Remember remember…

 

November has begun, and the clocks have gone back (confusing many animals as they experience a shift in the timings of their daily routine). The dark nights are now drawing in and this week we celebrate Bonfire night (disturbing many animals even more!) With all this human activity of late, our animals have been keeping themselves quiet. But here’s what you can look out for if you are in the zoo over the next week.

This is the perfect time of year to catch a glimpse of the resident zoo European beavers. These crepuscular and nocturnal animals (when they come out varies very much from individual to individual) are rarely seen during the day light hours and so spotting them during the summer is near impossible! However, with the ever darkening nights, the beavers are now venturing out earlier and earlier each night. The zoo now closes at 4.30pm. However, on a cloudy day there is a strong chance of seeing our beavers out and about from 3.30pm onwards during winter.

Beavering away!

Look out for them feeding on vegetation, bark and buds, or working on their ever-growing lodge. You are most likely to spot them in the water, where they feel safest. They are excellent swimmers and are capable of remaining submerged for up to 15 minutes (when still) or 5 minutes (when swimming). So, you may have to wait a while for them to pop up for air! They prefer to remain in or near water at all times, as submerging is the best way for them to avoid their predators in the wild. They are elusive creatures, and for that reason it is advisable to stay as quiet and still as possible when around them. However, they won’t hesitate to let you know if you have disturbed them, by using their large, flat tails to give the water an almighty slap!  Why not pay our pair a visit in the old duck ponds, opposite the painted hunting dogs? We also currently have a lone individual living in the enclosure next to Pallas cats (not the one with the tigers in it!) that you may be lucky enough to spot.

In their element

Given the colder temperatures and darker days, now is also a great time of year to spot our wolverines. These crepuscular animals come out at dawn and dusk, and so are more likely to be seen early morning or late afternoon. Our male wolverine, 4 year old Logan is currently sharing enclosures with female, 5 year old Pige. You may recall that these two individuals were mixed together much earlier this year. Keepers reported that the two appeared to be greatly enjoying one another company; a great sign for their potential breeding prospects. However, no pregnancy resulted from these interactions in the end. Wolverines become sexually mature at the age of 2 – 3 years old, so perhaps this young pair have not yet got the hang of all this breeding malarkey!

Despite their solitary status in the wild, these two individuals appear to get on so well, that keepers have now decided that they can be mixed together on a much more long-term basis. The pair share two enclosures between them, so there is always plenty of room available, should they choose to spend some time alone. Keepers will keep a close eye on the pair, and if they exhibit any signs of aggression or territoriality towards each other, they will be separated once again. However, this more permanent living arrangement should provide the young pair with plenty of opportunities for breeding if, and when the female comes into oestrus.

Ever alert!

In the wild, wolverines would typically breed between May and August. They then utilise delayed implantation.  This means, that after the egg is fertilized, the embryo is not immediately implanted on the uterus wall (as it would be in the case of most mammals).  Instead, it floats in the uterus until November to January. Gestation then takes only another 30-50 days, with kits usually being born late winter. Delayed implantation is used to prevent youngsters being born during the height of winter when food may be scarce. In fact, when food is scarce, a high percentage of a population will choose not to have young at all. Some females may not reproduce even when food is apparently abundant, because raising young results in such a large loss of energy for wolverine mothers. However, that being said, wolverines do not face the same stresses in captivity, as food is always abundant. We do not know if delayed implantation is used at all in captivity, or indeed if these breeding seasons are adhered to so strictly.

There are less than 100 wolverines currently kept in zoos worldwide, and so breeding this species would not only significantly contribute to the captive population, but also help the zoo community to learn more about this species and their breeding behaviours in a captive environment. We have our fingers crossed that our young pair will produce some kits in the near future. Watch this space!

Showing their softer side!

Why not visit Edinburgh Zoo or the Highland Wildlife Park in November, and bring your children for FREE! 

To take advantage of this offer you must present the Kids Go Free voucher (downloadable from the Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park websites) to gain your free admission.

We also have lots of fun, family-friendly activities planned for November, including a production of everyone’s favourite pantomime, ‘Cinderella’ on 22 November, and the Imagination craft workshop on 14 and 15 November. For full details visit: http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/news-and-events/events/articles/event_0061.html

 

Primates…and a polar bear!

 

This week has seen lots of changes for the primates at Edinburgh Zoo. Read on to find out more about which of our species have been making the news! And of course, we couldn’t forget to update you on our favourite polar bear, Mercedes, and how she is settling in at the Highland Wildlife Park!

We are pleased to announce that Mercedes, the polar bear was released into her main enclosure for the first time on Tuesday 20th October. Despite all our cautiousness, Mercedes herself seems to have taken her big move all in her stride. She was ready to explore her new surroundings early Tuesday morning, after a very smooth move on Monday. And boy, has she been making the most of her new enclosure! She has been spotted by both the public and media alike, roaming around her new surroundings, rolling in the grass and swimming in her pool! She has apparently also been startled by a few rabbits! This is perhaps something of a new entity to her. And despite her timidness around small rodents, her mere presence has put all the surrounding hoofed animals on high alert, although she appears oblivious to them!
We are thrilled that after such a long stay at Edinburgh, she has responded so well to the change in her surroundings. We can’t wait to see how she reacts to the first heavy snow fall now!

