Hey guys I'm looking for some information, I have been watching the programme Anna's Welsh Zoo based on Manor House wildlife Park and it set in 2011/2012. In the programme they decided they would no longer like to keep Americans bison and so they were set to have been relocated to a farm, similarly they had a too many male llamas so when went to guard sheep at a local farm. Can zoos actively give or sell animals to non zoos (like farms, private breeders etc) if so where would you find this info? Thanks again
Depends how the zoo is run and on the species in question and the country. The zoo itself might well be part of an association/group; this will generally give them access to species and other zoo collections, but at the same time might well put restrictions upon them and require certain standards of enclosure and care. So the various zoo groups would be one thing to look at as they'd have rules on what can and can't be traded where. The species might also have restrictions, eg many dangerous or non-native species might well require licences for new owners as well as conditions for captive life. As such those restrictions might well govern who is suitable for a zoo to approach for a potential sale/exchange. Country will govern species rules but might also have other animal transport/trade restrictions which might limit trade within the country and also to other countries as well. For places like the USA the state level might also have further legislation. Finally you've got the staff and keepers at the zoo who'd make the final calls. They might well have certain requirements and desires; plus they might also be considering their overall objectives. A zoo selling animals into the private sector isn't the kind of marketing most zoos want as it sends the wrong messages; especially for rare/endangered/dangerous animals. In your example llama are pretty much a domestic species so its easier to trade those away; they are already in the domestic markets of many countries. Shift things to a tiger or lion and everything would change.
