch aviary here and an educational centre with a 'beat the cheetah' bicycle and other interactive features....,
Wousan the male Orang was giving a real mating (Kama sutra esque) show today. I wrongly assumed it was only Bonobos & Humans that copulated face to face as well as other 'positions', but this Orang was very forceful, dominant and certain he only wanted his female on her back. There were lots & lots of very embarrassed families shepherding their kids and grandparents past the viewing windows! Hopefully more ginger babies on the way!
Are you sure? To the best of my knowledge, he arrived at Bristol as an adult - and I'm fairly sure that was no later than the early 1980's.
No, I'm not sure, but I've noted on my records (gleaned from various sources) that he arrived from Bristol in 1994 and last year I added that age. I could well be wrong!
Was it Chinta or Gambira? They've both been with him this week. Gambira is an old hand at mating with him (but is presumably infertile) while Chinta has probably just started to come into season again now that her daughter, Natalia, is 5 years old.
Yep, he definitely came from Bristol in 1994 the question is how long he was at Bristol, and how old he was when he arrived there. As noted above, I am given to understand Bristol received the pair in question as adults at some point between 1979 and 1984.
Well they had another animal PTS last November due to TB. So won't be until November 2019 until the earliest.
I think Gigit's 38 probably came from taking the 1984 on Zootierliste's reference as a start-date. However he would have been a wild-caught adult so (even if he arrived at Bristol in 1984 and not earlier) 38 is the bare minimum for his age.
No, I avoid doing 'sums' and don't look at Zootierliste so I got 38 from somewhere, but I don't know where. I've had a quick look through possible sources but haven't found it. My PZ records are very unofficial and random and I just jot things down as I hear/see them purely for my own information.
Does anyone know if the mandrill troop have suffered any losses? I couldn't see the dominant male (Jumamji?) and only four were visible on my last 3 visits?
5 year old female, Jamba, (Jumanji x Makemba) was PTS in December because of ongoing neurological problems. That left 2.5 - Jumanjj, his young son, Jumarta, daughters Jemima and Joliba, and adult females, Mirjam, Marta and Makemba. Jumanji's contraception has made him a shadow of his former self so it's easier to miss him these days. I did account for them all last week.
Bruce - found my source! A post by gentle lemur on 13 September 2018: "The enclosure for Bruce the echidna is getting a makeover. I was chatting to the keeper who was rearranging logs when two more keepers arrived to assist and to feed Bruce. One of them was a Dutch girl, perhaps a trainee, who was getting her leg pulled because she had taught her colleagues that the Dutch name for an echidna is 'arehole' (my attempt at phonetic spelling is undoubtedly not right). I hope a Dutch-speaking ZooChatter can confirm this Apparently the keepers have just worked out that Bruce is 38 years old (they had thought he was rather younger) while the life expectancy of an echidna is around 40 years! So don't miss the chance to see Bruce while you can."
Bruce celebrated 26 years of being at PZ on Monday. There is a little video of him on their FB page - "Yesterday was Bruce the echidna's 26th anniversary with us! Bruce enjoyed finding his food in some puzzle enrichment feeders that were created by our keepers. "Gotcha Day" is a nod to the echidna's native range of Australia and surrounding islands. He continues to be one of our guest's favourite animals to see, so many happy returns Bruce! "
The zoo has announced on its FB page that a Tur has got out of her enclosure again: "Earlier today a young female West Caucasian tur (a kind of small mountain goat) got out of its exhibit at the Zoo. The animal was spooked while vets were working with the Zoo’s herd. It cleared a fence, left its paddock and entered woodland inside the perimeter of the Zoo. Staff responded immediately. While the tur is not a danger, keepers are concerned for its welfare. The same species of animal was involved in a similar incident in September last year. The police have not been involved, as the animal has not gone beyond the Zoo perimeters. We are continuing to monitor the tur and wait for her to return to her enclosure. The tur is not large or dangerous, but of course we’re keen to get it back safe with its herd as soon as possible. We will continue to provide updates when we can. "
