ABC species means the basic species that people just expect to see, giraffe, elephants, meerkats, lions, tigers and bears (oh my!), as opposed to interesting, unique or more endangered species.
Yes, I understand that. The part I don't understand is this: I (effectively) say: "Unfortunate they decided to keep giraffes at Adelaide, I was hoping they would phase them out" and KB (effectively) argues back: "Boring zoos with just giraffes etc, how is this unfortunate?!! "
I suspect that Adelaide may be making a virtue of necessity here, and I think they’re right to do so. The affected exhibits from the master plan appear to be the gorillas, mandrills and pygmy hippos. The latter two are on death’s door, demographically, within the region and gorillas will be expensive to build an exhibit for and then maintain. By contrast, this proposed giraffe expansion essentially involves demolishing structures that are slated for removal anyway and replacing them with flat space and fences. Easy. At half a hectare, a savannah exhibit could comfortably accommodate giraffe, nyala, ostrich (all mentioned) and zebras (not mentioned but an easy and crowd-pleasing addition). Combine that with meerkats, lions, colobus monkeys and fennec foxes, all of which are featured in the master plan and whose exhibits I don’t think would be effected, and this is a perfectly acceptable, if unoriginal African precinct. Maybe gorillas could one day
I think they’re in slightly better shape than mandrills, though I’m certainly no expert. In any case, it is presumably easier to build an exhibit complex with one species requiring imports than it is three.
Having just read the statement in full, my guess is they are stuck with a giraffe that refuses to enter her crate, plus the pandemic has caused them to reassess their timeline for redevelopment anyways. So cheap giraffe extension is a smart way of keeping the space full for the next few years..
I did not. I meant boring zoos with just ABC species. And how unfortunate that kind of development would be for zoos into the 21st Century. Nothing more, nothing less. But please let it lie ... now. On to the next piece of news: I wonder how this massive Africa development at the city zoo will develop in CoVID19 times.
I personally would consider giraffes to most definitely be an "ABC species". And I think 99% of people would agree. And I am advocating that it's a good thing they move them out of urban zoos. You're disagreeing with me, while repeatedly ignoring the fact that I'm saying precisely the opposite of what you imply I am.
I just saw this section of your post and thought I could add to it. This excerpt comes from Rix's 1978 publication, Royal Zoological Society of South Australia 1878-1978 and is about the Asian Small-clawed Otters: "In August 1967 three males and one female were obtained from Singapore and in April 1969 a further eleven were purchased from Bangkok. This last acquisition brought the total strength of the group to fifteen... The first births, a twin pair, were in February 1970 but both of these died, but in May another two were born and these survived. Since then nearly 70 young have been born and, while there has been some infant mortality, about 30%, the overall result has been good and many zoos in Australia and New Zealand are now displaying, and in some case breeding, otters which came from Adelaide collection."
Thanks for sharing @WhistlingKite24. That was a huge import from Singapore and Bangkok. It’d be interesting to know how many of these were related (there must have been at least some sibling groups) and how many of them contributed to the population i.e. were founders. I’m guessing Jaya (born 1990 at Adelaide Zoo) - from which most of the current population descends, was a direct descendent of some of these otters. So approximately 50 surviving pups were born at Adelaide Zoo between 1970 and 1978; with around 20-30 surviving pups born over the last 38 years - including the last two litters born 2003 and 2020. I’m guessing the significant decrease in breeding was due to their early efforts swamping the region’s zoos; and the implementation of a regional breeding programme.
