Going to record "on the road with Edinburgh Zoo" on the BBC news at 1130pm... hopefully should be good to see behind the scenes
I watched this on iPlayer. I found it interesting but was surprised by the persistent questions about reintroduction and animal happiness.
The remaining four Red River hogs are on the move to a private keeper today, Though one decided to have a brief taste of freedom before they boarded the transporter Zoo staff round up escaped pigs - News - Scotsman.com
Red River Hogs at Edinburgh in the news yet again! So will Edinburgh no longer be keeping this species any more? The way it says 'two adults and two young' sounds like that, or does it in fact refer to the remaining young from two different litters rather than the parents perhaps?
no it is the adults and young (i think) as a couple of other red river hogs recently went to Blairdrummond so there will be none left.
Red river hogs gone, Diana monkeys gone, replaced by Visayan warty pigs and binturong respectively, looks like a change of geographical emphasis on the once Congo set of exhibits.
Shame they couldn't get hold of Palawan binturong for true geographical veracity if they are indeed changing emphasis from Congo to the Phillipines, I wonder: a) if anything else from the Phillipines will be coming into the collection soon b) if the Bongo will be next to leave the collection.
BBC News - Visitor alert as pigs escape at Edinburgh Zoo Why not go to a zoo/wildlife park instead of a private collection? Has the EEP approved that they have gone to a private collection?
Does anybody know where this private collection is?, also were they sold or donated?. So after all the controversy two years ago of culling the initial litter of two, Edinburgh Zoo it would appear have now discontinued with red river hogs, and not the only species to be discontinued in recent times, suppose, however they have to tighten their belts with such a large rent book for the giant pandas
On the other hand, they've always had a good turnover of new species arriving and old species departing - quite apart from the giant panda, the past year has also seen banteng, cock-of-the-rock and *two* species of herpestid arriving into the collection, to name but four examples.
Its all very well for Zoos to 'refresh' their animal species from time to time but the speed of turnover here seems remarkable. No doubt the decision was made on the grounds of Conservation status- Visayan Warty Pig being the more important for zoos to focus on, though at the rate they are breeding they will soon reach the same situation as with RRHogs in the Zoos. These hogs may have gone to a private keeper because this species is/was breeding so freely in many UK zoos they have become two a penny.
This is odd as Edinburgh were (are still??) the studbook keeper (not that you'd know there was a one with how few moves were recomended). If this brings in a new Studbook keeper who's willing to do their job then it can only be a good thing. Dianas approaching the point of no return with a rapidly aging demographic and no hope of range exports.
The Diana monkeys kept in the former Congo exhibit were an older pair, the main breeding group was kept in the monkey house and i am sure is still there.
They were in the monkey house on Friday te 25th of may I think. Will need to check my photos when I get home.
