Twycross should not be able to dictate whether another collection receives any given species or not, especially if it is in the best interests of the breeding programme, conservation & education!
The problem with bonobos is that now any zoo acquiring the species must have the facilities to use fission-fusion management with them. I believe out of all 10 zoos in Europe with the species now only Berlin and Cologne don’t have a method of doing this, not that it’s much of an issue for them as they only have six animals each...so if London were to get bonobos they would need to do some serious heavy duty work on the enclosure and let’s be honest, London are unlikely to do that....
Like I said, current management are not as opposed to the idea as past management have been, and the studbook have clearly informed Twycross that a couple of other places in the UK will receive bonobos in the coming decade. They don’t get to decide, especially as they’ve abandoned their primate stampbook attitude now...
Thank you @ShonenJake13 I thought I remembered something about Twycross being keen to be the only UK holders of Bonobo. Good to hear that other UK collections may go into them in the not too distant future. As much as I can't see London using the space for anything but great apes, and they'll probably decide to continue with gorillas, I would like to see London go into a canine species. Bush Dogs would be a nice addition, they're small, wonderfully active, and don't have the same strong smell that some other canines have (and that a lot of visitors find unpleasant)
Gorillas are still a big draw for them at London- I can't see them replacing them with something else. Zaire's death was to be expected at some time as she was elderly, so is perhaps not as tragic as the loss of silverback Kumbuka. But even he can be replaced- in time, or a new younger male(or preferable a pair) brought in, to give the group a way forward. That is all that is needed.
I think that is true, and there is no reason Twycross can continue expecting to dictate whether other zoos in the UK keep Bonobos anyway- they have no real grounds to do so.
Zaire has many other living relatives. From Nandi’s line alone, there’s Zaire’s brother - Kakinga (born 1978), who sired 13 offspring at the Calgary Zoo (seven currently living) before his death in 2016; and Zaire’s brother - Motoba (born 1983), who sired five offspring (all currently living) and has had 15 grandchildren (10 living) through his two eldest offspring. I think the best way forward is to form a new breeding troop of 1.3 with the remaining females Effie (1993), Mjukuu (1999) and Alika (2014) being joined by a new male. The two options for introducing a new male are to introduce a young male (who could mature in the troop; and wouldn’t pose a threat to the two juveniles); or wait until Alika and Gernot have reached adolescence, export Gernot and bring in a new male. I don’t know the females well enough to comment on which option would potentially work better.
Do their indoor facilities need to be renovated or are they good enough for a new stock of Malayan tapir?
Yes, Zaire has very many other relatives through her siblings and half-siblings, I only mentioned Emba as she is in the UK. I did hear the proposed plan was to bring in a new male after a couple of years, allowing the two juveniles to grow more. However Zaire's death leaves a group of only four so its possible things might be brought forward rather, I don't know..
The now infamous crazy golf is no more, it is in the process of being removed. Sounds like the plan for that space, once home to vicunas and anteaters, will be turned into a nature garden. Which, while commendable, is a shame considering you already have the Woodland Walk and the existing bug garden/wildlife garden.
Ridiculous! What the hell was wrong with the anteater and Vicuna enclosures. This is a zoo, in need of more animals not less, it already has a garden and 'woodland walk'. If visitors want to look at gardens they can do so in Regents Park without paying £30 for the privilege! Crazy golf and dinosaurs was irritating enough, but at least they probably brought in more revenue, a garden - No!
Nature Garden = ‘We’ve run out of ideas/money.” London can ill afford to lose any more space for animals. What a shame this area was never used for its original intended occupants-Giant otters.
Excellent news. Is this, in fact, the first positive bit of London news this decade? If so, well done Oni!!
Indigenous Nepalese people, the Tharu, are accusing the ZSL of evicting them from their native lands, Chitwan National Park in a colonial model. Indigenous organizations slam London Zoo: "Why are they asking for money to help us?" - Survival International
This article clearly underestimates the severity of human-wildlife conflict, which can be fatal for both human well-being and wildlife conservation. It makes very dubious claims about the relationship between wildlife and local people, without evidence to back it up. That doesn't invalidate their claims, naturally, but it makes me at least a bit more hesitant to accept what they say. I also don't really see a problem with the video, but that may be on me.
So true and so sad. Another example that this zoo is going down. When you imagine that you pay more or less the same entrance fee at Zoo Beauval (F) as you do at London Zoo and then compare what you get for your money....
