Aye Ayes » London Zoo

26-06-2008

I have posted this youtube video before it shows the Gorilla house mechanism in action.
YouTube - Film Preview: The New Architecture & the London Zoo, 1936

26-06-2008

Yes, it was built so that the gorillas could have a larger winter enclosure, but still have a summer enclosure.

Basically, in summer half the house was covered for the public and the other half was open to the elements (much like it is now, with half for aye-aye and the other half for ring-tail lemurs). In winter, the wall would rotate so that the gorillas had the whole exhibit area covered.

26-06-2008

Deja vu! I'm sure we've talked about the round house before, but yes, that video is good. I think this is the first time sand cats in the Roundhouse has been mentioned. I imagine that probably worked pretty well when dimly lit. I think sand cats certainly work best in nocturnal exhibits- the only time i've seen them active is at Bristol in their night house.

Semi-roundhouse related, but nothing to do with aye-ayes, is it true that the koalas at london lived on a diet of Eucalyptus cough-sweets? That's got to be a myth?!
Yes, it was built so that the gorillas could have a larger winter enclosure, but still have a summer enclosure.


Thats not quite true, if you watch the video Kiang has posted, you'll see. In winter the gorillas will have just the indoor half, and the visitors will view from the other half which is now covered. When the summer comes the wall over the visitors area will fold away to give the gorillas an outdoor cage. The wall seperating the indoor/outdoor area was the viewing window during winter, so the public can see right through from the outside during summer.

It is certainly a very innovative, design, I so wish it still worked. It could be suited to housing a very big reptile, that would be okay outside in the sun, but would need to be shut inside during winter.

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Chris

26-06-2008

It really should be restored as an architectuaral piece in its own right. What an incredible function for a building of that kind. There should be funding available to places like london and dudley to maintain buildings as architectural pieces without the pressure to need to use them as exhibit space for animals. While I'm sure the current occupants do okay, I'm sure they'd flourish with access to fresh air, live plants and moonlight elsewhere in the zoo.

27-06-2008

thanks for the info...

a few questions

1. are the ringtailed lemurs stil housed in the outdoor section of the roundhouse?
2. is the westmidlands aye aye on breeding loan from jersey same as the london ones?
3. does the moving door in the roundhouse still work?

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James Butcher

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27-06-2008

An interesting question. I imagine the answer is no as it hasn't been used for a very long time. That's not to say they couldn't get it in working order again though.

On my recent visit I noticed they are giving a high profile now to some of their older buildings - explaining when they were built and what for etc- perhaps they've done this for the Lubetkin House too?

27-06-2008

thanks pertinax, one question dwon, two to go!

1. are the ringtailed lemurs stil housed in the outdoor section of the roundhouse?
2. is the westmidlands aye aye on breeding loan from jersey same as the london ones?

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James Butcher

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27-06-2008

Right to answer question 2 for you,the male at West Midlands is at present a surplus/over represented male within the breeding program hence him been on his own.

27-06-2008

To answer question one, yes, I believe so. This was certainly the case at Easter.
Can anyone remember what lemur species was kept there previously? I seem to think it was brown lemurs or red-ruffed prior to the ringtails.

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Chris

28-06-2008

do you know what collection he came from?

thanks for the info as well

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James Butcher

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28-06-2008

I had always assumed that the West Midlands animal, being a bit of an anomaly, was the hand-reared animal born at Bristol the previous year (Kintana). Can anyone confirm this? I think all the UK animals originate from Jersey apart from the pair at Edinburgh which are on loan from Paris zoo, and either originate from duke university stock or from the same expedition that durrel caught his founder stock on. All the Jersey animals and their various offspring in other zoos are owned by the Malagasy government.

The outside roundhouse cage was derelict until the early 00's when a pair of red ruffed lemurs were held here. They were very inactive and looked pretty solemn, as this species can do, and for that reason I guess ZSL brought ring-tailed lemurs back to the collection after a fairly long absence, knowing they would make a more active and therefore far better exhibit in what is a very unforgiving structure to try and display animals in. New or surplus males were held in the current mangabey cage on the sobell last year, alternating with the two female diana monkeys at the time, but this was a temporary measure and they do not form a part of the gorilla kingdom exhibit normally.

28-06-2008

Thanks Johnstoni, so the ringtaileds are all males at london? are they in anyway related to whipsnades?

what is edinburghs enclosure for aye ayes like?

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James Butcher

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28-06-2008

Yes, London have 6 males. Whipsnade also have an all-male group (14) but I'm not sure if the two groups are related...

29-06-2008

okay, whats is the conservation status on ringtaileds? are they threated or low risk?

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James Butcher

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29-06-2008

Kintana was a she and is now living at Frankfurt with a male Aye-aye.

The ring-tailed lemur is listed as vulnerable, population estimate 10,000 to 100,000.