 
Last morning at Edinburgh Zoo – Mercedes obviously didn’t see the need to scrub up for her big move!
 

Being lifted onto the lorry

 
Steady!
 

Keeping a curious eye out!

 
Leaving the zoo
 

On the road, heading north

 
Arriving at Highland Wildlife Park
 

Touching down in her new home

 
Exploring her off-show area for the first time
 

Looking surprisingly relaxed after such a big day!

Plenty of images and footage of Mercedes in her on-show enclosure have now been released by the media. An internet search should bring up lots of great viewing!

We are pleased to announce that the brown capuchins at Living Links have recently welcomed two new babies into their groups. First, 6 year old Sylvania from the ‘West Group’ gave birth on the 7th September. She is a second-time mum, after giving birth to a male named Mekoe just last year. We are sure that Mekoe will be glad to have a young sibling to play with! All the west capuchins have had a good look at the baby, and will know by now whether it is a boy or a girl. However, the keepers are still waiting to get a good enough view of the new youngster to tell the gender, and then give the baby a name. We will keep you posted on this once we have more information.
Sylvie’s mother and matriarch of the group, 14 year old Lana then gave birth to another youngster on 21st October. This is Lana’s 6th baby, making her a brilliant role-model mum for Sylvie! We look forward to seeing the babies growing up and eventually playing together over the following months.
Meanwhile, over the fence in the ‘East Group’, Chico has reached six months old and has become one of the most playful and popular monkeys in the zoo. He does not have another baby to play with in his group, but fortunately his brother Carlos, and the super-playful Kato have enough time on their hands to spend hours wrestling with Chico outside!

 
Baby boom at Living Links!

Next in line are the squirrel monkeys at Living Links. Squirrel monkeys are seasonal breeders, so all our adult females are likely to give birth between now and the New Year. With so many expectant mothers in the group, the keepers are going to have their hands full looking after so many babies! They successfully reared 9 youngsters in total last year, so we shall have to see if they can beat this record this time round. Stay posted for more on this!

 
The squirrel monkeys will be next!

Many of our primates, will also be seeing some changes in their surroundings over the next couple of weeks. All of our ring-tailed lemurs will be leaving Edinburgh Zoo for far-flung destinations such as China! We have decided to stop keeping this iconic lemur species, in favour of two new species; the red-bellied lemur and the mongoose lemur. There are over 2,500 of the near-threatened ring-tailed lemurs in captivity worldwide! Edinburgh Zoo has therefore decided to focus its conservation breeding efforts on lesser known lemur species, in greater need of attention. There are currently only around 100 red-bellied lemurs in captivity, and 100 mongoose lemurs in captivity. These two species are also more threatened than ring-tailed lemurs, having been classified by the IUCN red list as ‘vulnerable’.
All of our ring-tailed lemurs will be moved to other zoos under the recommendations of the European studbook keeper, and we hope that they will settle in to their new homes well. Why not pop into the zoo over the next couple of weeks to wave them goodbye?!

Finally, one of our mature yellow-breasted capuchin males, 16 year old Fabio, will also be leaving the collection in early November for Colchester Zoo. This is under recommendations of the European Endangered Species Program (a higher level of captive species management than the European studbook). Fabio may sound like he’s getting on a bit for a monkey, but yellow-breasted capuchins often live to over 30 years old in captivity, and do not mature until around 8 years old. Fabio still has many years left ahead of him, and will most likely continue to breed in his new home. We wish him all the best!
In return, another mature male named ‘Little Man’ will be arriving at Edinburgh from Colchester Zoo, as well as a breeding female from Vallee des Singes, to be paired with the new male. These new additions should help to boost breeding efforts for this species at Edinburgh Zoo, as well as ensuring that the captive population is genetically diverse, and preventing any in-breeding. This is particularly important for this critically endangered species, which has suffered an estimated 80% decrease in their wild population size over the last 3 years.
The new arrivals will no doubt provide some enrichment for our resident group of one mature female, four younger males and one younger female! We will keep you posted on how the introductions go, and when you can expect to see the new pair on show.

 
The highly intelligent yellow breasted capuchin

 

It’s all going on in the Highlands!

 

Whereas Edinburgh Zoo has been rather quiet of late, the Highland Wildlife Park has seen a recent flurry of activity! Here’s what has been going on up here!

As we mentioned just a few weeks back, the seasonal deer rut is now in full swing. The red deer at the Highland Wildlife Park have certainly been demonstrating some interesting behaviours as a result of this. ‘Snap’, the 11 year old dominant male has been doing lots of roaring, as well as chasing away the younger males. However, 10 year old ‘Thor’ who in the past has been a contender for ‘Snap’, has not been putting up much of a fight this year. This is most probably a result of damaging the brow tines (the antler ‘points’ closest to his skull) of his antlers earlier in the year, and therefore somewhat disabling his ability to fight. At least he knows when it’s a lost cause!

