Species lists from my visit today, 5 February 2017. For comparisons, my species lists from January 2014 are on this thread (but I will also leave comments in the current list): Dusit Zoo - species list, 29 January 2014 Some starter notes: *The koala house - under construction in 2014 - is complete and koalas are on show. The cassowaries and wombats are on show. No sign of any macropods at all, or the echidna that was there in 2013 (as per devilfish's observation). *The shark-fishing aquarium has gone. It was between the serow and tapir enclosures. In its place is viewing into the enclosures and a stairway up onto a viewing platform overlooking the serows. *Bird Island is closed for renovations (the sign says from December 2016 to November 2017). From some points you can see that the huge aviary there has been reduced to its skeleton. This of course means that the on-show bird collection is much reduced. *The palm trees where the wild Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bats used to roost have been entirely removed, and the sign for the bats has also gone. After some looking I did find a new roost (about twenty bats) in the leaves of the huge fan palm right next to the entry stairs of the south aviaries. A wild colony of Openbill Storks is also new since my last visit, beside the lake and visible from several points in the zoo. On my last visit, Red-bellied Squirrels and Variable Squirrels were common around the zoo - today I only saw one of each, which may just be down to random chance.
MAMMALS: (About 60 species on show, roughly the same species as in 2014) *Asian Elephant *Falabella Pony (Miniature Horse) (in the Childrens Zoo) *Common Zebra *Malayan Tapir *Common Hippo *Pigmy Hippo *Bactrian Camel (one, previously in the Childrens Zoo but now by the south aviaries) *Giraffe (still just the one pair) *Domestic Cow (previously in the Childrens Zoo; I didn't see them but they are probably still there) *Domestic Goat (in the Childrens Zoo) *Southern Serow (labelled as Sumatran Serow, which is a sort of generic name - I'm not sure that they are actually of Sumatran origin) *Nyala *Axis Deer (Chital) *Eld's (Brow-antlered) Deer *Fea's Muntjac (two this time [on previous visits just one]) *Common Muntjac (this time I saw no "normal" individuals, but I did see the albino one) *Lesser Mouse Deer (in with the Nicobar Pigeons) *Common Chimpanzee *Orangutan *Pileated Gibbon *White-handed Gibbon *Northern White-cheeked Gibbon *Crab-eating Macaque [*Stump-tailed Macaque - not seen this visit] *Red-shanked Douc (lots!!! Seven cages of them! Many babies and young ones too) [*Dusky Langur - I didn't see any this visit, but I didn't view the upper levels of the douc cages so they could have still been there] [*Phayre's Langur - I didn't see any this visit, as above] *Common Marmoset (only in the Childrens Zoo) *Squirrel Monkey (in the Childrens Zoo and the regular zoo) *Black And White Ruffed Lemur *Bengal Slow Loris (in the Nocturnal House) *Lyle's Flying Fox (in the south aviaries, and also in the Nocturnal House - I suspect the bats formerly labelled in the latter as Pteropus vampyrus were this species (see the 2014 list)) *Central African Hedgehog Atelerix albiventris (in the Nocturnal House) *Cape Fur Seal (I'm pretty sure only visible during show times) *Tiger (generic orange and white) *African Lion (and White Lions) *Leopard (this visit I only saw the black panther) *Jaguar *Clouded Leopard *Caracal *Fishing Cat *Leopard Cat (in the Nocturnal House) *Bat-eared Fox (in the Nocturnal House as well as elsewhere in the zoo) *Asiatic Black Bear *Sun Bear *Meerkat *Small-clawed Otter *Small Indian Civet (in the Nocturnal House) *Large Indian Civet (in the Nocturnal House) *Small-toothed Palm Civet (in the Nocturnal House) *Common Palm Civet (in the Nocturnal House) [*Masked Palm Civet - no longer present in the Nocturnal House] *Binturong (in the Nocturnal House) *Domestic Rabbit (in the Childrens Zoo) *Domestic Guinea Pig (in the Childrens Zoo) *Bicoloured Giant Squirrel (in the Childrens Zoo) *Indian Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista philippensis (in the Nocturnal House) *Paca (in the Nocturnal House) *Capybara (in the Childrens Zoo) [*Asian Brush-tailed Porcupine - no longer present in the Nocturnal House] *Malayan Crested Porcupine (in the Nocturnal House) *Two-toed Sloth *Sugar Glider (in the Nocturnal House) *Common Wombat *Koala
