Colchester Zoo

Colchester Zoo
51°51′45″N 0°49′58″E
Date opened	1963
Location	Colchester, Essex, England
Land area	60 acres (0.243 km²)
No. of animals	5666 (2007)
No. of species	over 250 (2010)
Major exhibits	Edge of Africa, Wilds of Asia, Leopards at Ussuri Falls, Wallaby Walkabout, Orangutan Forest, Playa Patagonia.
Website	www.colchester-zoo.co.uk

Colchester Zoo is one of the most impressive zoo's in the United Kingdom. It is situated in Colchester, England. The zoo opened in 1963 and had 747,495 visitors in 2009 and 801,643 in 2011. It is home to many collections of rare and endangered species, big cats, primates and many other species.

Colchester Zoo is supported by Action for the Wild, which assists conservation projects worldwide through the both financial and technical assistance. The zoo will celebrate is 50th anniversary in 2013.

History

Colchester Zoo was first opened as 'Stanway Hall Zoo Park' in May 1963 by Frank Farah. The zoo was very popular when first opened and recieved generally positive reports. The zoo then continued to remain in the hands of Frank Farah through the 1970's right up to the very early 1980's. Throughout this time the zoo had started to fall into a state of disrepair and the numbers of visitors were dropping rapidly. But in 1983, much the zoo's fortune, the Tropeano family officially took over. The Tropeano's spent their first few years trying to put a face to the zoo and to enable them to comply with the zoo licensing act. During this time they also renamed the zoo with its current name, Colchester Zoo. The hurricane of October 1987 set the zoo back quite a way. Many of the original enclosures were destroyed, and the zoo also lost a number of spectacular trees. The park was without power for six days during this time, but a generator lent to them by the British Army helped save many delicate species of animal.

The Tropeano's then continued to demolish the zoo's older inclosures, and replace them with much newer, safer and more animal friendly ones, some of which are still here today, and along with this saw the arrival of catering outlets, toilets and childrens play parks. But in 1996 the Tropeano's felt that the zoo was becoming a little crowded, and was starting to get cramped, and in the following year the family brought 25 acres of land, in which the zoo could expand from. On this land saw the Edge of Africa, Elephant and Kingdom of the Wild buildings constructed, along with further housing for Mandrills, and other african species.

Antony Tropeano and his family still own the zoo today, and its thanks to them that the zoo has become the massively popular and deicated conservation centre that it is.

Animal exhibits

The animals habitats at Colchester Zoo are presented in a number of different themed zones.

Walking Giants

Walking Giants opened in the summer of 2012 and is a small complex, split into two sections. The complex houses 3 out of 4 of the world’s biggest tortoise species including Aldabra giant tortoise, Burmese mountain tortoise, and African spurred tortoise.

Lost Madagascar

Opened in Easter 2012, Lost Madagascar is a walk-through enclosure that is home to troops of Ring-Tailed Lemurs and Red Ruffed Lemurs. It can only be accessed by riding on a small road train called the Lost Madagascar Express.

Otter Creek

Otter Creek was opened in August 2011 and houses a family of six Smooth-coated Otters.

Wilds of Asia

Wilds of Asia is a group of enclosures housing various different species from across Asia. Among the species on display in Wilds of Asia are Pileated Gibbons, Red Pandas, Rhinoceros Hornbill, Burmese Pythons and Lion-tailed Macaques.

Edge of Africa: Elephant Kingdom

The Elephant Kingdom is home to the Zoo's herd of African Elephants, a male named Tembo and three females named Opal, Zola and Tanya.

Edge of Africa: Kingdom of the Wild

Edge of Africa is split into three sections. The first section is home to the The Kingdom of the Wild multi-species complex, which houses several different African species. The main paddock houses Reticulated Giraffes, Southern White Rhinoceros, Ostriches, Zebras and Greater Kudu, while the indoor area features Aardvarks, Pygmy Hippopotamus, Patas Monkeys and various species of African reptiles, invertebrates and fish, which include Leopard Tortoises. There is also an aviary, which is home to White-backed Vultures and Ruppell's Griffin Vultures. The further region of Edge of Africa is home to groups of Cheetahs, Warthogs and Red River Hogs, as well as a pair of Spotted Hyenas and a troop of Mandrills.

Playa Patagonia

Opened in August 2003, Playa Patagonia is home to an all-female group of five Patagonian Sea Lions named Atlanta, Milan, Winnipeg, Paris and Sydney. The enclosure also features the largest straight underwater tunnel in Europe, holding 500,000 gallons of water and with glass that is 10 millimetres thick.

Orangutan Forest

Orangutan Forest is home to two male Orangutans. The younger of the two, named Tiga, is a pure-bred Bornean Orang-utan, while the older one, named Rajang, is a hybrid of a Bornean and Sumatran Orang-utan.

Dragons of Komodo

Dragons of Komodo is a large, indoor exhibit that is home to a breeding pair of Komodo Dragons, a male named Telu and a female named Mutu. The enclosure is designed to mimic conditions in the wild, and includes a large pool with showers, as well as a glass roof that can be drawn back to allow in sunlight.

Tiger Taiga

Tiger Taiga is home to a pair of Amur Tigers, a male named Igor and a female named Anoushka.

