Is it true that Highland Wildlife Park once held saiga? Are there any collections other than Cologne which have had them in the past?
Zootierelist lists a number of European collections that have kept saiga antelope in the past, including the Highland Wildlife Park. I can remember seeing saiga antelope in the old Deer & Cattle Sheds at London Zoo; they bred at London Zoo in 1956 and 1960. (London Zoo received its first saiga antelope in 1864.) The Duke of Bedford kept saiga antelope at Woburn before the First World War (and I think they bred there). My visit to Cologne this year was the first time I’d been there and not seen a saiga antelope; they were greatly missed as, for me, seeing this species was always the highlight of any visit to Cologne.
I agree with Tim. I used to enjoy seeing the saiga at Cologne. Cologne tends to be an easy zoo to move around, with most of its exhibitis on the periphery, but the saiga was hidden in the centre and tended to be one of the last animals I'd see. The only other saigas I've seen were on my first visit to the Tierpark at East Berlin, which had several other species of hoofed mammals that I hadn't seen before. ISIS only lists 4 captive saigas: 2 females at Moscow, a male at Dallas and a female at San Diego Wild Animal Park. It's a pity that such an interesting animal is so uncommon in zoos and that no zoo has a male and female.
Thanks for that. I find it interesting that places had them until quite recently such as Chomutov until 2004. I do hope they make a comeback. I'm pretty sure the individuals in the States are no longer there. Also Moscow has some at its off-show breeding facility but I have no idea if they are actually breeding there. And Askaniya Nova in Ukraine has a large group which I would think do breed.
Yes, Askaniya Nova has a big herd - 236 animals. 69 births during 2010. Also Moscow breeds them - 4 youngsters in 2010.
Edmonton's Polar Park (located in the Province of Alberta in Canada - but now closed) was once called the Alberta Game Farm and in a guide that I own from the late 1970's there are saiga listed on the zoo map. Check out the Polar Park thread for the mind-blowing collection of hoofstock during that era.
I have heard noises that Tallinn is to be getting Saiga in the near future. It would be amazing if they did as from what I have seen they do a fantastic job with palearctic hoofstock.
My understanding of the Woburn ones is that a small breeding stock was established on two occasions, and died out quickly, parasites being implicated; this is from memory of the Duke of Bedford's book, which I seem to have mislaid.
Apologies for sliding off-thread but do you remember what this book was called, it sounds interesting and I'd consider getting it.
I had forgotten all about the Saiga at HWP - under the previous management . Does anybody have information about the animals they had - how many and when were they on show and did they breed ?
Shorts -- the book is 'The Years of Transition' -- a Google search should reveal more. Author may be listed as 'Hastings, Duke of Bedford', or even 'Hastings William Sackville Russell'. The fact that I can't find my copy reminds me how much I need to sort out my study. It took me years to find on the second hand market, as well. About a third of it is autobiographical, a third is political/social theory, and the rest is solid natural history about the animal collection at Woburn -- marvellous stuff.
I saw them at the San Diego Zoo in 1988. reduakari mentioned in another thread that the San Francisco Zoo has some in the 1970s. Not sure what their history is in American zoos beyond that.
Hallo David I saw saigas at the Berlin Tierpark, along with a range of other interesting hoofed mammals in the mid-1980s. The last time I saw a saiga was the male in Cologne in 2008.
Animals on View by Anthony Smith (1977) mentions saiga at Highland Wildlife Park. There is no information regarding breeding.
China's Wuwei Endangered species breeding center has a breeding group of saiga. The breeding center is in Gansu Province, northwest China, and has a collection of Gobi animals.
Toronto Zoo had saiga listed in their plans for a renovated Eurasia. Not sure if that plan was scrapped or not, though.
