It will be a real shame to lose another primate species from the region. Even if Darling downs zoo obtained them it would take a number of other zoos to work together in any breeding plan there is only so much a smaller regional zoo can manage!
I was joking @Zorro. I was more referring to their initiative and reputation for reviving species in the region when all hope is lost. But yes, the more zoos on board the better. They fit the biome theme of a African rainforest, so are the perfect compliment to Pygmy hippo, Western lowland gorilla etc. Since they can be housed in small troops, they’re as well suited to any city zoo as they are to an open range zoo. The general public seemed engaged with this species (the most colourful mammal in the world) at Singapore Zoo, so it’s not hard to believe Australian and New Zealanders would consider them equally as enabling.
Second or third that MZ (or another zoo) adds another mandrill troop into the country! Mindboggling that such a charismatic and endangered primate has been left hanging.
Agreed but this appears to of become the Norm for our large major zoos, Dusky Langurs down to four, Lion tailed Macaques, down to two, Colobus down to a handful, Javan Langurs now gone I am sure theres more than just this!
They are surprisingly underrated enablers, they draw in children both the annoying and the curious kind to the zoo, and I don’t think anyone can dislike that large violet rear end.
I can't believe you forgot Pygmy hippopotamus! In equally dire straits are Collared peccary, Malayan tapir and Brazilian tapir. There's also only two Bornean orangutans left in the region (which will be phased out); though this doesn't bother me so much, as it's to focus on the breeding programme for Sumatran orangutan i.e. a very similar species will replace it. Malayan sun bear faces an uncertain future. Like I said the other day, I'm hoping they'll come full circle though and be in favour when the last of them are about to die out. Lucky they're a relatively long lived species.
My comment was only referring to primates as Tetrapod mentioned about the dwndling Mandrill numbers here and yes I am more than aware of all the other species which are being phased out
Well, it does bother me that the Bornean orangs will remain and are no longer allowed to reproduce where other regions might benefit from the influx of new unrelated individuals. In fact, I can think of at least 2 regions were these would be a welcome addition. Generally, zoo associations do not seem to look that much beyond their own border-lines, allthough increasingly schemes like One Plan Approach and WAZA Global crop up (in my view that really needs accelerating if we are to keep track of extreme biodiversity and habitat loss. Hence, I really do think phase out notion is a kind of failed - politically correct - mop up phrase cum doomed strategy that describes something far more sinister in species conservation: Are we not supposed to be in the business of saving biodiversity and why are we so failing in providing adequate spaces and sticking with A-B-C and leaving out those species to signify the health of any ecosystem? Why are we investing in short term stop gap policies while all the while not keeping our sights on our long term visions of saving Ecosystem Health and One Healthy Planet by informed strategy and policies being in place to do so?
Australian Sea Lion Update: After many years of saying that their Australian Sea Lions (1.1 – Ady and Tasko) would be leaving the zoo, they are now permanently keeping them due to several factors like the age of these individuals, space at other institutions, and the close social bonds they share with the keepers and each other. After the recent refurbishment, the zoo has increased the size of the exhibit with a new sandy area and added glass viewing. The pool has remained the same size. Komodo Dragon Update: In the same video, the curator answered a question about Komodo Dragons, announcing that 0.1 Komodo Dragon is now on-display in the Reptile House. That means from the Prague import of 5.2 last year, the following Komodo Dragons have been publicly announced; 1.0 at Australia Zoo, 1.0 at Darling Downs Zoo, 1.0 at Snakes Downunder Reptile Park and Zoo and 0.1 at Adelaide Zoo. That just leaves 2.1 Komodo Dragon to find out where they went. Source: Adelaide Zoo's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=294316458366696 Security Check
I’ve been looking into Melur’s ancestry. Her sire’s line is very poorly represented. His name was Laki (born 1974 at London Zoo) and of his six offspring (three surviving) – only Melur has surviving descendants. Laki’s parents were wild born. His sire had 10 offspring – most died in infancy and only one other besides Laki has surviving descendants. Laki’s mother had three offspring – only Laki has surviving descendants. Melur’s mother is better represented. Her name was Yasmin (born 1978 at Twycross Zoo). Yasmin had five offspring (three surviving) at Hong Kong Zoo, before moving to the USA with her then youngest daughter (born 2001). As of 2015, she had given birth to a further three offspring in the USA. Her daughter Raba remained at the Hong Kong Zoo, where she delivered twins in 2011. Yasmin’s parents have many surviving descendants. Most remain in Europe with the exception of three (one child and two grandchildren) living in Japan; and Yasmin and her descendants. In conclusion, while no region is in desperate need for her genetics - Melur could indeed be of use within the North American or Asian region; and to a lesser extent, the European population. I agree Melur should be exported, since Auckland Zoo have no plans to breed with her. She turned 32 years of age last week, so time is of the essence.
I made a reply to this here: Exotic Amphibians and Reptiles in Australian Zoos I can't account for the missing 2.1 either. It's possible that either the "5.2" figure was an error, or that some have since died.
0.1 Giraffe, Nolean arrived from Monarto Safari Park today to join their lone female, Kimya. From their Facebook post: Adelaide Zoo
Komodo Dragon Adelaide Zoo's first Komodo Dragon is now on display. Her name is Cecelia and she arrived from Prague Zoo in Dec 2019. https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ad...e/news-story/13edfe138dde0f37734bd35f0e7a534a
I found an article regarding ‘Cecilia’, Adelaide’s female Komodo Dragon. I can’t access the article in full, but the little bit that I can access says that they plan to import a male in the future to breed with her, presumably from overseas once again. No Cookies | The Advertiser
According to this Facebook video, Cecelia is three years old and they plan to import more Komodos (plural) for breeding: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2366733790297974 As mentioned by @WhistlingKite24 above, Cecelia was one of 5.2 Komodo dragons imported from Prague Zoo in 2019 (which have been dispersed to other collections) - so this was surely done with exchanges with some of those collections in mind.
It seems like some of the Komodo Dragons that came from the Prague import are of different ages. I wonder if certain individuals that came from the recent import are unrelated to each other. For example, the male Komodo at Snakes Downunder just turned eight last week and as you mention, Adelaide’s female is only three years old.
