Dublin zoo

[Troglodytes]

That's excellent news on Mayani, it's funny that Kera also likes to play with Komale but it sounds like there's hope for her when she has a baby.

[Joan]

Is the rainforest area bigger than London Zoo for them Joan ?

Yes, about 1.5 times the size of ZSL but a lot more planting like Bristol zoo where they have planted lots of edible plants and flowers and is very lush in summer. 




 

[AmyB]

It's lovely when enclosures have edible plants/flowers in for the animals to enjoy

[MWmadgill]

Yes, it does sound fab for them.   Well done Dublin Zoo !

[Joan]

Finally got to see the baby hippo Atiya today who was trying to get mum Heidi to play - without success, so she had to make do with having a mud wallow.  Very sweet little youngster, they now have 3 generations of hippo at Dublin Zoo - grandad Henri, his son Hoover the proud father, his mate Heidi and now little Atiya .

The chimpanzees were displaying at their new neighbours the gorillas and the young gorilla lads were beating their chests at the chimpanzees so both parties held their own.  Hope to get a keeper to tell me who's who in the chimpanzee group, there are only 5 so should be easy to get to know them.  Both gorilla mothers Lena and Mayani were holding their babies as close as possible.

3 baby mangabeys and 3 baby macaques all enjoying riotous play.

Sasak's former mate and her son were singing, according to the keeper everybody, keepers and gibbons, miss her terribly, they were a very bonded couple for 17 years.

[sophiesiamang]

were they only seperated so he could breed again or what???

[Joan]

Speaking to the keeper, Dublin zoo had no choice in the matter, the breeding programme decided it all.  Sasak was on an implant for 4 years because she  was not allowed to have any more babies under the breeding programme.  And she was always happiest when she had a baby to care for, she was a wonderful mother and very bonded with her mate, 17 years is a long time.

So nobody at Dublin zoo wanted Sasak to go, were very nervous about how she would fare with Sam and the only thing that reconciled them to the parting was the fact that they know she will be well cared for at MW.  However her mate and son miss her terribly, so it does seem very harsh of the breeding programme.   I thought they would find a widow or else a female who had siblings in abundance like at Cotswold Wildlife Park, not split up a bonded pair.

[MWmadgill]

It's all a bit sad then, would have been nicer if they had had similar backgrounds then to meet each other JOan.

[AmyB]

It's a shame for her mate and son to have been separated from her but hopefully she'll make Sam happy, and be happy with him. 17 years is a long time for animals to be together so it may take her mate a while to adjust. (Not sure the stud book people think about the animals as individuals really in situations like that)

I'm sure you'll get to know the chimp group really quickly Joan, and the gorillas too.

[sophiesiamang]

yes very sad as they pair for life so he will mourn

[Troglodytes]

I'm surprised, I thought he was getting / had got new mate to breed with. Otherwise there seems no reason for the 'breeding programme' to interfere if neither of the new pairings are going to breed. It is very sad for a pair who were content with each other.

[Joan]

Sorry got my hippos wrong,  Hoover moved to Whipsnade zoo where he has had a baby girl Hula with Lola and it's his dad Henry who fathered the Dublin zoo baby girl, May-December match then. I was wondering why I only ever saw 3 hippos!  Heidi isn't very nice to Henry so he keeps to himself, she is a good mother though.

http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/news/hippo-baby-at-zsl-whipsnade-zoo,868,NS.html

Kambiri the baby gorilla born in Sept is now crawling and Kituba born in March can climb around the mesh ceiling - all done under the watchful eyes of their mothers and Harry. 

The baby red pandas are nearly as big as their parents but still play chase, wrestle and tumble about the enclosure.

[LornaMcA]

That seems strange that the breeding programme would break up the family like that, especially as there seem to be so many siamangs about that are surplus to the breeding programme.  I assumed when she was sent to MW that her mate had passed away.  Hope they get used to being without her quickly.