IUCN Red List changes and common zoo animals

I looked at the IUCN Red List updates and many familiar zoo animals became threatened species in the recent years.

For example, pygmy marmoset is split into two species, both are vulnerable. Golden-bellied mangabey is now endangered (phase-out species in european zoos).
Grey‐cheeked mangabey, black mangabey, fat-tailed dwarf lemur, angolan colobus, 'common' brown lemur, red-fronted brown lemur, bonnet macaque, silvery langur, great argus, andean condor, great hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill and northern ground-hornbil are all vulnerable.
Beisa oryx, red‐capped mangabey, king colobus, 3 species of slow loris, spectacled langur, secretarybird, bateleur and white-crowned hornbill are all endangered. Common hamster is critically endangered.

Besides the sad feeling that wildife is dying out, there is some food for thought for zoos:
- The saying that zoos should only keep threatened species is dubiously sensible, because more and more common species come under threat, and quickly.
- Species status on IUCN red list changes so fast, that planning in zoos (and in the wild, too!) may not catch up.
- There are so many threatened species, that probably the categories Near -Threatened and Vulnerable lost its usefulness.

https://nc.iucnredlist.org/redlist/content/attachment_files/2020-3_RL_Stats_Table7.pdf
https://nc.iucnredlist.org/redlist/content/attachment_files/2019_3_RL_Stats_Table_7.pdf
https://nc.iucnredlist.org/redlist/content/attachment_files/2018_2_RL_Stats_Table_7_new.pdf
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

 

Good to see that Wisent went up, at least.

Regarding common species under threat, the Common Grackle, an extremely common species where I live, has suffered huge declines in recent decades. Right now it is one of the most common bird species, but if the trends continue they may become threatened in just a few decades.

 

Yes, but as I've said before there needs to be on the ground in-situ conservation efforts for species before zoos are seen as the last option.

It isn't at all a matter of filling all available space in zoos with threatened species as there needs to be a very rigorous scientifically based / evidence based decision making process as space is limited as it is.

There are critically endangered species out there that need to be ex-situ in zoos in greater numbers never mind all the vulnerable and near threatened species.

Zoos at least as far as I can see should be the last resort, to use a metaphor rather like the intensive care units, for severely threatened species.

 

There are quite a few good news stories in there, actually - among 'zoo' mammal species, Brown-headed (Colombian) Spider Monkey from CR to EN, White-fronted Lemur EN to VU, Pallas Cat NT to LC, and as you say, European Bison making it all the way to NT. You do have to look for them in a sea of species that are now more endangered, though. That jump straight from LC to CR for Common Hamster is brutal.

Good to see Ziphiidae has been better assessed now, though. A lot of new amphibians and rays assessed. And Hispaniolan Solenodon being reassessed at LC is brilliant news. Red Kite up to LC as well now.

 

Incredible about the Solenodon ! Somehow that news slipped past me !

 

I hadn't seen the hamster, that's scary.

 

We've reached the point in Europe where modern methods for using land for agriculture are starting to affect farmland-adapted species probably even more than the forest or wetland species it originally supplanted. We weaned all these species onto hedgerows and field edges and then ripped them all out. Weird times.

 

Yes, it is. I can't even imagine the European hamster going extinct, and My memory may be deceiving me but for Some reason I always thought they were least concern! It seems like one of those common rodents that you would expect to find easily. Now zoos need to breed hamsters!

 

They were indeed listed as LC until this update.

Depends if you live in Vienna..!

Fortunately, a few already are. From what I know it definitely seems a good candidate for breed-and-release if suitable sites exist.

 

Interesting, crazy how something and zoom up from LC to EN.

I don't, I just always read about them being common for people who did live in their ranges, often foraging in their yards.

Thats good to hear, I'm glad zoos are trying to play their part.

 

They're especially visible in parts of Vienna, that's all - I was there this summer, and saw dozens of them! It's just possible the urban populations could be vital to the species' survival at this rate. The local authorities in Vienna, happily, are very aware of the value of what they have, and the hamsters are very much encouraged.

 

Thats also good to hear, thank you @Maguari! I always loved reading about European hamsters when I was younger, still do! I found them one of the few animals I would actually like to live as other than a human, they're very crafty little buggers!

 

Buffy headed marmoset is now up to critically endangered and this is very much an urgent update, it has been for many years now.

 

Alarming news indeed.
Yes, this species is under great threat, and I have much hope for its recovery.

 

My profile picture is not actually the buffy headed marmoset (Callithrix flaviceps) it is the buffy tufted marmoset (Callithrix aurita).

These are quite different looking species though their names are quite similar in English.

Thank you, I have hope too and we are working hard to save it.

 

Sorry, It was a misidentification from your profile pic, they look sort of similar, but I see it now. The nice little orange hat. I think I'll just delete that part, its kinda embarrassing.

 

So quite a few commonalities between the species as they are both "mountain marmosets" native to the Atlantic rainforest though flaviceps has a far more limited range. The best way to tell them apart is the difference in colouration between these two marmosets.

The buffy-headed marmoset has a lovely brown / blonde pelage around the head and upper body which I often think reminds me of the colour of a freshly poured capucchino coffee.

The buffy-tufted marmoset has much darker fur (except for the little blonde "crown") that appears quite black but if you look closely it has flecks of blonde or "gold" to it. This is particularly noticeable when you see one in the sunlight and the gold really shines out.

This is actually what inspired the scientific name of the species "aurita" which means "golden" in Latin. The fur actually often reminds me of a freshly poured pint of the beer Guinness with the dark body upon first glance but the rich golden / reddish hue when you look more closely.

The other very notable difference is the whitish "skull" markings of the face of Callithrix aurita which give it one of its common names in Portuguese "sagui-caveirinha" which means the "little skull faced marmoset". For this reason too in the programe we have christened it "the little goth monkey".

 

Ah, okay, I know what they look like, I think I might have just been thinking of Callithrix flaviceps when I saw the name, since their names are very similar.
Again, super embarrassing, you would think the guy who loves marmosets and tamarins wouldn't get names mixed up.

 

Its easy to get mixed up with common names of species, it is similar to the lion tamarins, thats why we typically use aurita and flaviceps.

 

I'm confused about this. The Hispaniolan solenodon is one of those species that is rarely seen and LC seems a very optimistic assessment, especially as some 'critically endangered' species have populations of tens of thousands. There is a species of opossum that is known from 6 specimens, but is assessed as LC. I would have thought that the lowest it could be was Data Deficient.