 

We couldn’t resist!

The red deer aren’t the only ones getting in on the action! The Bukhara deer (a threatened subspecies of Red Deer, endemic to Central Asia) have also been following suite, with ‘Esan’ the 5 year old dominant male, taking time to bellow at and chase the younger competition away. He has also been displaying to the adult female, ‘Mariam’. Bukhara deer were once on of the most threatened mammal species on earth. In 1999, they numbered just 400 individuals. However, since then, efforts to reintroduce this species to the wild, and to restore their habitat have boosted their numbers to around 1000 individuals. This is still not a huge number, and so the captive breeding of this species remains important.

 

The Bukhara deer stag

The European forest reindeer bull has also been very ‘stroppy’ of late! This is one species that you don’t want to mess with during the rut, as males can become particularly aggressive. Forest reindeer are far rarer than domestic reindeer, and can only be found wild in Northern Scandinavia. The park’s herd are part of an important conservation breeding program that supports the remaining wild population. We hope that our bull will do his bit for his species this year, and that we will welcome some young into the world next summer time.

 

A reindeer stag practices some moves!

While our male European Elk (commonly known as moose), ‘Bob’ doesn’t have any competition to engage in fighting with, we are pleased to confirm that he has recently been spotted mating with the female, ‘Lisa’. This pair made history recently by producing Britain’s first European Elk calf in over 1000 years (the estimated time that they became extinct in this country). Bob arrived at the Highland Wildlife Park just over one year ago, but he wasted no time in getting to know the resident female! European Elk are a notoriously difficult species to keep and breed in captivity. However, keepers at the Highland Wildlife Park have been working hard to ensure that they provide the best husbandry possible for our young elk family. This includes providing them with tree saplings and browse (branches from trees) to eat, as well as a special ‘moose’ pellet, for all their vitamin and mineral requirements, made palatable with orange juice! This may sound quite strange, considering that elk would be unlikely to come across an orange tree in their native environment! However, extensive research (conducted by Washington State University’s captive-ungulate facility) into elk nutrition proved that pellets were made all the more palatable for this funny species, by adding citrus pulp! We hope that as a result of all this care, and the observed breeding behaviour, we may well be welcoming another elk calf into the world. Gestation is approximately 8 months, and so we will have a long wait to see if this is the case!

 

The European Elk

We can report that Mercedes, the polar bear, has now moved up to her new Highland home at the Wildlife Park in Kingussie. Her move went very smoothly, and she had already begun to settle into her new enclosure by lunch time on Monday. Visitors to the park have already reported ‘glimsping’ her in her off-show housing area. However, we would not advise visiting the park specially to see her just yet as she will not be clearly visible for some time. She will be given plenty of time to acclimatise to her new surroundings gradually and we will let you know as soon as she is ready to greet her admiring public!

If you are planning to visit the Highland Wildlife Park this week, then you shouldn’t be disappointed! Alongside the seasonal rut, and Mercedes arrival, the RZSS Wild Bus has also driven up to offer animal handling sessions to visitors. This is great opportunity to get up close and personal with some much smaller species of animals. Places are limited, so once you have arrived at the park, please make sure to book your space for one of the sessions. There is no extra charge for this activity.

 

The RZSS ‘Wild Bus’ will make an appearance at the Highland Wildlife Park this week

Bye Bye Mercedes!

 

It seems like only yesterday that we announced our intentions to move Mercedes, the polar bear, to the Highland Wildlife Park at Kingussie. Over the last 6 months, funds have been raised, an enclosure has been constructed, polar bear training has taken place and plans have been put in to place. But at last, the time is nigh, and this is Mercedes last week on show at Edinburgh Zoo. After this time, Mercedes will be off show as final preparations are made for her big move up to her new home. Once she has arrived at Highland Wildlife Park she will be given time, away from the public eye, to settle herself in.

We would like to say a big THANK YOU to everybody who made a donation to the Mercedes appeal. We have now raised £75,000 through over 800 public donations. These donations have made it possible for us to provide Mercedes with a fantastic new ‘retirement home’, in which she can enjoy the rest of her years. She will enjoy a four acre enclosure with a natural pool, and of course, a more tundra-like climate, which should suit her down to a tee!

 

A plan for the new polar bear enclosure, situated where the old wolf enclosure once was

David Windmill, Chief Executive for RZSS, said:  

“Mercedes has been at Edinburgh Zoo for 25 years and has been a favourite with both visitors and staff and I know her keepers will be sad to see her go. However she’s still in the RZSS animal collection and the Highland Wildlife Park is a much more suitable environment for a polar bear.  

“On the day of the move Mercedes will walk into her transport crate, as she has been trained to do by the keepers. She will then travel by road to the Highland Wildlife Park. It is difficult to say when the public will be able to see her as we’re going to give her as much time as she needs to settle in. However, we hope that people will be able to see her by the end of October.

