Australian mammals in overseas zoos

Australian mammals in overseas zoos
06-01-2008

The bears in the UK thread contained a reference to Australian mammals so I thought I would start a new thread.

Mostly in zoos outside Australia the “Australian section” usually consists of a few Bennett’s wallabies and an emu. A lot of zoos don’t even have large kangaroos. I have had a quick trawl through ISIS looking at non-macropods outside Australia:

None: platypus, Numbat, bilby, phascogales

Quolls: 2 tiger quolls at 2 zoos in US

Koala: 90+ in 7 European, 9 US, 2 Japanese and 1 African

Woylies: quite a lot at many institutions

Tas devils: 4 in Copenhagen

Echidnas: 9 in Europe, 26 in North America

Wombats: SHN – 7 in US none in Europe
Common – 9 Europe, 1 US, 1 Japan

Not all of these are endangered, and most can be seen in quite small animal parks across Australia. Obviously there are husbandry issues such as provision of eucalyptus or termite substitute diets, and the monotremes in particular although not rare in the wild do not reproduce readily in captivity. I wonder if the general public is not interested in most of these creatures, although platypus and Tasmanian devils do have a very high profile and I’m sure many people would be keen to see them.

I would like to see more of these creatures and wonder in particular what the Australian posters think.

06-01-2008

I agree completely there needs to a larger interest in this wonderful group of species! Aparently there are Tasmanian devils and yellow-footed rock wallaby available from oz to import to EAZA collections if interested! I had heard marwell where interested in getting devils! and we are looking at the yellow-footed rock wallabys!

06-01-2008

I know I said non-macropods but tree kangaroos are something else I'd like to see more of

06-01-2008

There were rumours of Chester getting Devils werent there. I love to see a wombat in the UK, I Think they'd be quite popular

07-01-2008

There is only one Leadbetters possum left outside Australia at Metrozoo Toronto, the groups there and at Brookfield, London and Poznan all bred but, for some reason they all died out, i believe there are none on display in Australia either, there is a breeding facility at a university somewhere i believe.

07-01-2008

Yellow-footed rock wallaby: Omaha & LA Zoo
Grey Short-tailed Opossum: Plzen, Berlin
Kowari: Poznan, Frankfurt
Petaurus breviceps ariel: Rotterdam; other sugar gliders: Plzen, Praha, Stuttgart, Vienna...
Ground cuscus: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Praha
Common Brushtail Possum: various zoos, f.e. Munich, Frankfurt, Praha
Striped Possum: Moscow
Feathertail Glider: Frankfurt, Poznan, Plzen
Kangaroos:
Kängurus
And don't forget the Australian Water Rat: Frankfurt, Poznan, Rotterdam (behind the scenes)

07-01-2008

Kowari - Marwell
Ground Cuscus - Cotswold wp (i think this is the last one in Britain)
Common Brushtail possum - Marwell, South lakes and Long Sutton butterfly.
Striped possum - Cotswold wp? can anyone confirm this?

07-01-2008

blackpool have ground cus cus off show still i think

07-01-2008

I think there's a zoo in the US which claims that after their Tas Devil died a few years ago that there were no more outside Australia... Did Copenhagen get theirs recently..?

07-01-2008

Copenhagen got their's due to their royalty marrying a Tamanian girl. There's a whole lot about it in one of the Austral;ian threads, and much debate about how devils being sent overseas

07-01-2008

I'll look it up and see if I can remember the zoo, cheers...

07-01-2008

Yellow-footed rock wallabies are cool! Not a mammal, but I would also gladly see thorny devil.

Might be not enough interest for a permanent breeding population, though.

07-01-2008

There are always loads of ads in exotic dealer websites for people in the states trying to sell there wallabies. it's possible for US citzens to keep them, yet not possible for Australians, and I have been asked in the past on more than one occasion if it was true that Australian kids ride kangaroos to school... ridiculous

07-01-2008

LOL... I do it when on holiday to make up for all of you asking me to say, "Fish and chips"...

j/k

07-01-2008

I prefer asking ya'll to say sixty six... ah the only reason i watch shows from New zealand... sorry, off topic