The Sri Lankan Leopards have been introduced to each other at DDZ. The female came into season when the pair went on-show and initial introductions went very well. Fingers crossed. Source: WIN News Toowoomba https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1809120119476857
The video also mentions they want to find a new companion for brazilian tapir tiquie hopefully an import from overseas and possibly reboot the breeding program
It wouldn’t be a surprise to me if they managed to get a mate for Tiquie, considering what they’ve managed to achieve with imports thus far. She is approaching the age of 20 though so the breeding window for her is beginning to close, if it hasn’t already.
Tique is 24 years old according to the tapir population thread, so well past her reproductive prime. If an import is to occur from overseas, the best thing DDZ could do is import a young pair (or pairs) to maximise breeding chances. I’ve read over the import conditions for Perissodactyls (specifically tapir) and there’s a number of criteria to satisfy - but if anyone’s up to the challenge, it’s DDZ. The use of the word companion implies she’ll be getting just that however (rather than a mate). Melbourne Zoo love their phase outs so much - perhaps they’re preparing to surrender their female Malayan tapir? Combined with the death of their peccaries (another phase out), this would free up a reasonable amount of space at their zoo.
I believe Melbourne would be second to Taronga/TWPZ in being the best when it comes to the phase outs, lol, I guess at the end of the day it depends on who’s minding the shop at the time.
Regionally speaking, I’d say Auckland is giving them a run for their money right now with hippos, elephants and pinnipeds. It’s a competition with no winners, least of all the regional breeding programmes and those who like to see variety in their zoo i.e. every customer who walks through the gate.
I don’t think Melbourne will be willing to send Semangka to Darling Downs anytime soon. They are committed to maintaining the species into the future, as they are a species ambassador that Melbourne is using alongside tigers, orangutans ect. to highlight the plight of the South East Asian rainforests. The Peccary and Tapir enclosures combined wouldn’t give enough space to even build a single enclosure for a larger species. The area combined is less than half an acre, not much.
Hopefully they’re working on importing more to continue with this species long term. Longevity of this species is around 25-30 years, so Semangka (aged 23 years) won’t be around much longer. It’d be great to see more zoos acquire this species. They’re stunning to look at; they’re endangered; and they’re the only species of tapir found in Asia - what more do zoos want?
Unless I am mistaken the EEP have put a stop to Tapir and Indian rhino breeding due to lack of holders even though they could use a few here
Thats interesting - and I indeed note there’s been no breeding of Malayan tapirs in Europe in recent years. They’re breeding well in North America and of course Asian zoos. Malaysia (Zoo Negara) would be the likely import source for new tapir - potentially coming via Singapore Zoo if quarantine regulations require.
It’d be great to see Darling Downs Zoo import multiple tapir (either Brazilian or Malayan) and act as the breeding hub for the region - supplying other zoos. This could be achieved with the import of at least two pairs, to offer a contingency for incompatibility and also for the production of pairs of unrelated tapir to supply to the other zoos.
Melbourne seem to still be on board with them, at least for now. Despite the location of the enclosure (a spot that is rarely visited), there is actually small crowds at times watching Semangka. Tapirs are a fascinating species to observe, and they’re endangered too, which adds to the conservation message that’s zoos put out. They should be a prime species the region is interested in.
That’s probably because they aren’t endangered (compared to Malayans) and Malayans are a much more stunning species to look out. Most zoos would obviously choose to keep Malayans over Brazilians which is why there are very few holders.
I would be very surprised if the Malayan species will ever be seen again in Australian collections due to the eye problems in the past. As far as Darling Downs zoo is concerned they already punch well above their weight considering they are a small family owned regional zoo without the funding of the big city government backed zoos. But perhaps it could happen time will tell.
I agree on all counts as you say but it would need another couple of holders to make it worth while as for being endangered it did not stop TWPZ from phasing out Onagers
In an ideal world, the main zoos would support Darling Downs Zoo via a join import; though I strongly believe the use of one zoo as a breeding hub would be more productive in terms of breeding. Incompatibility issues amongst pairs in our region have been rife and having multiple tapir on site offers a quick solution to subbing males and females in and out of pairs as required.
The eye problems were only due to inadequate housing at the time. Malayan Tapirs are especially prone to developing blindness when kept in extensive sunlight as their eyes are very sensitive. These issues can easily be fixed; and Semangka’s current enclosure is decent with plenty of shade.
I would like to see a population of them in the region perhaps some of NZ zoos could come on board if importing happened again
