Replace a popular US zoo animal with a more endangered one

Homogenization in what sense ? in terms of species kept ?

 

Correct. Our overall species count is shrinking. Well established species are becoming more prominent and we're losing smaller but still viable ones.

 

Well a good many of the German zoos are among some of the best in the world in my opinion.

 

Don't want to belabour this but could you give me an example of these smaller but still viable species ?

 

The AZA bases its species and program recommendations largely on what its member zoos want to do, not the other way around. Species that are already doing well in captivity, exist in large numbers, are easy to acquire and that zoos like having are prioritized - out of practicality and necessity. Conservation is absolutely a factor, but zoos aren't just going to drop their popular and easy to acquire, easy to care for ring-tailed lemurs for a rare Eulemur species that is more difficult to find, more difficult to care for, and is not as interesting to the visitors. It doesn't make sense for them to do so.

Also, keep in mind what I said last time - there currently aren't enough Eulemur to go around anyway. Breeding some of those species is difficult; it's not just supply and demand. It's hard to make a small, unstable population large and stable. I'm sure there are plenty of zoos that want blue-eyed black lemurs, but if the zoos that already have them can't breed them then how is anybody else going to acquire them? I don't think it's obvious at all that ring-tailed lemurs are taking space away from other species.

 

Keel-billed Toucan is an example, though not endangered. There's enough around still that with some shuffles to set up pairs and bringing in a few from private breeders the species could easily be continued. However they're put on phase out, and depending on how zoos choose we may only end up with Toco Toucan, Green Aracari, and Curl-crested Aracari for the Ramphastidae. Yet over a dozen species are around privately in good numbers.

Currently Piciformes as an order is dwindling fast in NA zoos, our two barbets have largely been abandoned, woodpeckers were never common to begin with, and most of the toucans are being phased out.
In many groups we are seeing similar patterns, we stand to lose quite a few species over the next decade.

 

Right, I can see the organizational difference there between EAZA and AZA.

Yes, sadly I think you are right that very few of them will be inclined to drop the crowd favourite for a species that presents a lot of challenges in not just acquisition but also husbandry which is disappointing in my opinion as they should be rising to the challenge.

I suppose its human nature in some ways to be risk averse and stick with what is known and easy and of course when it comes to organizations the stakes are much higher and particularly in terms of ex-situ conservation which is always fraught with uncertainty.

Again as I said on the other thread I concede that there are a whole host of factors which contribute to the ring tailed being kept over other species which I believe are in much greater need of occupying space in zoos.

However, as unlikely as it may be I do still believe that this would be the best overall outcome for zoos fingers crossed that zoos will begin thinking along similar lines.

 

You do realize the chances of it happening is extremely low to never right?

 

Yes, fully realize this, but I'm an optimist so I'll keep hoping.

 

What other animals that are endangered in the wild should be preferred over non endangered common ones?

 

I'd like to see the Visayan warty pig replace every Vietnamese pot bellied pig kept by decent zoos.

I'd say the same for golden bellied capuchin over brown capuchin, lowland anoa over water buffalo, Malagasy giant jumping rat over capybara.

 

I'd say that most of them should, and Visayans should be emphasized. However there should still be some room left over for the likes of the Javan warty pig, along with some Palawan bearded, Bornean bearded, and Mindoro warty pigs. And pygmy hogs should definitely become highly prioritized, with only around 200 remaining individuals.

I definitely agree with most of those other additions as well. However, once you start replacing capybara, there is a whole slew of rodents also needing more captive breeding.

 

Water Buffalo is actually quite rare in US zoos.

 

Well lets say Eland then.

 

We don't have anywhere near enough Visayans to do that.

Also as has been noted water buffalo is very rare to absent in NA, and barely a dozen collections house them in Europe according to ZTL.
Common Eland may be numerous, but almost all are kept in mixed savannas with other species. Lowland Anoa is not as easy to mix. We have almost 200 anoa in NA per last year according to AZA unuglates; between 7 AZA and 4 non-AZA so we're not doing too bad.

 

I didn't mean mixing the anoa but rather that it would be nice to see it replace more common bovids.

Visayans seem to be being kept by many zoos in Europe, I take it that they haven't exactly taken the USA by storm in the same way, right ?

 

I know what you meant, that was basing off your suggestion of eland. Either way only 7 AZA hold them, though quite a few individuals are around.

16 institutions as of last year according to AZA, 71 animals total including a couple non-AZA places. So not particularly, but given we're also managing Babirusa not surprising.

 

As I've heard it US zoos have managed the babirusa far better in some ways then a lot of European collections.

 

We have more Visayans than Babirusa as of last year, 71 Visayan to 60 Babirusa. Breeding hopefully boosted both since then. They're vying for space with Red River Hog, Warthog, and two peccaries though. None of the species are cold tolerant which puts some difficulty in exhibiting them year-round in a lot of areas.

 

Beyond absurd to me that they would be vying for space with least concern species like red river hog and warthog, ridiculous.

I think the spaces should just be given over for Visayan and babirusa.