Colchester Zoo Matters - Autumn 2012

Photo (c) Barbara Meyer

Welcome!

2012 will be remembered with mixed memories.

Whilst we send our congratulations to the fantastic efforts of Team GB during the 2012 Olympic Games, and salute the obvious success of the whole event, it has been another tough year for the attractions industry. We always knew that competing against some major sporting events was going to be difficult, but what we hadn’t banked on, was also having to fight one of the longest spells of sustained rain I can ever remember.

To compensate, we have achieved some very notable ‘firsts’ during 2012: our first hyena cub; the first hatching of a Victoria crowned pigeon; our first Komodo dragon eggs and our first breeding of yellow and black poison dart frogs. Achievements such as these always give encouragement and a sense of pride.

We have also continued to push developments within the park. I believe the new ‘Kids’ Safari’ has been thoroughly enjoyed by many of our younger visitors, and ‘Lost Madagascar’ has proved to be a very positive addition to the zoo. You also may have noticed that after an absence of many years, we have welcomed back giant tortoises with the new ‘Walking Giants’ exhibit.

The next twelve months will see the development of enclosures for two species that I believe are the most pressing within our collection, the first of which many of you will have seen; the construction of the new sun bear enclosure. The two bears needed to be taken into our care in somewhat of a hurry, and the plan was always to move them out of their temporary enclosure as quickly as possible.

Of course this is always easier said than done! The site for the new enclosure was identified, but the animals on it either had to be re-located within the zoo, or be moved to new homes. Once this had taken place, the site required clearing, and as the rear of the site was land originally used as a centre point for the zoo’s drainage, a great deal of initial groundwork was required before construction work.

The second development will be an extension to the outside chimpanzee enclosure. When this was built some twenty years ago, it was one of the largest enclosures we had undertaken within the zoo’s rejuvenation. Today though, we believe it requires modernising and extending.

Thank you for your support during 2012. I very much hope you will stay with us during 2013 and beyond as the zoo continues to develop.

In this issue...

4 zOO nEWs

Catch up on all the latest action!

6 Zoo developments Have a look at what we've been up to!

8 Stand Tall for Giraffes Celebrate our 50th Birthday with us!

10 Zoo experiences

Experience a day like no other...

12 Zoo shop Great gift ideas for this Christmas

14 UmPhafa news Latest news from our reserve in South Africa

16 Action for the Wild An update on Colchester Zoo’s charity

17 What's happening at the zoo Shriek Week and the Magic of Christmas

20 spotted hyena Breeding Success Download the FREE app now!

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Anthony Tropeano ZOOLOGICAL DIRECTOR

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Colchester Zoo Maldon Ro ad Stanway Colchester Essex CO3 0SL T : 01206 3 31 2 92 F : 01206 3 31 3 9 2 E : enquiries@colchester-zoo.co.uk www.colchesterzoo.org www.actionforthewild.org www.umphafa.com

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Komodo Dragon Eggs

Colchester Zoo could be home to the first pair of Komodo dragons in the UK to have successfully bred from a natural mating.

These eggs will now be incubated off-show for a period of around six and a half to seven and a half months and closely monitored.

In April, after successfully mixing our pair of Komodo dragons, Mutu and Telu, female Mutu began to show nesting behaviours and shortly after, began laying eggs within the enclosure. A few days later, keepers removed sixteen eggs for artificial incubation in order to give them the best possible chance of survival, and in line with the Komodo EEP guidelines.

Colchester Zoo is part of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for this species, and with numbers declining in the wild due to expansion of habitat encroachment and reduction of prey numbers, we hope that a successful production of offspring will occur to assist the conservation of this species.

Keepers remove Komodo dragon eggs for artificial incubation

E-ticket bookings!

E-tickets can now be bought online and then printed at our new e-ticket kiosk!

Visitors are now able to book their tickets in advance through our website, or via their mobile phone, and print their tickets at the new kiosk which is located in the car park just before the main entrance.

