Manatees and European Zoos

It would be nice to see African manatees or dugongs. The care should not be too different and dugongs would probably exhibit well with turtles and the like.

 

Then why not visit the facilities that actually keep them?

 

When I looked on Zootierliste only the Antillean/Caribbean manatee is found in European zoos.

 

So? There is little physical difference between African and Carribean manatees, especially for the average zoo visitor. And feeding dugongs adequately is no easy task..

 

As far as I'm aware seagrasses are nutritionally similar to Vallisneria and presumably like land grasses. Green turtles have a similar diet to dugongs. Is there something dugongs require extra or just the volume?

 

Volume, among others; and the lack of adequate facilities for more than one, if at all any Sirenia species.

 

How do male manatees observe the oestrus of a female manatee?
In the waters of the rivers.

Sometimes many dozens of males gather round one female.

 

There is also the West African manatee and apparently their feeding ecology is unexpected and yet quite different to Carribean.

 

African manatee = West African Manatee = Trichechus senegalensis
And since all Trichechus species are usually fed quite successfully with locally available vegetables in ex-situ husbandry, differences in feeding ecology are not really a representative highlight.
@john: has the reply of the Zoofreunde not satisfied you? Maybe you take a look at: Ecology and Conservation of the Sirenia: Dugongs and Manatees by Marsh, O'Shea and Reynolds

 

I personally thought the manatee enclosure at Berlin Tierpark was rubbish, much preferred the one in Paris. The manatees seemed a lot happier and more playful, and as already mentioned, not as chubby! Which other of these zoos that house manatees would be worth travelling to see in your opinions?

 

I'd strongly recommend the manatee exhibit in Nuremburg Zoo.

 

If you want to see a large manatee enclosure, you could try the one in Wroclaw Zoo's Afrykarium as I believe that one is the largest in Europe (by water volume at least).

 

I'll have a look into them, thanks guys

 

And you have of course the brand new enclosure in Arnhem

 

Worth the visit you think? I think we're edging towards Zoo Parc de Beauval at present for an impromptu trip

 

I wish a zoo in the UK kept manatees. I remember hearing something about Bristol a while ago.

 

Wild Place was supposed to be having manatees. UK zoos do not seem to be interested in these amazing creatures.

 

They might not be interested but we are!! But seriously I am surprised that no zoo has had an interest in them.

 

There are reports a manatee has been born at Wroclaw, a first birth, don't know if it is to one of the Singapore animals though.

 

Must have been from a Singapore animal, as they kept only males until their arrival (after their first female died).