northern white rhino » Dvůr Králové Zoo

01-08-2007

Patrick, I am really enjoying your reasoning re: Northern White Rhinos. Perhaps D-K zoo would consider sending one of their younger females to San Diego or a sperm donation from the younger male at San Diego to the D-K zoo for insemination. Only a thought, certainly not a solution the on going problem.

01-08-2007

I thought there is only one male at San Diego nowadays, and he's about 35
years old. Also he apparently has never showed interest in mating so to send a female from D-K and then find that he's still not interested (though of course he might be...) is probably risky as there are no other males for her in the USA.

I believe they have sent semen from this male to DK but it got 'lost in transit' and that they will repeat the procedure. That does seem the only way to possibly utilise him.

01-08-2007

There is no "younger male at San Diego". There is only an elderly male who hasn't showed interest in mating all his life...

01-08-2007

i read a comment on another forum posted by a supposed SDWAP keeper saying that the male NWR at the park has showed no interest in mating, even with breeding age SWR females. my opinion is that this species should be put on the extinct list now...

01-08-2007

what other forum is this? sounds very interesting!

01-08-2007

this is the link that i found the info off:
Rhino Resource Center: Messageboard > Rhino Species > White Rhino > northern white rhinos

02-08-2007

In regards to the NWRs at the SDWAP I had read in one of my SD zoo magarzines a few years ago that the male NWR was chased away by the females when he went anywhere near them as the females seemed not to be having any breeding cycling, so maybe he did want to breed but the females could not.

02-08-2007

Yes it would seem that the current situation, for now, is optimal. AI attempts between SDWAP and D-K zoo, because of the unrelated male, with the last two viable females, and I guess the results of the insemination attempts on them will be announced in the next couple of weeks.

Wellington zoo -- optimal ?!?
03-08-2007

wellington zoo isn't exactly optimal you say... well for what? i'm sure its very optimal for kiwis and native birds. hell i'de say its probably pretty good for baboons and not bad for chimps or any of the other animals they have success with there. and even if its not very optimal for breeding some species
the above is quote by Patrick

The infrastructure of Wellington Zoo is basically crumbling away , and the zoo has limited funds . It is basically trying to run on half the smell of an oily rag . The water supply is not optimal -- the zoo has to almost employ a plumber full time . Most of the cages are still just that . CAGES
50% of the enclosures really need a service from a bulldozer . The pathways are cracked . The facilities for keepers inside the enclosures are of poor standard . The sunbear enclosure is far too small for the inhabitants . The new lions enclosure is somewhat small for 3 lions , and will be positively cramped for any more in the one enclosure .All of the aviaries are placed in the wrong position , and all have to be resited and replaced ( this is part of recommendation by a visiting bird expert a number of years ago )
The zoo has only recently hired a professional groundsman/landscaper -- this one position has improved the overall "look" and has got rid of the numerous "pigs breakfasts" that dotted all over the zoo


I have not seen the inside of the animal hospital, but apparently it is a joke . The operating theatre is apparently the broom cupboard . Would Melbourne Zoo accept an 100 year old "temporary" army shack that hasnt had any modifications or alterations since day one , as their animal hospital ?


Numerous times , the city council has been urged by many people to either
spend serious money to upgrade the zoo , or bulldoze the "scrapheap" altogether

To me the word optimal means "best possible"

I would consider Wellington Zoo to be barely "adequate " , and I only support it as it has made serious attempts to improve its infrastructure , animals living conditions , and image in the past few years , along with its breeding programmes . If it hadnt done these improvements , I will probably be advocating its downsizing or even closure today . I cant stress enough that it used to be an embarrassment to the city and to zoos in general !

The nocturnal house and baboon enclosure would possibly be the only parts that I would consider optimal . The chimps enclosure will be a probable
adequate , but I havent seen the new chimp house in its finished state , and you have stated before that you thought the area was inadequate . You are probably right , as there are more than just one troup that lives in the one enclosure , this may be inadequate .

