Winter has returned with a vengeance! Plants, insects, birds and animals appear to be in a state of shock after a week of temperatures in the 20s Centigrade.
The maximum temperature here today is 7⁰C, minimum -2⁰C. 3mm of rain was measured this morning, mainly due to snow and sleet!! North-Easterly winds of 24km/h with gusts up to 51 km/h that were very chilly!
Last Saturday when we visited the Vallee it was hot and sunny with temperatures around 20C.
“La Vallée des Singes” It is a primate park in Romagne, France, about an hour's drive from us on 22 hectares. I do not like wild animals in captivity, but I gather that most of the monkeys and apes are rescue ones and they live here in the Valley in almost natural conditions. They are totally unconcerned about humans walking around and they just get on with life as they would in the wild. I have tried to be careful of my IDs but if anyone is aware of a mistake please let me know.
This shot shows a Silverback male Gorilla with a female and their youngster.
As above. (Gorilla Gorilla) They live in Equatorial Africa.
Gorilla female, I wonder if she is pregnant :-)
Black Gold Howler Monkey (Alouatta caraya) South Central America Female...
As above, male (he is much darker).
Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) male Ethiopia.
As above.
Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) central Africa.
Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus), native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco, along with a small introduced population in Gibraltar.
As above taking a snooze.
Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa.
Emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator) Brazil, southwest Amazon Basin, east Peru, and north Bolivia.
Geoffroys marmoset (Callithrix geoffroyi) Brazil.
The park was opened in 1998 and they now have 450 animals living there of which there are 34 different species. They have had over 800 births during this period.
We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed sitting under the trees watching the gorillas at play. We relaxed totally with bread, cheese, tomatoes ham, chutney, croissants and a bottle of wine :-)))) I have many more photos to go through - will get there eventually!!
My local list of wildflowers. (91 Species 02/12/2021).
See also my
I too, Diane, am not fond of animals in captivity, but for some it may be their last hope of survival. We have taken so much habitat from wild creatures, and degraded most of what is left, that zoos may be a last refuge, however imperfect they may be. In the case of these animals, they appear to be in good health and are doubtless well cared for. One can only applaud the people behind the facility. As for your picnic lunch - you know how it's done! Bon fin de semaine. David
ReplyDeleteDavid it is very impressive. The big apes all have their own islands surrounded by water so you cannot get to them, but they are easily visible, especially at the moment with few leaves on the trees. The Barbary Apes do have a huge enclosure with a couple of strands of eclectic fencing, and double gates at both ends. You can walk through on a path which they can also use if they want but they just carry on as if you do not exist. Many of the smaller monkeys just have total freedom. The picnic areas are separated to stop thieving! but by the gorillas where we picnicked, we only had the water between us so we had a magical view.
DeleteYou have a good week as well. I will try to catch up with blogs next week! Cheers Diane
I am not a lover of animals captivity but that place sounds great. The photos are super of some unusual looking, beautiful animals. It sounds like you had a great day.
ReplyDeleteMarie they live in very natural surroundings and all have indoor enclosures in their areas that they can go into if it is raining or cold. They really have it good from what we could see and the animals are all so relaxed.
DeleteEnjoy the coming week, cheers Diane
These are beautiful pictures of beautiful animals. Thanks for sharing. Those gorillas look as if they were having a picnic like you were. For some reason, and I don't know why, I do not like Mandrill's. Maybe I saw something or read something that put me off them? I love that tamarin. Do both male and female have those moustaches? Very interesting!!
ReplyDeleteJoan they are the most relaxed I have ever seen animals that have been removed from their natural environment. The Mandrills (to me) all look bad-tempered and I struggled to get a half-decent photo of this one. The Tamarins yes, both sexes have the moustache and they pretty much have the run of the open areas. They are so gentle. One was feeding on berries in a tree and it dropped the berry. I picked it up and handed it back to it, it very gently took it from me. Of course, you are not allowed to feed any of the monkeys or apes but this was just a dropped berry :-) I still have lots more photos to go through, watch this space. Keep safe Diane
DeleteThose pictures are absolutely incredible. Oh how I would love to see them in real life.
ReplyDeleteI feel very privileged to have been able to see the animals in natural surroundings, despite the fact it was not their natural country. I hope all is well, I will be visiting soon. Cheers Diane
DeleteI'm not a fan of animals in captivity either, Diane, but it seems that most 'zoos' these days justify their existance on the basis of conserving (i.e. propagating) threatened species, or (as in this case) rehabilitating rescued animals. In the past, they have also helped foster an interest in the natural world in persons without the ability to travel to witness such animals, but this aspect has probably diminished through the ability to view, on screen, such things and learn about them from the comfort of one's chair at home.
