Zoo Tales

Many of the animals at Colchester Zoo are classified as endangered or vulnerable.  More than 40 species are part of European Endangered Species breeding programmes.

These programmes co-ordinate breeding of animals between European zoos, and oversee any transfers in order to maintain a healthy population.  Then should one of the species become extremely rare in the wild, the possibility of reintroduction could be considered.

Male gelada baboons have the looks

A group of Gelada baboons took up residence at Colchester Zoo in 2002.  The primates, which have distinctive long mantles of grey hair and pink chests, are only found in the wild in the mountains of Ethiopia.  They males have an impressive coat, which makes them look larger than the females.   However, the coats can cause the males a problem - tribes hunt them for their skins using them for headdresses.

The Gelada baboon is one of the only primates species that is threatened by climate change.  As the climate warms up it affects there grazing land up on the mountains.  The grassland becomes smaller and smaller in size giving them less land to feed on.

The only grass-eating primate

The baboons live in an outdoor enclosure called the Gelada Plateau.  The zoo has a collection of nine baboons each with their own personalities.  They are considered less aggressive than other breeds of baboons, rarely baring their teeth.

BBC Essex's Renee Hockley-Byam spoke to Conservation Manager Rebecca Perry and keeper Paula Smith about the Gelada baboons.