It’s been a strange week, very slow at the start with lots of paperwork but developed into quite a hectic few days at the end.
We spent a very happy afternoon playing with spiders in the Invertebrate department. This is the smallest department in the zoo, with only a very tiny display area, but actually houses the most animals of any department. They have 100s of different theraphosid spiders (tarantulas) and breed these very well. Also kept are beetles, snails, stick-insects, scorpions and lots of other lovely bugs. In this department, every staff member either has or is studying for a PhD – pretty amazing! In the invertebrate room there are a few free-ranging spiders to help clear up escaped fruit flies etc. Steve found one of these big beasties and gave it a little prod so he could see it better. The spider jumped on him to much laughter from me and the keeper as Steve went bright red and looked like a naughty school-boy!
It’s looking very likely that we will be part of an extremely important conservation programme soon. We already keep Prezwalski horses as part of a captive breeding zoo programme, but have been offered a herd of “A-Line” horses that we will breed and then these animals will be released into the wild at designated safe wildlife reserves. The release sites are mainly in Mongolia, but in the past there have been release programmes in Ukraine. It’s such a great opportunity to work with a high level conservation programme and also as they are a native species it’s really important for the zoo. Prezwalski are a wild horse species that are extremely endangered. There are only a few real species of horses e.g. Zebras (3 different species), Prezwalski, Onager and Kulan. All other horses such as Shire horses, Dartmoor ponies, Shetland ponies, race-horses etc are actually different breeds of the domestic horse, and although some horse breeds are rare, they are not endangered in the same ways as the wild horse species. Steve has been working hard to make plans to be able to have the “A-line” horses, enclosure modification, staff training and intensive husbandry protocols. We also have to move around some of the other animals at the zoo to give these special horses more space. It may mean moving some to other Ukrainian zoos, so Steve is also contacting them to see what arrangements can be made.
We seem to have got the post here figured out now, it’s generally pretty unreliable but some things manage to get through. We think that letters/packages that are franked and don’t have stamps will generally arrive. I had two such packages this week from zoos in America and Canada stuffed full of information and DVDs about elephants. Both took about 10 days to get here and a big Thank You to the people who sent them to me.
The zoo has been offered a large amount of money by an anonymous philanthropist who would like it spent on a new enclosure for some of our animals. This may sound great (and it really is) but it brings such tough decisions and lots of work with it – how do you decide which species / group of species to spend the money on? We’ve been working really hard on this, lots of meetings, discussions, looking at enclosures and areas of the zoo and still have not made a decision. I think it will take quite a while to reach a final plan.
We are nearly complete on an enclosure refurbishment for Red River Hogs. The enclosure has been empty for a long while but recently we have knocked down the old lean-to shelter, and the maintenance department have built a lovely night/winter house for the animals. We’ve also completely changed the fence line and put in viewing windows and solid fence, which is better for the visitors and the animals. It’s going to be great when it’s all completed. Red river hogs are really nice (grumpy) animals, their ears are just incredible. They are also part of a good zoo conservation programme.
Steve’s lynx enclosure is coming on well. It’s mainly the construction department working on it at the moment; Steve is just supervising the work. They are almost ready to put the mesh up, complete the off-show holding area and are putting down foundations for the animal house. Steve will be starting the electric fencing system soon. He’s worked really hard and has found a supplier in Ukraine that can get the make of electric fence equipment that Steve likes to use. Steve even managed to get at 25% discount for the zoo on the parts for this fence and all other fences in the future. It’s great, but comes with the condition that as Steve is the only qualified zoo electric fence technician in the country, he provides a consultancy service for the company and other zoos in Ukraine. So far he has made recommendations to the company on a few occasions and also spoken with other zoos about their fences.
Today (Saturday) we ventured out into Kyiv again. There’s a large art gallery called the Pinchuk Art Centre that currently has a large Damien Hirst exhibition “Requiem”. On the way there we went t a different metro station; it was just beautiful, very 1920’s art deco with incredible mosaic walls. Steve tried to take a few photos but was stopped by the train staff.
The art exhibition was really big, took up the whole gallery and an outside area also. Photos were not allowed apart from one outdoor piece. The focus of the exhibition was the skulls that Hirst is renowned for, but also a lot of animal and taxidermy artworks. There were two formaldehyde encased sharks, one of which was split into two pieces and you could walk through them (titled Death Explained). There was a piece called “A Thousand Years” that was a large Perspex container with living flies, a cows head and an “Insect-o-cutor” – very strange, the flies were buzzing around and writhing on the floor, but it’s a self-sustaining sealed system. There were some incredible pieces made from tropical butterfly wings, laid out in geometrical patterns, like cathedral windows, I could look at them forever and not get bored. Another piece I particularly liked was a fish taxidermy display that made excellent use of mirrors. I’m afraid that I just can’t do the exhibition justice with my descriptions. It was well worth spending an afternoon there and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
We spent a very happy afternoon playing with spiders in the Invertebrate department. This is the smallest department in the zoo, with only a very tiny display area, but actually houses the most animals of any department. They have 100s of different theraphosid spiders (tarantulas) and breed these very well. Also kept are beetles, snails, stick-insects, scorpions and lots of other lovely bugs. In this department, every staff member either has or is studying for a PhD – pretty amazing! In the invertebrate room there are a few free-ranging spiders to help clear up escaped fruit flies etc. Steve found one of these big beasties and gave it a little prod so he could see it better. The spider jumped on him to much laughter from me and the keeper as Steve went bright red and looked like a naughty school-boy!
