Join our zoo community

Zoologico Nacional de Cuba National Zoo of Cuba

Discussion in 'Cuba' started by kiang, 14 Jul 2012.

  1. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    12 Aug 2007
    Posts:
    6,063
    Location:
    Argyllshire
    The National Zoological Park in Havana has arranged an import with the government of Namibia, to transfer 148 animals donated by the national government.
    Animals to be imported include lions, elephants, rhinos, cheetahs, leopards, buffalos, hyenas, honey badgers, porcupines, kudu, bat-eared foxes, ostriches and white-backed vultures.
    The first shipment is due in October.

    BBC News - Nambian-Cuban 'Noah's Ark' plan criticised
     
  2. carlos77

    carlos77 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    5 Sep 2010
    Posts:
    205
    Location:
    mexico,d.f.mexico
    Namibia allowed Africam Safari zoo of Puebla, Mexico to move 9 young elephants to their park. But africam is an AZA accredited institution with high international standards. Cuban zoos are a different matter. But cuba has given strong aid programs to many african nations. Cuban doctors, vets, health specialists work throughout africa, i have met some in Havana and they are dedicated people. I found the havana zoo very depressing by the way. But i am not certain if it is the same zoo mentioned.
     
    Kifaru Bwana likes this.
  3. devilfish

    devilfish Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    5 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,924
    Location:
    Knowle, UK
  4. wenxue

    wenxue Active Member

    Joined:
    1 May 2012
    Posts:
    38
    Location:
    London
    I think it's vile. No excuse for taking this many wild animals and making them captive. No excuse for ever taking a wild animal and making it captive unless it is in danger or injured or the species is critically threatened.

    If improving the gene pool at Cuba is the issue then they have to do what other zoos do - get standards up enough so they can become an accepted part of international breeding programmes.

    Cuba either need to do it the right way or not run a zoo at all. Wild animals are not to be used as diplomatic bargining chips in this way.

    Full stop this is horrible and wrong.
     
  5. kiang

    kiang Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    12 Aug 2007
    Posts:
    6,063
    Location:
    Argyllshire
  6. sooty mangabey

    sooty mangabey Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    29 Apr 2008
    Posts:
    1,939
    Location:
    Sussex by the Sea
    Why do you feel this way? Do you believe that it is wrong to keep animals in captivity? And, if so, where would you draw the line? For example, how would you feel about the moving of ungulates to 'ranches' in places such as Namibia and South Africa? For example, http://www.umphafa.com/. Your response suggests that this is a very black and white issue - and i'm not sure that it is!
     
  7. Taisha

    Taisha Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    18 Jul 2012
    Posts:
    210
    Location:
    Berlin, Germany
    I could not agree more!
    It is all about money and in striking contrast to all conservation efforts in
    Africa.

    BBC News Havanna, 21.8.2012, Cuba Zoo gets ready for...:
    "The park wants to attract more foreign tourists and their hard currency."
    (no wonder they are looking for private investors)

    Havanna Times, 25.4.2012, The Santiago de Cuba Zoo:
    "Unfortunately the passing of time (sic!) and the inability to replace some of these specimens has meant many of the younger generation being unable to enjoy these."
    A visitor from Vermont commenting:
    ...thanks for bringing back fond memories of our family's visit to Santiago Zoo in 2004.
    I remember the chimpanzee who had been taught to smoke a cigar! Perhaps he has subsequently died of lung cancer.
     
  8. peregusna

    peregusna Member

    Joined:
    13 Mar 2013
    Posts:
    15
    Location:
    Visiting USA|Havana, Cuba
    That import is a huge mistake, it is not the first one an African nation has done to Cuba. First it was Congo, Angola, now Namibia. It has been more than 50 years of pure failure in keeping healthy (and life) captive exotics in Cuba.

    It is very sad that these animals will have the same fate of the others in the past.
     
  9. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,723
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
  10. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,723
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
    Last edited: 6 Apr 2014
  11. carlos55

    carlos55 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    19 Jan 2014
    Posts:
    665
    Location:
    mexico,d.f.
    You can now see photos of the animals from the Namibia import on the new Zoologico Nacional de Cuba gallery. The animals seem to have adapted well to Havanna, we can hope that the some of the offspring will be sent to european zoos eventually.
     
  12. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Dec 2012
    Posts:
    17,723
    Location:
    fijnaart, the netherlands
  13. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,849
    Location:
    Australia
    OMG!
    The African plains exhibit, has anyone seen this recently?
     
  14. carlos55

    carlos55 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    19 Jan 2014
    Posts:
    665
    Location:
    mexico,d.f.
    The video shows clearly the Zoologico Nacional de Cuba, not the Havana zoo. They are different places. The Havana zoo is in the Vedado section and the Zoologico Nacional is on calle Boyeros near the airport of Havana. Tha african savana at the zoologico nacional is quite large but the buses rush thru it making photography difficult. In the zoologico nacional gallery here on zoochat you can see a photo of rhinos, cape buffalo and giraffes all together, as magill mentions. What is very interesting that both zoologico nacional and the havana zoo recieved animals from Namibia about 3 years ago, including many rare taxa in zoos such as red hartebeets, roan antelope, ratels, brown hyenas and black backed jackals. These animals have adapted quite well to Havana, Actually i think that U.S. zoo professionals like Magill are already considering the exciting possiblities of exchange and ties to the Cuban zoos if the embargo goes down.
    I wrote a review of zoologico nacional and i still owe zoochat a review of the Havana zoo, but i did post some photos of both places.
     
    Kifaru Bwana likes this.
  15. zooman

    zooman Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    4 Jul 2008
    Posts:
    1,849
    Location:
    Australia
    Thank you for the clarification.
     
  16. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    13 Jun 2007
    Posts:
    23,395
    Location:
    New Zealand
    The National Zoo in Havana will receive about ninety animals from Mexican zoos for their "Eurasian Prairie", which is scheduled for completion this year.

    "Armando Barrios, institutional communicator of the entity, reported that the group includes specimens of red deer and sika, fallow and white fallow deer, Barbary and dwarf goats and white Bengal tigers."

    "The exchange contemplates the National Zoo sending grant zebras, flamingos, spotted hyenas and leopards to the Mexican Association."


    See the article here: Cuban National Zoo will receive new animals




     
  17. carlos55

    carlos55 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    19 Jan 2014
    Posts:
    665
    Location:
    mexico,d.f.
    I had read about this in a article in spanish. Fallow and sika deer,as well as aoudad are quite common in mexican zoos so it will be easy to send surplus animals to Cuba. White tigers are now also easy to find in mexican zoos. The spotted hyenas and leopards that zoologico nacional de Cuba will send to Mexico have been bred from the Namibia import of a few years ago. There are no african leopards in the US now. This exchange seems good for Both sides.
     
    Kifaru Bwana likes this.
  18. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    25 Jan 2006
    Posts:
    12,225
    Location:
    Amsterdam, Holland
    Any news items on breeding the rhinos? I heard sometime ago they had managed calves from both white and blacks!?
     
  19. carlos55

    carlos55 Well-Known Member 10+ year member

    Joined:
    19 Jan 2014
    Posts:
    665
    Location:
    mexico,d.f.
    TinoPup and Kifaru Bwana like this.
  20. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

    Joined:
    10 Feb 2009
    Posts:
    7,702
    Location:
    Arizona, USA