I see there is no stopping them. Are they the only AZA facility still breeding white tigers? Interesting they are being exhibited in the aquarium.
New AZA guidelines, that are being dispersed through the Tiger SSP, will prohibit future breeding of all generic tigers, including white tigers, as they are taking up way too much space that is sorely needed for the 3 subspecies for which conservation programs exist. Some of the more "independent" AZA members, like WWS and Lowry Park, will be in a very interesting position as a result.....
Those are not new guidelines....the AZA has asked this (the stopped breeding of generic tigers) for at least 10 years if not longer.
No, there are new rules (not just recommendations), proposed by WCMC and approved earlier this year by the AZA Board. Generic tigers will now be considered part of the SSP (they were excluded before--i.e. not managed) and all breeding and transfer requests will now require SSP approval. The SSP voted unanimously to recommend zero breeding of all generics. It will stir up some interesting debate (although Lowry Park will not now be protesting, for obvious reasons).
The AZA's Wildlife Conservation and Management Committee is one of the more powerful committees that controls and manages all of the AZA cooperative breeding programs, studbooks, and taxon committees (TAG).
Wildlife World Zoo converts old aquarium building to animal nursery Newborn animals featured at new Wildlife World Zoo exhibit - Phoenix Arizona news, breaking news, local news, weather radar, traffic from ABC15 News | ABC15.com
The zoo has received a pair of black and white colobus. Also more intriguingly the press release informs us they have also welcomed a group of mountain coati (i don't think so). Wildlife World Zoo Gets New Arrivals - Phoenix News Story - KPHO Phoenix
More of the fake "mountain coatis" which are actually ring-tailed coatis. Not sure who has gotten the idea that these are mountain coatis, but even the Wildlife Conservation Society has fallen for this and the Central Park Zoo now has "mountain coatis". http://www.zoochat.com/22/mountain-coatis-186117/
Thanks for the clarification Ituri. Since I am only familiar with our local white nosed coati, which is very dark brown, I was intrigued by the photos on the Wildlife World article (first attachment below). It has a lighter coat, but it must be the ring tailed variety that you mention. I found a photo online (second attachment below) of what a real mountain coati looks like - very different and no rings at all on tail. Wildlife World Zoo Gets New Arrivals - Phoenix News Story - KPHO Phoenix ARKive - Mountain coati videos, photos and facts - Nasuella olivacea
The zoo has a pair of (presumably) orphaned puma cubs, which will be on exhibit in their nursery for a couple months. However, I could not tell from the article what will happen after that (if they will get an exhibit at this zoo or be sent elsewhere). I have long wanted to photograph puma cubs, but photographing them in a zoo nursery is not my ideal - I would prefer a more natural enclosure. Since it is only a couple hours away, I may give it a shot anyway. Mountain Lion cubs spending spring at Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium - East Valley Tribune: West Valley
Here is a slightly longer article on the puma cubs. I was wrong in presuming they were orphaned; they were actually born at another zoo and I think will return there after their temporary display here in Arizona. Cougars on the prowl - West Valley View - Avondale, AZ
Article about yet another aquarium building under construction here. Set to open in November 2011. What is even more interesting is a brief one sentence mention that the project after this one will be a sea lion exhibit. That is significant because there are currently no pinnipeds anywhere in Arizona. New Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium projects to include Amazon River-predator display
Justification for white tigers I had this conversation years ago with the late, great Uly Seal, the academic who essentially started SSP's, beginning with tigers. In a well-run zoo, white tigers do not TAKE-UP space, they CREATE space. What do I mean? Admissions go up so much with the display of the white color variety, it helps maintain many of the other breeding programs, and,for that matter, the zoo itself. This is especially important for private zoos like Wildlife World or Lowrey Park, which are not on the public teat, and must survive on admissions and donations. These zoos would have significantly less funds without the display of the whites. I find it fascinating, and a real peek into AZA politics, to see that white alligators were not banned by them at the same time, an even bigger attraction in terms of increased revenue
It was actually the result of conversations between the two (and a number of other progressive zoo people). Seal had already created ISIS, which provided the information-gathering tool necessary to implement SSPs. He also created and managed the very first SSP, for Amur tigers.
Wildlife World Zoo is claiming to have a baby Eastern Bettong (Bettongia gaimardi) which would make them the only place in the US to have them. Do you suppose there was an import made, or perhaps this is a case of mistaken identity and the animal in question is a Brush-tailed Bettong (Bettongia pennicilata)? Learn about the baby Eastern Bettong