“We realise that the departure of Mercedes will leave a void at Edinburgh Zoo and the wheels are in motion to introduce new and exciting species in the coming months. We will unveil these plans as soon as the details have been confirmed.”

The 18^th October is your final chance to see Mercedes at Edinburgh, but we will keep you updated with her move and her reaction to her new home, right here.

 

Farewell Mercedes!

We are pleased to announce that a Goeldi’s monkey was born on the 6^th August. ‘Orinocho’, as the baby has been named, is the second to be born to our adult pair of Goeldi’s monkeys within the year! They also gave birth to a young male, back in February. This is a fantastic success for the pair, who were only mixed together late last year.

Goeldi’s monkeys typically live in large family groups, consisting of a dominant pair and their offspring. Offspring will often stay with their family, even after they have matured, in order to help raise younger siblings. These offspring benefit from the security of belonging to a territory, and can gain valuable breeding experience, whilst they wait for a territory to become available.

At 2 months old, Orinocho will now be weaning off Mum’s milk, and beginning to eat solid foods. However, the youngster can still be seen hitching a ride on the back of its parents, and learning important lessons in Goeldi monkey behaviour! Why not see if you can spot it on your next trip to the Magic Forest?

 

The tiny adult Goeldi’s monkey

And we can also announce that yet another nyala has been born of late! On the 8^thSeptember a female named ‘Amira’, meaning ‘princess’, was born to this ever expanding herd on the African Plains. This is the fifth youngster to be born, within the last year. However, it is, importantly, only the second female to be born. Her arrival is therefore very welcome, in order to even up the male: female ratio for future breeding populations.

Nyala mature between one and two years of age. They live in small groups of up to around 10 individuals, and show no evidence of territoriality. It is likely that each one of our four adult females (all aged just 3 years) has now successfully given birth to an offspring, which is a sign of good health and welfare amongst the herd. We hope to welcome more youngsters into the herd in the future.

 

Another young nyala!

 

Stuck in a rut?

 

This week we fill you in on the wildlife story of the season: the deer rut; as well as the fledging of some rather exotic birds, and an update on the short clawed Asian otters. 

Native wildlife lovers will no doubt be well aware that we are now at the height of the seasonal red deer rut in Britain. Through out the country, these magnificent mammals can be observed exhibiting interesting (and sometimes deadly) behaviours, as they begin to breed.

The red deer herd at the Highland Wildlife Park are no exception and males can be seen attempting to herd females, roaring at one another, chasing each other off and occasionally locking antlers to engage in a fight. They do this to secure a harem of females, with whom they will then breed. These activities are so time and energy consuming that males will loose a considerable amount of weight during this time.

There are just four male red deer resident at Highland Wildlife Park, along with 20 females, all found on the Main Reserve. One of these males is just a year old and not yet mature enough to breed or to be of threat to the others. However, four year old ‘Achilles’, ten year old ‘Thor’ and eleven year old ‘Snap’ will no doubt give each other some grief. Who secures the most breeding females still remains to be seen. We will keep you updated here; but if, in the meantime, you take a trip to the Highlands yourself, then please do let us know of any interesting behaviours you may have observed (or even captured on camera!)

A HWP stag lets one rip!

Meanwhile at Edinburgh Zoo, our Eurasian tundra reindeer have also been engaged in their rutting season. The herd is now settled in their new enclosure (the old Addax field) along the far eastern boundary of the park, just beneath the African Plains. There are just two mature males resident in this herd; eight year old ‘Eskimo’, recognizable by his yellow ear tag, and three year old ‘Fakta’, recognizable by his pink ear tag (very masculine!). There are also just three mature females in this herd. These small numbers are likely to make the reindeer rut far less dramatic that the red deer’s. However, the reindeer can be seen shedding their antler velvet and occasionally chasing one another around the enclosure. Why not take a trip up to see them, and let us know if you spot any more interesting behaviours?

 

Reindeer stags lock antlers at HWP last year

You may recall, that about 1 month back, we welcomed a new short-clawed Asian otter to the zoo. Ray, was brought to the zoo to be a mate for our existing adult female, Maluku. He was initially allowed full range of their enclosure, while she was kept off-show. This was to give him a chance to settle in, explore, and to get used to her scent! Soon after, keepers caught Ray up, and placed him in a cage, within that same enclosure. This was so that he could be introduced to Maluku without the danger of the two having physical contact with one another (and perhaps reacting aggressively to one another).

This was crucial after the last attempt to bring in a mate for Maluku was ill-fated to say the least! You may remember that back in summer a new male otter escaped from the zoo, after being mixed with a rather unwelcoming and aggressive Maluku. He was eventually caught up and returned to the zoo. However, it seems that this pairing was not meant to be, as the two did not mix well with one another.

We were therefore pleased when Maluku responded far more positively to Ray’s arrival! The otters made their introductions through the cage, which enabled them to see one another, smell one another and hear one another. And once keepers were happy that the two were not reacting aggressively towards one another, Ray was set free in the enclosure once again. Since then, the new pair have been frequently spotted out and about, following each other around and playing with one another.

