Some very interesting news from Zoo Chleby's Facebook page today - a new enclosure has been built for red-shanked douc langurs. They are due to house a male and two females that will be coming from Thailand; they are going to wait until winter is over before the langurs are imported.
wow, that is unexpected news indeed! The direct link is here: https://www.facebook.com/92820047438/posts/10154064358392439/ Google Translate says (obviously it doesn't do Czech very well!): In the comments thread it says there will be 1.2 animals and that they will not be arriving until the warmer months (i.e. after winter).
Equally stunned from what is frankly a zoo that never registered on my radar, the Czech republic has now moved further up my to do list!
Chleby is quite a fun little place, but it's weird. Very weird. Really very weird. When it's not just plain unsettling.
Clearly, political correctness has not reached Chleby yet... This place looks so bizarre, it makes Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm seem pedestrian. I've gotta get there
Kinda worrying, since the owner has been associated with smuggling animals in the past, according to a member on a Dutch zoo website. I hope they're capable of taking good care of them.
The Douc langurs would be a great addition to the fabulous collection of rarities at Chleby Zoo. You thought Tierpark and Zoo Berlin or San Diego Zoo is full of rare speices ? Then you should watch this, the current map of Chleby Zoo: Mapa ZOO | ZOO Chleby Watch the numbers 5-I guess, a very cool thing for bird lovers, 23 and 24, thats for the hoofstock fans and it seems the Zoo also has a mixed speices exhibit no other zoo of the world had it before-number 24. And of course, also the friends of marsupials can enjoy this amazing zoo. They should go first to number 26 when visiting that awesome place-I think, in view of this amazing collection, Douc Langurs are the most common species the zoo has to offer!
For those who didn't realize it yet: It's a small zoo and the rarities like Dodo or Tasmanian Wolf are not real(=alive) of course. Ref. the Doucs, it's a weird thing. I have my deep doubts that they will really get this species. I will believe it only, when the langurs are on show then.
@Zoomaniac Really-the Dodos,Tasmanian tigers and Quagags are NOT alive ? Thank you,Zoomaniac, for this very important information, I already started to fill my suitcase for a short trip to Chleby. I'm not sure about it, but I guess, most people here on Zoochat would understand the Joke....but of course, not all of them. Neverthless, I'm so dissapointed the Zoo do not keep and breed Quagga,Dodo or Tasmanain Tigers. My advice is, should they get the Docus to go very , very quick to that place, remembering the successful story of Proboscis monkeyas at Apenheul, and with the exception of cologne (but also not"really"succesful,too-only one of them left at this palce...) NO Zoo outside of Asia was succesful in keeping and breeding on a long-term side Douc Langurs-too many of these wonderful animals had to pay a very, very high price for this-in form of their lifes. Yes, I know, Zoos should try and try and try it again-Master Yoda would say"Do-or do it not.There is no try", but unfortunately, this isn't working so good with the husbandry of wild animals in Zoos, so as long as Doucs are available for the attempts, there are still chances some of them could be kept alive for a while. So what speaks against for such a small Zoo like Chleby to try it with Douc's,, if even large, famous and in langur husbandry more expierenced Zoos failed in keeping Doucs ? Nothing. I know, I see that too hard, and it is not good for Zoo interested poeple to critize that-hey-it is a rare species more to see. Some members here ask"Should elephants, Apes,Bears or-of course Orcas be kept in CAPTIVITY ?"and I can answer this with a clear YES, but there are also lots of species, Zoos failed in keeping them-so pangolins, doucs,Suamtran rhinos, and much more-so from my point of view-its ENOUGH. I'm Sorry for the Off-Topic.
@Zoomaniac. And where excactly is the sarcasm or irony in my posting with the Zoo's map ? Please, tell me..you will not find it, because it is defenitely a harmless Joke, but despite your age, you are unable to spot a diffrence. Beauval-Blauwal ? I feeld a bit Sorry for you, if you have so many problems to be a funny human, always open to every kind of humor. I hope, you will not follow the old Episodes of"The Simpsons"-be warned to watch them! But I#m sure, you don't-They even make bad Jokes about ZOOS-oh,No! "Do you like"Dick and Doof"-or is there also to many Irony,Sarcasm and Black Humor in there"?
