Very sad to hear that they gave up on this species. Do you think there would be a willingness in NZ zoos to keep them again ?
Unfortunately not as the mainstream zoos rarely acquire/reacquire a species unless there’s a supported regional breeding programme in place for it; combined with the reasons it was phased out in the first place (lack of suitability for captivity and display; and lack of appeal to visitors) and it’s scarcity in overseas zoos, I sadly can’t see it making a come back. The phase out of felids (especially small felids); but also Siberian tiger and Jaguar in the Australasian region has been a sad but inevitable trend.
Such a beautiful species, what a shame ! I think I remember reading on the forum that there is a trend towards the species declining in collections in Europe too.
That’s sadly the case. Belfast Zoo (the last holder of Temminck’s golden cat in the UK and Ireland) have recently sent their pair to Germany and Parc des Félins hold a single elderly female - one of the remnants from Auckland Zoo’s population. The Tibetan golden cat is in equally dire straits, with a global captive population of eight in 2019 (this may have since decreased).
It looks like the species is in its twilight in zoos in Europe and outside of Asia generally. Once they are gone I doubt that zoos will make any effort to bring them back.
A contributing factor to their lack of popularity within accredited zoos is that their conservation status is ‘Near Threatened.’ Zoos such as Melbourne have previously outlined their criteria for the species they hold which comprises of their conservation status and whether they’re enabling or the face of a conservation campaign. This similarly led to the phase out of Maned wolf among other species.
Yes, I think you are right that it is probably a contributing factor to the lack of interest by zoos in the species. Its a shame that these species do get phased out, however, I don't think that the prioritization of species of a higher conservation status by zoos is necessarily a bad thing though. I think what matters most is that if they are going to prioritize the more endangered species that they ensure both that the ex-situ programmes for these are solid and that there is a long term commitment to these (matched by in-situ).
If we're talking about zoo species, then I respect both Meerkats and Ring-Tailed Lemurs. After finding more about them, I respect their social structure and the way they live, and now I am way more interested in them than I was before. If we're talking about wild species, then ants. Ants are just fascinating to me, how they are so small yet manage to create such a large community with complex structures and hierarchies.
Meerkats and ring tailed lemurs are only really unpopular here on zoochat and even then have a lot of fans / defenders. To the general public they are almost a totemic animal.
I like or respect some of the animals mentioned on this thread such as gulls and meerkats. But I think that common brushtail possums are criminally underrated. Sure the NZ invasion does put these animals into negative light (and subject them to trade bans which I personally find erroneous). Their nocturnal behavior, and small litters don’t help them be as common as raccoons and meerkats in many zoos including “beginner” or “roadside” zoos. But I still don’t understand how they are not commonly known to the public outside of Australia. Brushtail possums are worth bumping this thread.
Personally find it sad how many people call warthogs and other pigs ugly, I think they are very interesting compared to many other ungulates as they some of the only non purely herbivorous ungulates. Also I think that the color of red river hogs are very beautiful. Babirusa also have very interesting tusk shapes. I could go on about how I love this group of animals but in general I just think they are by far over-hated and underrated animals.
Many of the sus genus on the southeast asian islands are also very endangered, such as the warty and bearded pigs.
Storks, particularly Leptoptilos and some of the lesser known ibises like Giant Ibis and Southern Bald Ibises. Like others have stated, wild pigs like Bearded and Warthogs as well.