Short-clawed Asian otters typically live in extended family groups, with one breeding pair, and their off-spring. The female is the dominant partner, but the pair are strongly bonded and strictly monogamous. We hope that our otters may soon turn their thoughts to breeding and building up their own social group. Watch this space for more news!

 

The new pair enjoy exploring their enclosure together

We are pleased to announce that 3 lilac breasted rollers have now fledged their parent’s nest in the African aviary. These chicks, born on the 27^th August, have taken just 19 days to fledge the nest. They have purple-grey feathers and look like drabber versions of their more colourful parents! They have also not yet developed the distinctive outer tail streamers that their parents sport during the breeding season. However, it shouldn’t take long for them to develop these colours, as chicks become independent of their parents within 20 days of fledging. Why not see if you can spot them whilst they are still immature?

This is the second clutch of chicks that have fledged from our lilac breasted roller pair this year. Another chick was born back in June, making this a very successful first year of breeding for our lilac breasted roller pair. Keepers are very pleased with this success and hope that it is an indication of more to come! Typically, their breeding season stretches over 6 months in this bird’s native Africa. However, we would not expect our pair to produce any more youngsters this British season!

 

The beautiful adult lilac breasted roller

October Begins

 

As the end of September draws nearer we are beginning to feel the on-set of winter more and more. It seems that our animals here at the zoo are no different, as breeding has now stopped or slowed down for many species. Read on for an update on our flamingos and to find out which species our keepers have been mixing things up for this week!

The 4 Chilean flamingo hatchlings that we announced earlier in the summer are still with us, and are doing very well indeed. At 3 months old, they are now beginning to develop some pink feathers on the underside of their wings. Look out for them strutting their stuff!

We are also pleased to announce that yet another chick has hatched! This late arrival is still small with a thick coat of grey, fluffy feathers, and can be seen wandering around the nest site! Interestingly enough, the adult birds caring for the chick are not its actual parents. This sneaky pair were so desperate to parent that they actually ‘stole’ the chick from its natural parents! The keepers have been keeping a close eye on this little one and are happy that the chick is being cared for well. In this instance they have chosen not to interfere with this unorthodox approach to parenting!

There is still 1 egg on the nest site which could potentially hatch in the future, so watch this space for more news!

 

Flamingo chicks at 3 months old

You may recall that 2 new drills arrived at Edinburgh Zoo earlier in the year. Since then, we have reported on keepers’ efforts to slowly mix the 2 new females with our existing group of drills. Initial introductions went well, and finally, on the 14^th September all 5 drills spent the night together. We are happy to say that the next morning, all 5 were found healthy and well, and without injury!  Since then, the new five-some have been spending extended periods of time together, but have not yet moved in permanently together. We have our fingers crossed for future breeding from this group, as drills are Africa’s most endangered primate.

 

Would you want to spend a night with this?!

This week has also seen red river hog dad, ‘Hamish’ mixed back in with mum, ‘Belle’ and their two new little bundles of joy! They have been playing happy families ever since, and we can report that Hamish has not tried to squash the little ones at all!

In fact, you would never have guessed that just one year ago, things were not so rosy for this funny pair. When Hamish first arrived at the zoo and was mixed in with Belle, she did not give him the most friendly reception. In fact, she was so put out by this change in circumstance that she decided to deliver a nasty bite to a particularly sensitive area of Hamish’s anatomy!

After this, Hamish was moved out of Belle’s way and in with ‘Djembe’, our male bongo. Djembe and Hamish got along fantastically, and spent the best part of last summer together. However, last September we welcomed 2 young female bongos to the zoo, and they were eventually mixed in with Djembe and Hamish. Naturally, Djembe’s attentions became focused on the new ladies in his life, and so keepers saw this as a great opportunity to try and mix Belle into the equation once again. Under the watchful eye of the Bongos, Hamish and Belle’s relationship began to flourish. And the rest as they say, is history! We just hope the Bongos may follow their example now! 

 

Batchelor boys Djembe and Hamish

Babies and more babies!

 

The breeding success at Edinburgh Zoo has continued recently, with two more species adding to their numbers. Read on to find out more.

Over the summer a pair of twin ringtail lemur babies were born. Isalo, a female and Anakao, a male, were born on the 26^th June to mother, Claire (recognisable by the green and purple beads in the necklace she wears), and father, Sam (the only mature male in the group). This is only the second time that Claire has given birth as she is still a young mum, at just 5 years old. However, she is doing a fantastic job and is helped out by the rest of her group.

Youngsters spend a lot of their time being carried around on their mother’s back, and looking over her shoulder. However, they will not hesitate in jumping from mum’s back, onto any other lemurs! The rest of the group is usually happy to play aunty or uncle to the youngsters for a while, carrying them around and playing with them. This helps the youngsters to learn about foraging, communication, grooming and plenty of other behaviours from not just mum, but all of their peers. These two youngsters are now almost 3 months old, and are beginning to venture further away from the adults, exploring the enclosure for themselves. However, they are still easily recognisable by their small size and playful ways! Why not try and spot them next time you’re passing?

