Mixed carnivore exhibits

I'm sure everyone is aware of zoos mixing bears and wolves, with not much problem. But does anyone know of a zoo that mixes 2 ssp. of bear?

 

I am not aware of any U.S. zoos that mix bears and wolves (which you seem to imply is not that unusual). Here in Arizona, Out Of Africa tried mixing black bears and wolves and cougars for a "predators of Arizona" exhibit. The wolves did not like it and were separated after a while, but the two black bears and two cougars continued to live together.

They also mix some of their big cats together, but I don't think I have ever heard of two different species of bears. I suppose it could work, I just don't know if anyone has tried. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum used to have a gray fox in with two black bears, but now that exhibit only houses one black bear. Chester Zoo (England) has coatis in with spectacled bears.

I would be very interested to read replies about other carnivore mixes, including (but not limited to) multiple bears.

 

Two (sometimes more) bear species have been kept together in various European zoos in the past. I touched on the subject when I uploaded my photos from Osnabrück Zoo in Germany, which had such an exhibit when I visited in 2002:

http://www.zoochat.com/447/osnabr-ck-zoo-2002-polar-bear-197337/

 

Topeka used to have American black bears and a red fox together, but the fox was killed.

 

Dartmoor Wildlife park [now Zoo] used to have Red Foxes & Brown Bears in together.
Bristol Zoo had various bears in together back in the 70s; can't remember exactly, but believe it was Himalayan, Sloth & Sun.
Jersey have a single Short-clawed Otter with Spectacled Bears.
I believe Heythrop's Polar lives with a Himalayan.
There's also the rescue centre somewhere in the USA where a Lion, Tiger and American Black Bear live together, and apparently have been together since they were cubs. All males, the Lion is castrated [huge, no mane] and I suspect the others are too.
Where bears are kept with other animals, there is always the risk of a massive blow from the paw of an irritated bear.........

 

There is a picture in the gallery in some zoo in Europe (Sweden possibly?) where there is a Kodiak, Grizzly and Grey Wolf mixed exhibit

 

In a small zoo in Spain in 1993 I saw an African Lion male and (presumably, as I recall its size) Sumatran Tiger kept together.

 

As Baldur writes, it was once not uncommon for European zoos to have bears in mixed exhibits.

In can recall seeing three polar bears, three brown bears and three Asiatic black bears kept together at Hannover Zoo.

(North American black bears and Asiatic black bears were sometimes kept together on the Mappin Terraces at London Zoo too.)

 

Different feline species can interbreed quite easily, so it would have to be none-breeding stock using contraception if you are going to have (eg) lions and tigers together. Same goes for bears, though I don't know if it's to the same extent.

 

Polar bears have been mixed with Arctic fox
Spectacled bear with ring tailed coati at Zurich and Jersey
Lions and meerkat at Colchester (or was it yellow mongoose?)
binturong and Asian small clawed otter
red panda and Asian small clawed otter at Welsh mountain zoo
sun bear and binturong at Burgers zoo

 

I know of only one case: Brookfield Zoo, years ago. It existed for a long time, until one day the bear ate the fox. Any other cases?

In Europe:
- several syrian brown bears and several corsac foxes, Heidelberg (for many years)
- 1 Asian black bear, 2 corsac fox and 2 porcupines, Amersfoort (definitely unsuccesfull - bear stereotyping and fox running away each time the bear walks past)
- Kodiak bears and polar foxes, Gelsenkirchen (for several ywars now).

Also, I heard that one smaller American zoo has a large exhibit with many species of American small carnivores together - otters, skunks, raccoons, foxes etc.

 

Something tells me seeing an old Duisburg zoo guide, and they mixed their polar bears and Arctic fox at one time

 

Theres a bit about when Longleat kept Brown Bears and macaques and then brown bears and wolves together in a book called 'wild mammals in captivity'. Its accessible in google books

 

Paradise wildlife parkin the UK kept a tiger in with their lions in the late 1990s. Turtleback Zoo in NJ, USA keep red fox in with black bear. The bear cannot catch the foxes, when the fox had cubs if the bears got to close to the den the foxes would run out and distract the bears so they left the den alone.

 

I don't think the Lion/Meerkat exhibit at Colchester lasted; can anyone supply more details?
Lions and Alexandrine Parrakeets in a continental zoo soon led to a litter of green feathers and some happy Lions. I believe the same zoo is now threatening to mix Lions with Short-clawed Otters; maybe they have too many otters.
I would have thought that any mix of bears and porcupines risks the bear getting badly injured by quills, and the porcupine killed by a deft whack on the nose if the bear got in first.

 

As far as I can remember the meerkat/Lion mixed exhibit only lasted the one day! The lioness got a very tasty treat and the zoo were down one meerkat

 

Over the years there have been a few hybrid bears born in zoos. I saw polar x brown hybrids at Thoiry (France) in 1971.

Alan

 

In terms of mixing carnivores. Many aquariums mix equally carnivorous sharks together!

 

The new Angola lion enclosure at Antwerp Zoo (Belgium) will hold lion, meerkat and yellow-backed mongoose in the same enclosure, but with restrictions: only a part of the enclosure will be open for all three species and the two smaller ones will have access to a no-lion zone.
This enclosure is under construction (opening schedule summer 2011) at the former large field for hoofed stock which has a Hagenbeck-style panoramic view.

 

Schwerin tried to mix lions with meerkats and yellow mongooses, but had to stop soon; some lions enjoyed the little snacks all too much...