Please note tickets cannot be booked to visit the same day.

Our meerkat mob enjoy the delights of treats hidden inside wellington boots!

Amazon Wish List Colchester Zoo is dedicated to providing enrichment for its animals, so has created a wish list on the Amazon shopping website which allows visitors to get involved and support the enrichment programme which Colchester Zoo is devoted to. Enrichment is fun for the animals, their keepers and those who regularly visit them. Keeping them entertained both mentally and physically is a full time job and visitor support is greatly appreciated.

Our brand new e-ticket kiosk!

Zoo pass numbers reach 50,000!

Colchester Zoo celebrated reaching 50,000 holders of its popular Gold and Platinum passes in May 2012!

The wish list enables visitors to contribute a range of toys and objects such as footballs, mop heads and even space hoppers! All items which are kindly purchased, are delivered directly to Colchester Zoo and put to good use as exciting enrichment additions for a number of different species throughout the zoo. Our Amazon Enrichment wish list can be found online by visiting the Amazon website and searching for Colchester Zoo’s wish list.

The passes, which give free access to Colchester Zoo for one or two years for a one off fee, work out as little as 7p a day for a child. Zoe Tyler, the celebrity voice coach and judge on popular programmes like ‘Any dream will do’ is a regular visitor to Colchester Zoo and was called in to celebrate the landmark with her son Jake. Zoe said, “Jake absolutely loves Colchester Zoo and is keen to go at any opportunity! The Gold Pass is great for him as it means that he can go as often as he wants.”

Or why not visit our UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve wish list to provide essential items to aid UmPhafa’s staff conservation work.

Make sure you don’t miss Zoe when she returns to switch on the Christmas illuminations on Saturday 24th November!

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Zoe Tyler meets one of our ring-tailed lemurs

Pups at Otter creek!

Victoria Crowned Pigeon Chick

Two male smooth-coated otter pups were born to adult male, Kong Kea, and adult female, Chea, on the 25th May.

On the 5th June our pair of Victoria crowned pigeons successfully hatched their first chick!

The chick was first seen with its head peering out of the nest by keepers on the 9th June.

The otter pups are fit and healthy and are getting bigger every day; they will be given Cambodian names similar to their parents.

The adults have had previous success with a litter of pups in May last year, and the two recent pups can often be seen getting up to mischief and playing around with the group. Having come from rescue situations in Cambodia, it is really great news that the adults are breeding successfully at the new Otter Creek enclosure!

Victoria crowned pigeons are known to be notoriously clumsy parents, as both eggs and chicks have been known to be accidentally knocked out of nests. After a very tentative few weeks, we are glad that our young and inexperienced hen proved highly competent.

Visit Otter Creek to spot the pups

Victoria crowned pigeons’ first chick!

keepers take part in the Bioblitz census for the first time!

Eleven keepers took part in Colchester Zoo’s first ever Bioblitz, which is a national census of native species on zoological sites in a 24 hour period. Due to the size of the Zoo, it was decided that only the new nature area would be surveyed.

The keepers carried out their survey from 8am – 8am on the 8th and 9th of June and saw many more species than they anticipated.

Since the nature area opened in April 2011, a variety of species had been seen in the area, but the Bioblitz survey revealed an otter on a camera trap which was quite unexpected, so cameras have been left down on the nature reserve in the hope of getting more footage in the future.

The results show that over 45 bird species were spotted including red kites, kingfisher and 4 fledgling greater spotted woodpeckers!

Also spotted were 4 of the 6 reptile species in the UK; a nest of grass snakes, adders, common lizard and slow worm. A number of amphibians were spotted, along with over 10 terrestrial mammals, plus the otter. Also discovered was that the nature reserve holds 157 plant species including 2 relative rarities, the knotted clover and night flowering catchfly. All in all, a total of 225 species were counted, excluding taxonomic groups!