 

Mini lemurs!

We are pleased to announce that two red river hog piglets were born on the 14^th August. Red river hogs have been at Edinburgh Zoo since 2004 but this is the first year they have bred successfully. Young adults, 5 year old Belle and 3 year old Hamish are now very proud, first time parents to a boy named Sammi and a girl named Becca!

 

Proud mum, Belle, watches over Sammi and Becca

Both youngsters have yellow and brown stripy coats but when they mature they will look very different.  Adult red river hogs have a shaggy red coat, with a tufted white stripe running the length of its back. They also have long black and white tassels of hair hanging from each ear. This change in colouration helps the animals to camouflage and defend themselves in the wild. The yellow and brown stripy coat of the youngsters is perfect for blending into the undergrowth of swamps, marshes and forests in their native western and central Africa. This keeps them safe when they are too young to defend themselves otherwise. The shaggy red coat with a tufted white stripe and tassels, sported by the adults, makes them look larger to other animals. This makes them look less vulnerable to predators such as leopards, lion, hyena and pythons. The adults also sport tusks which assist them in defending themselves.

 

Learning from Mum that any food is good food!

Kathleen Graham, Head Keeper of Hoofstock at Edinburgh Zoo, said, “We are thrilled that the red river hogs have bred this year. The piglets are really playful and have been chasing each other around their enclosure. Belle is also doing well and is proving to be an excellent mum to her two youngsters. We hope that this is the first of many contributions our red river hogs make to the breeding programme.”

And finally, we can now confirm that 8 Heck Cattle have arrived safe and well at Edinburgh Zoo. This new group consists of 3 males and 5 females, ranging from the ages of 7 and 1 year old. They are housed in the old Addax field and have been settling in well to their new enclosure. However, the keepers have experienced some aggression from these large cattle. They have already ripped off their water trough and one particularly challenging female has been aptly named ‘Psycho’! It appears that when you breed back a wild, ancestral animal of this size, you have to take the good with the bad!

 

Meet the troops!

What do baby baboons, a Malayan tapir, the Royal Engineers and Edinburgh Zoo’s adult class all have in common? They are all the news stories in this week’s blog entry of course! Read on to find out all the details!

We are delighted to announce the births of two baby Guinea baboons! As you might remember from a previous blog entry, a large group of 33 Guinea baboons arrived from the Zoo de Paris to Edinburgh Zoo back in July. The original group settled in very well to their new home in the old gorilla enclosure by the monkey house. Less than two months later we have had two births in the group! This brings our group to a total of 35 baboons. The two mums are called Laura and Tiana and both babies and mums are doing well! The primate keepers have not named the two babies yet as the mums are keeping a really tight hold on their babies so we haven’t spotted if the babies are boys or girls! But once the keepers know, they will choose names for the young ones and their names will start with the first initial of their mum’s name so in this case, L and T!

Female Guinea baboons give birth to one infant after a gestation period of 184 days. Our baby baboons can be seen holding on to their mother’s belly. This is where babies spend their first 6 to 12 weeks. After that they may switch to the mother’s back either sitting up or lying on her back. Guinea baboons live in large social groups although they will form small subgroups made up of one male and three to four females when they are foraging for food. Several of the subgroups gather together for the night at a sleeping site. 

It is fantastic that our troop of Guinea baboons is breeding in Edinburgh Zoo, especially since this West African primate species is considered ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN red list due to its small range and the loss of its habitat. The good news is that more births are expected in the zoo group soon so keep checking the blog to keep up to date with the latest arrivals!

 

Little baby Guinea baboon taking in the world for the first time!

Along with all the new arrivals this week we are also saying good bye to our young female tapir. Indah was born on the 26th of September last year and now is at the right stage to leave her mum. Indah will be leaving Edinburgh Zoo to go to a zoo in Kent. In the wild, Malayan tapirs are solitary animals and they mark out their territory by spraying urine on plants in the area.

Indah, like all other Malayan tapir babies, was born with a baby coat of brown hair with white stripes and spots. This pattern helps the babies to hide in the dim light of the forest. She has now developed her adult coat of large patches of black and white to look just like her mum! Female Malayan tapirs generally produce one calf every two years. We’ve had great breeding success with our pair of tapirs at the zoo and we hope this will continue in the future!

 
One of the first photos taken of Indah last year!

One year on, ready for the move!

If you are interested in the work that the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland carries out why not come along to our adult class which starts on Tuesday the 29^th of September 2009 and runs from 10:30am – 12:30pm. The adult class this term is part of the society’s centenary celebrations and is called RZSS – 100; The Role of the Modern Zoo. It is an 8 week introductory course on the role of the modern zoo. Topics that will be covered include a history of RZZ, zoo collection planning, animal care, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, research and zoo education. Come and discover the story of our past, present and future!