BIRDS: (32 species on show, down from 45) Most of the birds at the zoo were housed aviaries on Bird Island but this area is currently closed for a year-long renovation so the following list is much shorter than it would be. See the previously-mentioned 2014 species list for what is missing. Apart for Bird Island there is also a huge waterbird aviary which holds a breeding colony of various storks, mainly Painted Storks and Lesser Adjutants, as well as some other water birds. In a couple of other parts of the zoo are rows of large aviaries for hornbills, pheasants, etc. There were no parrots at all on show apart for budgies in the Childrens Zoo. *Ostrich *Common Cassowary *Humboldt's Penguin *Greater Flamingo *Lesser Whistling Duck (in the big waterbird aviary) *Spot-billed Pelican (in the big waterbird aviary, including one with a "cross-billed" deformity which has its own signage, next to which it was sitting) *Lesser Adjutant (several pairs breeding in the big waterbird aviary) *Painted Stork (lots in the big waterbird aviary - I didn't see any free-ranging around the zoo) [*Milky Stork is signed as being in the big waterbird aviary but again I did not see any] *Woolly-necked Stork (in the big waterbird aviary) *Oriental Black-headed Ibis (in the big waterbird aviary) *Sarus Crane (the pair is now in the big waterbird aviary) [*Purple Swamphen is signed as being in the big waterbird aviary but I didn't see any] *Black-necked Crowned Crane *Great White Egret (in the big waterbird aviary) *Black-crowned Night Heron (in the big waterbird aviary) [*Brahminy Kite is signed as being in the big waterbird aviary but I didn't see any] *Blue Peafowl *Green Peafowl *Silver Pheasant *Kalij Pheasant *Crested Fireback *Grey Peacock-Pheasant *Blue Crowned Pigeon *Nicobar Pigeon (a big colony of them in the south aviaries) *Green Imperial Pigeon *Pied Imperial Pigeon *Budgerigar (in the Childrens Zoo) *Great Hornbill *Rhinoceros Hornbill *Wreathed Hornbill *Oriental Pied Hornbill *Bushy-crested Hornbill *White-crowned Hornbill *Red-billed Blue Magpie
REPTILES: (63 species by my count, down from 81) See the aforementioned 2014 species list for a description of the Reptile House and to compare species. Basically almost all the species inside the house are snakes (apart for a Blue-tonged Skink, a Savannah Monitor, and a couple of Spotted Pond Turtles), and then outside are housed crocodylians and chelonians. There are almost no lizards any more, and no amphibians. However the snake line-up is great. There is still signage for "the Monitor Zone" but almost all the monitors are now gone. The only ones I saw were a Savannah Monitor inside the house and a Nile Monitor outside. Because LaughingDove is visiting the zoo soon I have arranged the list a bit differently than the 2014 list, so that the snake species are in roughly the order you see them as you go through the collection. I thought he might appreciate that, in case there was anything he particularly wanted to see. The turtles are all housed close together so no point doing the same for them. The scientific and (mostly) the common names are those used on the signage. *Macklot's Python Liasis mackloti *King Cobra Ophiophagus hannah *Corn Snake Pantherophis (Elaphe) guttatus (mutations) *Amazon Tree Boa Corallus hortulanus *Burmese Python Python molurus bivittatus (including albino and green mutations) *Yellow-spotted Keelback Xenochrophis flavipunctatus *Banded Krait Bungarus fasciatus *Viper boa Candoia aspera (I don't know if this is the same as the small one I saw in 2014 or a different adult specimen. It was difficult to view because it was mostly buried) *Elephant-trunk Snake Acrochordus javanicus *Malayan Pit-viper Calloselasma rhodostoma *Dog-faced Water Snake Cerberus rynchops *Reticulated Python Python reticulatus *Puff-faced Water Snake Homalopsis buccata *Monocled (Siamese) Cobra Naja kaouthia (including an albino) *Boa Constrictor Boa constrictor *Mangrove Pit-viper Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus *White-lipped Pit-viper Trimeresurus albolabris *Green Anaconda Eunectes murinus *Mangrove Snake Boiga dendrophila [*Brazilian Rainbow Boa Epicrates cenchria still signed but the tank was empty] *Blood Python Python curtus brongersmai *Red-tailed Rat Snake Gonyosoma oxycephalum *Ball Python Python regius (including an albino) *Oriental Rat Snake Ptyas mucosus *Cave-dwelling Snake [Cave Racer] Elaphe taeniura ridleyi *Green Tree Python Morelia viridis *Black Rat Snake Elaphe obsoleta (including a leucistic one) *Californian King Snake Lampropeltis getula californiae (including mutations) *Golden Tree Snake [Ornate Flying Snake] Chrysopelea ornata *Desert King Snake Lampropeltis getula splendida *Red Cat Snake Boiga nigriceps *Dog-toothed Cat Snake Boiga cynodon *Savannah Monitor Varanus exanthematicus *Blue-tongued Skink Tiliqua scincoides *Rhinoceros Iguana Cyclura cornuta *Common Iguana Iguana iguana *Nile Monitor Varanus niloticus *Central Bearded Dragon Pogona vitticeps *Spiny-tailed Agama Uromastyx aegyptia *Painted