10
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1984
NEW ARRIVALS ADD TO ZOO ATTRACTIONS
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THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL IMPORTANT NEW ARRIVALS AT THE HONG KONG ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL GARDENS IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS - SOME BY NATURAL INCREASE AND SOME NEW ACQUISITIONS FROM OTHER ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS.
+PRIMATES HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY PRODUCTIVE, SAID A SPOKESMAN FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL. +YOUNG HAVE BEEN BORN TO COMMON MARMOSETS (LEON TOP 1 THECUS (CALLITHRIX JACCHUS), GOLDEN-HEADED LION TAMARINS CHRYSOME LAS), CELEBES BLACK APE (CYNOPITHECUS NIGER) AND RED-CHEEKED CRESTED GIBBON (HYLOBATES CONCOLOR GABRIELLAE).
+OF THESE THE LION TAMARIN AND GIBBON BABIES ARE PARTICULARLY WELCOME AS BOTH ANIMALS ARE EXTREMELY RARE, BOTH IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY. THE BABY GIBBON IS THE FIFTH BIRTH IN THE HONG KONG BREEEDING GROUP WHILE THE LION TAMARIN MAY WELL BE THE FIRST CAPTIVE BIRTH OUTSIDE ITS NATIVE BRAZIL.
THE YOUNG BORNEAN ORANG-UTAN (PONGO PYGMAEUS PYGMAEUS) BORN ON JULY 4 IS STILL BEING ADMIRABLY REARED BY ITS MOTHER. IT HAS PROVED TO BE A MALE AND IN VIEW OF ITS BIRTH DATE HAS BEEN GIVEN THE NAME +MERDEKA+.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID TWO CONSIGNMENTS OF NEW ACQUISITIONS ARRIVED AT KAI TAK AIRPORT FROM OTHER ZOOS ON DECEMBER 6.
FIRST TO ARRIVE WAS A FINE MALE RED-CROWNED CRANE (GRUS JAPONENSIS) FROM THE PEKING ZOO. THIS BIRD WAS RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE TO PROVIDE A MATE FOR THE FEMALE RECEIVED IN 1983+, HE SAID. + THE ORIGINAL MALE WAS LOST AFTER IT ESCAPED AND WAS PRESUMED DROWNED IN THE HARBOUR. IT IS HOPED THAT THIS PAIR OF VERY RARE CRANES WILL BREED AS HAS THE OTHER ENDANGERED CRANE SPECIE IN THE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS THE WHITE-NAPED CRANE (GRUS VIPIO).+
THIS YEAR'S YOUNG WHITE-NAPED CRANE WILL SHORTLY BE SENT TO WUPPERTAL ZOO IN GERMANY FOR FUTURE CAPTIVE PROPAGATION. PREVIOUS YOUNG REARED BY THIS PAIR HAVE GONE TO THE NATIONAL ZOO WASHINGTON AND THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. THE MALE OF THE BREEDING PAIR WAS ALSO RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FROM THE PEKING ZOO IN 1976.
LATER IN THE SAME EVENING A PAIR OF SHORT-BEAKED ECHIDNAS (TACHYGLOSSUS ACULEATUS) ARRIVED AS A GIFT FROM THE ROYAL MELBOURNE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. ECHIDNAS ARE FASCINATING ANIMALS BELONGING TO THE ORDER MONOTREMATA, WHICH ARE EGG-LAYING MAMMALS. THE ORDER CONSISTS OF TWO SPECIES OF ECHIDNAS PLUS THE DUCK-BILLED PLATYPUS.
+ IN THE WILD, ECHIDNAS SUBSIST ENTIRELY ON ANTS AND OTHER INSECTS AND FOR THIS REASON THEY ARE ALSO KNOWN AS SPINY ANTEATERS, + THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
/+IN CAPTIVITY