ZooChat Challenge Europe 2017

As this year's UK Zoochat Challenge is very specific to the UK alone (though very interesting at that!), Kevin and I figured a challenge for a certain group of species would still definitely be in order. In contrast to 'our' challenge last year, this time instead of limiting ourselves to Belgium, The Netherlands and their neighboring countries we figured it'd be more fun to include the rest of the European members as well (certainly as the UK now has a different challenge). To be specific, the entirety of what is geographically Europe will count in this challenge (including Iceland, the UK, Ireland, the Mediterranean islands, but excluding the Canary Islands, Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and all overseas territories to avoid conflicts about what is and isn't 'Europe.')

This year's challenge will focus on all things Primate; apes, monkeys, prosimians and even the elusive tarsier! Primates should be an interesting challenge because while there are collections (Apenheul, La vallee des singes, Mulhouse, Twycross etc.) that keep a very large amount of primates or even focus on them entirely, there are enough other collections keeping a nice amount of them to prevent one from visiting a single collection and winning the entire challenge that way.

I'll be keeping this challenge to a species level to avoid any confusion and/or debates. For this, I believe IUCN will suffice (in some cases like Eulemur rufus/rufifrons, Nycticebus coucang, Tarsius tarsier, Lagothrix lagotricha, Cebus capucinus, Chlorocebus aethiops and Semnopithecus entellus, I suggest we follow Zootierliste's lead and list them all as the sensu lato species. To expand on this, if (for example) you see both Apenheul's single male Lagothrix poeppigii and their group of Lagothrix lagotricha s.l. you would count both as the sensu lato is of a different species than the pure individual. On the other hand, if you see Prague's pure Nycticebus coucang and Nycticebus coucang s.l. in another collection, you would only count them once, as the sensu lato is of the same species.)

This challenge of course also has rules, with credits to Shorts:
1. You have to actually see the animal, even if just for a second. You don't score if you visit a collection but don't see the animal (harsh, but fair);
2. Proof via photographs is not required, your word is your bond;
3. You have to see the animal via normal public access (i.e. not including zookeeper for the day or photography days behind the scenes) during normal public opening hours (i.e. no scoring because you know the keeper and can get access before/after hours). Basically the species has to be seen as Joe Public would;
4. Only collections located in what is geographically Europe will count in this challenge (including Iceland, the UK, Ireland, the Mediterranean islands, but excluding Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey to avoid conflicts about what is and isn't 'Europe.')
5. Report/update your progress on this thread as you go along;
6. The winner will be deemed to be the person(s) who's seen the most at 31st December 2017;
7. My (final) decision is final but I'm open to discussion and debate on any specific points.

This challenge is solely for fun and sadly I won't be able to offer the winner an actual prize. Most of all, I hope everyone has a great time!

 

I may as well take part, starting with a few additions from Zlin Zoo today, which has surprisingly few primates considering the size of the zoo.

1) White-faced Saki Monkey
2) Common Marmoset
3) Black-mantled Tamarin
4) Common Squirrel Monkey
5) Moloch Gibbon

Unfortunately at Zlin, many species can't be seen during the winter months and relevant to this challenge were the Gelada and Ring-tailed Lemurs that were locked away in their viewing-less indoor areas. Obviously I will easily get the lemurs elsewhere, the Geladas on the other hand may be more difficult despite the fact that I saw some yesterday .

 

Looking at ZTL Zlin seems to have surprisingly little of everything
One of the reasons I missed it off my visit to Czechia this summer, although I'll make it eventually.

This is a great challenge and I am looking forward to contributing. As Vision pointed out in the worldwide version it can add a lot to a zoo visit, although it can also take on possibly too much importance when it comes to planning trips

 

Judging by the number of empty aviaries, it seemed like the bird collection would be quite extensive in the summer, and the Ramphastidae collection was quite extensive on my visit yesterday with five species.

Zlin is worth visiting just for the quality of exhibits though and how well polished the place is, even when many of those exhibits are empty and covered in frost.

 

Considerably more (and rarer) species at Jihlava Zoo today:

6) King Colobus
7) Campbell's Guenon
8) Black-crested Mangabey
9) Senegal Bushbaby
10) Garnett's Greater Galago
11) Cotton-top Tamarin
12) Silvery Marmoset
13) Goeldi's Monkey
14) Golden Lion-tamarin
15) Yellow-cheeked Gibbon
16) Golden-handed Tamarin
17) Red-ruffed Lemur
18) Black Lemur
19) Red-fronted Lemur
20) Grey Mouse-lemur
21) Spix's Moustached Tamarin
22) Pygmy Slow Loris
23) Ring-tailed Lemur

 

Chester Zoo

1) Lar Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
2) Cotton-Topped Tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
3) White-Faced Saki Monkey (Pithecia pithecia)
4) Black Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya)
5) Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis)
6) Western Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus)
7) Bornean Orangutan (Pongo pygmaes)
8) Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo abelii)

 

And a few more additions from Warsaw Zoo:

24) Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur
25) Allen's Swamp Monkey
26) Yellow-breasted Capuchin
27) Celebes Crested-macaque
28) Diana Monkey
29) Hamadryas Baboon
30) Western Gorilla
31) Common Chimpanzee
32) Common Marmoset
33) White-lipped Tamarin

Don't worry, I won't manage to continue with this rate of additions . These will probably be my last additions until late February at the earliest.

