Apparently only Honolulu Zoo has been successful at breeding Galapogas Tortoise and the ones at Dubbo are still very much able to breed. once the boys figure out where to put it. I highly recommend roar and snore, you'll see some pretty cool things, more behind the scenes than most other tours. Sorry to take that off track, That was a really good read Pat. I also spent part of sunday at the zoo.
I don't think that statement is correct Jarkari. Saw some pics of zoo born Galapagos the other day which weren't from Honolulu. I do know that a number of private owners have bred this species in the US and Europe.
Ah fair enough stuff, I couldn't say for sure, but that is what is being said in some talks at the zoo but that could easily be wrong. Some of Dubbo's are from Honolulu. The boys are actually a bit young, only just getting it right. the female is in her prime.
I correspond with a bloke in Europe who has done a thesis on breeding giant tortoises. A lot of his research was done on privately owned animals but some zoo stock was involved. He has found that giant totoises are a bit like elephants - if the females don't breed when young, then they are unlikely to breed at all. There is a lot more work to be done with breeding giant tortoises, of course, and he doesnt claim to have all the answers yet. However, if he is right, then the years that Australia wasted by insisting on DNA classifying all our Galapagos by sub species, may mean that we will never breed Galapagos here with our existing stock. Exactly what are the ages of the Galapagos at TWPZ and what sub species are they said to be??
It would be interesting to learn more re those studies, age at first breeding and perhaps even choice of partner. I am however of the opinion that all Galapagos should be maintained according to natural species (these days more and more they are being raised to individual species level). Natural hybridisation zones do occur, but in the Galapagos giants one has domed and saddle-back species which have quite different behavioral and reproductive patterns. Unless, all Galapagos tortoises are maintained in correct species settings and enclosure design, sufficient UV/sunlight, adequate feeding regimes AND separating occassionally the sexes (the males get over-indulgent otherwise and then impair natural breeding and egg-laying condition in the females) replicate their natural requirements NO giants will EVER breed. True example of natural breeding in correct species setting is Brownsville Zoo in Texas, USA. It has been a hard and difficult road in coming and setting up pairings, but now these breed to production line. And these are not exactly youngish ...., with recently a newly set-up pair breeding for the first time. Reptile maintenance and breeding is often a labour of love for the curator and staff, their talents in this ultimately decide success or failure. Several zoos have bred in the past including those at Chicago and Phoenix. In Europe not sufficient wild caught specimens have been going around and only Zuerich Zoo breeds to excess. Alas, here, from individuals known to be different species (becki and porteri). The sad thing here is that sufficient individuals of becki and porteri can be found to set up correct mating pairs and really get down to the business. The very fact that few zoos feel any serious interest towards attempting to breed their giants using the latest knowledge and technology in giant tortoise breeding pen design - as private individuals have done - all PRECLUDE the breeding. K.B. POST SCRIPTUM: You are welcome to pm us as I have tonnes of info on giants (both Seychelles, Aldabrans and Galapagos as well as those long extinct of the Indian Ocean basin).
I was reading something very interesting the other day about breeding giant tortoises in groups. The man wrote that when he put a pair together they bred but when he bred them as a group there were more eggs and more babies from each individual than from being on their own. He also used this for two very endangered tortoise species.
The secret management technique here is no male harassment on the female (in a setting with 1.1 this is easier accomplished than with multiple males ... however multiples are needed to stimulate breeding). That way she will be in a good breeding condition and better able to sustain her egg load. If the male is than removed after breeding, she can get on with laying fertile eggs ..... In your example which were the very endangered tortoise species, and where? K.B.
Sorry, at the moment I am loaning it to someone but tomorrow I am getting it back so I'll post it then.
After receiving an informative email from a staff member at WPZ today in relation to past White Tigers wanted to share. Chester the well remembered Hybrid Amur-Bengal White Tiger was apparently shared between Taronga and WP from 1993-1996? but the info in this email seems to think he died in 2000 rather than '98 but that certainly doesnt mean i automatically believe it in fact weren't the African Lion cubs in Sydney Taronga's 'Cats of Asia' precinct by 1999 which would suggest Chester was no longer housed at Taronga or had indeed passed away by 1998?? or moved to WP fulltime?? Anyway the other White Tiger (who according to this: http://www.allaboutwhitetigers.com/whitetigerreport.pdf, was from the 'Orissa strain' of White Bengal Tigers) came to WP from India?? in 1996 and his name was Bona. Am pretty certain that he was the White Tiger i saw there in July 1998. Another thing is a journalist friend of my father did a story on a minor operation on a White Tiger (think it was in early 1997) and when they shaved him for the procedure my dad's friend picked up some of his fur and put it in a see-through plastic tube and gave it to me as a present. Cant remember when it was misplaced but sadly hasnt been in my possession for about 15 years but after learning Bona's name today am pretty sure it was Bona's fur and not Chester's that i use to have. Apparently Bona died in 2002 the staff member did not know what age they both died (or naturally as a result when {years} they were born either). Anyway hope this is interesting to at least someone and eagerly hope to hear anyone elses knowledge on these two beautiful creatures WP legacy
Hi Steve, ... I am reviving this old thread - while ignoring the recent posting on white tigers at WPZ in the 1990's) re the Galapagos giant tortoises at Taronga / then at Dubbo TWPZ. All the Taronga individuals originated from Honolulu hatched individuals, except for one female (said to have be born around 1925 – current breeder – and having arrived in 1982 at Taronga). The historical information is not quite on whether she is a Townsend Expeditions individual, but that may not be discounted. As for the Honolulu hatched individuals: they were all offspring of a single successful pairing at Honolulu in the 1969-1970’s (the breeding male died in 1970). So, all these now 46-47 year olds are in fact brothers / sister, and consequently siblings of one-another. The recent hatchings at Dubbo from the 1925 female could either be crossbreeds or accidentally same species offspring (which I doubt in fact). Purportedly both the Honolulu parents were claimed to have been Iguana Coves (Chelonoidis vicina). However, that is before any of the new genotyping / genetics protocols by Yale University were introduced in the early 2000’s. So, one should reserve judgement as to correct species assignation for these Honolulu born tortoises and the single wildcaught female at Dubbo / TWPZ until having been tested using the Yale University / Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo genetics profiling (both mitochondrial and micro-satellites, thus presenting origins/population haplotyping and parentage / potential hybrid origins of captive-borns). I wonder though – given that there had been talk in the early 2010’s of this kind of research being done for the ARAZPA stock – whether in the meantime both the Taronga/TWPZ and Auckland (also Honolulu Zoo born individuals) have now / already been tested and genotyped to species- and parentage-levels. Same goes for both Gosford (one wildborn, one captive-born) and Perth Zoo (San Diego stock) individuals!!! If you – Steve – or any other Zoochatter from the Antipodes region has any qualified answers to that one, I am all ears and eyes!!!
Awesome thanks for that have wondered for a long time where all the Australian Galapagoses came from and how they were inter related, longevity, parentage and what subspecies etc. Had no idea the proper classification of subspecies based on the different islands only occurred in the '00s. Certainly hope Aus/NZ has made the move to discover thoroughly which individuals belong to what classification. Have a wonderful memory of visiting the WP individuals in their night hut in the dawn tour of the stayover then went back to see them in the late morning the same day (my sisters favourite animals during her visit to WP in 2013, had some kind of nice interaction with a particular Tortoise). To be honest unlike many other animal facts i either found out about online or in a book back in the day I had no idea that Galapagos Tortoises had so many variations/subspecies until David Attenborough was talking about it in one of his docos 10 years ago? (poor Lonesome George hey for anyone familiar with that one or just familiar with the subject in general). With the Tortoises do you know anything about Taronga's Aldabras and their origins, ages etc. Obviously if you responded i'd look for it in the Sydney Taronga threads. BTW when did the Galapagoses come to Dubbo/WP??
Hey can anyone tell me about the first individual resident animals back when WP first opened its gates?? Even a bit later on i.e expansions in the '80s etc
