Was wondering if there was anyone else out there who thought it might not be a crazy idea for some zoos in Australia (Taronga, Melbourne, National, Mogo etc) to make home for Himalayan Brown Bears and try introduce a breeding program for these wonderful creatures. Can't remember which thread I read it in on this site but I recall reading someone say something about Australian zoos ONLY housing Sun Bears (which dont get me wrong I absolutely love/adore) in the future is a bit disappointing. I'm a big daydreamer and have had those wish you could change the past fantasies about Taronga, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide if I could have been alive in the 1950s and encouraged these zoos to obtain eight (4.4) surviving Mexican Grizzly Bears for conservation (not to mention encouraging American, European (etc) zoos to make home for the rest of the survivors) and maybe enough future generations could have been born by now to not only have saved the species from extinction but also played part in re-introduction programs into the wild (protected nature reserves in Mexico.) Anyway this is what I'm talking about when it comes to long rambling streams of fantasy. Although I enjoy it as an animal lover and enjoy reading other peoples likewise ideas I do try to stay on topic as a realist as often as possible hahaha. So back to 2016. Was sad on my last trip to Taronga (October 2015) to discover the beloved Snow Leopards were no longer there (its not lost on me that maritime climated humid Sydney, Aus is not the most ideal location for high altitude and cool temperature thriving creatures like Snow Leopards or Brown Bears which might justify why Sun Bears are the only species now being kept in the major zoos in Aus. As a kid I loved the Syrian Brown Bears at Perth Zoo and the Kodiaks at Taronga and was sad when they relocated/passed away. But perhaps this is a step in the future for all the right reasons by only homing equator region Bears in the next decades. The Himalayan Brown Bears are just one endangered animal that could be a maybe consideration for some Australian zoos. Many others like West-African Lion, Ethiopian Jackal, Javan Rhinoceros, Sumatran Rhinoceros (list goes on) have seemed like potentially exciting suggestions I have always felt tempted to discuss with other people and maybe the zoo staff themselves. Anyway thanks everyone - peace out
Ursus Maritimus I'd love to see Polar Bear reinstated in the regions major zoos. Auckland, Wellington, Adelaide, Taronga and Perth Zoo all used to curate them, and have long phased them out. Taronga Zoo in 1984, Auckland Zoo in 1995 was the last I believe. Their accomodation was clearly inadequate on hindsight, and the subject of much controversey but the exhibition of this species at Sea World on the Gold Coast and in Singapore prove climate need not to be a deterent with the advent of temperature controlled exhibits such as these. The polar bears at Sea World contribute to a global breeding programme as their three bears are the only bears in the region, but if several of the main zoos chose to reinstate them, a regional breeding programme could obviously be founded. This is just my opinion however, but I'm sure most people would agree there's something inspiring about the world's largest and only maritime bear. Throw in their association with Christmas and children's literature, and more significantly, their emerging status as a symbol of climate change, their public profile is higher than ever.
I would like to see a larger bear species become a priority in Australian zoos alongside the sun bears. The latter are great but are quite a lot smaller than bears are popularly conceived to be. Sloth bears would be much better suited to Australia's climate than either brown or polar bears. I don't know whether there are surplus animals that could be sent here.
Great idea!!! Sloth Bears would be an excellent choice of larger bear species to keep at main city Aus zoos along with their smaller Sun cousins.
