Of course some species can cope with high levelsd of inbreeding, and some are exceedingly inbred such as Pere David's Deer, but this does not mean we should not worry about it. Inbreeding results in a loss of genetic diversity and a general loss of fitness. This is basic genetics which animal breeders need to follow, when they can.
Axe Valley.... Moving away from Axe Valley slightly, Zootierliste gives Whipsnade a sizeable herd of generic Axis. I wonder.....
Axe Valley...... Completely agree with Carl's comment above. Inbreeding is something we should all try to avoid. Close inbreeding should be a last resort. I would however, be fascinated to know if any of the Ezra genes persist in Whipsnade's Axis Deer.
What about the Rusty Spotted Cats? Did you see them? I was there yesterday and there was an enclosure which I was told had 2 in but didn't see them.
It looked as if they were building another enclosure from the same house that the Rusty's are in. So could well be a couple more on show soon I do think my next visit there will be even better than my previous visits though ☺
Whipsnade have held a sizeable herd of Axis Deer continuously over many decades, formerly in the Flint Pit paddock (part of which now holds Wolverines) near the Brown Bears, until they were transferred to the Asian Plains. I rather doubt very much( if any?)new blood has been added to them since their arrival and with no break that I know of in them keeping the species, I would think the answer is yes. On another tack, I have often wondered where the Howletts Axis Deer originated from- was it Maidstone Zoo possibly? Several times I have tried, without much success, to trace the ancestry of some of the older established ungulate herds within the UK, particularly those that have appeared in new locations such as the Safari Parks in recent years. But it is very hard to do.
I am sure that this has been discussed elsewhere on ZooChat; yes, John Aspinall acquired his founder stock of axis deer from Maidstone Zoo when that zoo closed in 1959. Howletts Zoo also obtained its original stock of hog deer and nilgai from Maidstone Zoo too. -
Do you know where Alfred Ezra acquired the founder stock for his axis deer herd? Whipsnade was keeping (and breeding) axis deer from its early days several years before the outbreak of World War Two. I wonder if the axis deer received from Ezra at the start of the war introduced a new bloodline to Whipsnade or if Ezra’s and Whipsnade’s original stock came from the same source. I wouldn‘t be surprised if both originated from Woburn. According to “Whipsnade: Captive Breeding for Survivall” (Elspeth Huxley; 1981):- Axis deer have breed at Whipsnade since 1949 without new blood being added. The ZSL Annual Report for 1949 records five axis deer births at Whipsnade that year (although, as mentioned above, the species was also being bred at Whipsnade back in the 1930s).
Visited today. many changes again. Rusty Spotted Cats are gone, Fishing Cat is in their enclosure now. The enclosure next to the Fishing Cat Enclosure and the off show Arctic Fox enclosure has Jaguarundi in it. Degu's have gone, ground squirrel is now in their enclosure. The ground Squirrel/chinchilla enclosure is being changed or demolished. A new enclosure is being built by the Coati's. Raccoon dogs have had puppies again.
Have the rusty's left the collection or just gone off-show? This collection seems to be going down the Exmoor/Shaldon/Newquay route of keeping a lot of smaller and more interesting species, interesting that all the collections are (relatively) close together!
Visited today, there's new things to see here every time I go Here's some recent changes I've noticed. Births in the last few months: Racoon dog pups (5) Racoon pups (4) Meerkat pups (3) Ring-tailed Lemur (1) Mara (1) Sitatunga (1) White stork chicks (2) Night heron chick (1) New: Lovebirds in with the ground squirrels American Red Squirrels Boat-billed heron Banded Mongoose Goeldi's marmoset in with the common marmoset New hot house with various species, including giant cloud rats Serval have gone, there is giant tortoise in what was their enclosure. Rusty spotted cats are back on show, there's 2 in what was the genet enclosure (the genet have gone). In the off-show enclosure next to the jaguarundi, there was what looked like some kind of porcupine (tree porcupine?).
Cant believe a zoo goes to the lengths of doing animal encounters how low is that There also just a holding facility for a couple of private keepers ,to take the babies when they are born to be sold on
Why do you think that is 'low'? As many zoos do them and I see them as being for an educational and financial benefit. Care to back up that statement (and I think I understand what you wrote but inclusion of the word 'there' adds confusion)?
Most zoos dont box there animals up put them in a van then cart them here there and every where ,there is enough clowns doing this already ,why not do it in house like most zoos do. Sorry should of said "they are " ,and yes i know 2 brokers that keep there animals there just for the babies
Don't tar us all with the same brush there! We are not all clowns!! I have been working in this industry a long time and I am long established. We abide by the legislation, running curriculum based lectures and working with scientists and other educational bodies. I have worked in scientific studies on the educational value of animals in education and proven that learning alongside live animals improves the children's memory of what they are learn and installs empathy and an understanding of the natural world and our role in it. Believe me these animals are well looked after we have keepers who are qualified vet nurses and even a keeper who is studying veterinary medicine. They are not "carted" up and down the country but carefully traveled in climate controlled environments within a certain millage and they are gently introduced to travelling over time. We have a rota system so our animals don't work every day and it is a calm and relaxed lecture not a go mad hour of craziness. Yes you get bad apples but you do in any industry and it really (insert angry word!) me off when we get lumped with the likes of tropical inc!
In my experience, this animalsworld character should be treated as a potential troll ... 4 posts since joining, all of a negative nature.
According to their website this coming Saturday and Sunday will be the last two days they are open this year, re-opening next February. I visited on Sunday and there is some work started on renovations, there is a sign on the area opposite the zebra, stating that there will be new enclosures in that area for Arctic Fox, Tree Porcupine, Genet, Banded Mongoose and Egyptian Mongoose. A pair of African Civets are now on show, in the area mentioned above.