Colchester Zoo’s Nature Area, a Roman River Conservation Area

Mother Cynthia with young Zamba, born in October 2009 at Colchester Zoo

Pitter patter of heavy feet to be heard for our rhinos

Colchester Zoo is proud to confirm that Emily, a white rhino at Colchester Zoo, successfully conceived in early December through a natural mating with male white rhino, Otto. This will be Emily and Otto’s first calf!

The first five months of a rhino’s pregnancy are the most delicate, but we are happy that Emily has now passed this stage and hope the pregnancy is as smooth as it can be for Emily as a first time mum. Rhinos have a 16 month gestation period resulting in Emily being due around June, or even July, 2013.

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Join the Walking Giants!

Our new tortoise enclosure houses 3 of the 4 biggest tortoises in the word! ‘Walking Giants’ opened in July 2012, housing the Aldabra giant tortoise, the Burmese black tortoise and the African spurred tortoise, which is also known as the Sulcata tortoise.

The exhibit is located down on our Familiar Friends section of the zoo, and replaces the old Kids Safari Train. The exhibit has two separate areas; one side for our Aldabra and Burmese black tortoise, and the other for our group of African spurred tortoises.

Visitors are able to walk into the exhibit and view the tortoises in their indoor areas through a glass wall. The outdoor quarters have planted bamboo, along with other plantation, to make the enclosure as naturalistic as possible.

This enclosure has been developed in memory of Raymond Sawyer who donated the tortoises to our collection.

Bears of the Rising Sun

We are hoping that our new sun bear exhibit, Bears of the Rising Sun, will be completed in Spring 2013.

The new purpose designed facility, for both Jo-Jo our male, and Srey-Ya our female, will suit all of their physical and behavioural needs, providing an exciting and diverse habitat for them both.

You can help to support our sun bears and the future of this species, by purchasing your own paw print for just £50.00. This donation will go towards our registered charity, Action for the Wild, and your paw print will be put up at the new enclosure in recognition of your dedication and support to our sun bears; it will remain on display for many years to come.

To find out how you can purchase a paw print, please call:

01206 331292 ext 227

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Follow our new QR code trail!

We are introducing QR codes into our interpretation to help visitors engage with modern technology whilst learning about our animals!

Do keep a look out for QR codes appearing on various enclosures at the Zoo. Whenever you see a code, scan it into your smart phone and it will take you through to the relevant page on our website, with information about the species and their enclosure.

'Koi Niwa' enclosure due to open We are excited to announce that we will be introducing a number of Koi carp and other Japanese species into a developing, Japanese-influenced exhibit - Koi Niwa.

Japanese decor and materials have been imported to ensure that this enclosure is as authentic as possible. Within the exhibit there will be two large pools and two filtration systems visible to our visitors, with interesting information and facts on how they work. The exhibit will be set in the style of a typical Japanese garden with statues, ornaments and waterfalls.

This development is sure to be a great addition at Colchester Zoo and we are hoping that it will be enjoyed by all our visitors once it is completed in December 2012.

Re-development of Chimp World

Future re-development of the Chim p World exhibit will start in January 2013 to refurbish the current François’ langur enclosur e for our group of chimpanzees, providing outside housing double the size of the current enclosure! Watch this space!

Meet new Familiar Friends see our splendid gardens Gardeners at Colchester Zoo have been working hard over recent months making significant progress with the gardens within the zoo. With new plantations introducing bright colours and life into the zoo grounds, visitor experience is enhanced and allows everyone to enjoy a range of plant species, as well as the animals.

A new hardstand area has been developed for our horses and donkeys down at Familiar Friends. This hardstand provides the animals with more space and shelter, and also offers visitors a better view of these friendly, much-loved farm animals.

Our new horse, Homer, will also be on show here for the first time, along with fun facts about our familiar friends, and a guide on how you can measure a horse yourself! There is also the opportunity to purchase farm food here to feed some of our familiar friends.

