Malayan Tapirs in Australia

12-11-2008

i think what Jay is saying, and what im saying, is that zoos have spent tens of millions of dollars, decades rebuilding and many years reorgansing collection plans to fit bio-climatic themes only to see the whole concept shot to pieces because breeding programs are failing....and so it is a shame to see a hippo exhibit in an 'authentic' AFRICAN forest filled with Asian otters, on so many levels. for starters, its wrong geographically. you then cannot interpret or wouldnt bother to interpret that aspect of the forest ecosystem (and lets face it were already missing a fair chunk of the cast) without hippo, and finally, for those in the know, a tapir or hippo exhibit with something else in it really exemplifies the in-action which in this case could end up costing zoos legit exhibits.
carp or otter, i dont really care.

13-11-2008

I'm only not sure but is the former small-clawed otter exhibit becoming a future home for the binturongs?

13-11-2008

[quote=glyn;82387]i think what Jay is saying, and what im saying, is that zoos have spent tens of millions of dollars, decades rebuilding and many years reorgansing collection plans to fit bio-climatic themes only to see the whole concept shot to pieces because breeding programs are failing....and so it is a shame to see a hippo exhibit in an 'authentic' AFRICAN forest filled with Asian otters, on so many levels. for starters, its wrong geographically. you then cannot interpret or wouldnt bother to interpret that aspect of the forest ecosystem (and lets face it were already missing a fair chunk of the cast) without hippo, and finally, for those in the know, a tapir or hippo exhibit with something else in it really exemplifies the in-action which in this case could end up costing zoos legit exhibits./QUOTE]

I only partially agree with you and Jay on this issue. First and foremost a husbandry-exhibit issue exists in Australia with enclosures being too openly spaced and being non forested which have induced permanent eye-damage and blindness among Malayan tapirs in Australia. Secondly, in 2 zoos breedings occurred and might have continued if species management had achieved a long-term vision for Malayan tapirs in Australia. Which means addressing the Bio-security and veterinary health issues in Australia with imports of exotic species (personally I find them draconian-not effective and by-passing the real issues, e.g. biodiversity crisis and/or endangered species management issues both native and exotic). To be reflective on European issues: in this respect the EU-laws on domestic stock versus exotic species are equally in a disjunct imbalance.

Now when you read this, please my respected Australian friends and fellow forumsters ... do not jump on the bandwagon (and shout about Bio-security only) while ignoring what I am trying to get across on Malayan tapir management in Australia!

13-11-2008

Is dietary issues a big or moderate problem for Tapirs in zoos? e.g constipation, bowel problems.

13-11-2008

jelle i dont quite get what you are trying to say? malayan tapirs can be imported into this country, the ban exists for artiodactyls which doesnt cover tapirs.
the main flaw in this program is the zoos, namely taronga and then melbourne, had tapirs which developed eye conditions which many believe are an acquired condition from UV exposure. had the zoos rectified this issue earlier, or even factored it in to new enclosures than the program may have had a future.
when melbourne first acquired Semangka from Sydney she was kept in a lightly forested exhibit, as were taronga's first pair. once again, their new enclosure in wild asia needed to be modified to block UV exposure.
from the start, or at least learning from their mistakes, the zoos should have, and could have given the animals more shade!

13-11-2008

I wouldn't have thought it would be difficult to provide heavily shaded enclosures. Think of the rainforest aviary at Taronga. That would be dark enough, I imagine. While it might be difficult to see tapirs in all that undergrowth, especially for the 'quick glance I can't see anything' crowd Imagine what it would be like to be there when suddenly out of the shadows appears this magnificant creature.

13-11-2008

Theorictically speaking if Tapirs lived in africa and we would be able to get umbrella or Butterfly trees it would be the perfect shade and food source for them, only hypotheisising since it could be poisionous to them, is there a tree like that or one that provides a dome like canopy in south-east asia?

13-11-2008

The rainforest aviary has taken years to establish, many of the trees are ten or twenty years old. Unfortunately, you can't create a habitat like that overnight.



Hix

13-11-2008

yes, this is true Hix, the rainforest aviary has taken many decades to establish the canopy effect we today enjoy, but there is no reason Taronga couldnt have created shadier enclosures for their tapirs earlier on, whether by using natural trees or artificial means.
it could have went all Cincinatti Sumatran Rhino and virtually sealed out all UV with artificial shade structures, but the newest enclosures are pretty much too little too late. even a real canopy of trees could have been provided; during Wild Asia's construction dozens of mature trees were transplanted in from other sites across the zoo. as it is, the army camo draped without imagination over the underwater exhibit was installed well after Wild Asia opened, which to me typifies the Australian approach to this species.
as an endangered species which actually can be imported, with a long life span and being an asian species, i would love to see this species prioritised again in the future but this time given better conditions.

14-11-2008

Agree 100%. I was simply pointing out that the Rainforest Aviary effect was not an overnight fix.



Hix

14-11-2008

I realise that the rainforest aviary did not happen overnight, I was using it as an example of the sort of enclosure that might be suitable for the tapir here in Australia.

14-11-2008

and with taronga's budget, buying in fully mature trees or sourcing them off-site as they did with the orangutan exhibit's fig tree could have even been an option. bamboo also tends to clump up and thicken rapidly.
dragonelenerd, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii hhhhhhhhaaaaaaavvvvvvvvveeeeee no idea what your last post meant

14-11-2008

oh what I meant is that, there might be a great natural resource that can be used for shade and food,

14-11-2008

No there are no plans for the binturong to occupy the otter exhibit - too much water!

14-11-2008

The trees for the Orang Utan exhibit were planted several years before they were relocated to the gardens around the current exhibit. These trees were not fully mature when they were planted and are still growing.
Many species of plants/trees are not suitable as they are browse species ie fig, bamboo and the options to prevent such a strong, large bodied mammal from accessing these plants in their exhibit would be very difficult.