The following message, from the Douc Langur Foundation to Chleby Zoo, has been posted on FB: "Dear Rene Franek, The Douc Langur Foundation has just learned that you are planning to acquire several grey-shanked douc langurs from Bangkok. We have been studying Douc Langurs in the wild for the past 20 years and are working on Feeding Ecology of doucs at Son Tra Nature Reserve, Vietnam for more that 10 years. We also have experience working with the San Diego Zoo. Doucs are difficult to keep in captivity because of warmth and food requirements. Captive doucs need many various young leaves each day and fruit only seasonally. Most zoos kill their animals because of nutrition. We would strongly advise your zoo to reconsider getting these animals. To our knowledge there are no 2nd generation grey shanked doucs in captivity in the world. These animals are part of a huge illegal wildlife trade organization. Your zoo will certainly be sanctioned by CITES for getting these rare critically endangered primates. Please reconsider this acquisition. Please give us a call. We would like to talk with you." The letter mentions grey-shanked doucs, whereas I think most of us were assuming the doucs would be red-shanked. Does any zoo in Bangkok have grey-shanked doucs? There certainly have been 2nd generation red-shanked doucs in captivity. The phrase 'Most zoos kill their animals because of nutrition' makes it sound as if they do so on purpose!
the only doucs in Thailand are red-shanked doucs, and the zoo in question is undoubtably the Dusit Zoo. (And the species found at Son Tra are also red-shanked doucs). I think the Douc Langur Foundation has the wrong end of the stick.
These are bad news. I think, every zoo should get the chance to make his own experencie in keeping a"difficult" species like Apenheul did with the probocscis monkey. Unfortunately it failed, but who could know that it happen ? There is always a 50:50 Chance, isn't it ? And see, so many other"difficult"species can be kept succesfully in zoos, see the Pangolins at Leipzig. Of course, they don't breed, but they live there now a long time-so its working very well. How many okapis had to die, until they could be kept alive and healthy ? So if Doucs are available, and Chleby can obtain them, they should take the chance and get them for an attempt. Maybe the doucs will survive a longer time, maybe so long to give birth ? So I think, the Douc Langur Fondation is indeed wrong with their negative view of the Situation. Ps.To the second Facebook-Posting: Of Course the Doucs will die-every animals has to die, sooner or later...some sooner than later.If the Doucs die in czech or Thailand won't makes any diffrence. But murder isn't the correct term for that...unintentional homicide is appropriate in this case. But who knows, even a blind chicken finds a grain-so NOBODY can say to 100 % what will be happen with the Doucs at Chleby, should they really come.
The letter, from the Douc Langur Foundation's president Dr. Lois Lippold to Chleby Zoo's director Rene Franek, can be found on Dr. Lippold's FB page http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009172601721 though I imagine that isn't an 'open' page. The statement has been 'shared' around FB by those who support its content. I am not one of them.
that does not appear to be an open page. On Zoo Chleby's Facebook page someone had earlier reposted part of the text to their Visitor Posts (on left of the page), and just since then two new comments regarding it have appeared on their main page in the comments under the original douc photos/news (one saying that doucs don't belong in zoos and the other saying "You will have several lawsuits on your heads - some of them international !")
The comments on the zoo's FB page continue to descend into frothing-at-the-mouth rabidity. For example - "I'm going to sue your God-damned zoo in court personally if you continue to try to import these endangered species who never have offsprings in zoos !" I have replied to the 'never have offsprings in zoos!' remark by pointing out that in the past 12 months alone, the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok has bred 5 douc langurs. In fact, that zoo now holds >40 Red-shanked Doucs and I suspect its holding capacity must be pretty stretched.