Further details and how to book are available from the Edinburgh City council website: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/Learning

 

Finally, if you have visited the zoo over the last week you might have spotted some army soldiers about in the park. But visiting the animals is not the main reason why this troop is in the zoo – instead they are working on projects in the zoo as part of a Military Aid to the Civilian Community (MACC) task. Both the zoo and the soldiers benefit from the programme. The zoo receives free labour for tasks such as building a decking area for our new penguin coffee shop, a new ramp for the front of the Education Centre, a bothy for the stores area and various concrete improvement tasks around the zoo. The Royal Engineers taking part in the programme are provided with an ideal opportunity to brush up on their construction expertise before they head out to support operations in Afghanistan.  The Royal Engineers involved are known as ‘Sappers’ and are multi-skilled as soldiers, combat engineers and tradesmen. Look out for the improvements they have made around the zoo the next time you visit!

Working away building a decking area for the penguin coffee shop. Our penguins check out their work during the penguin parade! 

It’s getting ‘otter in here!

A new dominant male chimpanzee, a new male otter, a Darwin 200 event and of course, an update on our penguins are the top stories from Edinburgh Zoo this week! Enjoy the read!

The weather may have been wet and miserable this summer but things have certainly being hotting up with our group of 11 chimpanzees in the Budongo Trail. Over the past few months the chimp group’s current dominant male Qafzeh, has come under increasing pressure from another male Kindia who looks like he has eyes for the top spot himself. In the wild chimps can live in groups of up to 100 individuals with a single dominant male ruling over all. This position allows the male first access to the best feeding grounds, resting places and of course females and so often has to be defended from other males within the group. Being highly intelligent animals, chimpanzees play a very political game when it comes to deciding the dominant male. While minor fights do sometimes break out within the group you are much more likely to see our chimpanzees grooming and sitting with each other in an attempt to form strong alliances. In our group at the moment both Kindia and Qafzeh are attempting to gain the support of Louis and David (two other big males) either of which would make a powerful ally.

It’s not just the males that are involved in the politics of the group the females get to have their say as well and none more than Emma, the group’s dominant female. Emma is mother to Qafzeh and played an important role in helping her son take over the group 4 years ago from the then dominant male, David. This time it seems Emma has a tough choice on her hands, does she continue to support her son and risk losing her position if the group supports Kindia? Or does she abandon the support of her son and back Kindia in the hope that she’ll retain her number 1 spot? It really is an exciting time in our chimp group, keep checking the blog to find out what happens next!

 

Kindia enjoying a piece of fruit while perhaps planning his next move in the group!

We’ve had a new arrival to the zoo over the weekend! On Saturday a male Asian short-clawed otter called Ray arrived for our female Maluku. At the moment he is getting used to his great new home which can be found in the zoo between the red river hog and the souslik enclosures. Once he has settled in he will be introduced to Maluku and hopefully the two will get along well! Asian short-clawed otters are related to the European otter which can be found in the UK (and also in Edinburgh Zoo!) but in the wild Asian short-clawed otters are found across Asia in areas in India, southern China, Sumatra, Java, Borneo and the Philippines.

They are the smallest of all otter species and get their name from their tiny claws which don’t even reach the ends of their fingers! Having short claws actually helps the otters to handle their prey as you can see in the photo! They enjoy eating crabs, snails, frogs, fish, snakes and insects. They are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN red list. The biggest threat Asian short-clawed otters face in the wild is habitat loss. They are found in and around rivers, estuaries and streams, however throughout Asia deforestation for agriculture results in loss of the habitat they need. It’s great that Edinburgh Zoo looks after this endangered species of otter and next time you’re in the zoo keep a look out for our new addition!

Yummy, fish is on the lunch menu today!

No blog entry would be quite complete without an update on our penguins! If you have visited the zoo recently you would’ve noticed that the gentoo penguin’s nest rings are reducing in number. The breeding season is now over for the gentoo penguins and the keepers have been gradually taking the nest rings away. The few rings left are still being appreciated by some individuals to lay on while they finish off their annual moult. 

Just the last few nest rings out in the penguin enclosure.

The penguin keepers are hoping to move all the gentoo chicks back into the main enclosure this week as they have all been sexed and given permanent flipper bands. The chicks had been kept in the zoo’s penguin crèche separate to their parents because in the wild penguin parents leave their chicks behind when they go out to sea.  Keep a look out for gold beads on the penguin’s flipper bands – if you see a gold bead it is a chick from 2009! We have 23 males and 19 females this year which is great as we have less adult males than females.

Check out my brand new flipper band – I’m a boy! 

 

…and I’m a girl!  

Don’t forget to check out our live penguin web cam on Edinburgh Zoo’s website: http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/EZPenguinCam.html 

Finally, ever wanted to try your hand at digging for a dinosaur? Or making a fossil? We are holding a Fossil and Dinosaur Day at the zoo on Sunday 27^th of September. Normal zoo admission rates apply and there is no need to book. Just come along to the zoo to find out about fossils, how are they formed and how they provide evidence for evolution. Fossil and Dinosaur Day is a Darwin 200 event which is a full programme of celebrations centred on Darwin’s 200 birthday and 150^th anniversary of the publishing of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. Darwin 200 events celebrate the impact that Darwin’s ideas about evolution, his approach to the understanding of the natural world and his outstanding example as a scientist, continue to have on our lives.

