Twycross Zoo The Official Website

Enthusiastic adopters Jill Whale and her family, from Bilston, Wolverhampton, have raised ten thousand pounds to help refurbish the Bornean orang utan external recreational area at Twycross Zoo.

The 33 Engineer Regiment (EOD) have kindly agreed to construct the platform for the Zoo. Due to the renovation of Norton Grange (within the Zoo grounds) and the revamping of the waterways, the Zoo’s maintenance staff are grateful for the additional help in constructing the two tiered 20ft high wooden platform for the Zoo’s orang utans. On the morning of Monday 4th June 07 the soldiers will descend on the orang house and begin to erect the raised area. Hopefully work will be completed by Friday evening.

During the construction time the Zoo’s eight orangs will be confined to their indoor quarters. Once the structure has been completed the two orang families will share the outdoor area. The young can learn different climbing skills and mother can enjoy sunbathing on the top deck!

5th May 2007

New Red Titi monkeys at Twycross Zoo

Twycross Zoo, The World Primate Centre, has another species to add to its comprehensive collection of monkeys. The latest arrival to the Zoo this February was a pair of red titi monkeys. The male, who is three years old, is called “Richard” and he came from Sweden. The female four years old monkey she is called “Anya” she came from France. Both have settled in well to their new home in the Bonobo House. Hopefully it will not be too long before they produce offspring.
Red Titi monkeys forage in the lower levels of the canopy of the rainforest of Brazil and Peru. Titi monkeys are monogamous and live together as pairs, with the father doing most of the care of the offspring. Pairs spend a lot of their time grooming each other or they sit huddled together, with their tails intertwined. Both parents participate in the rearing of their offspring, but the youngsters will spend the majority of the time with their father.

17th April 2007

New Baby Camel at Twycross Zoo

Genghis, our new baby male Bactrian camel, born on 6th March 07, can be seen in the camel enclosure with his mother Edina. This is the second baby for Edina who has settled into motherhood extremely well. Genghis is suckling from his mother on demand and father Jarrett who is being kept separate to allow our mother and baby to bond is keeping a watchful eye over his new family.

At the moment Genghis stands approximately 1.5 metres tall, he is grey in colour and has a softy fluffy coat which will moult over the next few months. Genghis rests peacefully with his mother on the paddock throughout the day, so bring your cameras and take a memorable photograph home.

25th March 2007

Healthy cheque for orang utans from JDIH

Managing Director James Dodds and Environmental Geologist Chris Barbour of JDIH (Water & Environment) Ltd handed over a magnificent cheque for the orang utans at Twycross Zoo today.

Members of staff from JDIH have taken a shine to the eight orang utans at Twycross Zoo whilst working at the Zoo recently. They are involved in aspects of developing an independent water supply for the new Visitor Welcome Centre and looking into the possibility of introducing a borehole for the Zoo’s future water supply.

JDIH make annual charitable donations to several charities including Water Aid and actively involve the employees in choosing other organisations. This year JDIH have asked for a donation to be made to the orang utans.

Environmental Geologist, Chris Barbour of JDIH said “On a recent trip to Borneo to visit the Sepilok Orang utan Rehabilitation Centre, I was impressed by the dedicated staff and volunteers. When we had the chance to work at Twycross Zoo, it seemed a perfect opportunity to help this worthy conservation cause.

26th March 2007

Orphaned Twin Amur Leopard cubs at Twycross Zoo

Cute orphaned twin Amur leopard cubs are now on show to the general public this Easter Holiday at Twycross Zoo. The cubs, which are extremely shy, can sometimes be seen playing mischievously with one another. Unfortunately the cubs lost their mother “Izzy” when they were only eight weeks old due to an unforeseen infection. This is the first time that Twycross Zoo has bred Amur Leopards. “Diesel”, the cub’s father, was born at Hodenhagen, Germany, in May 2002.

Females first breed at an age of 3-4 years, after a gestation period of around 12 weeks. The cubs are born in litters of 1-4 individuals, with an average litter size of 2. The cubs will stay with their mother for up to 2 years before becoming fully independent.

Amur leopards are very distinct from other leopards. Their long legs and long hair allow them to survive in cold, snowy climates. Their spots are widely spaced rosettes with thick borders. The colour of their fur changes from lighter in the winter to a more reddish- yellow in the summer. These animals like to stalk their prey, eat alone and will hide food in trees for later; they are excellent climbers and descend trees headfirst. They are solitary creatures and will mark their territories with urine. Amur leopards are nocturnal (active at night) and can run at speeds of 37 miles per hour for short periods. They can also leap 20 feet horizontally and 10 feet vertically.