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Stand Tall for Giraffes is to be a mass appeal, large-scale public art event to raise funds for conservation through Colchester Zoo's charity Action for the Wild. Not only will the project raise funds for conservation, but it aims to involve the people of Colchester in the 50th birthday celebration of one of the town’s main attractions.

The project is being developed in partnership with Wild in Art, an experienced arts, events and education company, and the team behind successfully staged similar events in the UK, Europe and Africa.

Following the success of similar projects in Liverpool, Bristol, Chester and Norwich, Colchester’s very own Stand Tall for Giraffes is sure to be Colchester’s highest profile event in Summer 2013.

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................................. .................................

A celebration Raising of creativity! awareness! ................................. .................................

Stand Tall will engage local professional artists, community groups and schools, and celebrate the creativity of Colchester. The project will put Colchester and Essex on the map, attracting regional and national visitors to Colchester town centre, and give local residents the opportunity to engage with the zoo and become a ‘tourist in their town’.

We are starting to introduce the Stand Tall project to Colchester’s business, art and charitable communities, as well as making the people of Colchester aware of the celebration.

................

Steve says... ................

‘Over the last few years I've been lucky enough to get involved with a few projects linking my chosen subjects of natural history and art, and have found much common ground.

Art is one of the great ways of expressing what it is to be human, biology does much the same! I wish you all the very best with this wonderful project - I just wish you would just let me do one of the giraffes myself!

Our mascot giraffe at Stansted Airport - Stand Tall Road Trip

CBBC’s Deadly Art show, Nicola Wood

Fantastic support from Sainsbury’s, Tollgate - Stand Tall Road Trip

.................................

All the best, SB’

The grande f inale! .................................

Steve Backshall - British naturalist, writer and television presenter

The art programme and public painting gallery opens at the beginning of 2013 and the giraffes will hit the streets in the Summer of 2013. The event will culminate with all the giraffes coming to Colchester Zoo for a farewell tour in September 2013 before they are auctioned to raise funds for Colchester Zoo’s charity, Action for the Wild .

(Charity number 1105621)

Nicola Wood’s giant giraffe sand sculpture right here at Colchester Zoo!

Steve Backshall (c) Adam White

2013 is our 50th birthday!

Keep an eye out for more special celebratory events...

If you are interested to find out more about Stand Tall or to even sponsor the project or one of our giraffes, please visit our website at

www.colchesterzoo.org/standtall Colchester Zoo's 50th anniversary celebrations are dedicated to Mrs Angela Tropeano, director of Colchester Zoo between 1983 and 2011.

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Animal Experiences

Turn a dream into reality... ...and find out what it’s really like to work with amazing animals behind the scenes at Colchester Zoo!

Enjoy a day with the keepers and some of their amazing species on Keeper for a Day, enjoy a one on one shorter experience with Keeper Shadowing, or for the younger enthusiasts, enjoy a two hour experience with two schemes for children aged 6 - 10 and 11 - 14!

The VIP Experience

Enjoy a unique, unforgettable private tour, as you journey behind the scenes to meet truly inspiring species closer than ever before...

Discover another world as you follow your own tour guide away from the crowds and into the private haunts of amazing creatures.

Not only do you have your personal tour guide, breakfast and lunch will be catered for!

VIP experience days are available initially for up to 5 people, with additional guests accommodated for at an extra cost to a maximum of 10 people.

A gift the family will never forg

et

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The VIP gift vouche r allows a family of up to five people to our animal experie discover all of nces rolled into one amazing day!

Team building packages include admission, a full day’s activities including private penguin, elephant and giraffe feeds, as well as breakfast and a two course buffet lunch!

(c) Stephen Meese

Adopt an animal at Colchester Zoo and help to fund our work, as well as our registered charity, Action for the Wild, which assists conservation projects all over the world! Choose any animal at Colchester Zoo and receive a mounted photograph, certificate and lots of information all about your adopted animal! Most adoptions also include a discount against a Gold or Platinum pass, as well as day tickets to visit your new member of the family!

