A new exotic animal collection is due to be opened on the site of the former Fife Animal Park in Spring 2016 New zoo to open at site of closed Fife Animal Park - Fife / Local / News / The Courier
Introducing Fife Zoo The new collection will now open during the Summer. It will be known as Fife Zoo, no confirmed species yet but the logo features what appears to be a Gibbon Hopes for summer opening of Fife Zoo after planning permission is granted - Fife / Local / News / The Courier
A plan of the site is available, (but unreadable to me) https://www.facebook.com/fifezoo/ph....1464688904./1554561694846302/?type=3&theater Split into 3 zones Africa, Asia & S America.
this might help perhaps: 15/03492/FULL | Erection of animal enclosures, formation of outdoor fenced enclosures and reconfiguration of existing zoo including formation of new footpaths, landscaping and ancillary works | Fife Zoo Birniefield Kinloch Collessie Cupar Fife KY15 7
The park opening has been put back to next year. 2.0 castrated zebra have been promised to the park. Fife Zoo earns its stripes despite delay in opening - Fife Today
I only just got round to reading the link. That's a nice article; they seem really dedicated to doing the best job they can on the zoo.
The two male Grevy's are coming from the West Midlands Safari Park, which will leave the WMSP with 0:2
Agreed.Even when in the article they say they will breed them.How can they breed when first of all they don't have a female and second of all the males are castrated. BennettL
This is a really naive statement. It shows a complete lack of understanding of how a successful breeding programme works and how genetically unimportant males can be realistically maintained without resorting to euthanasia Nowhere in the article does it state the owners want to breed zebras (though I'm sure they would). It does say they are part of a breeding programme i.e the result of an ongoing breeding programme.
Zoos frequently refer to animals held in male groups as 'part of a breeding programme'- in other words the zoo concerned is involved in the overall programme, even if its own role only involves holding surplus non-breeding animals. An alternative scenario is that they hold non-breeding animals first, followed later by females and a breeding male. As for the castration of Grevy Zebra stallions, this will almost certainly have been recommended/okayed by the S/B keeper if they come from genetically well-represented lines and so will never be required for breeding.
Sorry about sounding naive. It's just that this is the first time I've actually been able to talk about Zoos and animals and breeding etc (my passion) without being looked at as strange. Now though I get your point about they need to maintain them. However in order to prevent misunderstandings (which are my fault) in future, I'd like to know where I can find some more information about these topics (books, videos, websites) any help will be appreciated.
Pertinax summed up the situation well above. The truth is that zebras breed freely in zoos. In the wild there would not be multiple mature stallions in a herd (the social structure of the Grevy's zebra in particular is less cohesive) but the sex ratio of those born is 50:50 (to all intents and purposes). So there will always be a large number of males that cannot be slotted into a herd. The alternatives? culling young males (becoming a less frequently used management tool), housing them all individually (uneconomical and impractical), forming bachelor groups of entire stallions (lots of fighting leading to welfare issues) or castration (which might render individuals compatible in a social situation). Males, castrated or not, which are no longer needed by the breeding programme but are maintained purely on ethical grounds (as an alternative to euthanasia) or for purely exhibition purposes are often used by an EEP to test or prove the ability of a new holder to maintain the taxon successfully. Once a holder has demonstrated an aptitude with the species, it may then be permitted to receive females and individuals that are more valuable / less expendable from the point of view of the wider population. There are many sources of information about how small populations are managed successfully. The EAZA website and its publication Zooquaria are good places to start and there are several academic books which you can trace through Google books.
Apologies not necessary I don't think. Generally speaking you just pick it up as you go along. The more time you spend in and around Zoos, the more you will notice this sort of thing and the reasons. EAZA publications as Paradoxurus said are a good source of information too.
0.0.5 Sulcata tortoise have arrived: Fife Zoo Azara's Agoutis have also joined the collection, unsure exactly how many: Fife Zoo
