With the arrival of the aardvark pairs at New York, Tblisi and Wroclaw, and i believe the aardwolf newly arrived at the RSCC in Kent, as well as a few years ago the five shoebill that went to Prague. I ask myself the question, why are international zoos finding it so easy (comparitively) to export animals from Tanzania? Could it be that aardwolves and aardvarks have a lower listing on the CITES list? But surely the shoebill are listed? It just seems that a lot of animals are being shipped out of Tanzania at the moment, could more be on there way? Any thoughts?
I know that Dallas Zoo just got a big shipment of new birds in from Tanzania a few weeks ago. They worked on that shipment for something like 2 years.
A few years ago I looked into zoo animal suppliers in southern Africa, there were many relevant sites, but this one probably has the best species list from what I remember: African Animals (T) LTD | export animals, exotic animals I remember wondering why aardvarks, shoebills and other equally fascinating creatures weren't more common in zoos. I guess organisations like this have the links and experience to make the entire process a bit easier.
I will have to check CITES criteria and paperwork. It does seem a facility which is transparent and goes "by the book" in its entirety. Given EAZA criteria on zoo transport and wildlife trade, I would have to check what its merits really are for zoos (as a zoo facility I would much rather deal with a regulated and sustainable trade institution than illegal collection from the wild, be they mammals as much for birds, reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates or fish for that matter) I would have to go through TRAFFIC information on wildlife trade from Tanzania, but I know for a fact that the country - alas - does serve as a conduit for a good deal of very rare NE-African species (but in that I am not referring to this facility .....). I will try and dig out the figures and facts (for zoo staff only).
