WE’RE ALL PARTY ANIMALS
Wish you were here. Marion McMullen looks at the zoo animals missing human company
1 MAGGIE the giraffe, left, stood with a sign showing support for the NHS at ZSL London Zoo as the UK continues in lockdown. Some keepers are staying at the zoo to look after their charges and are having to give extra cuddles to the pygmy goats who are missing being stroked by visitors. The zoo is asking for donations to help meet costs and says “Zoo life continues, with keepers and vets caring for more than 20,000 animals”.
2 SOME zoos around the world say animals have still been turning up for their “meet the public” sessions desoite having no visitors. Giraffes at the Orana Wildlife Park in New Zealand have been turning up twice a day for their usual appointments and Rhinos have been expecting their daily belly rubs.
3 STAFF at Dublin Zoo had a reason to celebrate despite the crisis when penguin chicks were born at the end of April – the first since 2013. The Humboldts are the newest additions to the 16-strong colony. The public might catch a glimpse of them by watching Dublin Zoo’s live webcam. The zoo says many animals are getting lonely without visitors.
4 BIRDS and animals at Chester Zoo have also been missing human contact, especially residents like the tree kangaroo. Chief operating officer Jamie Christon said the biggest single effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the zoo has been the lack of visitors leaving it almost ‘eerily quiet’. The zoo kickstarted May with a new virtual tour.
5 TV screens showing cartoons and films like The Lion King were set up at Krasnoyarsk Royev Ruchey Nature Park in Russia to help chimpanzee twins Tikhon and Anfisa who had started showing signs of depression following lockdown, but the cartoons seem to cheer them up. Keepers are planning to stay with them for the duration of the quarantine.
6 TWO-TOED sloth Fernando, inset, has become a media star at Phoenix Zoo which has more than 3,000 animals and is one of the largest non-profit zoos in the US. They have created digital safaris and live educational programming during closure and even celebrated Fernando’s fourth birthday online. Some of the zoo’s primates have even gone looking for the missing visitors
7 DINGOS Mirri and Daku have been enjoying walks with Keeper Lisa Fletcher their keepers Lisa Fletcher at Perth Zoo in Australia which has temporarily closed to the public for the first time in its 122-year history. Staff have been wearing protective gear to reduce risk to the animals.
8 CHIMPS at Patna Zoo in India have also been craving human company. Keepers have been trying to raise their spirits by clapping and cheering them. They posted the positive reaction of the chimps on twitter saying: “Chimpanzees crave company nearly as much as food to stay in good mood.”
9 JAPAN’S Sumida Aquarium has set up FaceTime sessions for garden eels so they do not forget their fans. About 300 of them used to pop up and down from individual shelters in the sand and let their bodies sway in the water. However, they have largely withdrawn into their burrows since lockdown even hiding from keepers.
10 PAVILLION the elephant was quick to welcome back visitors when China’s Wuhan Zoo re-opened after almost 11 weeks. There have been several births and a baby elk has been called Chongqi – Chinese for “restart”. Zoos in Berlin also reopened last week.