Edinburgh zoo » Edinburgh Zoo

09-02-2008

Quite sad about the macaque.
Seeing one of te posts above, how old is Mercedes? Are they just "hanging onto her" until she dies so they don't have to build a new enclosure?

10-02-2008

hi what me and my mum cant understand is well firsat we live 5 mine from the zoo so go alot but if they can aim to shoot it how come they cant aim to dart it ??? also the papers in edinburgh go on about rabies lol omg the antis will have a field day yes ok there could of been a chance of rabies but it never had them and how the hell did it get out is there not like a safety door like you go in one door close it and then in to where the monkey was as well dont think they would be going right in be side the monkey so does thast not mean maybe a 3rd door to where the monkey was

10-02-2008

To dart an animal is not as simple as shooting a bullet. Vets would have to ensure a correct dosage and then the dartsman would have to aim (and then hit) an area on the monkey with a large amount of muscle mass (the rump is a good example)

There may have been saftey doors, but seeing as it was a primate it probably took the time to find an oppurtunity or a weakness, then worked on it until there was a chance of an escape.

10-02-2008

ok i see but still mean if 1 can get out what other animals more dangeris can get out

10-02-2008

That is very true, you just have to look to the case at Whipsnade late last year when 2 chimps escaped.

If you were referring to a carnivore, I'm sure there are alternative quarantine methods than there is for quarantining a primate...

However zoo escapes are nothing new, especially regarding primates (big and small) who have the intelligence and skill to figure out various escape methods, whereas other creatures would not have the patience.

10-02-2008

I saw a female Hamadryas Baboon successfully recaptured at Chester Zoo in 1987, but in a lot of cases darting may not be an option. Escaped animals are unpredictable and as with Whipsnade I'm sure every possible option was considered before the macaque was killed.

With the Chester Baboon she was a young female who was being harrassed by the older females and when a keeper opened the door to enter the enclosure she jumped over him and got out.

As CZJimmy says above, she was intelligent enough to work out how the door opened and the best place to wait so she could jump through the opening..

I've heard lots of stories about escaped animals at various zoos, most are recaptured without any bother. These include wallabies, orang utans, zebras, deer, parrots and emus.

10-02-2008

Another problem when darting escaped animals is that the drugs usually don`t work well and/or it takes longer until the animal "sleeps" when it is aggitated and exited.

11-02-2008

Did it ever come out exactly how those Chimps got out of the enclosure at Whipsnade?

11-02-2008

Not to my knowledge, I was keeping track of any news as well. Perhaps the investigation is still ongoing?

11-02-2008

They must have known pretty quickly.... I have wondered(wondered, mind you, no proof) that it could have been due to a human error(NOT a critisism mind you) and that it was quietly 'hushed up' as there was never an explanation of what happened. Of course, that may be a totally fabrication of what really happened but to anyone who does not like reading any sort of rumour/conjecture/ hypothisis on this site, I'd say all these are bound to crop up in a case like this where no information has been forthcoming.

12-02-2008

It seems as though Edinburgh is making headlines left right and centre these days.Zoo's list of species decreases as Siberian tigers make tracks - Edinburgh Evening News

12-02-2008

You are right. Never go to zoo without your mum. And never stay in zoo after closing hours. It is not publicly said, but in the evening many animals get out and go around the zoo grounds looking for free meal. Zoo staff tolerates this, because it keeps feeding cost down.

Well, many simply come back. That is, once they eaten their fill.

12-02-2008

Just read that article - what a load of rubbish. And some of those people who left comments seem to be utter morons! Edinburgh Zoo "dumbing down" by only keeping common animals? What, because they don't have any tigers, gorillas or sealions at the moment? I guess these people missed the Honey Badgers and the Wolverines. Oh yes, and the UK's only Koalas, more evidence of a zoo in decline that doesn't keep any unusual species!!

12-02-2008

I'm sure it's true that a number of species have left. But I think that almost all of them have been the birds and reptiles that had to go to make way for the new Budongo exhibit for chimps.
I hope that some new accommodation for birds and reptiles etc is planned.

Alan

__________________
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

12-02-2008

[quote=Jurek7;37641]You are right. Never go to zoo without your mum. And never stay in zoo after closing hours. It is not publicly said, but in the evening many animals get out and go around the zoo grounds looking for free meal. Zoo staff tolerates this, because it keeps feeding cost down.



hope your not trying to take the piss as thats how i read that