apparently they're extinct in the wild and there are only 10 left in captivity. not looking good not sure how reliable this source is though. Czech zoo in bid to save rhinos from extinction
the source would be correct it sounds right have a look at save the rhino fund a uk group. and i think san dieago have some
*sigh* this is one of my soapbox issues. hooray for the zoo? not me. as far as i'm concerned dvur-kralove has contributed enourmously to the patheticness of the current situation. obviously they are not to blame for the animals extinction in the wild, but they have very selfishly held onto almost the entire captive population when clearly, they are not good enough at breeding rhino to actually contribute effectively to resurecting this species. they have had very little births at the zoo and most animals within the current population are now elderly, unrepresented non-breeders, including the two animals left at san diego. ...this is a case of too little too late, and i think the zoo is to blame for not doing the right thing and realising that this was beyond their abilities.
It's quite depressing that they couln't have given any to Whipsnade or San Diego. Bothe zoos are very good at Breeding rhinos. I know San Diego has them, but as one of the Females there died only about a month ago, they are only left with an elderly female and a young male. I believe that he's infertile.
Dvur Kralov actually have a very GOOD breeding record for Black Rhino- they have (together with Port Lympne) the largest group anywhere in zoos. Whipsnade actually have a POOR record with breeding(even keeping) Black Rhino, a mediocre record with breeding Indian Rhino and a GOOD record with breeding White rhino. So I think it's not lack of expertise that has prevented Dvur Kralov breeding the Northern Whites- more likely problems with the individual animals, and San Diego, Whipsnade or anywhere else wouldn't do any better with them....
I was only suggesting whipsnade and San Diego W.A.P because of their white rhino breeding attempts. I have been on ISIS recently, and there is a huge group at Dvur Kralorve of Black Rhino. What will San Diego W.A.P dohw en their elderly female dies. that will just leave a male by itself. It's not really natural for White rhinos to be solitary, so couldn't they send a Female from Dvur Kralorve over to San Diego, or vice versa? I know the risks involved in moving large animals across large distances, but without moving them at all, then they are sure to Perish. I also agree with Patrick's too little too late, but isn't there always a light at the end of the tunnel? Does every Rhino have a silver lining?
Yes, but because San Diego or Whipsnade have been successful with White Rhinos, doesn't mean they'll be any more successful with those particular(Northern) animals than at Dvur Kralov if, as it seems, they have problems of age, infertility, incompatability or whatever. Both those zoos were successful with Whites because they imported BIG groups of animals- remember neither of them were anymore successful than any other zoos when they had just their initial pairs. I don't believe this lack of success has much to do with where the animals are, its more to do with the animals themselves. If Dvur Kralov had not had good results with another rhino species, then I'd be more inclined to agree(perhaps).
I found this on the Internation Rhino foundation's website: Another ten Northern White Rhino are maintained in two zoological institutions: seven (3.4) at the Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic and the remaining three (1.2) located at the San Diego Wild Animal Park in the United States. The Northern White Rhino in captivity have not been reproducing well. However, a female calf was born at Dvur Kralove in 2000, the first captive born of this subspecies in a decade. Considering the numbers (about 20), distribution (all the wild Northern White Rhino in a single site), and circumstances (captive rhinos not breeding well; wild under severe poacher threat), the Northern White Rhino is one of the three most endangered rhino taxa on the planet (along with the Vietnamese Javan and the Cameroon Black Rhino (Now extinct)).
It would be better for San Diego's male to join the Dvur Kralov group- there's more chance of stimulation for breeding white rhino in numbers. Northern White Rhino has been facing extinction both in wild and zoos for many years now- tiny numbers in both and faced with continued poaching in the wild and only fragmented breeding, if any, in captivity. So probably no silver lining here.
Dvur Kralove is not all bad. Chester Zoo have had many dealings with them, it appears to be certain management at Kralove who are greedy. Chester spent a long time negotiating for two female Rothschild's Giraffes. They wern't interested in an exchange, only a sale. Sadly the young females are now both dead and lost to the breeding programme. Other dealings between the two collections have been of benefit to both zoos. I agree with the comments on the rhinos though. Thery would have been better loaned to somewhere where they could have been bred.
I haven't been to Dvur Kralov and know nothing about their setup except its on a very big scale and they do very well with breeding Black Rhino. I'm not sure moving the Northern Whites elsewhere would really help the situation here?
For the record. First of all, both animals at San Diego are highly elderly, and have been with each other for a long time now. Splitting them up and trying to transfer them to Dvur Kralove won't help because first of all, there's a high risk of them dieing, second of all the female is infertile and third of all they are allready sending sperm over for AI purposes, so it won't help a lot. Second of all, i've been to Dvur and their facilities aren't optimal, but not bad neither. They have a very good breeding record with black rhino's and now also keep indian rhino's, so there's more then enough expertise in that zoo. They are also fully coöperating with the Berlin scientists to help both their fertile females get impregnated through AI, their last attempt was a month ago. It's not like Whipsnade or San Diego could do more for them than is happening now...
It seems clear that the Northern Whites are now on a knife edge in captivity (let alone in the wild.) 1. the group in Dvur Kralove are apparently all related to each other. 2. In this group there are only two females still of breeding age so all hope rests with them now. They were A1'd by the Berlin reproductive team some weeks ago, one with fresh(?) semen and one with frozen (thawed) semen. No news yet as to the outcome of this. 3. The old pair at San Diego will stay where they are. They don't want to split them up and the bull is 35 + and suffers arthritis etc. Also he has never shown interest in mating any female there. But he's unrelated o the Dvur Kralov rhinos and they have sent semen to Dvur Kralov- the first consignment was 'lost in transit' but they are repeating it apparently.
Well if they do survive much longer, they will become very inbred won't they. These AI females mave have stillbirths.
Well I suppose they could but what makes you suggest that? Think about it a bit more... I only said their existing animals are related to each other, not that there had already been inbreeding. Possibly for this AI attempt they may be using semen stored from a bull not related to these females(they do have some from one dead bull) or if not, then it could be the first stage of inbreeding, if its successful. Ultimately,yes, they WOULD become very inbred, but not yet.
If the Northern White becomes extinct, would people advocate introduction of Southern White animals into its former range? If so, would it not be more sensible to increase the gene pool with Southern White animals now, in both wild and captive population, effectively losing genetic purity but retaining Northern White DNA, for longer, in a larger, more viable population?
Re-introduction of white rhino's, northern or southern to the Garamba national park won't be possible for at the very least the coming decade or so. The situation is far too unstable for all the countries around it and i doubt it'll be ever stable enough... Perhaps in other area's in it's previous range... But i rather see geneticly pure southerns introduced then hybridising the (as far as i heared genetically remarkably different) northern and southern animals.
Poaching is a huge problem but political unrest in the natural habitat is also a major contributor to extinction. Is there a solution - that is the big unknown claire from Hesperia California