It’s looking very likely that we will be part of an extremely important conservation programme soon. We already keep Prezwalski horses as part of a captive breeding zoo programme, but have been offered a herd of “A-Line” horses that we will breed and then these animals will be released into the wild at designated safe wildlife reserves. The release sites are mainly in Mongolia, but in the past there have been release programmes in Ukraine. It’s such a great opportunity to work with a high level conservation programme and also as they are a native species it’s really important for the zoo. Prezwalski are a wild horse species that are extremely endangered. There are only a few real species of horses e.g. Zebras (3 different species), Prezwalski, Onager and Kulan. All other horses such as Shire horses, Dartmoor ponies, Shetland ponies, race-horses etc are actually different breeds of the domestic horse, and although some horse breeds are rare, they are not endangered in the same ways as the wild horse species. Steve has been working hard to make plans to be able to have the “A-line” horses, enclosure modification, staff training and intensive husbandry protocols. We also have to move around some of the other animals at the zoo to give these special horses more space. It may mean moving some to other Ukrainian zoos, so Steve is also contacting them to see what arrangements can be made.
We seem to have got the post here figured out now, it’s generally pretty unreliable but some things manage to get through. We think that letters/packages that are franked and don’t have stamps will generally arrive. I had two such packages this week from zoos in America and Canada stuffed full of information and DVDs about elephants. Both took about 10 days to get here and a big Thank You to the people who sent them to me.
The zoo has been offered a large amount of money by an anonymous philanthropist who would like it spent on a new enclosure for some of our animals. This may sound great (and it really is) but it brings such tough decisions and lots of work with it – how do you decide which species / group of species to spend the money on? We’ve been working really hard on this, lots of meetings, discussions, looking at enclosures and areas of the zoo and still have not made a decision. I think it will take quite a while to reach a final plan.
We are nearly complete on an enclosure refurbishment for Red River Hogs. The enclosure has been empty for a long while but recently we have knocked down the old lean-to shelter, and the maintenance department have built a lovely night/winter house for the animals. We’ve also completely changed the fence line and put in viewing windows and solid fence, which is better for the visitors and the animals. It’s going to be great when it’s all completed. Red river hogs are really nice (grumpy) animals, their ears are just incredible. They are also part of a good zoo conservation programme.
Steve’s lynx enclosure is coming on well. It’s mainly the construction department working on it at the moment; Steve is just supervising the work. They are almost ready to put the mesh up, complete the off-show holding area and are putting down foundations for the animal house. Steve will be starting the electric fencing system soon. He’s worked really hard and has found a supplier in Ukraine that can get the make of electric fence equipment that Steve likes to use. Steve even managed to get at 25% discount for the zoo on the parts for this fence and all other fences in the future. It’s great, but comes with the condition that as Steve is the only qualified zoo electric fence technician in the country, he provides a consultancy service for the company and other zoos in Ukraine. So far he has made recommendations to the company on a few occasions and also spoken with other zoos about their fences.
Today (Saturday) we ventured out into Kyiv again. There’s a large art gallery called the Pinchuk Art Centre that currently has a large Damien Hirst exhibition “Requiem”. On the way there we went t a different metro station; it was just beautiful, very 1920’s art deco with incredible mosaic walls. Steve tried to take a few photos but was stopped by the train staff.
The art exhibition was really big, took up the whole gallery and an outside area also. Photos were not allowed apart from one outdoor piece. The focus of the exhibition was the skulls that Hirst is renowned for, but also a lot of animal and taxidermy artworks. There were two formaldehyde encased sharks, one of which was split into two pieces and you could walk through them (titled Death Explained). There was a piece called “A Thousand Years” that was a large Perspex container with living flies, a cows head and an “Insect-o-cutor” – very strange, the flies were buzzing around and writhing on the floor, but it’s a self-sustaining sealed system. There were some incredible pieces made from tropical butterfly wings, laid out in geometrical patterns, like cathedral windows, I could look at them forever and not get bored. Another piece I particularly liked was a fish taxidermy display that made excellent use of mirrors. I’m afraid that I just can’t do the exhibition justice with my descriptions. It was well worth spending an afternoon there and we both thoroughly enjoyed it.
Spider at Invertebrate Department
Inside the Red River Hog House (stalls will be constructed soon)
Red River Hog House
Red River Hog Enclosure
Red River Hog Enclosure
Red River Hog Enclosure
Lynx Enclosure Developments
Lynx Enclosure Off-Show Holding Area
Lynx Enclosure with Foundations started
Nice Metro Station
I can't remember the title of this sculpture
Wow, the exhibition looks cool. You are doing such a great job at the zoo, I love reading this website :)
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