Agama Laudakia stellio brachydactyla *Monkey-tailed Skink (previously signed as just Monkey Skink; I prefer the name Solomon Islands Skink) Corucia zebrata *Green Basilisk Basiliscus sp. *Sailfin Lizard Hydrosaurus pustulatus *Saltwater Crocodile *False Gharial *Siamese Crocodile *Aldabra Giant Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea *African Spurred Tortoise Geochelone sulcata *Burmese Star Tortoise Geochelone platynota *Elongated Tortoise Indotestudo elongata *Asian Brown Tortoise Manouria emys *Pancake Tortoise Malacochersus tornieri *Siamese Soft-shell Turtle Amyda cartilaginea *Flap-shelled Turtle (just "Lissemys spp.") *Common Snapper Chelydra serpentina *Alligator Snapper Macrochelys temminckii [both snapper species were signed but both individuals I saw were [I think] Common Snappers] *Asian River Turtle Batagur baska *Yellow-headed Temple Turtle Hieremys annandalii *Black Turtle Siebenrockiella crassicollis *Spiny Turtle Heosemys spinosa *Spotted Pond Turtle Heosemys hamiltonii *Reeves' Turtle Mauremys reevesii *Chinese Stripe-necked Turtle Ocadia sinensis *Asian Box Turtle Cuora amboinensis *Red-eared Slider Trachemys scripta elegans (unsigned)
NOCTURNAL HOUSE: *Almost literally unchanged since 2014 - the same cages which were empty then are still empty, with the same “closed for renovation” signs on the glass. The one which had at one time held Hog Badger even still had the Hog Badger sign up (unlit) and that's been there at least four years now. The house's final enclosure, which in 2014 was set up like a desert but had no inhabitants, now houses Bat-eared Foxes. The Masked Palm Civet cage is now empty, and the Asian Brush-tailed Porcupines were also gone. Species on show: *Small Indian Civet *Large Indian Civet *Common Palm Civet *Small-toothed Palm Civet *Binturong (in two cages) *Leopard Cat *Paca *Indian Giant Flying Squirrel Petaurista philippensis (in a ball on the floor in the back corner) *Malayan Crested Porcupine *Central African Hedgehog Atelerix albiventris *Sugar Glider *Bengal Slow Loris *Lyle's Flying Fox (probably the same bats which were labelled as Common Flying Fox Pteropus vampyrus in 2014)
BTW: Chlidonias, I can confirm they still have both Dusky and Phayre's langur in the upper levels of the Primates Building. Situation as of October 2015.
I figure they still do. It wasn't until I'd left the zoo that I realised I hadn't gone up top, but all the signage on the ground level was for doucs and one for crab-eating macaques (which I realise I forgot to put on the list, along with jaguar - I'll add them in now).
I visited in June 2016; Bird island was a shadow of its former self. No birds-of-paradise and not much on display to get excited about. I wish I knew about the bat roost! I missed them back in 2013 and this time I walked through torrential rain to try and find these palm trees. I still walked up those stairs to the aviaries but must have managed to completely miss the bats if they were around. The dusky and 'Phayre's' langurs (I'm now told they're more likely to be Tenasserim langurs) were still around. I actually found the nocturnal house a bit disappointing this time. Fewer civets were on display (it seems more are now on-show) and the hog badger had gone, as you note. Meantime Pata have acquired a hog badger - I'm not sure if it could possibly be the same specimen. One of the highlights of the zoo's reptile area on my first 2013 visit was a trio of small vivaria each housing a rarely-seen and recently-described species of endemic gecko. These were gone just a few days later, but as the zoo's new director is (as far as I remember) a co-author on some of the descriptions of these species, I had hoped these displays might have returned.
the bats are difficult without binoculars - they cluster in the darkest parts of the leaf folds. You can sort of see they are there with the naked eye but not properly. If I hadn't been specifically looking for them I wouldn't have noticed them at all. Interesting about the Phayre's langurs. There are good photos of them in the gallery by GregOz (from memory?). Side-line, the black langurs at Kaeng Krachan are claimed to be Tenasserim langurs by some and the black robinsoni race of banded leaf monkey by others (and I think some compromise by saying both are there). The ones I saw there I have down as robinsoni because they didn't look like Tenasserim langurs to me. I remember the Kaeng Krachan flying gecko from your visit, but it was already gone by the time I got there (which I think wasn't too long after), replaced by viper boa amongst others. There are still some small terrariums in that area but nothing interesting in them. Were there still blue-rumped parrots on Bird Island in 2016?
