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Worst Mixed-Species Combinations?

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Emanuel Theodorus, 25 Jan 2020.

  1. Emanuel Theodorus

    Emanuel Theodorus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Since we had odd-but-works mixed species combinations, I was wondering what would probably be the worst combination of animals in one enclosure? It would be either an animal keeps disturbing another animal's activity or simply didn't get along with each other and would cause fights. Would be nice to see an example where a zoo tries to keep two animals together but failed.

    I wasn't really looking for "predator and prey" combinations, though because that would be too obvious :D

    If I remember it correctly, Greater Vancouver Zoo tries to introduce Cape Buffaloes to their Zebra exhibit, but 4 of the zebras died after that. They say it's either they panicked or the two buffaloes are
    being too aggresive? Probably not the most ideal mixed-species enclosure, though.
     
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  2. Brum

    Brum Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I always feel sorry for owls that are kept with pheasants (a combination seen in many places) as neither species is likely to get a decent sleep.
     
  3. Loxodonta Cobra

    Loxodonta Cobra Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Taronga Zoo kept their chimpanzees with jackals in the early 1980s. The canids had bolt-holes that they could escape into that were fenced so that the chimps couldn't get in, and they rarely came out until the chimps were put in for the night. One day the fencing in the hole failed to keep the chimps out and a jackal was ripped to pieces.
     
  4. Emanuel Theodorus

    Emanuel Theodorus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Jeez, poor jackal. Guess they should've known Chimps never really get along with small animals that aren't even a part of their diet.
     
  5. Emanuel Theodorus

    Emanuel Theodorus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I'm rather confused with this, but my guess is that one's nocturnal and one's diurnal but both makes lots of noises when active?
     
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  6. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Phillipine Deer and Warty Pigs at Colchester. The grass paddock was formerly just for the deer, but when the pigs were added they quickly rooted the whole pasture into a mud patch with no grass left at all for the deer. I don't know if they still have this mix.
     
  7. Jurek7

    Jurek7 Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Warsaw zoo opened its shark tank with blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays in the 2010. They also got a single large sand tiger shark. He ate all the rest and became the single large occupant of the tank.
     
  8. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    Here are some of the unsuccesful mixed species exhibits:
    1.Adventure aquarium had hippos with waterfowl and the hippos chased them so they were removed
    2.Bergen county zoological park had elk,bison and sandhill crane together.The elks had aggression towards the cranes and no other zoo have tried this mix.
    3.Bergen also had guanaco with other south american hoofstock and guanacos were very territorial.
    4.Birmingham zoo had greater kudu with giraffes, the result was a fight between both
    5. Blank park zoo tried giant eland with ostriches the ostriches weren't comfortable so it didn't end well.
    6. Brevard zoo had southern white rhinos with giraffes,the rhinos were 2 years old so the giraffes couldn't adapt.:(
     
  9. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    There are many more at the 2017 AZA ungulate tags mixed species manual.:p
     
  10. TinoPup

    TinoPup Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Wow, who the hell came up with that idea and how did it actually end up happening?! Poor jackals must have spent their entire lives terrified :(
     
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  11. Emanuel Theodorus

    Emanuel Theodorus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    I'm sorry, but what would you mean by the giraffes "couldn't adapt"?
     
  12. Emanuel Theodorus

    Emanuel Theodorus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Never been there, but their website still puts both species on "The Islands" exhibit
     
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  13. Emanuel Theodorus

    Emanuel Theodorus Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Care to list examples?
     
  14. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    The rhinos were 2 years old and chased the giraffes so they were stressed and under pressure,even in less than a hour they were separated.
     
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  15. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    Ok I'll try because they are many.
     
  16. Cassidy Casuar

    Cassidy Casuar Well-Known Member Premium Member 5+ year member

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    I'm sorry, but what do you mean by that?
     
  17. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    Caldwell mixed mountain bongo with yellow backed duiker.
    They ended up fighting with each other.

    Caldwell also had the experience of the elk being aggressive towards waterfowl.

    Cameron park zoo the grevys zebra caused problems with the offspring of marabou storks and crowned crane resulting in the euthanasia of several chicks.

    Cape may county had American Bison with greater rhea,it was okay for 2 years but the bison bull killed a rhea. If tried again,probably could have another result.

    Cheyenne mountain zoo failed at this exhibit because the hornbills were too curious and were sometimes stomped by giraffes meanwhile marabou storks didn't liked to be in the bird safe areas so they suffered the same as the hornbills.

    Also in Cheyenne moose injured wild turkey and killed Sandhill
    cranes.

    Brookfield put royal antelope with blue duiker,the duiker chased the antelope all the time.
     
  18. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    These for tonight,tomorrow I'll post more.
     
  19. Jungle Man

    Jungle Man Well-Known Member

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    I mean that the giant eland were aggressive towards the ostriches so the ostriches couldn't breed,the eland chased them and injured them so just in a month they were separated.
     
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  20. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Maybe they are still together, maybe just adjacent. Newquay also keep the two species but adjacent to each other- that works much better, the deer have a grassy paddock and the pigs just a churned up morass.