Enjoy a birthday party at Colchester Zoo with the unique opportunity of VIP access!

The birthday child gets the chance to select two activities to take part in, including: feeding the penguins, flying a bird of prey, wallaby experience, or touching a snake or Familiar Friends where all can get involved!

Also, choose from a range of amazing optional extras, including a personalised photo cake!

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figures and animals are remarkable for their attention to detail and also very collectable!

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Tatty Te dd a wond y even has erful wo rld of new, ad orable, b lue nose frie nds!

Shop online at: www.colchesterzoo.org/shop

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June’s photo of the month, Giraffe on UmPhafa (c) Amy Moring

Cape clawless otters spotted!

Ostrich released onto UmPhafa

UmPhafa staff and volunteers managed to capture some great footage of a family group of Cape clawless otters during our regular biodiversity surveys. Although we knew they were in the area from tracks, this is the first time that they were actually caught on camera. Footage of the family can be seen on UmPhafa’s website www.umphafa.org.

Otters are extremely vulnerable to water pollution so their presence on the reserve is a good indication of clean water.

On the 13th of March, we released 10 ostrich onto UmPhafa. Ostrich are capable of running at speeds of over 40 miles per hour, so let’s hope these new arrivals are friendly and don’t chase after our staff! Ostrich can live in groups of between five and fifty individuals; so a group of ten is perfect. They often travel together with grazing animals, such as zebra and antelope, so we don’t think it will be long before they team up.

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Fantastic photo opportunities As UmPhafa staff and volunteers spend so much time out in the field each month, they get a fantastic opportunity to see the reserve’s wildlife close at hand. Each month, they compete to take the best photo. This year, we have had superb photos taken of oxpeckers picking parasites off of rhinos, a cautious looking jackal, running blesbok and common reedbuck and even the dragonflies and stormy skies were featured too.

UmPhafa Amazon wishlist UmPhafa staff have set up a wish list on Amazon. This wishlist has been set up to provide essential items to aid UmPhafa staff in Meet Spike our warthog piglet! He was picked carrying out their conservation work, ranging from equipment to monitor our animals up on UmPhafa’s neighbour’s maize lands and prevent poaching, to items to conduct roaming around helplessly, with no mother research projects on the reserve. in sight anywhere. He was brought over to UmPhafa to see if there was anything that Visit the UmPhafa website to check out our we could do for him. He took to everyone Amazon wishlist. immediately and enjoys sleeping in the office while the UmPhafa staff work. Spike arrived back in March 2012 and he is growing rapidly.

spike arrives on UmPhafa

Volunteer on UmPhafa July 2012 was the busiest month with volunteers visiting UmPhafa, with nine placement and research students going out to the reserve. We are continuing to take bookings for 2012 and 2013, so please do consider booking a place. The placements are particularly suited to those seeking to gain experience before pursuing a career in conservation, although the programme is open to anybody with a genuine love of nature and the environment.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Rebecca Perry, Director of Conservation, Education and Research at Colchester Zoo for more details.

rebecca.perry@colchester-zoo.co.uk

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Volunteers on UmPhafa

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Colchester Zoo has always cared passionately about the world's threatened species and so created its charity Action for the Wild, in 2004, to assist projects worldwide. Action for the Wild provides both financial and technical assistance to projects around the world, aiming to raise awareness with local people in community conservation programmes and by supporting conservation research work. Action for the Wild currently supports 18 projects globally; this includes our own project at the UmPhafa Private Nature Reserve in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.

Action for the Wild regularly receives updates from all projects supported, so we thought we’d share a few with you!

Suni's the elephant's story

Pursat the otter's story

New play pen for the bears!

Suni was found at 7 months old on the roadside, weak, dehydrated and severely injured. With help from ZAWA, Suni was stabilised. EOP’s Head Keeper then rushed to the scene and a ZAWA vet followed closely behind, to assess her condition and begin essential treatment.

The Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre (PTWRC) in Cambodia currently holds the only hairy-nosed otter in captivity, called Pursat, who was rescued in July 2010.

There are currently 22 bear cubs under the primary cub care-giver, Mr Than, and thanks to funds donated by Action for the Wild, these rescued cubs now have a new outdoor play pen!

It soon became clear that Suni had been attacked; there was a large gash under her chin, but most shockingly, a deep axe wound on her spine causing paralysis to her right leg.

Despite this vicious attack, Suni was happy to receive help from staff and guzzled down as much milk as she could get her trunk on.

Courtesy of the ‘Royal Air Charters’, Suni was flown to EOP and quickly settled in with the other orphans at Lilayi. Suni’s condition has been constantly monitored by ZAWA vets; she has regained feeling in the leg and can walk on it, although she does wear a supportive bandage. Her leg action is still not at 100%, but with the continued care from the EOP team, Suni should make a full recovery.

Suni the elephant, photo courtesy of the Elephant Orphange Project

Since his rescue, Pursat has been living in a small enclosure in the quarantine block, due to the intended hairy-nosed otter enclosure having no water supply. Thanks to funds recently donated by Colchester Zoo’s charity, Action for the Wild, Pursat is now enjoying his new enclosure providing him with more space and a new pool. PTWRC still have problems with water quality and so new water drums have been brought to transport water daily from Phnom Pehn; this is quite an effort as the new pool holds around 1,500 litres!

With their ever growing bear population at the Cambodian Bear Sanctuary, the cubs were given access to this area whilst they were still laying down the final touches. The bamboo fence keeping them from climbing onto their newly created rock cave has now been removed, and they have a proper splash pool.

The Foundation has now started to refurbish the indoor cub nursery, as well as finishing Bear House 7.

Initially Pursat was not sure of things in his new enclosure and spent most of his time away in his hide. Gradually though, he found his feet, and now staff see him swimming around and catching fish in the evenings.

There are still some further developments to take place, but for now it is good to see Pursat is enjoying his new home.

Hairy-nosed otter, Pursat at PTWRC (c) Michael Zwirn

New play area, photo courtesy of Free The Bears

If you would like to donate to any of the projects that Action for the Wild supports, please visit our website:

www.actionforthewild.org You can now also donate by texting AFTW01 and your amount to 70070 If you are interested in fundraising for any of the projects please contact:

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nicolabrown@colchester-zoo.co.uk

Shriek Week 27th October to 4th Novem

ber

Throughout Shriek Week, you have the chance to get stuck into a variety of creepy crafts and enjoy a number of spooky themed displays and activities.

For those that are brave enough to stay after dark, we have our Shriek Week late night openings on:

Fri 26th, Sat 27th, Mon 29th and Wed 31st October 2012 These late nights are sure to give you a fright as the infamous spooky road train returns, along with many more spine chilling events and a host of late night animal feeds!

Colchester Zoo remains open until 9:30pm during the late scary nights of our Shriek Week.

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Meet Santa at the Enchanted Grotto

The grotto is open 9:30am - 4:00pm each day, and every paying child will have the chance to meet Santa and receive a present!

What else is going on?!

Other festive activities will also be on throughout the day including the chance to meet Santa’s real, live, reindeer and the opportunity to see the ever famous zoo staff mini pantomime, which this year is ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

November 24th & 25th December 1st & 2nd, 8th & 9th, 15th & 16th, 19th to 24th

November 24th

This is your first diary date when we mark the start of our Magic of Christmas events! Come and see Zoe Tyler switching on the magical Christmas illuminations. The park will be open until 9:00pm on this occasion only; last admissions to the park will be an hour before.

Meet Mother Christmas at the grotto

November 24th & 25th December 2nd, 8th & 9th

Special Senses Santa Day

December 1st

Join us for a day full of festive activities especially for children of all disabilities including the chance to visit Santa signing in the grotto!

