Goals for the members of ARAZPA 08/09

22-04-2008

I think we should keep a checklist of these lists and tick them when they are accomplished.

22-04-2008

The only problem with this list though Jay, is that it's a list of things that zoo enthusiasts would like to see, and this differs (on many occasions!) with what zoos themselves plan on doing.

22-04-2008

Too be honest, I'm a little over Magellanic penguins - after seeing dozens of them on the way through the Chilean Fjords, and then approximately 50,000 of them on Magdalena Island in the Straits of Magellan near Punta Arenas!

It's a bit like going to Rottnest Island to see Quokkas - you get so excited when you see your first one, but then by the time you've seen the hundreds hanging around the lakes behind the "downtown" area, you get over them a bit.

Still ... I do like the Magellanic penguins - very pretty birds.

22-04-2008

oh.. well when i went to patagonia i only saw about five. so i still like em.

but you know, talk to me about amazon river dolphins, orangutans, asian elephants......sooooooo over them!!

22-04-2008

Amazon river dolphins would have to be one of my favorite animals in the world. Where did you go to see too many of them.

23-04-2008

where to see amazon river dolphins?.......... why the amazon river of course!

23-04-2008

I'm sure you're aware of this, but Magellanics have turned up in both Victoria and NZ (in somewhat dubious circumstances however, probably boat-assisted -- anyone have a spare boat?)

23-04-2008

they are nice penguinos.

26-04-2008

Patrick the Amazon takes up thousands of square kilometres. I meant where about in the amazon did you go that you would see too many.

09-06-2008

Jeez I'm quick on the uptake!
It's only taken me 2 months to pick up on glyn's statement that Asiatic Golden Cats are headed for phase-out!

Why is this happening?
Ocelots, Clouded Leopards and now Golden Cats!

What small cats are we left with? Fishing cats and Servals. O.K., so small cats are not the most dynamic exhibits in zoos; but again and again the region's zoos make a start with a species, a half-hearted breeding effort follows and then they lose interest and look for something else. (New toys.)

09-06-2008

its not all doom and gloom. some aussie cats will be sent to NZ where Auckland and another institution will continue breeding.
this species may well re-emerge in the future, though in this case I can understand your frustration, especially given the import of overseas animals in recent years and continued success of Melbourne Zoo.
Perhaps if small zoos like Mogo didnt focus so much on white lions they could take up the whole breeding program themselves

10-06-2008

The Cincinnati Zoo in the State of Ohio has white lions, tigers, cheetahs, and in addition 15 species of small felines. That one zoo has a wider variety of cats than all of the zoos and wildlife parks in the entirety of Australiasia! It just goes to show how narrow and focused the Aussie breeding programs are. The same goes for the bear situation, with sun bears being the #1 focus and then a motley assortment of others hanging around waiting to be phased out. Is the lack of variety because of the notoriously strict import laws, or just because there aren't enough zoos to have a proper range of genetic diversity? It's a crying shame, as fishing cats and servals are fine for collections, but there are so many other small cat species that zoo fans would love to be able to visit.

10-06-2008

No doubt about Cincinnati, snowleopard, even their football team are called the Cincinnati Bengals (with tiger coloured uniforms!)

Realistically, I think Australia's limited number of species is due to a small population with few zoos (I believe I read somewhere that the whole population of the Australian continent is the same as the state of Pennsylvania.) There DOES however seem to be a bloody-minded determination to focus on an ever narrowing range of species. It's not like small cat species (or small primates, for that matter) cost the earth to import, house or look after but I think, regrettably, resources are limited and the "bean counter" mentality is getting stronger - ("no Asiatic Golden Cats? Won't reduce gate-takings at all! No lions? That might cost us money!")

The claim that zoos are limiting the number of species in order to concentrate more effectively on those that they retain is sound in theory, but does not seem to be taking place in practice.

Whether or not a species is fashionable (for want of a better term) seems to have a lot to do with it. We are told, for example, that the Sulawesi Crested Macaque and the De Brazza's Guenon are "Non-viable." Perth Zoo has 3 male and 3 female S.C.Macaques and there are 6 male and 3 female DeB. Guenons in Australia. Both species could be made very viable by the importation of just one female of each species. (I wish the TAGs were more honest and instead of saying "Non-viable" they would simply admit that the species are viable, but unwanted.)

Likewise, both Himalayan Tahrs and Barbary Sheep (Aoudads) are, we are assured, "in collapse." Nobody seems to have told the animals, however; both are breeding strongly with lots of healthy babies.

snowleopard, don't get me started on bears; the determination of Australian zoos to have only Sun Bears ("We need ALL the places for Sun Bears!") despite never having bred one is about as rational as saying that because we are endeavouring to breed Cheetahs, we should get rid of all other big cats! (Don't we need ALL the spaces for Cheetahs?)

10-06-2008

Ara, auckland has breed a sun bear.

And other sun bears in the region ahve had problems, and you will find tarongas, and perth's first bears were ex- cambodian trade bears.

10-06-2008

Don't get me wrong; I'm not anti-sun bears by any means (and in fact ALL Asiatic bears need all the help we can give them, their treatment in their home countries is disgusting!) I'm just in favour of keeping other bears as well. I guess my opinion is formed by the fact that when I was young any zoo worthy of the name had 5 or 6 different species of bears. While I'm not so unrealistic as to expect that today, I can't understand the almost "anti-bears" outlook of many people.