 

I will see how much of a fight I can put up based on July and August which will be spent wandering England and the continent. Thylo showed how strongly you can perform in a limited period of time with a little dedication....

 

First four from AquaZoo Friesland.

1. White-handed Gibbon (Hylobates lar)
2. Black-capped Squirrel Monkey (Saimiri boliviensis)
3. Yellow-breasted Capuchin (Sapajus xanthosternos)
4. Ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta)

 

Did a really quick run in Antwerp today; only one no-show (mandrill), but I should get that one pretty easily on my next visit. Was surprised to see all 3 nocturnal primates they keep so easily, usually they're a bit harder to find.

1) Hamlyn's monkey, Cercopithecus hamlyni
2) Javan langur, Trachypithecus auratus
3) Geoffroy's marmoset, Callithrix geoffroyi
4) Golden-headed lion tamarin, Leontopithecus chrysomelas
5) Red ruffed lemur, Varecia rubra
6) Ring-tailed lemur, Lemur catta
7) Black-and-white colobus, Colobus guereza
8) Brown-headed spider monkey, Ateles fusciceps
9) Goeldi's monkey, Callimico goeldii
10) Pygmy marmoset, Cebuella pygmaea
11) Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes
12) Western gorilla, Gorilla gorilla
13) Eastern gorilla, Gorilla beringei
14) Humboldt's night monkey, Aotus trivirgatus
15) Grey slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus
16) Senegal galago, Galago senegalensis
17) Bolivian squirrel monkey, Saimiri boliviensis

 

And saw their last species today, as well

18) Mandrill, Mandrillus sphinx

 

@ Vision : Is the Siamang no longer part of the collection ???

 

@vogelcommando no, they left about half a year ago, when their exhibit was also taken down (to make space for an okapi greenhouse that should be built in the future). It was speculated they'd move to the primate house near the entrance, but they haven't appeared there so I suppose they've moved on elsewhere. Their indoor exhibits will be/are being remade to house sengis, hyraxes, gundis and barbary striped grass mice.

 

Thanks for this information Vision and for the Siamangs it also would be better being at another collection because the cage was not realy suiteble for a species like siamangs. Zootierliste however lists Antwerp still as being a keeper ( 3 males ) but that will be wrong then.

 

Few more additions from Rotterdam Zoo taking me to the double-digits.

5. Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
6. Crested black macaque (Macaca nigra)
7. Francois' leaf monkey (Trachypithecus francoisi)
8. Lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus)
9. Mantled Colobus (Colobus guereza)
10. Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla)
11. White-naped mangabey (Cercocebus lunulatus)

 

Well I may as well post my total so far for this year,but I will not even be close to the winner at the end of the year,so all these are from a visit to Chester Zoo on the first day of the year,
1)Sumatran Orang
2)Javan Grey Gibbon
3)Columbian Black Spider Monkey
4)Lion-tailed Macaque
5)Mandrill
6)Buffy-headed Capuchin
7)Sulawesi Crested Macaque
8)Chimpanzee
9)Bornean Orang
10)Lar Gibbon
11)Black Howler
12)White-faced Saki
13)Pied Tamarin
14)Eastern Pygmy Marmoset
15)Golden-headed Lion Tamarin
16)Emperor Tamarin
17)Aye-aye

So thats it for the moment doubt I will post a total much more than 50 for the year!

 

I hadn't seen this challenge when I visited Colchester on 1st January, so missed a few, will get them next time :
1. Geoffroy's marmoset
2. Golden Lion Tamarin
3. Golden-headed lion tamarin
4. Red Titi
5. Colombian black spider monkey
6. Common squirrel monkey
7. Red backed Saki
8. Chimpanzee
9. Bornean Orangutan
10. Patas monkey
11. L'hoest monkey
12 Mandrill
13. Pygmy marmoset
14. Pileated gibbon
15.ring-tailed lemur
16. Lion-tailed macaque
17. Cherry - Crowned mangabey
18. Yellow -breasted capuchin
19. Gelada

Linton 2nd January

20. Cotton - top tamarin
21. White -collared lemur
22. Mongoose lemur
23. Crowned lemur
24. Red Ruffed lemur

 

Dublin Zoo 3/01/2017
1) Sulawesi Crested Macaque
2) Bornean Orangutan
3) Siamang Gibbon
4) Ring-tailed lemur
5) Red Ruffed Lemur
6) Western Lowland Gorilla
7) Red Capped Mangabey
8) White Crowned Mangabey
Didnt know about this challenge at the time and missed out on 4 in the South American House

Edinburgh Zoo 17/01/2016
9) L'hoet's monkey
10) Yellow-breasted Capuchin
11) Diana money
12) Drill
13) Red Bellied Lemur
14) White Faced Saki
15) Goeldi's Monkey
16) Gelada Baboon
17) Grey Legged Douroucouli
18) Eastern Pygmy Marmoset
19) Squirrel Monkey
20) Tufted (Brown) Capuchin
21) Buff-cheeked Gibbon
22) Crowned Lemur
Map says theres cotton topped tamarins but didnt see them.

 

First zoo visit of the year to Basel:

1. Sumatran orang utan
2. Western lowland gorilla
3. Western chimpanzee
4. Geoffrey's spider monkey
5. Bolivian squirrel monkey
6. Woolly monkey (s.l.)
7. White-faced saki
8. Golden lion tamarin
9. Red titi
10. Crab-eating macaque
11. Black-and-white belted ruffed lemur

The cotton-top tamarins remained a no-show