A Historical Tour of Adelaide Zoo: The zoo’s General Manager of Operations recently discussed some of the highlights of Adelaide Zoo’s older structures and buildings. It was interesting to learn about the history behind the zoo. Adelaide Zoo seems to have a certain historical charm and character that some of the other zoos no longer preserve. The following buildings were mentioned in the video: - Heritage Gates 1882-1883 - The old entry gates were built for the opening of the zoo – May 1883. They remained in full use for the public from 1883 to 2009. A new entry was constructed coinciding with the arrival of the Giant Pandas. These older gates are maintained due to their historical significance and are used as an emergency exit. - The Superintendent’s Cottage 1883 - This was the zoo’s first ever building that was constructed on-site. Until 1913, the building served as the zoo’s boardroom including the director’s office. An interesting fact: one of the zoo’s directors had nine children living in the two-bedroom house! It is currently the residence of the General Manager of Operations. It is heritage-listed - Hippo House 1900-1901 – This building was home to Australia’s first hippo. The building housed hippos from 1901 to the late 1970s. In 1980, the zoo built a new hippo enclosure that housed Brutus and Susie – the zoo’s last Common Hippopotamuses. - Elephant House 1900 – This was Adelaide Zoo’s second elephant house – the first being built in 1898. It housed elephants until the final one moved to Monarto in 1991. Like Taronga’s elephant house, it currently remains as a display area detailing the zoo’s history with elephants. The building is heritage-listed. - Reptile House/ Giraffe House late 1800s - Built originally as a reptile house (late 1800s – 1929), it was later converted for giraffes. It currently houses their only Giraffe, Kimya. The building was recently repainted and will continue to serve its purpose for many years to come according to the zoo. - Women’s Refreshment Centre/ Curatorial Building 1884 – Now used for the zoo’s life sciences team, this building has served many functions. It was originally used as a women’s refreshment centre/store and has served as accommodation and offices. It is not a registered building but will be maintained by the zoo. - Sir Thomas Elder Rotunda 1884 – A heritage-listed building that is currently being restored. - Monkey House 1891 – This building has had many functions and is currently a café. - Flamingo Grotto 1885 – It is situated in the area that housed flamingos from the 1880s-2018 and was part of the enclosure for Australia’s last flamingo. It is now part of a cassowary exhibit. - Minchin House 1887-1888 – This building was the residence for the zoo’s directors. It currently serves as the building for senior management, administration and the accounts team. In the 1970s, it was also a strongroom. Bits and Pieces of News from the Video: Considering this is a news thread, there were also a few updates mentioned: -The former hippo yard -which was later the zoo’s last elephant enclosure - will now be the area used to expand the African Savannah enclosure for the giraffes etc. -Glass viewing has been added to the Australian Sea Lion exhibit. -A new wombat enclosure has been constructed. Source: Adelaide Zoo's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=269994357391353
Adelaide Zoo is unlikely to open till at least July 3rd following difficulty in reaching a mutually agreeable set of restrictions to ensure safety with South Australia's state transition commitee. From facebook
Mandrill Update: I don't usually make posts about animal health checks but considering Mandrills are incredibly rare in the region and we don't often get an update about them, I thought it would be worthwhile. Adelaide Zoo's three females - Mayombe, Moabi and Niari - recently had a full check-up and were given contraceptive implants (well I guess there wont be any mandrill births anytime soon). Beside the three females, the zoo also has alpha male, Tabah and two-year-old male Jumoke (2017). Fortunately the three females were successfully integrated back into the group. If there was one species of exotic mammal that I wish zoos here would import more of - it would be Mandrills. Health check time for Adelaide Zoo's colourful female Mandrills
It’d be shame if one of their contraceptive implants failed like it did last time... I really wish more zoos would acquire this species. Mandrill in Australasian Zoos Adelaide Zoo: 1.0 Tabah (2005) Yonaton x Timbiri 0.1 Niari (1996) 0.1 Moabi (1998) 0.1 Mayombe (2010) Tabah x Niari 1.0 Jumoke (2017) Tabah x Niari Tasmania Zoo: 1.0 Kouilou (2011) Tabah x Moabi 0.1 Lara (2002) Yonaton x Louise Louise was the mother of Timbiri; so Kouilou and Lara are related.
If only Melbourne had decided to continue breeding theirs. Instead, they waited until they died out, and chucked a Cassowary in their enclosure.
That’s their solution to everything. What makes it even worse is that Melbourne Zoo started out with such focus. After they discovered their Mandrill colony was hybridised in the early 90’s, they phased them out; and then went to the effort of importing a purebred male Mandrill from Israel in 2000 and two purebred females from Adelaide Zoo. Three offspring were then bred. I’m guessing the decision was made to phase them out around 2007 (when the last infant was bred) as they exported the adolescent female (Lara); and didn’t continue breeding with Timbiri (despite having at least six more years to do so). Darling Downs Zoo, add Mandrill to the list! You can do this.
