Rare Species Conservation Centre RSCC animal transfers and general news

With the future of the RSCC in serious doubt and the previous thread turned into a massive debate I think we could use a new thread to keep track of where they are moving the animals to and any news from the centre. Recent animal moves have included...

0:0:2 Binturongs to Drusillas Park
BBC News - Rare 'bearcats' introduced to Sussex zoo

The whole pack of New Guniea Singing Dogs to Exmoor Zoo

1:1 Rufous Hornbill
1:1 Rhinoceros Hornbill
1:2 Red Backed Bearded Saki
1:1 Victoria Crowned Pigeon
All to Colchester Zoo on 10th August

 

Interesting - hadn't seen this. Wonder if these are A. b. binturong or A. b. whitei (RSCC of course have (or had) both subspecies - the only pure-subspecies Binturongs I'm aware of in Europe). I would suspect the former, particularly as they're described as being 'the size of large dogs' - the whitei are quite a bit smaller.

 

Bizarrely, the binturongs have replaced the diana monkeys, which have gone to Sweden. I'm not sure what the point was of Drusillas housing dianas....they seem to have taken on an old pair from Colchester, possibly swapped the males with another zoo, then packed them off to Parken in Sweden. Although the enclosure used to be a barn owl aviary, it was a very large, very tall barn owl aviary, and although I never saw the diana monkeys in it, I would have thought it was easily large enough for them.

 

Didn't it house tawny owls also? Also, I seem to remeber there being red-fronted lemurs at some point, maybe before the Diana monkeys?

 

The move of the Diana monkeys were à recommendation of the coordinator since the female is important to the EEP and has never bred. They are getting à much larger enclosure in Sweden. And yes, the exhibit where they were housed in Drusillas did previously house red-fronted lemurs.

 

That's good news, although I don't understand in the eyes of the EEP what the point was of the diana monkeys going to Drusillas in the first place, unless the plan was that they would stay as either a retired pair or in order to establish a breeding group there. I'm not criticising it, just curious about the process that led to this beautiful species being held at, and then leaving, a collection not previously really known for its endangered species.

The exhibit held red-fronted lemurs after the barn owls left. The tawny owls were held in the middle aviary of what was 'world of owls', where I think they now have European eagle owls. The snowy owls are the only original 'world of owls' exhibit - unless they have also been replaced.

So the RSCC binturongs went to Exmoor and Drusillas, which leaves the Palawan Binturongs either to be kept at the RSCC or rehoused?

 

I believe it held barn owls and tawny owls at the same time. Afterwards the barn owls were exhibited in the aviary opposite the middle aviary, to the right of the black rats, which were then replaced by great grey owls. Though I don't think that aviary was an 'original' and was added afterwards.

 

quote=johnstoni;350535] I don't understand in the eyes of the EEP what the point was of the diana monkeys going to Drusillas in the first place, unless the plan was that they would stay as either a retired pair or in order to establish a breeding group there. [/quote]
I think the reason given that Colchester sent them to Drusillas was for 'retirement' & in exchange for some Lemurs or Tamarins(?)

Which makes it rather an about turn for them now to be whisked off to Sweden because the female is 'important for breeding..'- so she's not too old now?

I also found it a bit strange that Paignton's Diana pair, which have been breeding well and produced three young, have now been split up and the male sent elsewhere( I can't remember where) Surely it would have been wiser to allow more breeding to allow increased numbers to establish wherever possible.

 

The Diana female is 18 years old and has never had a baby so it is a long shot. But since they didn't thrive at Drusillas, the enclosure at Parken Zoo in Sweden was considered to be their best chance, or something like that. I'm not sure this female is more important then many others, but given the status of Diana monkeys in the EEP more breeding from most animals is welcome.

As to the Paighton pair being split up, I trust the coordinator knows what he is doing. Perhaps three babies from this combination was enough? After all, guenons are not monogamous.

 

I don't understand what's meant by 'not thriving' at Drusillas if they were an elderly zoo pair, and if the female is already 18 I'd have thought her chances of breeding(anywhere) are now minimal anyway.

I would still have thought continued breeding from an established pair such as Paignton's made better sense than stopping it. Although not (entirely) monogamous, achieving a compatable combination that breeds too, isn't always easy.

 

The female at Drusillas was quite 'large' when I saw her, could this also have been affecting her fertility?

 

Definately. Obese animals are difficult to breed from, elderly obese animals harder still, but a large enclosure in sweden might help her run it all off again so giving a better chance they could still breed from her.

(Apologies for misdirecting this thread away from the RSCC.....)

 

I love that this thread exists because RSCC discussion was pulling a Colchester thread off-topic and has been dragged off-topic to Drusillas discussion within a couple of posts!

 

I visited the RSCC today and there were actually quite a lot of other visitors whilst I was there. Although there were obvious empty enclosures due to the recent transfers to other collections, I was told by two separate members of staff that there were plans for new species to arrive in the near future. Apparently, some red pandas may be sourced as well as some marbled cats. Also, a pair of red-ruffed lemurs have just finished their time in quarantine and are currently onshow in the old hornbill enclosure, between the otters and the rusty spotted cats.

There have been some births since I last visited at Easter: the jaguarundi kittens were being guarded by mum; and the otters were very playful. The black-footed cats have also had young ones but, unfortunately, they are offshow near to the snow leopards. The new fishing cat enclosure is practically finished and when the cats move into it, the intention is for their old enclosure to be demolished so that a similar type of structure can replace it. The giant squirrels are amazing!

A point of interest was that I was told that the animals which have left the collection did so because "they are no longer on the critically endangered list".

 

Marbled cats!!!!, this is not a collection that is showing any signs of raising the white flag just yet!

 

That would be very special!

We managed to spot a Black-footed Cat head sticking out of the pophole and watching us with interest! Just lucky timing.

Hmmm... marketing spin or slip of the tongue? If not it would mean Fossa (VU), Emperor Tamarin (LC), Snow Leopard (EN), Black-footed Cat (VU) and various others wouldn't be able to stay either! And indeed, the newly arrived Red Ruffed Lemurs you mention are 'only' Endangered, not Critically Endangered.

In fact - I've had a quick look down the current IUCN list for Critically Endangered mammals and none are kept at the RSCC (the only one they have kept is Northern White-cheeked Gibbon - recently sent to Wingham).


(OK, so I'm being pedantic, but if they did say 'the critically endangered list' then that has a very specific meaning!)

 

It doesn't sound from this like they are closing or moving then?

The move of the Sun Bears (if indeed they're leaving from here), seems a little strange so soon after their arrival, but they can be very destructive in some situations, I know...

 

If they actually do get marbled cats, PLEASE post it nice and big on Zoochat. I would definitely fly back to England to photograph them.

 

I have some great photos of a breeding pair of marbled cats and their kitten.... saw some VERY interesting behaviours whilst working with them - things that i have not seen when working with other cats!

 

What do they do that is so unusual?