I know where you are coming from! What you say may well be, but these two Nepali cows are so very very very important to the breeding program, restricting their opportunities for breeding is not logical step policy-wise. Anything that might redress the balance over the quite substantial representation of the Basel Zoo-line is a good thing for this EEP. BTW: also remember several of these wild-born imports have never reproduced successfully as yet (I say … Berlin Zoo, Muenchen Hellabrunn and Wien Schoennbrunn. That is quite a few non-represented wild-born and potential founders for the program.
The zoo has just published its attendance figures for 2014: 700,000, approx 27% up on the previous year and its best year since the early 1970s. Not bad for a place that has only utilised half the land it owns-imagine what the figures would be if ZSL finally got around to developing the rest!
I will be going to the zoo on the 27th. I just wanted to find out if the bird show and the sea lion show is on at this time of year? Thanks
I looked on the website and I couldn't find if either show runs this time of year, but from what I remember they are less regular then during peak season. It may well have changed as I have not been to one of the shows for a while now. Perhaps you may want to get in contact with the Zoo to double check?
I may do but not too bothered just wondered as I couldn't find any mention of it on the website and thought it would be nice to see them if there were on as it is the first time I have been to the zoo for close to two years now
ah ok cool, well if they are on I recommend them. Its been quite a while since I went to either show so they may have changed quite a bit since I was young.
From what I saw on Saturday they aren't running full shows, instead they are running short training sessions with the animals, getting them ready for when the full shows start in the high season. Ask at the ticket desk for a timetable, the session times should be listed on there
Just another quick question before I go to the zoo on Friday. How does the entry and shop work? I know the entrance is being redone so how do you actually get in to the zoo? And is the gift shop still open? Thanks
There's an entrance down the side of the building work, through the woods. There are a number of temporary kiosks dotted around that sell gifts. A pity you can't delay your visit-the new entrance opens in roughly 2 weeks!
Squirrel monkeys have returned to the old Squirrel Monkey island. However, this is only temporary before the all-male group move onto another collection. There are tentative discussions about housing one of the displaced groups from London's lion terraces on the island in the long term.
I think, feasibly, the only group that would work are the Francois langurs. The gibbons are father/son (the son being hybrid) and the spider monkeys are an old breeding pair with one adult male offspring. The langurs have also produced offspring since the move. However, I'd love to see, and hear, gibbons on that island! Think you'd have to do a lot of surrounding tree pruning first though!
The son isn't inbred at all - he's about as outbred as he could get, which is the problem he's a leucogenys x gabriellae hybrid.