Lion Rock

Opened in April 2004, Lion Rock houses three African Lions, a male named Bailey and two females named Malika and Naja. The indoor area of Lion Rock features enclosures housing Fennec Foxes and Asia Minor Spiny Mice.

Bears of the Rising Sun

This enclosure is home to a pair of Sun Bears, a male named Jo-Jo and a female named Srey-Ya. Both bears were given to the Zoo by the Rare Species Conservation Centre in 2010, after being confiscated by government anti-poaching patrols in Cambodia.

Leopards at Ussuri Falls

Opened in February 2010, this enclosure houses a pair of Amur Leopards, a male named Sayan and a female named Milena.

Penguin Shores

Penguin Shores is home to a large colony of Humboldt penguins, as well as an aquarium containing various types of freshwater and coral reef fish.

Suricata Sands

Opened in May 2009, Suricata Sands houses a mob of thirteen Meerkats, including a breeding pair named Robin and Pippa.

Worlds Apart

Opened in May 2008, Worlds Apart consists of six enclosures, which include an open enclosure home to Rhinoceros Iguanas, Poison Dart Frogs, Green and Yellow Anacondas and a walk-through small primate exhibit that houses Emperor and Cottontop Tamarins.

Worlds Apart Walkthrough

The outdoor section of Worlds Apart. Among the animals on display are Two-toed Sloths, Golden Lion Tamarins and Southern Tamandua.

Chimp World

An enclosure that houses a group of eight Common Chimpanzees, three males and five females. The dominant male of the troop is named Pippin.

Familiar Friends

A petting area that features a variety of domesticated species. these include goats, sheep, cattle, chickens, doves, horses, llamas and rabbits.

Wallaby Walkabout

An Australia-themed walk-through enclosure that houses a group of Bennet's Wallabies.

The Lakes

The Lakes holds a small collection of waterbirds such as Chilean flamingo and formerly Dalmatian pelican along with a large number of red-eared terrapins that live freely in the lakes.

Out of Africa

This small area is home to the zoo's blue-eyed black lemurs and mantled guereza, and also features the old den of the zoo's spotted hyenas.

Medellin Monkeys

The Medellin Monkeys enclosure is home to one of the main groups of Colombian black spider monkeys.

Heart of the Amazon

This complex is home to a large troop of common squirrel monkeys, but also features silver dollar, angelfish, green iguana, and a pair of red-backed bearded saki. The enclosures just outside of Heart of the Amazon were previously home to both black and brown bears but currently house one of the zoo's Geoffroy's cats and the troop of yellow-breasted capuchins.

Iguana Forest and South American Walkthrough

The former walkthrough near the old orangutan exhibit houses a group of golden lion tamarins, as well as emperor tamarins and white-headed marmosets. The adjoining Iguana Forest holds several green iguanas confiscated from airport customs, yellow-footed tortoise and North American box turtle. This walkthrough also previously housed the zoo's lesser Malayan chevrotain.

Inca Trail

This group of enclosures houses the zoos' second large group of Colombian black spider monkeys and a second group of Humboldt penguins along with an aviary home to scarlet ibis.

Call of the Wild

This exhibit is near the Wilds of Asia complex, and features a pack of gray wolf, they can be viewed from the Lost Madagascar Express train, and also from the glass viewing areas.

Other Species

Other species found in the zoo include giant anteater, collared mangabey, African wild dog and black-backed jackal.

Former Animal Exhibits

White Tiger Valley

This exhibit used to house Sasha, the zoo's well-known and loved white tiger. Sasha unfourtunately passed away on 15th December 2010 aged 15. The exhibit went under extensive work, and opened as Lost Madagascar in Easter 2012.

Hornbill Hill

Hornbill Hill was a steep and narrow pathway that featured enclosures for Waldrapp ibis, Southern ground hornbill, black hornbill, red-billed blue magpie and at the top of the hill there is an enclosure that has previously held snow leopard, fossa, Giant Anteater and various New World monkeys and an African aviary that normally holds purple gallinule, hamerkop, Von der Decken's hornbill and curlew. There is also a small hidden enclosure for Geoffroy's cat. The Hornbill Hill aviaries, Geoffroy's cat enclosure and part of the Medellin Monkeys exhibit have all been demolished to make way for the new sun bear enclosure.

The Tanganyika Road Train

This was not a animal enclosure itself, but was a small road train used to complete a loop and pass many enclosures featuring gray wolf and african hunting dog's. The train is still here now but has been renamed the Lost Madagascar Express and the route it takes has been altered so that passengers can now get off to go to Lost Madagascar, the lemur walkthrough exhibit.

Television documentary

The third series of the Channel 5 show Zoo Days came from Colchester Zoo. This series was presented by former Blue Peter star Konnie Huq and began transmission on 9 June and ran for 4 weeks.

Images from Colchester Zoo

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  A wolf at Colchester Zoo.
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  A male gelada baboon at the zoo.
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  A female greater kudu
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  A mother ring-tailed lemur with day-old twins
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  Lanner falcon
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  An African elephant
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  A male lion
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  A tiger
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  A swimming penguin
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  The Colossoma macropomum, often confused with a piranha at the zoo. It is found on slow-moving rivers in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. The macropomum feeds on fruit and seeds.

External links

• Media related to Colchester Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website