Apologies if there is another thread for stuff like this.....I did have a quick look but couldn't find anything recent...... I am interested in the species of Rhinos kept at Taronga. I know they kept white rhinos in the 80s and now keep Indian Rhinos BUT did they have Black Rhinos around 2004-2005??? I have a photo I am trying to id which I am pretty sure is Taronga but depicts a Black Rhino. Thanks in advance of any help
I think you may find all three rhino species are now kept at the Western plains zoo at Dubbo, Many years ago Taronga had a breeding group of Black rhinos.
Many thanks! Here is the photo? Do you think this is Taronga? Its not my picture (I have never been to Sydney).
A black rhino was kept at Taronga in the years you mention. He as sent there to seperate him from the females at Western plains. The idea was that absence would make the heart sweeter and he would be more interested in, and more interesting to the females when he went back. Don't know if it worked. His name was Kwanzaa.It seemed to work as he did father a calf. http://www.zoochat.com/34/black-rhino-feb-2006-a-29044/
Is this the one that came from Milwaukee County Zoo? If so then I have fed him on a behind the scenes tour at TWPZ.
Im pretty sure 'KWANZAA' is from Milwaukee. I know a little on the history of Black Rhinos at Taronga Zoo if anyone is interested: FERDINAND (M) is originally from Kenya, arrived 13.02.1950 and lived at Taronga until 14.06.1978. His original mate was 'PEGGY' who arrived 16.08.1948, also from Kenya. She died 03.08.1974. That par produced several offspring: -TARONGA (F) 23.08.1958 - transferred to DUBBO in 1991 -POMPEY (F) 26.05.1967 - RIP 24.10.1972 -BEAUTY (F) 1965 - RIP ???? - not 100% sure she is the offspring of Peggy/Ferdinand. I know she was born at Taronga and dont know of any other breeding black rhinos at the zoo at the time. FERDINAND also sired calves with two of his daughters; - UNNAMED (F) 19.08.1965 - RIP 21.08.1965 - born to TARONGA - CODY (M) 20.05.1975 - 1988 to Berlin Zoo. - born to BEAUTY
It has been rather quiet on the eastern front. Any news as to new breeding of the southern blacks at Dubbo? (it has sure been a while, and somewhat disconcerting that breeding seems to have stopped in its tracks)
Kwanzaa is from milwaukee (sp?) and is the rhino used for feeding on wild africa, zoofari lodge, roar and snore and ZooSnooz Tours. TWPZ is focusing on breeding blacks primariy. Now what I'm about to say can be a bit confusing so if it makes little sense I apologise. TWPZ is flying in the German AI experts again this year to work on the blacks. The work being done with the blacks is being used as research in the hope that we can save the Northern White rhino (there aren't any in Australia). They are trying to perfect AI on rhino, as we need more blacks in the region they are practising on them rather than the whites as there is not as much need for whites. The plan is to minimise the risk to the current northern white rhino population. The aim is to implant fertilised Northern White Rhino Eggs into the captive Southern White Rhino Population, to minimise the risk of death as the northern are so few in numbers. TWPZ is leading the way in research into this with thanks to the AI Team from Germany. The research however is being done on the blacks as they are in more need of breeding than the whites. WOW. . . did that make sense?
It's interesting that all this work is being done for a sub/species (?) that is almost effectively extinct. This could be a candidate for the concept of triage for the use of scarce conservation dollers. However if the research also benefits the other species of rhino then fair enough.
Good to know that TWPZ is continuing its work with AI in blacks with the IZW teams from Berlin. It is not confusing to my mind (to invest in blacks with an eye on northern whites) as we really need to perfect our techniques of AI in rhinos to have a back-up strategy and a model to more efficiently increase numbers where natural breeding for some reason is not effective or working. In fact, research into reproductive biology of any species is beneficial to our understanding of that given species in general and in many cases is instrumental in promoting their conservation in situ as well as out of range. It is basically about synergy here.
.............and jones; thanks for that information on Taronga's early (i.e. 1950s/60s) black rhinos. It certainly filled in some gaps for me.
exactly jay. the time for saving the northern whites came and went a few years ago. the wild population was ignored and left to be poached and the only zoo housing the race was too selfish to repatriate them to africa where they would likely have bred better and would have made much progress towards the establishment of a NWR population in a "safe" country such as kenya. i don't know who suggested to jarkari that the AI work on blacks is being done for the benefit of NWR's - but it sounds like complete horse &$%# to me. black rhino are far more endangered that white rhino and an entirely different genera. if one was to seriously look into AI as a tool in increasing the NWR population - one would study southern white rhino, since a)reproductively they must be identical, and b)they are the most numerous rhino species on the planet i think the AI work on blacks is being done primarily to help blacks and any benifit to NWR will be a simply an afterthought, and side project. oh and lastly - australian zoos are having massive problems with breeding non-dominant white rhino. our current population is full of non breeders, and the success' we have have been largely from a limited number of pairings. AI of non-breeding wild-born animals would be of a huge benefit to the australasian program which is yet to succeed in continuing all the current lineages. so theres another reason why i don't believe the WPZ project has anything to do with NWR - there is incentive enough to learn to utilise AI in white rhino as well. i reckon someone at WPZ is spinning a bit of PR work...
You may think so, but it aint over till the fat lady sings. At this moment in time we still have 3.3 pure-bred northern white rhinos, of which 3.2 are reproductive. If we would follow the logic you propose we would have lost quite a number of species historically (European bison, Arabian oryx, quite a few NZ endemic bird species) and the natural world would be the poorer for it. We have a duty to conserve for future generations and to somehow repair the damage we have done already. Small population biology - for lack of a better outlook - is the only way forward. So, if it takes a surrogate or parallel taxon to save the northern white rhino ... I really could not care how, by which et cetera. If we continue on this road of loosing iconic species like the northern white rhino, we do not deserve to be here. The rate of extinctions is set to increase 10-fold in the next 50-100 years, so we need all the hands and technology we can get our hands on to make a reversal work. In the case of the northern white rhino, what about background and analogue extinctions. This NWR issue is not strictly limited to that one subspecies.
Probably, it sounds good to the visitors. a tour guide mentioned this. The AI research is being done to benefit all rhino's really but, It was mentioned that as there are so few NWR that the risks are too great to reserach on them. Are you suggesting that they stop trying with the NWR? You can breed and breed all the white rhino you want but there's no point if there are no holders for this species. If WPZ wanted more whites they would have AI them last time. the german vets come out to Dubbo once or twice a year to do work with the animals, for all anyone knows there could be pregnant rhinos now, or maybe they just didn't take, it's very hard to tell with rhino if an AI has been successful. The latest white birth was from an AI the team didn't think took, but there was a surprise birth. I was not saying the research was solely for the NWR. For all we know it is the German Team that is researching the possibilty of AI on whites and just using WPZ rhino for their own research as well!
