Species on the brink of disappearing from U.K Collections

Just been looking on ISIS and noticed that South Lakes are down too 2.1.1 Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby,surely this species is not going to be around within the next 5 years does anybody else know of any other species withlow numbers in the U.K.

 

Some of the more unusual old world monkeys;
Hamlyn's Owl-faced in particular, now only at Twycross & Edinburgh. Twycross is the only holder of several other Guenon species in one or twos. Cambells guenon- only two nonbreeding at Chester. Samango Guenon- nonbreeders only at Port Lympne.
Golden- bellied Mangabey-one pair nonbreeding(?) at Port Lympne- no others in UK.
Sooty Mangabey- any now remaining?
Spotted Hyaena- one only at Colchester.(also at Belfast?)
Onager- only at Chester & Whipsnade.
Gaur - only at Whipsnade- 1.1. but recently bred successfully.

 

Asian Black Bears and American Black Bears. Dudley's are old and Woburn arent allowing the to breed.

 

Aren't Chester getting new stock of Onager and trying to breed them? This might mean the population is bumped up a bit hopefully...

as for disappearing animals:
Arabian Oryx: only at Whipsnade and Marwell i think...

 

Chester did want to import some from America, but that was a long time ago so im not sure whats happening with that now.

 

For the huge number of zoos that are in the U.K., it is somewhat surprising to see a low representation of the world's 8 bear species. It seems as if they are endangered species in British collections.

 

Sooty Mangabeys if think have gone from the U.K as the ones at Newquay went to a primate Sanctuary in Southern Island.Also Marsh Mongoose i believe are down to a pair at Curraghs and 1 male at Manor House Wildlife Park if its still alive.

 

Yes, they almost are. We don't share the historical persepective/identity with Bears as in the USA or Europe which both still have them in their fauna. In the Uk there was a lot of critisism in the past over keeping them in unsatisfactory conditions, and many zoos have phased them out.

Spectacled, Sun and Sloth Bears have reappeared in smaller numbers in recent years, wehile the larger species have all declined drastically.

 

The only bear species which has a secure future really is the Spectacled. This is unless more Polar Bears are nrought in by Highland Park and breeding is sucsessful with Sun Bears. Whilsy we have a large number of zoos with Brown Bears, none of them are going to breed. The 2 black bear species are unable to breed and then that leaves the Sloth Bears at Whipsnade.

 

I think the UK has a more diverse captive animal collection that say 15-20 years ago. I no longer think there is a need to worry about there being, say, three honey badgers left or 2 gaur, as there is the potential now for zoos to easily acquire individuals from other collections. I would not have been able to imagine, say, 15 years ago, the collections now at Sandwich, Edinburgh, or Colchester for example. The only groups where diversity is dwindling are passerines mainly where imports from the wild would previously obscure the fact that breeding success in captivity was very poor.

 

There has been a problem for UK zoos in regard to maintaining some antelope species after the foot & mouth outbreak of 2000 (and possibly previous). Arabian oryx (maybe all oryx; I forget the details) were one species that was implicated and thus the UK population is no longer a breeding concern and split from the EEP herd. When all individuals have eventually died out then new blood could be imported from Europe. I'm sure this is why bongo have become so popular.

The small group of Arabians from Blackpool ended up at Folly Farm Zoo park (or whatever its silly name is) in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

 

I wouldn't say there were a large number of browns in the UK - Welsh Mountain, Dartmoor, Whipsnade, Blair Drummond, Camperdown (2-3 at each, maybe a couple more at ZSL). All are getting on in years.

Interestingly WSPA (or at least some elements) have always been intersted in setting up a brown bear sanctuary in this country to reflect and showcase the work they do in Eastern Europe, Pakistan and Japan. However nothing has yet come of it.

 

There is really no problem for any zoo obtaining brown bears should they decide to. There is no urgency to breed from the existing animals. Bristol plans to bring in Brown bears for the conservation park, and yet I would be surprised if they go on to breed from them.

I do find it strange that ZSL would go to the expense of building a sloth bear enclosure at Whipsnade when the North American SSP could really do with 2 (mabye 3) animals of breeding age.

There really isn't a situation any more where a species is 'dying out' in this country as long as there are zoos or rescue centres elsewhere, there is little to stop a zoo importing bears or any other mammal species (with the exception of the recent problems with hoofstock). I think bears will come and go as freely as zoos are prepared to exhibit them. A year ago, few would have expected two Sun bears, completely unrelated to the captive population to appear in Kent. But they did, and to me it shows that you no longer need to rely on the current captive group in this country to predict the future of that species. It's a positive time I think as better links are made with other institutions and rescue centres in the species' country of origin.

 

I think it is a slightly different situation with birds. I really hope to go and see the plate-billed mountain toucans before they go at Amazon World, the brush turkey at Lotherton, and the James's flamingos at Slimbridge.

 

The Brush-tailed Rock Wallaby is not kept at South Lakes any more they have been moved out to a collection in Germany.

 

Which is the German collection?

 

It would be nice if zoos in the UK could kick start with the breeding of Gaurs with the new baby at Whipsnade maybe they could import a couple more from Europe

 

I believe its a private collection.

 

The whole captive gaur population isn't particularly robust, with low reproductive rates, high mortality, all signs of being slightly inbred. Port Lympne bred gaur a couple of years ago but one would always die when a calf was born, eventually they ended up with the same situation as howletts in the 80's, with just a single animal left. There wouldn't be a great deal of point trying to establish gaur again in the UK without new genes. There needs to be an AI effort importing frozen sperm from Indian zoos to really sustain this species in europe.

 

Two male Black Mangabeys appear to have arrived at Cefn yr Ewr, along with a Japanese macaque.