ZOO Dvůr Králové Could Dvur Kralove be excluded from EAZA?

Zoonaute are reporting that at the beginning of May there will be a special meeting of EAZA, to decide whether or not to exclude Dvur Kralove from their organisation.
They are accused of ignoring the instructions given by the coordinators EEP breeding. Especially for the zebras, hyenas - and unauthorized transport of four white rhino to Africa.

In my opinion, Dvur Kralove, is a very important participant in many European breeding programmes, and this seems like harsh treatment to me.

http://zoonaute.forumactif.com/zoos...-eviction-de-dvur-kralove-de-l-eaza-t6207.htm

 

This does indeed look harsh to me. If EAZA is for conservation and not just sandbox politics, they allow them to remain in the organisation, so many rare species breed there like rats!

I'm a zoo enthusiast, not a professional, so I have only basic knowledge about how species breeding coordination is done, so could you tell me please; in the event that they would be kicked out of EAZA, would have have to send away a number of animals that belong to member zoos and are in Dvur Kralove on breeding loan?

 

You are right Baldur, they would have to give up some of their animals, unfortunately all their okapis for examle... This would be a very strange decision to exclude this zoo, which is famous for their breeding results with keeping and breeding some rare African ungulates and also Dvur is the most important genetic bank of African animals in Europe, they laid foundations of breeding many antelope species, zebras, giraffes, rhinoceros etc, so I hope, there are some reasonable members in EAZA council and they will make a good solution of a dispute...

 

When you join any organisation you agree to abide by it,s code of membership and ethics. If you persistently brake that agreement you forfeit your right to membership.

 

Looks like Dvur Kralove have survived to fight another day, this was reported on zoonaute tonight.

Zoo Dvur Kralove in the Czech Republic remains the EAZA.

A discussion has taken place during the meeting which took place this weekend in France, but the decision did not go to vote.

EAZA Zoo and have indicated they will not communicate on this topic.

http://zoonaute.forumactif.com/forum.htm

 

It looks like Dvur decided it´s better to step out itself than to let EAZA to kick them out.

Source

 

Probably a really daft question, but why would the EAZA not approve of their breeding Grevy's zebra and African Wild Dogs? Are they impure or over-represented animals?

Just curious.

 

I am curious if this could have an impact on EAZA breeding policy? (I dont know much about the breeding restrictions, but from a little what I heard or read, there are sometimes restrictions on really rare species. And I think this is not good approach. When you stop breeding only for a few years, after then, you have mostly older animals which never reproduce before. In spite of the fact that these animals are theoretically still capable to reproduce, they have big problems when they start with it in older age. So it thretens the future of the species in captivity.)

I am also curious how many animals would return to Dvur Kralove after the stopping of their membership in EAZA? Would it have a big influence on breeding of rare african ungulates in Europe?

Is this just a play between EAZA and Dvur Kralove to show who is stronger?

 

I´ve never heard about inpure Grevy´s zebras or African Wild Dogs at DK. But I think there were long-term differencies between DK and EAZA about management of these species. There was fE a decision of the EEP coordinator to castrate a bigger number of young Grevy´s zebra stalions, but Dvur refused to do it.

 

Haha, how do you think can a single east european zoo like DK be stronger than a moloch of the size of EAZA? They can never win, even if they were right. The zoo director would be naive if she would think so.

There were several problems with DK within EAZA, the biggest two are maybe a lack of communication and a sale/exchange of animals within EEP and that is against EAZA rules. The zoo has stabile big groups of many animals and they produce a lot of offspring, but hardly any time need an animal from other zoo, it makes them a net donnor, and they can´t financially afford it just to send dosens/hunderts of animals for free, if they want to survive (thats their expanation). And not to mention, according to Czech laws an animal still has a value within the accounting, and a council-owned company can never donate any property to 3rd party, otherwise it would face a punishment.

But the actual cause for the suspention is acctualy quite funny, at least in version I´ve heard. Dvur was aproached my a small zoo from the other end of Europe and was interested in some animals. Dvur agreed on an exchange against smaller cats of a common (not endangered and non-EEP) species, and it was proceeded. But that zoo haven´t paid for previously agreed transporting costs and after Dvur urged them for payment, that zoo sent a complaint to EAZA that Dvur sold those cats to private hands, without informing them. So Dvur got suspended and still sits on an unpaid bill of 4.000 Euro.

I´m unsure what will bring the future for Dvur Kralove but I´m higly unhappy about the behaviour of both DK and EAZA. Not profesional, if you ask me. Where is the interest in animals, it was lost somewhere in the politicking.

 

Ah, fair enough It just seem a bit odd to me that they would frown on breeding these pretty endangered species without a reason.

 

We met the director of Zoo de Beauval, he told us that the zoo had resigned

 

Yes, they resigned their membership with effective date 30th of June this year, sad ending after 15 years spent in this organisation. I don´t know when the first transports of animals will start (they participated in over 30 EEPs), but hopefully all involved will lay stress on animal wellfare in their decisions.

 

For sure it will be a mega operation since that there are several animals that are owned by DK in EAZA zoo´s!

 

Have there been any announcements about the exchange of EEP animals yet?

 

No, I haven´t heard about any exchanges yet. DK announced that they will not ask the animals loaned to other zoos back. They also want to continue as a member in all the EEPs, but I don´t know if they will be allowed to do so as a non-member of EAZA now. We will see what happens in the next months.

 

Now a few months have passed since Dvur Kralove ceased being an active EAZA member, does anyone know whether or not this has had any impact on their stock yet or not? I.E. have they had to return any loan animals to EAZA members, have they made any changes that may not have been possible under EAZA regulations (not that they were paying much attention to these) and does anyone know if they are likely to return to the organisation?

 

Appropriate question is whether it had impact on EAZA breeding plans.

The whole issue was about Dvur Kralove being great net producer of animals (especially big African mammals) and other zoos giving back too little.

I feel that EAZA needs modifying their guidelines so succesful zoos are proportionally compensated for their efforts.

Don't ask me how, since Dvur seems to already have almost every EEP animal.

 

Good point

I guess I should be asking if the move away from EAZA has had an effect on either party yet then.

I wonder whether DK may almost be relieved to be away from some of the regs imposed by EAZA, I know they run pretty much how they want anyway but it must be a little less frustrating for them now. (Maybe?).

Also would other collections be reserved about dealing with DK to avoid upsetting the EAZA board? As is rightly pointed out above, DK hold many valuable species that other collections would likely be interested in but if EAZA may frown on any transfers, would another zoo be prepared to be in their bad books....? Or does exclusion from EAZA prevent any dealings with other collections anyway? All a little confusing to me.

 

Dvur Kralove as far as I know are still working with at least 2 EEP studbooks,at the present time and those studbook holders have no current plans to not include them in it as it would result in alot of animals being lost to the studbooks if they had to be returned to Dvur Kralove,because if those animals were returned it would leave the studbooks in very serious trouble genetically!