There is surprisinglhy no thread on Tehran Zoo, admittedly a populous city where a zoo has an important role in sensitizing the public for wildlife and conservation issues. Some of our Iran friends have posted some interesting pictures of the Tehran Zoo. Yet a news item thread is missing. Time to start one ... On onager: quite recently the zoo sedated 2 wild ass for transfer to the Kalmand PA in one of the various sub groups released from the breeding center. Unique I suppose as it is probably the first attempt to release captive wild - true / pure-bred - onager to the wild ... in this part of the world.
Tehran Eram Zoo plans to import white tiger : Tasnim News Agency - Iran to Import Rare White Tiger from Germany
Tehran Pardisan Zoo : update of the Asian cheetah-project : Cheetah Conservation Experts Mull Artificial Insemination
It would be nice if they can acquire additional females and some more males direct from India. I would expect that now that Tehran Zoo has become part of the EAZA / EEP network (Associate member / Full Member / Candidate for Membership?) with regards to ex situ conservation breeding and zoo management. I surely is quite a high profile breeding loan out of the EEP / EAZA region. I would also think there might be movement(s) on Persian onager and Persian leopard before long (as well as Siberian tigers for their Caspian tiger reintroduction project). Perhaps even some activity on the Asiatic cheetah front (AI assistance and the like).
I can confirm that the Tehran Eram Zoo is now a candidate for membership zoo within EAZA. Their cooperation with EAZA goes back some years already and previously was focussed mainly only on the Persian leopard Panthera pardus saxicolor. If I am correct and citing from memory they held 1 or 2 individual(s) that obviously constituted new bloodlines for the EAZA/EEP program and were wild-born ones to that! I believe an elderly male Persian leopard recently passed away at the Eram Zoo. Other projects some form of cooperation existed for species like Persian cheetah Acinonyx jubatus venaticus and Persian onager Equus hemionus onager were focussed primarily on in situ wild populations and whereas EAZA/EEP staff and species coordinators' were involved in these initiatives they did not encompass any captive populations. That might now change quite swiftly as mutual and cooperative projects can be more easily performed by European zoo administrations. The Tehran Eram Zoo has breeding groups of f.i. Persian fallow deer Dama mesopotamica, Persian onager, several wild goat, sheep and ibex species, perhaps even gazelle(s) and the Siberian tiger - much balked about as one of their imports succumbed shortly on arrival ... (having left completely healthy when leaving Russian soil and air space) -. Other species ..., I have to dig a little deeper from memory.
Story about Baran, the only chimp-baby raised sofar at the Tehran Zoo : Iran’s Only Baby Chimp Survives Premature Birth, Poor Health | Iran Front Page
Baran, Tehrans Chimp-baby is send to an orphanage in Kenya to live a more normal life : Eram Zoo's chimp to leave Tehran for Kenya tonight