Carnivores in mixed exhibits

In yorkshire willife park they have meerkats and yellow mongooses in the same enclosure

 

This sometimes works, especially (only?) if both species are non-breeding. I can think of two situations where it didn't. Porcupines in the mix can work, too.

 

That makes more sense

 

Servals and asian golden cats use enclosures of chimps and orangutans, respectively, at night (in rotation with apes). I saw it online in one zoo in Asia or South America, cannot find now which one.

Fennec foxes with trumpeter hornbills - Augsburg. Fennecs could be good in mixed exhibits with animals larger than themselves.

Yellow mongoose with vultures and secretarbirds in a walk-though aviary - Magdeburg. Is this the first walk-through enclosure with carnivores of any kind?

Would meerkats be suitable to a walk-through exhibit? Prairie dogs are exhibited this way in Rotterdam, and visitors somehow can resist touching them. Meerkats bite, of course, but probably no more than any rodent of similar size.

 

Zlin-Lesna had a Gambian mongoose with several vulture species I believe

 

Maybe servals but I'm almost certain that there are no Asian golden cats kept anywhere on the South American continent.

 

Yes , I see now , but was responding to the doubt over Asia or South America.

 

Meerkat walk-through in Longleat:

 

Said European zoo is Bioparc Fuengirola in Spain

 

I'm actually not at all suprised about this mix apparently working well. In the Cerrado grasslands (that remain) they can be found in very close proximity (along with brocket or pampas deer).

I've seen them on one occasion within minutes of eachother under wild conditions and you almost always (except in areas where the anteater has been extirpated which is sadly today across much of former range in São Paulo state) find their pugmarks overlapping almost the way that those of badgers and foxes do in woods or glades in Europe.

I think it is quite an interesting concept for a mixed species exhibit and as long as there is plenty of space in the enclosure for both species I am pretty sure that they will just peacefully coexist and ignore one another. I think it is quite educational too as visitors get to see something that is a bit different from the ubiquitous biome themed mixed African / Asian ungulate species.

 

Edinburgh had this combination a few years back.

 

So did Osnabruck - but it is interesting just how many references to 'mixed' exhibits are made in the past tense. The implication is that many of these are done for convenience or temporary exhibit reasons, rather than for medium to long term animal welfare; just as are some of the currently horrendous 'shared' exhibits where individual animals spend more time shut away than on display.

 

Maned Wolf & Giant Anteater combination has been tried out in many institutions like:

RZSS Edinburgh Zoo (United Kingdom), Zoo Leipzig (Germany), Zoo Osnabrück (Germany), Phoenix Zoo (Arizona, United States of America), Houston Zoo (Texas, United States of America), San Diego Zoo (Kalifornia, United States of America), Sunset Zoo (Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America), Montgomery Zoo & Mann Wildlife Learning Museum (Alabama, United States of America), Zoo Boise (Idaho, United States of America), Audubon Zoo (New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America), Greensboro Science Center (North Carolina, United States of America), Turtle Back Zoo (West Orange, New Jersey, United States of America)

Experiences:

Nowadays Maned Wolves kept together with Giant Anteaters in several North-American zoos. The Greensboro Science Center in North-Carolina keeps its breeding pair of Maned Wolves together with a male Giant Anteater in a mixed exhibit is about 2700 m². The institution does leave the wolves with full exhibit access in the evening, the anteater is closed in at night. The park also use the indoor holding units to separate wolves when needed and did so when they had pups. The female wolf was indoor in largest run with den box while the male had middle run and exhibit during day with anteater. Later when pups went on exhibit, anteater was held in for a few days until intros to pups were started. When pups were introduced, they did wait till they were pretty good size and had a good feel for the exhibit and were mobile. Later on introduction were done first and then staff observed the behaviour of the animals. For several years the two species really tend to ignore one another and there has never been any aggression observed from either species towards each other. When introduction were first done, there was some curiosity behaviors, primarily from wolves to anteater but really pretty uneventful. The park has since raised several more sets of pups in this exhibit in recent past though they move the anteater out of the space when pups are young. They also have since introduced a new female wolf to this exhibit and it did initially sustain one injury from the anteater when she became to curious with him and his personal space. He swated her across the neck and created several large lacerations which the veterinarian need to suture. However, they did not let this deter them from this set-up and this female clearly learned from this interaction and no futher issues have occured (HOFFMAN-BALDER 2018, pers. comm.).

Zoo Boise also has experinece with this combination: when the institution first opened its exhibit they had a mixed exhibit and the male anteater and the male Maned Wolf they received had lived together at their previous institution in Sunset Zoo, Manhattan. The animals lived together happily until the park received females and the staff began to see aggression. At that time zoo management decided it was best to separate the species and make two exhibits, so they have lived next door to each other for several years now and the institution has had viable offspring from both species (RUFFNER 2018, pers. comm.).

