This is the new orang house at Chester and it opens on the 26th of may, with an official opening on the 30th of June. There will be: -sumatran orangs -Bornean orangs -mangrove snakes -Gibbons( don't know what species yet) -Reticulated python -white lipped pit viper There is also supposed to be mossy frogs and crocodile monitors both of which have since settled down in the tropical realm( the tropical house). There will be many other species I think the list goes up to about 14!! It will cost in the region of £3 million
thansk for that sounds so kool so i presume the gibbons orangs will mix, what about free flight bird species with otrangs provided an indoor area? sounds great would love to see the plas and some pics!
Oh, I don't think that they're having that. It was an Idea that I had before. It would work quite well, I think.
gibbons are particuarly adept at catching birds. it might work, if the zoo can somehow ensure they show no interest in eating them... maybe start out with java finches or something i wouldn't be throwing any hornbills or rare birds in straight away (monsieur hornbill would have a fit if one was eaten!)
The Java sparrows are already in a mixed exhibit with a komodo and they're doing pretty well. No deaths yet....
Java Sparrows are actually quite rarer in the wild nowadays. I know they're as common as muck in captivity but wouldn't like to think of them as DRagon fodder. Still, it might give the gibbons something to do, trying to catch them.
At Chester They are not mixing any of the birds with th orangs or Gibbons. I am getting the impression that you think they are. I just thought it would be a nice idea and it would be but you'd have to be careful about them escaping
If any of you have been to Chester zoo within the last 18 months you'd see that the new elephant house also has great hornbill, green peafowl, northern tree shrew and Pla Eesok. None of them are housed with the Elephants, they are kept in small enclousures or Aviaries are tanks that are adjacent to the main indoor Elephant house.
I was only joking about the Java Sparrows. I'm pretty sure the Gibbons would immediately start capturing them if they were in the same area, and wouldn't stop until they had got every one. Gibbons are VERY fast and could easily catch small finches in an enclosed area. How many UK zoos/bird parks do you know that exhibit Giant Hornbill nowadays? And how many with Ground Hornbill?
London had a pair last time I went, Chester has 2 pairs and I think colchester has a pair. Only Chester and I think colchester have bred them. I don't know much about the ground hornbill. There are 2 species. The southern and the Abisyiann. I think London has a pair of Southerns and So does paignton. Chester would get them in the furure with this zoning plan thing.
Cotswold Wildlife Park holds a pair of Giant Hornbills also. Cricket St Thomas has Southern Ground Hornbills and successfully bred three females last year, these have been sent to other collections but not sure where.
Cotswold have bred Giant Hornbill in the past. They recently enlarged the bird's flight aviary in the corner of the walled garden. I don't know anywhere else except Cricket St Thomas who have bred the Ground Hornbills- they haqndraised the chicks after incubating the eggs.
I don't. Chester has also bred Wrinkled Hornbill in 1995 ( the first UK breeding of the species). Bristol, I think, bred Tarictics. Chester Certainly has bred them. Chester has bred Javan Rhinoceras Hornbills. The only Uk (and maybe European) zoo to have done so. Whipsnade bred the south Sulawesi hornbill last year.
I think I saw this pair in their Bird Garden. Is this a smallish hornbill with the male mainly black with some yellow, or is that a different species?
I only saw the male. It was very striking. I seem to remember it was Black with a lovely Sulphur yellow breast or head, or both. The female may have been brown? I'll admit all Hornbills are very impressive birds. Some of the bigger species like the GRound Hornbills have beautiful long eyelashes.
I agree. My favourites are the Writhed (Obviously), Sulawesi Wrinkled, Rufous, Wreathed and the Southern Sulawesi hornbills. I've put up a picture of the Southern Sulawesi on the Gallery. Take a look. To add to my list: London has bred Black hornbills. They had 1.2 but one of the females sealed herself in a had 2 healthy chicks.
in 2005 london only had a single giant hornbill, a female i think. poor thing, her aviary was rather large but too overgrown, she couldnt fly properly!