 ‘There is grandeur in this view of life… from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.’ Charles Darwin

Summer Ends!

 

With the start of September, the quickly cooling temperatures and the nights drawing in, we embrace the end of summer and the beginning of Autumn this week. The zoo has become gradually quieter, and so it seems, have the animals. Here are the updates for this week.

We are pleased (and also suitably surprised!) to announce that another King Penguin egg was laid on the 30^th August. This egg is rather late as usually eggs are laid in June or July with chicks expected to hatch August or September. None of our penguin keepers can recall any other eggs being laid quite as late in the year as this one! This egg has been laid by the female who wears a red band. This female moulted much later than the other king penguins and this has probably affected her body clock in some way. Keepers had all but given up on breeding king penguin chicks this year, as it is nearly the end of the breeding season. The red banded female and her partner, the yellow banded male, have therefore surprised us all with this late arrival!

The pair can be spotted, not in the usual king penguin breeding area, but in the near corner on the right hand side of the bridge (if you are looking from the penguin lawn). You are unlikely to spot the egg itself (unless you are lucky enough to see mum and dad swapping duties) but you may be able to spot a tell tale bump above the feet and under the belly of one of these penguins. The pair will incubate the egg in this way for 56 days, periodically swapping the egg between them and taking their turn.

 

Check out Dad’s bump!

Keepers intend to leave the egg with its parents, as they did for the other egg laid this season, rather than artificially incubating it. However, they will be keeping a close eye on it to ensure that it does not stray from underneath the protective parents’ bellies. This is particularly important with the colder temperatures we are now experiencing, as a developing chick would not survive exposure to the cold for long.

It is important to remember, as always, that the egg may not survive its incubation period, or may even be infertile. These two penguins have paired together in the past, and unfortunately have only ever had infertile eggs. However, it is impossible to say whether the egg is fertile or not. Keepers will leave the egg with the pair and simply wait and see what happens. Keepers will not be able to check on the status of the egg (without disturbing the parents) until a later date and so we will keep you updated on the king penguins right here!

 

Proud parents guard their egg from any jealous peers

The maned wolf pups have now been sexed and we are pleased to tell you that we have 2 males and 1 female. It is excellent for our wolves to have produced this ratio of individuals, as there are currently 107 known males and 126 known females in captivity. Our pups will therefore be able to make a good contribution to the captive breeding population of maned wolves, and in doing so, help to even out the sex ratio.

Once our pups have matured they will be likely to leave Edinburgh Zoo for other collections, where they can be mixed with unrelated individuals in order to breed. This is very important as there are currently less than 250 of this near threatened species held in captivity.

Maned wolves are found only in small densities throughout their range and are likely to experience continuing decline over the next decade. Unfortunately, they have almost reached the criteria for a threatened species on the IUCN red list. In their native South America they have suffered drastic reduction in suitable habitat as a result of the conversion of grasslands to agricultural land. This has decreased and fragmented their habitat, leading to small, isolated populations of maned wolves. Proximity of the grasslands to ever expanding urban areas also has its effects. Many wolves are killed in road accidents, while others suffer from conflict with domestic dogs. Dogs can be actually be quite aggressive towards maned wolves resulting in injuries and sometimes death. They also introduce diseases to maned wolves, which may have harmful effects on their small but highly social populations.

It is therefore crucially important for us to continue to breed the maned wolf in captivity. This enables us to safeguard the population, as well as researching the species to understand their biology in more detail. This research can then be applied to protection of the wild population.

 

An almost adolescent maned wolf pup

You may recall that we announced the hatching of Chilean flamingo chicks just a few weeks ago. We are now pleased to tell you that four chicks have survived to date. Two other chicks did hatch, but unfortunately, as would also be the case with some individuals in the wild, these two individuals did not survive past a week old. The four remaining chicks are now around two months old and are maturing well. They have begun to develop a thick and fluffy coat of grey feathers, and are around half the size of the adult flamingos now.

On the nest site, another two eggs were laid, but did not hatch. However, another two eggs were laid more recently, which, after a 30 day incubation period, should hatch during September. This means that every breeding pair has now attempted to breed, many with success. Keepers are particularly pleased as the Chilean flamingos have only bred four times in forty years of keeping them! Keepers have conducted twice daily observations of the nest site, and kept detailed records of everything that has happened.

 

The flamingo chicks have really grown, and have even begun standing on one leg!

Finally, RZSS is looking for brave souls, who can face the heat of our Firewalk challenge and raise at least £150 in sponsorship for the society. Take part in the hottest event of the year by walking across a bed of hot cinders and surviving to tell the tale! This will take place on Friday 2^nd October from 6pm onwards. Places are limited, so if you think you’re up to the challenge then please call 0131 314 0374 or email development@rzss.org.uk to request a registration pack. Spectators are also welcome!

 

Can you handle the heat?