Pygmy Hippo history Austral(asian) region

Australia's hoostock collection would have looked infinitely better had they been able to hold on to all of those species that McAlpine imported! And it was 3? cheetah (not lion) that he also added but they were euthenased due to suspected BSE (right during one of the crisises involving that disease in the UK).

 

Could it be a bit dodgy studbook keeping that one of the two deaths at Tipperary was actually just covering up for the loss of an escapee (and presumed death while awol)? From what I understand it was well known within the zoo community that a pygmy went missing, with reports of occasional sightings. People who knew the hippos (from Pearl Coast days) saw through the crap and knew exactly what had gone on, but the truth has been muddied.

 

My question would be as to why the powers that be let this animal roam feral for so long it was known to be out there.

 

That was my thought line too given the concern for introduction of alien species into the Australian ecosystem and the immediate welfare of this endangered mammal.


@tetrapod, to even want to suggest this would be down to dodgy studbook keeping is rather condescending on the individuals and institution administering the international studbook long term.

As I clearly pointed out previously it is down to the institutions reporting to the studbook holder that may hold the key to not providing accurate data to the studbook holder (but then it would have to be a given that the registrar and curatorial staff at the time of escapes "willingly" did not include these data into their report to the studbook keeper). Without any clear evidence to that effect one cannot concur this, at best it remains a suggestion of how it came to be the escapee data was not included into the studbook.

 

One would believe the powers that be would of known how much this animal could of helped in a breeding program in the region and being female could of given a possible few calfs which would have given a big boost to the ultra low numbers of captive pygmy's in Australia, Leaving roam for six years as it did was a real waste not to mention letting it live as a feral species, how it managed to stay alive for so long with Crocodiles in the region would of made a good story.

 

It's shame that if any of the main zoos (Taronga, Melbourne, Adelaide) were aware of this feral Pygmy Hippo, they didn't take the initiative to go and catch it. It could have greatly contributed to the captive population in our region.

From what I've heard on ZooChat, Tipperary's records were a shambles. Does anyone know what happened to their female Common Hippopotamus, Solucky (born 1987 at Auckland Zoo)?

 

Did all the Hippos get sent to the then Cairns wildlife Safari at Mareeba Qld which has since now closed down with the animals going to a Bali zoo al bar one female Hippo?

 

I really could not tell you which individuals got stuck in the Antipodes after the transfer of 1.1 breeding pair to Taman Safari Cisarua / Bogor Jawa (destined - I believe - for the Taman Safari operation in Bali).

Incidentally, this latter pair has just in 2017 had a new calf.

 

The ZAA should have snapped up those Hippos before they were sold to Bali since they are declining numbers in the region with none allowed to be imported, it would of been just pocket money for them.

 

What I meant to suggest was not that the international (or is the Australasian one?) studbook keeper was compromised by deliberately altering the data to make it fit, but more that the information given by Tipperary was that the individual had 'died' when actually it's fate was unknown because it had actually escaped. Obviously it would have looked odd for the official studbook to have 'running feral' as the last known entry.
Makes you wonder if Pablo Escobar's hippos were part of an official studbook would have caused some consternation or confusion...

 

@tetrapod, OK …. cool.

TS was the vehicle of an Australian that later had its animals sold to Mareeba. I assume the latter was the infamous David Gill - which on reputation might go some way to explain the studbook "shambles" and the escapee dying out in the wild much later?!??

 

So would the most up to date numbers for Pygmy Hippos in the country be around 5 at this time?

 

I wonder why this animal was sent to DDZ instead of Melbourne?

 

The Melbourne male (Fergus) is her Uncle by relation. So any calf from them as a pair would be inbred. Plus having a young female would put Darling Downs at the top of the list for an available and unrelated male once the Hippo IRA is finally completed. It also leaves Melbourne with space to accept a female when the time comes

 

Quite correct. My biggest concern is the time factor of when the Hippo IRA would be finished to what living PH are still living in the country and are still able to breed? This could perhaps take years yet!

 

The Melbourne male is named Felix but yes, its the uncle of the DDZ cow. That said, its also the only available mate, was previously to be "paired" (one assumes) with the deceased sibling of the cow in question and zoos are certainly no stranger to inbreeding. So it seems they are very confident of a hippo IRA arriving soon. I saw application was submitted for the pygmy species to be reinstated on the live import list and it potentially explains the lack of transfers with the larger species also.

fingers crossed.

 

What time frame would you class soon as I believe it could takes some years yet?

 

I'm just speculating. If the reasons given by Nisha are correct, then you'd imagine the ZAA are confident of something happening within the breeding lifecycle of these individuals.

But then lets not pretend I have much confidence.. Sure, genetically the population wouldn't be in much better shape - but be we wouldn't have so few individual hippos in the region if logic had prevailed in the past!

 

I tend to agree with you but I dont believe much thought would be given as to what breeding lifecycle is left in the remaining animals, If ZAA were concerned about Hippos and the Pygmy species that much I feel they would of jumped on the Hippos that were for sale at the Mareeba zoo near cairns instead of seeing them exported to Bali a lost chance to include them any any breeding program within our region. I timeline I hear is mid 2020s before any Hippos look likely to reappear here.

 

From my recollection, one individual of each species did make their way into ZAA zoos before the export and I also recall that these animals themselves were in fact derived from the same stock held in these zoos BUT I agree. I think the ZAA zoos thought they were going to get them for free eventually. so stupid.