Thanks. I still saw the viper boa on my 2013 visit, just a bit further along the way. No more blue-rumped parrots - Alexandrine parakeets were in their cage instead. The row of aviaries which had included red birds-of-paradise now houses macaws, cockatoos and a couple of pied hornbills.
This zoo is a veritable 'douc-factory': 2 births already this year - one in January & one in February - bringing the total number of Red-shanks at the zoo to 43!
I have just uploaded a large number of pictures of Dusit Zoo to the gallery here including some enclosures and many pictures of the rare/unusual species held at the zoo. I also have a few updates to Chlidonias' list from the beginning of the thread, this is from my visit on the 8th of April so a little over two months later. Mammals: Species not present/not on show: -Slow loris New species not on the original list: -Fennec Fox Birds: New species not on the original list: (note: all species in the waterbird aviary mentioned as signed but not seen were seen on my visit) -Alexandrine Parakeet -Black-naped Oriole -Black-throated Laughingthrush -White-crested Laughingthrush -(Domestic) Fantail Pigeon -Hill Myna -Peach-faced Lovebird -Marabou Stork Reptiles: Species not present/not on show: -Elephant Trunk Snake -Dog-faced Water-snake New species not on the original list: -Siamese Russel's Viper
I thought the nocturnal house, but figured they'd be in the end "desert" enclosure (housing bat-eared foxes on my visit).
No, the Bat-eared Foxes were still in their enclosure at the end. The fennecs were in a really small enclosure in the middle.
okay, really small sounds like the slow loris one then, if all the other species I listed were still present. Were there still larger empty enclosures (one was the former home of hog badger, for example, and was still sitting empty after several years)? One wonders why the fennecs weren't in one of those.
Yes, there were several empty large enclosures which would have been much more suitable. I have just uploaded a picture of the fennec fox enclosure: Fennec Fox Enclosure in the Nocturnal House | ZooChat
I was just back at the Dusit Zoo today. I found a new cheap way to get there from the backpacker district (the Khao San Road area). Usually I take a tuktuk which costs around 150 Baht, or 100 Baht if you're lucky. What I did today was just to take the boat up river from Pier 13 to Pier 15, which costs 15 Baht, and then it's an easy 20 minute walk to the zoo. You get quite hot and sweaty because it's Bangkok, but you're going to get all hot and sweaty walking round the zoo anyway so it doesn't really matter. So the total cost of getting to and from the zoo was 30 Baht as opposed to 300 Baht. That's just over NZ$1 versus about NZ$12, so a significant saving (in travel terms, about four or five meals, or one and a half nights accommodation). Wildlife seen in the zoo grounds included several variable and red-bellied squirrels, a northern tree shrew, the roost of greater short-nosed fruit bats (in the same palm tree noted at the start of the thread), lots of openbill storks, and a large colony of black-crowned night herons and little egrets by the Fish Bridge. I also saw one of the spot-billed pelicans on the lake but I'm not counting it as a wild bird because I don't know if they are, or if they are released zoo birds. There aren't many changes from the initial post, and those that have occurred have mostly been noted by LaughingDove. *Where the palm trees used to be in which the bats roosted (now all cleared) there have been placed several small vertical aviaries housing the species noted by LaughingDove (alexandrine, black-naped oriole, black-throated laughing-thrush, white-crested laughing-thrush, fantail pigeon, greater hill myna, and peach-faced lovebird) as well as budgies and red-billed blue magpies. The aviaries are too small and the birds unfortunately seemed very agitated by the approach of people, especially the magpies. *Marabou storks have been added to the giant waterbird aviary. *The Phayre's and dusky langurs are still there, as noted by several people (on my previous visit I had missed them). *There are eight occupied douc cages, each with breeding groups (at least four to ten in each cage). *In the Reptile House, as noted by laughingDove, the elephant-trunk snake and dog-faced water snake are gone (their tanks are still empty), and Russel's viper is new. Rainbow boa is back on display (was off-display on my previous visit). The viper boa appears to be gone, the tank being unlit. The only monitors left are two savannah monitors - the Nile monitor is gone and the enclosure has tortoises in it. Indian star tortoise is new. *The Nocturnal House is basically the same, except the flying squirrel appears to now be gone - the cage was unlit. The fennec fox noted by LaughingDove is actually in one of the enclosures which was previously empty. Bengal Slow Loris was back on display (was not there on LaughingDove's visit). So, in summary: since the initial post there are some new small aviaries, some minor reptile changes, new marabou storks, new fennec fox, and the Indian giant flying squirrel seems to be gone.
