To start this new year with stars : first video of the doucs ! https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=447628713060848 And outstanding news : three females are pregnant and two babies are expected soon
Very good news, can't wait to see them, however, I found the exhibit - from what I could see in the video - to be a bit bare. Reminds me of the Diana monkey exhibit in Leipzig. Looks very artificial and although the monkey don't mind it, it is not a very immersive exhibit. I was hoping for more folliage, maybe it would've made the doucs harder to see. I'll have to go anyway to see what it looks like in real life. The fact that 3 of them are pregnant is also great, maybe some of them are from a different male which would be a great thing when it comes to genetic diversity?
@Rayane You can't put foliage in the exhibit as it is what they eat and, of course, they can't eat all type of foliage. Doucs, outside Asia, can't be presented with foliage. This is just a reallity. The exhibit is not beautiful but they have two indoor aviaries and one very large outdoor aviary. It's good to manage a medium group. No more. Hope there will be no problem with the doucs diet (as it is always the major one) and they can settle in well with the dome noise.
Don't wish to sound pessimistic but I remember when Cologne kept them there were problems with babies being aborted due to stress. But if the pregnant females haven't done that during the transport/move and settling-in period, then hopefully successful births will result.
I had an idea, that trees which doucs eat (which are apparently common tropical trees, like some species of Ficus) could be planted in buildings at the zoo as ornamentals. Excess leaves would then be supplementary food for doucs. Apparently, trees in tropical halls produce rather lots of foliage which must be pruned. In much larger tropical hall in Arnhem it is apparently 20 tons per year.
However, if the females are pregnant now they have therefore traveled from Vietnam to France pregnant. Not sure this is the best way to put the odds on your side for a viable birth.
@Jurek7 I hope Beauval sought for the best nutrition for their doucs and learned from Chleby which kept them without problems for few years now.
Latest births for 2020 : - 2 green pricklenapes, - 7 axis deers, - 1 hog deer, - 1 somali wild ass, - 2 red handed tamarins, - 6 humboldt pinguins, - 1 sitatunga, - 1 guereza colobus.
Hopefully the Doucs will breed well, and hopefully some females as I believe chelbys young have all been male? Fingers crossed a uk collection will be interested! (howletts/port lymph would seem most likely, however Paignton using on of the islands would be a great addition.)
Well, I don't think Damian Aspinal is looking for new species, quite the opposite, therefore Howletts or Port Lymph are unlikely to be willing to get them.
I found on its internet site that Beauval is now involved in partula snails conservation and welcomed some species that are breed in the Tropical Dome. No more infos on the species and where they are bred (I suppose off show but I imagine the zoo could put some on show in the future).
More positive for the potential of reemergence of the species in European zoos now. I think the cooperation with Thai zoos and Singapore Zoo and Vietnam are critical for global management.
I had forgotten how spectacular they are. Perhaps with more modern husbandry zoos in Europe can be more successful with them longterm.
