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Taronga Western Plains Zoo Persian Onager birth

Discussion in 'Australia' started by kiang, 30 Nov 2008.

  1. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    @BennettL, I agree fully with your apparent frustration at the lack of will power and determination to make something of a breeding group, especially of a critically endangered taxon like the onager.

    BTW: the Tilburg male is genetically very important as his genes have only become well represented in the Israeli wild ass group that was assembled in Hai Bar in Israel. Unfortunately, due to misidentification separate imports of onager (the Tilburg line) and kulan (a later date import) meant all current Israeli stock is hopelessly hybridized.

    Whereas, this is touted as a conservation success story locally, however regionally and for all former (Syrian onager) known wild ass occurrence in Israel and other neighboring ex range states the ecological niche establishment of a sister taxon here … Well, it is a bit of an embarassment!!! Allthough, to be fair the methods and procedures and the overall model fully conforms to IUCN reintroduction baseline criteria. Just if ever a regional wild ass reestablishment became a reality in the Near East they represent an ecological risk of polluting the a portion of the currently extant Persian onager gene pool!

    It would be interesting from a genetics / population parameters perspective how genetically important the current European and North American stocks of Persian onager to in situ conservation might be. And vice versa, for new founder stock to enter the small EAZA and AZA stocks.

    At the end of the day for the TWPZ stock (whatever is left …, I have no details either), I would still favor … if the ZAA and South Australian zoos are reluctant to have an Antipodes wild ass conservation breeding program that instead of losing their genes and have them go extinct on phase out policy - a feat I frequently find a bit outmoded given the historical, as most certainly the current and future expected biodiversity losses, so we can ill afforded as a zoo conservation community to actually do this … - that they have the foresight to send them overseas to either the AZA or EAZA region, whichever is the politically and logistically most realistic and expedient.
     
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  2. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    The onagers are 2.2 and they have no intention of breeding them as far as I know (they are just being kept until they die).

    There are no maned wolves at Dubbo unless they just got some very recently from Altina. The only zoos currently with them apart for Altina are Adelaide, Crocodylus, Hunter Valley, National, and Shoalhaven. None of these were imported, they were all bred at Altina.
     
  3. Kifaru Bwana

    Kifaru Bwana Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    This whole phase out episode really pans out as a form of willful neglect of failing to come to the rescue of a critically endangered taxon (their global in situ population: 300-400, which considerably more endangered than the such "fashionables" as red pandas and Asiatic elephants et cetera).

    What may be phase out in one region should not be at the detriment of the entire ex situ, nor in situ population. This taxon being critically endangered bears a moral responsibility on all of us to ensure their genes are not lost on the captive and / or in situ global population. A rather hapless over simplistic phase out policy without giving due consideration to any global species management interests for this taxon elsewhere, just seems a bit out of order to me.

    Considering this population once was at 3.7 individuals (and that is some time ago) with good potential, that even at the start of 2009 the population was 4.4 individuals and might still have recovered, that it is now at only 2.2 really pushes the case that if the regional authority does not care to have an conservation breeding interest in the species, that at least they have the common sense and conservation moral responsibility that have them be of value to either the AZA or EAZA conservation breeding program.
     
  4. Zorro

    Zorro Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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  5. zebraboy

    zebraboy Member

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    Depending on age 2.2 is still a viable population if managed correctly and in my honest opinion i will be disgusted and almost embarrassed if australia and more particularly taronga simply lets them die out without putting in a solid effort to breed and preserve them
     
  6. Zorro

    Zorro Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Its just not going to happen they could of imported fresh bloodlines if they wanted but they don't wish too, Some could of been sent to other large open range zoos like Monarto zoo from TWPZ breedings but never happened!
     
  7. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    the animals are all old. I think the last born there was in 2006 (a male, now about 11 years old) - the subject of this thread although the ISIS data was obviously incorrect. The other adults are all much older again. The foal was born in 2006 which at the time made a population of 4.5. A female died around 2007, which brought the number down to 4.4 (which is what it was in 2008). Since then four more have died.

    Yes, the animals may have been worth exporting when they were deemed "phase-out", although I don't know how their genes are represented overseas so that may not have been a good option. But they can't be resurrected now from what is left.

    EDIT: actually I was reading the date wrong, sorry. The foal was born in 2007 (in December) so the ISIS data that started this thread would have been correct.With that birth the herd was up to 4.5, and a female died to make it 4.4.
     
    Last edited: 8 Jan 2017
  8. zebraboy

    zebraboy Member

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    At that age that stallion would be viable for breeding but could anyone put an age to the younger of the two females
     
  9. Zorro

    Zorro Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I agree with your view Zebraboy but its just not going to happen its just another species tossed on the heap for our major zoos!