Houston Zoo has had Maned Wolves and Giant Anteaters together for many years with no issues (HODGE 2018, pers. comm.), and the Phoenix Zoo has the same combination at present and it is successful (TRESZ 2018, pers. comm.). Currently one female wolf and one older male anteater live together in Phoenix: the two species primarily avoid each other and the park has separate night houses for each species (SCHILLING 2018, pers. comm.).

Audubon Zoo has previously had a mixed exhibit containing two male Maned Wolves and one female Giant Anteater. All three individuals shared the exhibit yard during daytime hours and were separated in the evenings. The Giant anteater had access to her holding den and the exhibit during over night hours and the wolves share a holding area together overnight. The exhibit was designed for breeding just Maned Wolves. Some key interactions between these species were as follows: Maned Wolves are able to house with one another overnight and share food/bedding area(s) with minimal aggression at times. Wolves and anteater while on exhibit took turns interacting with enrichment provided to them. They both had an understanding of appropriate space regulation between one another. If come to close they exhibited warning signs before for altercation will arise. Also plenty of space was provided to where each animal on exhibit can get away from one another. Maned wolf males if separated too long or anesthetized for physicals will have to reestablish dominance which can result in biting, scratching and pinning of one another. Between anteater and wolves the anteater will swipe claws at wolves if come to close but normally did not make contact (ANDERSON 2015, pers. comm.).

In San Diego Zoo most of the time the Maned Wolves moved away from the Giant Anteater. Only one time did the wolf nip at the tail of the anteater. Further interestin experince was that at times one of the wolves would sleep with the anteater (SAN DIEGO ZOO 2015, pers. comm.).

Keeping together Maned Wolves and Giant Anteaters has already started in the 1980s in Zoo Osnabrück, Germany in a relatively small, 350 m² exhibit. The species were separated over night and during feeding. Most of the time the species were ignored each other, but sometimes juvenile wolves performed playful attacks and the anteater showed threat display on their hindlegs (DRÜWA 1986).

Houston Zoo has also had their Maned Wolves together with a Capybara for a few months with no apparent issues. The institution has also tried the Maned Wolf with a South American Tapir, however there was aggression from the tapir towards the wolf so it lasted less than a week (HODGE 2018, pers. comm.).

In Europe Parc Zoologique CERZA has had experinece keeping the Maned Wolves together with South American Tapirs, Capybaras and Black-capped Capuchins. According to the observations the carnivores tried to catch the monkeys.

Source:

en/Mixed exhibit Canidae

 

So it seems that the key here in successfuly maintaining these two species together is ample space and plenty of areas where they can retreat from one another, it makes a lot of sense. Actually , I think most things with giant anteaters from their conservation to their husbandry in captivity is dependent on space and particularly in avoiding aggressive incidences from this species towards humans and other animals. They can be very bad tempered and pugnacious and those haymakers they throw with their claws are scary , bless them.

Even with infant hand reared ones you still can catch them on a bad day or accidentally by suprise and get swiped at as I've experienced. It is just the natural hardwired defensive reaction of a poor sighted and vulnerable animal in a sensorially confusing world they have not evolved to occupy in response to what is perceived as a danger. I've spoke with plenty of people living in rural areas whose pet dogs, which were tough fighting / hunting and guard breeds like German shepherds , Rottweilers and even Dogo Argentinos that were killed through an anteater being cornered fighting back and disembowelling them.

About maned wolves they are just the total opposite of the anteater , natural pacifists and non confrontational. I remember when first talking to a scientist and author who has specialized in the conservation of this species and being suprised that she referred to it as "a poor excuse for a predator". It struck me as a bit of a harsh assesment at the time but having spent time observing this species in the wild and in captivity I think its a very apt and even loveable description. I think that is why they can be kept so successfully with other species because they lack the predatory instinct so present in other canids.

Most of the diet is vegetable matter and particularly lobeira ("wolf apple"). When you dissect the scats left by wild animals that is pretty much what most of what you find (Lobeira flesh and seeds and sometimes other cerrado fruits) except for some bones of rodents and tinamou. In zoos when they are fed I've actually seen them go straight for watermelon and apple slices most times over white rats also on their food trays.

 

But why were they of no further interest ? was it to focus on something more endangered?

 

A bit off topic, famous habituated Maned Wolves in Carara were once offered broccoli instead of the usual chicken. The wolf ate broccoli and left the meat. I think Maned Wolves in captivity would benefit from diet change. Especially somebody figuring the actual nutrient content of Solanum lycocarpum fruit.

I think success of mixed species exhibit in general is much dependent from space availalble. A mix which does not work on 400m2 exhibit can work on 1400m2 exhibit. Which is not so different from mixing individuals of the same agressive species. So talk which species can be mixed should mention space available.

A second issue is age, sex and personality of the animals. An elderly animal may ignore a cohabitation which young animal would hunt. Non-breeding animals can live in a mixed exhibit not suitable for a breeding female.