British Isles Cup Redux - League B - Bristol/Wildplace vs RZSS

I voted for RZSS as there is a much greater selection of bird species of conservation concern kept ex-situ at Edinburgh zoo, a greater number of bird species kept and apparently more contribution to in-situ bird conservation.

Species kept ex-situ

Extinct in wild: Socorro dove.

Critically endangered species: Swift parrot, red fronted macaw, blue crowned laughing thrush, Bali myna.

Endangered species: Waldrapp ibis, rockhopper penguin, capercaille (endangered within UK).

Vulnerable species : White naped pheasant pigeon, Victoria crowned pigeon.

Near threatened species: Nicobar pigeon, chestnut backed thrush, Chilean flamingo, Satyr tragopan.

In-situ conservation work - RZSS

The RZSS work directly in the conservation of the Gough island moorhen and the Northern rock hopper penguin in the South Atlantic.

Species total

Beyond conservation there are just a lot more birds kept at RZSS than Bristol in terms of the number of species apparently (24 species).

Of these there are Psittaciformes (parrots), Gruiformes (storks and cranes), Passeriformes (songbirds), Accipitridae (vultures), Columbidae (doves and pigeons, Phoenicopteridae (flamingos) and Pelecanidae (pelicans) and Ratites (cassowary) represented.

Also, the penguins are just amazing (and the symbol of the zoo) !

 

I think this list is a little misleading for both zoos and really doesn't look accurate. ZTL lists 42 taxa in Edinburgh, five in Highland, whilst there are 13 in Wild Place and 46 in Bristol with seven taxa held in both collections, so that's 47 for RZSS against 52 in Bristol/Wildplace. Comparing the species (all info from ZTL) of conservation concern Bristol/Wildplace hold:

Extinct in wild: Socorro dove.

Critically endangered species: Blue crowned laughing thrush, Bali myna,
Edwards's pheasant (if we're accepting it as a valid species), Philippine cockatoo,

Endangered species: Eastern grey-crowned crane, Sumatran laughingthrush,
Visayan tarictic hornbill, African penguin, Java sparrow, Kea, Meller's duck, Sun parakeet, White-winged duck, Yellow cardinal

Vulnerable species : White naped pheasant pigeon, Victoria crowned pigeon, Palawan peacock-pheasant, Pink pigeon, Black-cheeked lovebird, Emei Shan liocichla, European Turtle dove, Mindanao bleeding-heart, Ochre-marked parakeet

Near threatened species: Nicobar pigeon, Fischer's turaco, Luzon bleeding-heart, Collared partridge, Crested partridge, European eider, Inca tern, Princess parrot


And Edinburgh hold:

Extinct in wild: Socorro dove.

Critically endangered species: Swift parrot, red fronted macaw, blue crowned laughing thrush, Bali myna, Baer’s pochard, Yellow-crested cockatoo

Endangered species: Waldrapp ibis, rockhopper penguin, capercaille (endangered within UK), Eastern gray-crowned crane, Madagascar teal, Western Egyptian vulture, White-winged duck

Vulnerable species : White naped pheasant pigeon, Victoria crowned pigeon, Emei Shan liocichla, Mindanao bleeding-heart, Snowy Owl, Southern ground hornbill

Near threatened species: Nicobar pigeon, chestnut backed thrush, Chilean flamingo, Satyr tragopan, Striated caracara


That's 25 species of conservation concern in Edinburgh vs 32 for Bristol, with a few taxa across both collections. Like you I've included the capercaillie which definitely isn't endangered across it's vast range but as Highland hold it with a conservation story I agree that it is very valid here (I think it would be thus fair to upgrade the turtle doves to CE if there was any good interp on this at Bristol, but from memory there isn't). Re-scoring the list giving 5 Arbitrary Conservation Points for a Extinct in the Wild species, and working down from there, gives RZSS 67 ACPs against Bristol's 77 ACPs. Bristol also conduct research/conservation activities on African penguins and Mindanao bleeding-heart doves. This may well be very inaccurate (good old ZTL...) and someone more knowledgeable about both collections could certainly correct me, but just on what I can find Bristol edges it on conservation and collection size. Numbers isn't the whole game of course, but I've voted 2:1 to Bristol due to them simply having species which interest me more (kea playing a big part in that) and holding some endangered taxa across both Bristol and Wildplace, allowing them to potentially play a bigger role in ex-situ breeding. Enclosures in both zoos are pretty good overall, with the penguin enclosures in both zoos being highlights, and I really do like Edinburgh's Baer's Pochard enclosure.

 

Great post and I agree there is much more nuance here that I didn't capture in my comment.

Also there are some terrific and endangered species held by the collections that I missed like Baer's pochard, Mellers duck and others.

I'll have a think about it and might change my vote if I feel Bristol has the edge in terms of conservation (if possible to change vote).

 

Edinburgh has the best penguin exhibit in the UK (with 3 species that aren't humboldt's or African). It also has cassowary. Even if this is close, that tips it RZSS way in my opinion!

 

Thanks, this is the first cup I actually have free time to try and participate in, as well as giving me a better chance of having seen the collections! I was actually a little surprised that Bristol only have two research conservation programs on birds, though funnily enough their last Annual Symposium was on bird conservation.

Very fair point, nice to see the Antarctic species displayed outside of a polar dome-type structure as well!

 

Fair enough, but again in terms of conservation Bristol may have the edge, need to have a think about it.

 

Unrelated but when are the next poll cups coming out ?

 

Awesome, keep them coming, I find it really interesting to research these different collections and their conservation output.