Amur leopards are found in the remote areas of the China-Russia border (the Amur River Valley) they also share their habitat with the Siberian Tiger. In the wild, leopards live between 10-15 years but may live up to 20 years in captivity.

The Amur Leopards are considered critically endangered with only 30-40 in the wild and 170 in captivity. Their main decline is due to poachers and habitat loss. Recently the Russian government gave permission for an oil pipeline to run directly through the natural habitat of this wonderful leopard which would have destroyed their hunting grounds. Zoos have constantly campaigned against this and as a result, the decision was reversed in February 2006, the pipe line has now been re-routed.

For more information on the plight of the Amur Leopard please contact
www.amur-leopard.org

14th March 2007

New Vicunas on the paddock section at Twycross Zoo

Three Vicunas are the latest editions to roam the paddock section at Twycross Zoo. Vicunas are classed as an endangered species and are part of an international breeding programme.

Vicunas are the smallest members of the Camelid family which also contains camels, lamas, guanaco and alpacas. Their height ranges from 80 – 110cm at the shoulder and they normally weigh 45 – 55kg.

Vicunas originate from the Central Andes in South America. The word "Vicuna" comes from "wikuña," a word in Quechua (a South American Indian language).

Like all South American camel species, the vicuna is slender; it has a long neck, big feet and large round eyes with long black lashes. They are a cinnamon colour with an apron of long white hair on their chests. The babies are all legs and have a soft but springy fur.

The vicuna is well adapted to high altitudes, where drought and freezing nights are common. Their fleece is very thick and woolly and is said to produce the finest wool of all animals. Therefore it is considered extremely valuable and they were hunted to near extinction in the late 1970’s. Conservation efforts have been put in place and now, due to careful management they can be found in healthy numbers in the Andes.

In the wild, vicunas live in small family groups led by a single lead male. A baby vicuna is known as a cria and they are usually single babies.

March 12th 2007

FREE WILDLIFE INFORMATION FOR THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Wildlife Information Network (WIN), the charity that has for fifteen years published invaluable wildlife health and management information, is to make all of its information resources Open Access to the developing world.

This major move, the first step in WIN’s Open Access initiative, will offer an ever-growing database of unique conservation information free of charge to every vet, wildlife decision-maker and student in 109 countries. Chief Executive Iain Boardman said, ‘Considering the fact there are currently no such resources available to the developing world, the potential impact of this step on the lives of both animals and their carers is huge.’

As of 15 March 2007, anyone who visits the WIN website – www.wildlifeinformation.org - from a developing country will be redirected to a free login page. From there, they will be able to access up-to-date and fully referenced information on species, diseases, treatment methods and husbandry guidelines without restriction. ‘We have always offered our resources free to the developing world but until now this has only been possible on a much smaller scale,’ said Mr Boardman. ‘The feedback from those who have used it has been overwhelmingly strong, and thus we’re absolutely delighted to finally be able to offer our information so much more widely.’

WIN is thoroughly supported by its current Western subscribers in this move. Director of Animal Health at Saint Louis Zoo, Dr Randy Junge, said “The donation of access to the WIN website to organizations in developing countries is a truly great service.” International zoo vet Andrew Greenwood said “Educating people in how to help threatened species is a major part of the battle. This is a move that must not go unnoticed.’

It is hoped that the initiative will also develop relationships between conservationists and academics in the developing world and the West through WIN’s membership directory.

The launch of this landmark step will be celebrated at The Farmers Club, Whitehall on the evening of 15 March.

Twycross zoo are strong supporters of WIN and believe this work is important for animal welfare and education across the world.

6th March 2007

Twycross Zoo is holding a Barnardo’s Big Toddle, the UK’s biggest sponsored walk for under 5’s on Monday 18th June. Children under 5 who take part in the toddle will be allowed in free of charge and the party rate discount will apply to the rest of the group.

Adults £6.50, children Over 3-14 £4.50, children under 3’s £1.00 and Senior Citizens £6.00.

The children (UNDER 5’S) MUST bring their sponsor sheet and show this at the main gate to gain free entry.

For more information please contact Pauline Clark Toddle Fundraiser 01902 332 708 or visit the website www.barnardos.org.uk/bigtoddle

1st March 2007

Comic relief

Comic Relief weekend (10th and 11th March 2007) at Twycross Zoo. Bring your cameras and have your photos taken with some of our special, friendly, giant furry animals. You may find a giant lemur, penguin, lion ,tiger or even a huge cockroach. The animals will be visiting the zoo between 10.30am and 12.30pm. Take your photos of your family and friends with these big, cuddly animals and make a 50p donation (or more!) to Comic Relief. Are you brave enough to ask the cockroach for a cuddle?