ReplyDeleteAnd just to give an excample of that last statement, hitherto I've been totally unaware of the Gelada or Emperor Tamarin and their amazing appearance.
Your mention of your picnic got me wondering if any of these intelligent animals decided that they'd like you to share your picnic with them?
We too have seen the daytime temperatures drop by around 15 to 20°c since last week! It's 10.35 a.m. and still below freezing!
Best wishes - stay safe - - - - Richard
DeleteThere were several animals there that I was unaware of, more photos to follow when I have the time to go through them. They all seem to be very relaxed and contented and with so many successful births, they must be a happy lot.
The picnic spots are picked especially where the animals cannot get to you, no eating in any other places. The table we picked was in an area where we had water between us and the gorillas. I am sure some of the smaller monkeys that have lots of freedom could possibly stray into the picnic areas, but we did not spot any and we eat in peace just watching the gorillas at play.
Still icy cold here with a number of frosts. Roll on summer!
I hope all is good with you and that the hospital trip has gone well or is about to go well. Not sure of the dates, but it must be around now from your last comment.
Best wishes to you and the family; cheers Diane
I love Gelada's hairdo and the tamarin's moustache.
ReplyDeleteTwo very unusual characters and ones that I was unaware of as they do not live in Africa.
DeleteI hope that all is well over there and the floods are not causing you any problems Have a good week, t'other Diane
Hi Diane - all the animals look healthy, and as you mention some 'unknown' ones to me ... What a great idea to be able to visit, taking a picnic with you - sounds a delicious one ... I look forward to more posts with pics ... brilliant to be able to see them. Cold here too - it was fine if one was inland, but here by the sea - it was positively freezing in the wind! The sun is definitely warmer and so I guess we're on the way. Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteHi Hilary, I thought I knew all the monkeys of Africa but the Gelada I was unaware of. Yes, the picnic turned out to be very enjoyable and relaxing watching the Gorillas at play. The weather here has been foul and I so want to get out and start planting. We did some weeding yesterday, but the rain has returned yet again. Sunday looks OK but I will need to see how wet the grass is for cutting. Luckily we live in a farming community so noise on a Sunday is not a huge problem.
DeleteKeep warm and stay safe, COVID is still around in force it seems. Cheers Diane
You got some amazing shots here. It is hard to see wildlife out of their natural environment, yet after working as an animal keeper I know that's a conservation and education method of giving some animals a second chance. Sounds like this was well thought out. I am reminded of Monkeyland not far from Tsitsikamma.
ReplyDeleteI have been to Tsitsikamma a number of times, I never knew there was a Monkeyland there!! I must say I was more than impressed with how relaxed the animals are there, and how well they are all looking. Have a good week, Diane
DeleteThese are interesting critters. Some of which I have never seen before even in the zoo.
ReplyDeleteHi Nancy, I have to admit to not knowing about some of the animals either and there are more to come yet onceI get to work again on the photos. Keep safe Diane
DeleteI enjoyed each photo and you captured these magnificent primates beautifully! A perfect picnic in such surroundings. I look forward to more. All the best Diane :)
ReplyDeleteHi Denise, thanks, lots more to come I just need the time to get them sorted and blogged! Have a good weekend, Diane
DeleteWhat beautiful animals. So many species of primates, some of them I had never seen, not even in the zoo.
ReplyDeleteThe photos are spectacular!
Thanks Maria, still more to come and others that were not familiar to me. It is a beautiful place. Cheers Diane
DeleteNice shots! The female was really heavily pregnant. The Emperor tamarin is very special.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, yes I agree she certainly looks like she is about to give birth. The Tamarin was so cute and sooooo gentle. Thanks for the visit and the comment. Diane
DeleteWonderful shots! Love the face of the Emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator). So adorable.
ReplyDeleteI agree the Tamarin is gorgeous and it was so gentle when I gave it back the fruit that it dropped. Hope all is well Diane
DeleteLike you, I rather not see in cages and such but around here, not likely to see some of the critters unless I go to the zoo....which was planned for last week and my grandson got sick. I have had my professional camera since 08 and have yet to go to the zoo with it. Loving your monkey shots.
ReplyDeleteThanks Pam, I still have more photos to go, and I am sure that they will be more that you do not recognise. It is lovely to see them so relaxed and living almost normal lives in an environment they have obviously become accustomed to. Have a great weekend Diane
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