Twycross Zoo - Gibbon Calls also come and join in the Easter fun (From Worcester News)

Twycross Zoo - Gibbon Calls also come and join in the Easter fun

12:34pm Monday 22nd March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

CLUTCHING on to its mother, in the gibbon enclosure, is a tiny newborn, black Siamang gibbon. This is the second baby for mother Tango and father Daniel which was born safely on 2nd February 2010.

The pair have bonded very well and are making excellent parents, Tango is checking and caring for the new baby and Daniel proudly watches over his little family.

The Siamang (Symphalangus syndactylus) is a tailless, arboreal, black furred gibbon native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand and Sumatra. It can grow to twice the size of other gibbons, reaching one metre in height, and up to fourteen kilos in weight.

It is distinctive for two reasons the first is that two fingers on each hand are fused together — hence the name "syndactylus" which comes from the Ancient Greek word united/fused. The second is the large "gular sac" (found in both male and female of the species), which is a throat pouch that can be inflated to the size of its head and allows these animals to make loud resonating calls or songs. You can hear the loud calls or singing at Twycross Zoo in the early morning normally around 9.00 am – 11.00 am. Most of the Siamang's calls are directed to their neighbours, they will also call to respond to disturbances and to defend their territory.

They normally live up to around thirty years of age in captivity and will live in family groups of up to six individuals. At Twycross Zoo they eat a variety of fruits and leaves.

A major threat to the Siamang is habitat loss due to plantation, forest fires, illegal logging, encroachment, and human development. The palm oil plantations have also removed large areas of the Siamang's habitat in the last four decades. Since 2002 over 100,000 square kilometres of palm oil have been planted which has replaced much of the rainforest in Indonesia and Malaysia, where the Siamang originally used to live.

EASTER AT TWYCROSS

It’s eggciting this Easter for all ages at Twycross Zoo. Have fun completing the Easter trail and then find the Easter Bunny to collect your chocolate egg. Visit Pets at Twycross to learn some eggstra special facts when you hear the short informative talks about some of the domestic animals.

Don’t forget to watch the sealion and penguin feeding sessions at 12.00 and 3.00pm and the elephant training session at 2.15pm daily.

Remember to bring your camera to take pictures of the cute baby elephant Ganesh!

When you arrive call in to the Information Centre to collect a timed ticket for the South American Tropical Rainforest. This is an emersion exhibit where you will enjoy a walk and talk by a knowledgeable keeper through the exhibit. Join in the fun by colouring in a tree for the Going Ape exhibition in the Zoo Centre to help raise funds for ape projects around the world.

Take a look or even buy some of the wildlife and wilderness paintings by Paul Dyson, who will be in the exhibition space of Himalaya our new visitor welcome centre from 2nd – 6th April. Whilst in Himalaya discover all the unique and unusual fair trade gifts in the new Bazaar and Gallery retail experience or take advantage of some of the delightful menus on offer in Cafe Tibet – they are so mouth watering you will go back for more.

Ollie the signing monkey will be teaching everyone how to sign language on 7th April and join in the fun with BBC Radio Leicester’s breakfast show live from the Zoo on 16th April.