All donations received for Red Nose Day will go directly to the Comic Relief Fund.

With your help we raised £691.19 for Comic Relief. Well done everyone.

Easter at Twycross

Join in with all the exciting Easter events at Twycross Zoo. Collect your Easter trail from the Information Centre for just 50p, complete the trail and return it to the information Centre to claim your free Cadbury’s Creme Egg. Look out for the Easter bunny hopping round the zoo. Make sure to ask him about our latest and cutest arrivals.

24 January 2007

New baby Pileated Gibbon at Twycross Zoo

A new cute little male baby Pileated gibbon was born recently at Twycross Zoo. The beautiful baby is called Henry and he can be seen playing with his parents or swinging on his tiny rope provided by the keepers in the Gibbon House.

This is a whole new experience for first time mum Valentina who is coping very well with her precious little bundle. Dad Helmut is keeping a vigilant eye on his newborn too.

Pileated gibbon babies are a pale buff colour. At approximately eighteen months old the young will develop a black cap on their head and a black chest. The males between the ages of six and eight years old gradually turn black all over; the females stay the same colour.

The youngster will live with his parents until he is around five years old when we will hopefully find him a partner of his own so he can raise his own family.

The birth is important as Pileated Gibbons are classified as vulnerable. There are currently less than 40,000 left in the wild where they live in the rainforest of Thailand and Cambodia.

Gibbons eat mainly fruit and some leaves and travel around their territory by swinging from branch to branch, much like we do on monkey bars!

30th January 2007

Snibston Rangers Help Hungry Heffalumps!

Two major Leicestershire attractions have joined forces this week in a mutually beneficial arrangement of quite an unusual nature.

Snibston Country Park rangers were approached by staff from Twycross Zoo with a problem that they are happily able to solve. The rangers have been asked to help feed the giraffes and elephants at the zoo with the leftover cuttings from their land management of the park.

The rangers have been collecting cuttings or ‘brash’, as it is technically termed, from their hedge-laying activities and coppicing over the autumn and winter period. They normally have the job of disposing of all of this plant debris which is often a time consuming and difficult activity. It consists of shredding the wood and making woodchip, which is then used for habitat piles for insects and as a mulch around trees and shrubs, but there is always plenty to spare.

The delicious cocktail of willow, hawthorn and hazel is apparently a favourite of Twycross’s elephants, giraffes and other exotic species. Head Snibston ranger Dave Luther said “This was quite an unusual request I have to admit, but we’re really pleased to be able to help out a fellow attraction. It’s great for us because we have so much material to spare. We’re hoping to extend this service out across all of the County Council Country Parks so the famous elephants of Twycross won’t go hungry!”

6th January 2007

Twycross Gibbon knows the score!

It is said that some people have fifteen minutes fame but Twycross Zoo’s Concolor gibbon “Ethan” has a regular slot, named “Beat the Monkey” at 11.00 pm on ITV Central’s “Hancock’s Half-Time” programme.

Ethan is watched by over 200,000 viewers as he predicts which football team, in his opinion, will win the match. He does this by choosing one of the balls which are colour coded to each team. Ethan challenges two studio guests, placing bets on the coming weekend’s Midlands’ fixtures.

Ladbrokes sponsor a £25 bet on behalf of Ethan and another on behalf of the football pundits. At the end of the year a tally of the results will be read to see who is best at predicting the outcome of the matches. At the moment Ethan has predicted four out of the ten results correctly; we are keeping our fingers crossed for the rest of the season.

3rd January 2007

Amphibians face extinction.

Many species around the world are endangered, but it is rare for an entire vertebrate class to face extinction. This is the problem for amphibians, scientists believe 122 species have become extinct since 1980 and a third of all amphibian species are endangered. The IUCN's recent Global Amphibian Assessment has shown that amphibians are facing great threats. As well as the known problems of habitat loss, pollution, and climate change, a new disease (chytridiomycosis, a kind of fungus) has decimated frog populations and caused extinctions in Central America and Australia.

At present there is no known way to stop the spread or a way to treat this disease. The only way to save these species may be to place them in captivity in ex situ communities.

Twycross Zoo is supporting WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and CBSG (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group) in their work to save these important creatures. We do hold several species of frog, which have bred and the new wetlands exhibit (which will be completed in spring 2007) will provide a haven for many native species.

For more information please see the following websites…

www.cbsg.org/amphibian.scd
www.waza.org/conservation/campaigns
www.amphibiaweb.org/declines

2nd January 2007

Exciting ideas for Valentines Day at Twycross Zoo.