But I am sure that all of us have visited a B grade "Zoo" and have not been impressed . Wellington Zoo has now lifted itself out of that category . It used to be a FILTHY disgrace of a "zoo" a couple of decades ago
It has a heck of a long way to go before one could honestly say the zoo was optimal , but it is now getting better each year ( a long time coming ! )
and I will support any zoo that is keeps itself out of the B grade category

I still stick to my original words . Wellington Zoo isnt exactly optimal .
Adequate ? ........debatable
Improving ? .........YES

but optimal ?!?! ask me again in 12 years (?)

03-12-2007

Nice topic.

Well, first of all: according to different accounts, there seem to be at least a few wild Northern whites left...but that won't change a lot on the long run.

About Dvur Kralove: I've been there and have to say it's a pretty good zoo. There are things that could be improved-but that can be said about every zoo, even (and especially) San Diego, Whipsnade etc. Their "secret" of success in breeding especially African large hoofstock (including maneless zebras): they don't have the one or even(!) two pairs You have in most zoos; where Your average zoo has 2-3 Lesser Kudus (if at all), they have over 30. Same goes with many other African species...Due to that, they have more chances to be "successful" where others fail. And about their Northern rhinos: actually, they're now down to 1,2 / 1,1 animals able to breed. Hildebrandt and the other folks of the IZW are trying to put their experiences from Budapest and other zoos into work on then, but so far without much luck. Speaking of "luck": though I'm "riding the same wave" with pat when it comes to preferring to keep breeding programs at apt climatic surroundings (so no Polar bears in the tropics...), one should a) not forget something good ol' Hagenbeck tried called "gradual acclimatisation", which works fine with quite a bunch of species, and b) not judge Dvur Kralove before having been there. The "lucky" thing: The whites produced offspring at Dvur (that's more than many other Southern white rhino-keeping zoos can say), but "unfortunately", it's a hybrid of the two subspecies. But You know what: for me, the hybrid is the key to the survival of the species in general. Instead on relying on these 1,2, do what the US did to bring their Eastern Peregrine Falcon population back to life: crossbreed subspecies and even gain more genetic diversity (and maybe a little heterosis effect) by doing so! Though You don't have a "real" Northern White Rhino (haven't found anyone so far that could really tell me the difference and didn't observe it either...) afterwards, then at least You've got an animal that might fill in the niche left in Uganda once things are doing better there (which I doubt is going to happen soon) and that might cope with the conditions there (tsetse-flies...) better than a pure-bred Southern white-or a highly inbred Northern white rhino.

About Africa: although I always prefer in-situ projects to take place in the native country, I do not always trust Africa when it comes to running projects like this on the long run; current events in Simbabwe, Ruanda (Mountain gorillas!), Nigeria (hippo slaughtering) Somalia (illegal sales of Dibatags and other rare antelopes to Arabian collections..), West Africa (bushmeat) etc. indicate what I mean. Australia's climate might be better suited for white rhinos than Dvur Kralove-but transferring them now (or having had transferred them years before) wouldn't make/have made a difference. I say: crossbreed them, breed the hybrids (maybe at South African game farms...-or AUS ) and establish a stable, steadily reproducing ex-situ population (which is at the moment not even the case in most zoos with the Southern whites...) and don't forget to take care of the Black rhino, as not many seemed to have noticed the Western Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis longipes) being declared extinct in 2006...

31-05-2008

Scot scientists to save one of the rarest animal on the planet

http://www.ibream.org/Launch/Scotsman17April.pdf

Sample of semen from Southern whites were collected in South Africa
09-06-2008

Some news connecting with the mentioned article beforehand: an electrical ejaculator was used to obtain a sample of semen from three Southern white rhinos by German reproductive biologists and Hungarian vets at Lapalala Wilderness Reserve in South Africa approx. one month earlier. The samples were transported to Budapest Zoo.

09-06-2008

"German reproductive biologists"-most of the folks of the IZW involved are veterinarians...

09-06-2008

Yes, I actually didn't use the most appropriate denomination ...

I beg to differ again
09-06-2008

As not all vetinarians are involved and specialised in AI field . Reproductive biologists is problem the better term , especially if this is what they specialise in
Orycteropus , I think you used the best definition possible .