Starlight Late Opening

December 21st & 23rd

The Christmas joy doesn’t stop there; join us for our Starlight late night openings until 9:00pm, which give you the chance to enjoy all the Christmas illuminations as well as a host of extra events and feeds taking place which is guaranteed to boost your Christmas spirit!

Early Morning Opening

December 24th

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Join us at 8:30am for our early morning opening, with the chance to pay a visit to Santa in his grotto!

september

15th September - Starlight Safari Night Enjoy late night feeds & illuminations

21st September - Beginner's Photography With Barbara Meyer (pre-book only)

29th September - Late night opening

Enjoy an evening of late night feeds (only for valid passholders)

October

19th October - Introduction to Wildlife Photography

With Barbara Meyer (pre-book only)

27th October - 4th November - Shriek

Week

Enjoy our daytime Halloween themed events, spooky feeds and displays!

26th, 27th, 29th and 31st October Shriek Week Late Night Openings

For those brave enough, visit our Halloween Shriek Week events after dark!

November

16th November - Advanced Photography With Barbara Meyer (pre-book only)

17th November - Tortoise Conservation Conference

This conference brings together a series of talks, especially focusing on matters that effect welfare in captivity and looking at options which can tackle ongoing issues (pre-book only).

24th and 25th November -

Meet Santa and his real, live reindeer, visit him in his enchanted grotto, enjoy the staff mini pantomime plus more festive fun!

December

1st Dec - special senses santa Day

The ever popular Easter Wonderland returns to Colchester Zoo in 2013, along with many more exciting events. To be kept updated with the latest news, including all of our 50th Birthday events, why not sign up for our e-letter by visiting our website?

2013

sunday 3rd April - Mother’s day

All the usual festive fun, but with additional BSL interpretation.

Treat your mum to a special day out with themed events and lots of foodie treats!

1st, 2nd, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th december 19th until 24th December

Good Friday March 29th to sunday April 14th

24th December - Early morning opening

Saturday 25th May to Sunday 2nd June Colchester Zoo’s 50th Birthday Week

Meet Santa and his real, live reindeer, visit him in his enchanted grotto, enjoy the staff mini pantomime plus more festive fun!

Join us from 8:30am for our early morning opening, with the chance to pay an early visit to Santa in his grotto!

21st and 23rd December - Starlight Late Opening

Join us for our late night opening until 9:00pm, and enjoy all the Christmas illuminations as well as a host of events and feeds!

Take a walk through the Easter Wonderland and enjoy lots of Easter themed activities.

Check out the website for more details as they become available.

2013 is our 50th birthday! Keep an eye out for our special celebratory events...

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Photo (c) Lucy Quinton

Spotted hyena breeding success!

On 20th June 2012, our first Spotted Hyena cub was born. We became the only zoo in the UK to house this species in 2011, and now are very pleased that our pair of spotted hyena have successfully produced a healthy cub.

Our male, named Abu, born in September 2005, arrived from Amersfoort Zoo in the Netherlands and a female, Kalabi, born in July 2008, arrived from Berlin on the 21st July 2011. Abu and Kalabi transferred to Colchester Zoo following a recommendation from the studbook keeper.

The cub can be seen out with Kalabi in their cave, however, the cub has also been living in a den underground, so you may need to make return visits to the enclosure to catch a glimpse of the beautiful cub.

The spotted hyena is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due to the species’ continued widespread distribution within Africa, south of the Sahara. Populations residing outside of protected areas are suffering a mild threat of decline due to persecution and loss of habitat.

It is hoped that Abu and Kalabi continue their breeding success to help maintain the population of this species within the captive environment.

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Colch ester Zoo Maldon Ro ad Stanway Colchester Essex CO3 0SL T : 01206 3 31 2 9 2 F : 01206 3 31 3 9 2 E : enquiries@colchester-zoo.co.uk www.colchesterzoo.org www.actionforthewild.org www.umphafa.com

Colchester Zoo are proud to be sponsored by: