Which large, endangered bird would you prefer the AZA to create a captive population & SSP for?

Here are the choices. I wanted to include more species, but had to narrow it down to 10 options.

 

Oh gosh darn-it, can't I pick all of them?

 

Pretty sure a couple of these are/were planned for the AZA.

~Thylo

 

For me it comes down to the Giant Ibis and the Bengal Florican, but I decided on the ibis simply because we know they can thrive in captivity based on the few kept in their native range and due to the fact that ibises generally breed relatively easily in captivity which would make a program for them frustratingly simple once the founders have been collected.

~Thylo

 

Which ones are being planned for the future? Looking forward to hearing your info!

 

I agree! They were my second choice, followed by Bengal Florican. You could have them in a large Tmatboey themed aviary with other Cambodian birds. I'm surprised Miami didn't take the initiative to add them to Wings of Asia in 2003 when it reopened since they had other rare Asian birds in their collection already.

 

Well isn't the ostrich already in the process of slowly being phased in from European collections? I know quite a good number of animals are already in the US, mostly at Six Flags sites of all places. Additionally, I believe the Madagascar Pond-Heron is being forced out of European zoos due to the incredibly stupid invasive species prevention laws pushed by the zoo-anti lobby and therefore I think US zoos are wanted to take the species in (I don't know if it's actually happening or not, could just be assumptions/wishful thinking).

~Thylo

 

They're my favorite Ardeola species with their all white breeding plumage and blue bill with red legs.

 

Do you have a source that says the pond-heron is put on the EU invasives list? It wasn't on the original list, not in the 2017 update and not in 2019 update, as far as I know.

 

Voted greater adjutant. Love me some giant, scary looking birds, even though I'm terrified of them. Runners up would be bengal florican and dwarf olive ibis.

 

Black-faced Spoonbill is bred and abundant in several Japanese zoos. I saw chicks.

 

Madagascar pond heron are not on that list nor are they on the future inclusion list as far as I am aware....

 

Maybe I'm thinking of the Malagasy Sacred Ibis? I don't think that's on the list either but does fall within the whole "banning the entire genus if at least one species is deemed invasive, even if that includes banning European natives" aspect of the regulations, if that's applicable in Germany. @TeaLovingDave will know more on that subject than me.

~Thylo

 

I went for Greater Adjutant because of their ecological importance as scavengers, their (hopefully) similar husbandry to the related marabou stork, and the potential for easily including them in existing collections through mixed-species enclosures with hoofstock in addition to aviaries. I do think that phasing in of North African Ostriches and Malagasy Pond Herons is already underway though.

Also worth noting that the Northern Cassowary is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN

 

The reason I strayed away from Greater Adjutant is simply because I do believe they are more complicated than Marabou, similarly to how Lesser Adjutants are. Additionally, there seems to be very little interest in Lesser Adjutants in US zoos so I figured the larger Greater Adjutant might be a harder sell. I don't know if I'm looking at this more realistically than intended, though

~Thylo

 

I know from my own research Weltvogepark Walsrode holds Malagasy Sacred Ibis.

 

South American Jabirus are the definition of scary to me. Greater Adjutants have those great Halloween colors black and orange.

 

Since Greater Adjutants are more closely related to Marabou, wouldn't that make Marabou the easiest to keep/breed, then Greater Adjutants and finally Lessers? Where do all of Bronx's chicks go when their storks breed? I don't think Racine's Lessers have ever bred even with that nice aviary that they live in. I have yet to visit both Bronx and Racine Zoo.

 

If it would be Madagascar sacred ibis, as Sacred ibis itself are on the list.

The "banning entire genus" stuff is new to me and I seriously doubt whether it is true, it is for one not mentioned in the relevant EU legislation itself (on which any new German law would be based). Such a rule could never be enforced, with hardly any gains, no clear scientific evidence and lots of pain in the ass, and especially for plants it would be a complete nightmare.

The EU legislation regarding invasive species is not some anti-zoo thing. With exception of Coati and Sacred ibis I completely agree with the species on the list (even though it is unlikely some of these unwanted species will ever disappear). Zoos are not exempted from the legislation, but that is not completely strange, as Sacred ibis escapes from zoos have regularly happened and plenty of zoos keep potentially invasive species free-ranging....