Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Los Angeles Zoo News 2022

The first California avian flu cases were found in northern California within the past week or so.

 

The servals referenced in the April 2022 Animal Transactions are now on exhibit. They aren't the easiest to see, as they have access to their indoor holding areas and their roundhouse is still chained off for COVID-19 precautions.

 

August animal transactions: https://s36593.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08.2022-animal-transactions.pdf

July meeting minutes: https://s36593.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/07.2022-Zoo-Commission-Minutes-FINAL.pdf

 

I had heard rumors that the San Diego Zoo Safari Park was going out of black rhinos, but this month’s animal transactions confirms it. What a shame after all of the hard work the park’s staff and previous management put into integrating them into the Central Africa field exhibit.

 

I wanted to thank @African Grey for always posting these for us, I truly appreciate you doing this without skipping a beat!

A couple things I found interesting:

• I presume the Eastern Black Rhino they speak of is perhaps Aria? I know Kendi is from Cincinnati, unless I’m wrong.
• But also, how does the LA Zoo own a rhino despite them not having any since the passing of Randa? I know of the Sumatran rhinos the zoo before but not other rhinos.
• And I’m excited to see Fijian Iguanas at the LAIR!
• Forgot to mention but it’s amazing to see them have success with Blue Billed Currasows

 

Do you think it’s due to the lack of breeding success with the specie vs new management? That’s really sad as I just saw Kendi in the habitat with Greater Kudu and it was a sight to see

 

Some zoos really, really like holding onto ownership of animals, even after generations of a loan. I've had some pretty infuriating experiences trying to get zoos to agree to transactions for animals that they owned, but with parents or grandparents that hadn't seen those zoos.

Because of the city rules concerning the dispersal of city-owned "assets", LA typically doesn't donate animals like many other AZA zoos do - they are usually either sales (if only for a tiny, nominal price) or loans - so it's not surprising that they have a lot more animals out on loan than many other zoos. Apparently, a rhino among them

 

That seems to be what’s going on, I didn’t even know the LA Zoo had ownership of Aria until now. I do see they loan or sell animals to other facilities from the notes but this one caught my eye mostly due to not recalling the LA Zoo having even had a black rhino during my lifetime Thank you for the explanation!

 

It’s the new management. The new management is very conservative and lacking in the decades of hands-on animal experience that the previous management had. They don’t want to push any boundaries or try any new things. If they get their way, this will not be the worst thing to happen to the field exhibits...

Kendi is young, so breeding was always going to be a ways off, and to my knowledge, he is supposed to go to Honolulu with Aria, as they are a recommended pair.

 

This worries me and I wish I knew whom to write a letter to yes I’m basically a nobody but I do care about what makes the Safari Park special as many of us do, this seems like a bad trend and I hate saying it about my favorite place in the world.

 

Boy howdy, I sure love arbitrary phase outs... rather than having a sad about it on an online forum and not doing anything about it, what would be the best avenue for changing this outcome? In the sense of the Safari Park maintaining black rhinos and whatnot.

 

I have always noticed that black rhino were a lot rarer in AZA and EAZA zoos than their white coutnerparts. I find this a bit odd given the conservation status of the 2 species.

 

I would propose that discussion of the Safari Park's possible phasing out of black rhinos move to the Safari Park thread.

 

I'm fairly certain white rhinos are easier to manage, especially temperament wise, so this would be why the whites are more commonly kept.

 

Directly correlating with this, white rhinos are much easier to include in mixed-species exhibits which makes them a more appealing option for many facilities.

 

Yeah those are some really beneficial factors, especially the mixed species aspect. However, I do hope that black rhinos are still sustained in multiple collections

 

I know I did start this inquiry about the black rhinos ownership but would it be possible for a moderator to move this discussion to the SDZ Safari Park thread? It’s my fault and I do apologize for starting this discussion

 

On a separate note the zoo has earned around 2.2 million in funding from the state. I believe both them and the aquarium of the pacific have earned major gains from COVID funds.

 

Per the zoo’s social media, the 2.2 million dollar funding they just received will go towards the following: an upcoming education/event space, a new cape vulture exhibit as well as refurbishments to their trumpeter swan exhibit.

 

If I remember correctly from when it was first mentioned awhile back, the cape vulture exhibit is supposed to go where the former Nubian ibex exhibit is, although maybe the plans have since changed.