Duikers become more and more popular in european collections, because they are perfect animals to mix them with other hoofstock. The Zoo Lodz in Poland got now two female Red Forest Duikers, both born at Nuremberg Zoo, and will get soon two males from Kronberg Zoo, who had the species never on display. With Lodz there are now 11 collections in europe with that species. The keeping of red forst duikesr staretd in 1996, Dresden imported three animals, one of the females gave birth to a female to a male young during the qurantine in poland. One pair was send to Dresden, the other to Berlin Zoo. After Dresden has bred red duikers several times, the breeding group has died out a few years ago. But offspring from Dresden and Berlin were send to other zoos and the population is growing. But they are only three founders, so its important to get new blood from africa.They are many more european zoos are intereste in red duikers. Strange, many years ago, the duikers has dissappered, because they were to boring to the visitors, but now everybody wants them...I'm very happy about that. Yellow backed duikers are only kept in two zoos, two females are live at Wuppertal and Nuremberg Zoo. This zoo will get a male from the USA, further yellow backed duikers will be imported by Bioparco Valencia. That zoo has recently imported some Red Flanked duikers, so I hope, both species will be get a future in europe. A few european collections are keeping blue duikers, but most of them are hybrids between diffrent subspecies and maybe between two species(blue and maxwell). Probably only one Maxwell is still alive in europe, so this species will die out. The Us zoos are keeping some more duiker species, so black, blue,Red flanked,yellow backed ,crowned,maxwell and bay duikers. I think, the population of crowned duikers is to small to save the species in the USA. Because they are not endangerd in the wild, the Us Zoos will not try to get new animals from the wild. The Population of black duikers is very small also and is not very quick growing, because the mortality of the youngsters is too high. The Zoos are very interested in black duikers, thats why the L.A has stopped the keeping of zebra duikers, which are now dissapperd from the zoos, so i hope, the black duikers will made it.
The LA zoo recently had another Black Duiker birth. The baby was born on January 9th, 2009. Due to high mortality rates in youngsters, like zebraduiker mentioned, I think the baby is being hand raised in the nursery. More info here: Press Room - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens According to ISIS the LA Zoo has 8.7 Red-flanked Duikers with two recent births and 2.2.1 Black Duikers.
I wish that both Zebra and Jentink's Duikers could be returned to US Zoos in the future, as they are probably the most beautiful of all duiker species.
There is a little chance for a return of zebra and jentink duikers to zoos, but I don't know, if any zoo is interested in these both species. Both are highly endangered, so it would be necessary to create ex situ populations of both species.
It is really good news that Bioparc Valencia will import both red-flanked and yellow-backed duikers from USA now in 2009, red-flanked from Los Angeles I believe. The yellow-backed duikers from the USA will make a really nice addition to the females in Germany. There is no Marwell duikers left in Europe anymore, the female said to be remaning in Antwerpen is a Marwwell x blue duiker hybrid, quite a few of those still around. It is important to phase out these remaning hybrids. In the past there has been some heavy discussion to set up breeding facilities for Ader duiker, Abott duiker, zebra duiker and Jenthink duiker (four most threatend species) at the Chipangali Duiker Research and Breeding Centre which is in the grounds of Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage, Zimbabwe. I know that they tried to import some Jentink duikers from West Africa a few years ago, they also had a female Abott duiker in a facility in Tanzania for nearly a year, though they did not managed to source any Jentink duikers and I dont know what happened with the Abott duiker in Tanzania, it either died or was released back inte the wild. This was a really enthusiatic project for a number of years but in the end it just ran out in the sand. They still mantain the largest captive populations of Blue and Marwell duikers though.
I wouldn't send any animals to Zimbabwe at present, especially anything endangered. Way too risky. Hix
One of the problems with getting these animals from the wild is the cost would be prohibitive and the fact that there are no animal collectors in their habitat that they can be purchased from.The endangered species would be very difficult to import in todays world due to CITES laws etc. Its true that Los Angeles Zoo had zebras & Jentink's, but the original animals arrived in very limited numbers and didn't reproduce as quickly as hoped. One other problem happened with Venenzuelan Equine Encephalmyolitis(sp) came thru and hit the Brownsville area. Equines, rhinos and tapirs were vaccinated, but the disease affected the duikers that were at Brownsville who had the only Jentink's at the time. The only survivor was a young female. They were able to get another male sometime later. The pair reproduced and a pair was eventually sent to LA. They were never able to reproduce.
Do you know the gender of the Yellow-backed Duiker coming to Germany (Wuppertal or Nuremberg, keeping the last two Yellow-backed Duiker females in europe)???
It's probably the male yellow-backed duiker that came from LA (and was mentioned in the LA Zoo news thread). Either that, or two duikers are coming over...
It must be 2! A John Ball Zoo keeper told me that the Yellow-backed Duiker will be going to Germany in 60 days (a week ago).
Chester recently received three (2.1) Red Duiker from Germany. They have held this species before, a single female specimen for about a year (Possibly longer?).
One female at Wuppertal and since 2004 one female at Nuremberg,which was born at Wuppertal Zoo, Wuppertal has bred them third times,in 2001,2002 and 2003.All three females,the oldest daughter has died in 2003, the breeding pair died in 2005 and 2008 ,so only the other two daughters are alive and are now ten and 8 years old, so they are able to breed.
Rotterdam Zoo has a n intresting hystory with Duikers. It started in 1880 when 2 Maxwell duikers were born. A year later another one was born. 1936 another animal of this species was recieved. In 1897 a pair of Yellow-backed and Black-backed duikers produced a hybrid young. Around 1900 the Blue duiker was kept 1908 and 1909 Rotterdam kept the Brooke duiker and sofar is the only collection in Europe which has had this species The Grimm's duiker was kept in 1934.
Any information how the Black duiker population is doing in the Usa ? Hopefully it is growing ? To my last knowledge, the species was kept at San Diego Zoo ( maybe also at the Safaripark ?), Memphis, L.A., Miami, Columbus Zoo ?, and Lowry Park Zoo, are there more in the meantime ?
It is not kept at Memphis or Lowry Park, but it is kept at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and LEO Zoological Conservation Center. Los Angeles has the most specimens and is the only current breeder.