As someone who has already seen this exhibit (live, not only from pictures or videos) I can say: It is indeed good (or at least: not bad), but not as big as some might believe...
Very sad News- Elephant bull"Maxi", arrived at the Zoo in 1981 and fatherr of 12 calfs, had to be put to sleep due to increasing age problems. He was without a doubt one of the zoo's most popular animals and generally one of the most unusual elephant bulls. It makes me very sad about "Maxi" because he was really a great animal. He was 50 years old. Elefantenbulle Maxi ist tot
I read the obituary. Apparently he was first at Dudley Zoo for a short time in 1971, and then Longleat Safari park also in UK, before going to Zurich.
Fringe eared oryx could be interesting given they are found uniquely there (the callotis subspecies at least.) Why white rhinos instead of black rhinos? There aren't any white rhinos in Lewa… Then again, why grey parrots..
Although I’m impressed with what I have seen, this and other posts raise a good point. Why name a new enclosure or exhibit after a specific place if you aren’t going to represent that place with any accuracy? Why not just call it African Safari or something similar if the species aren’t going to closely reflect the theme?
I guess they are trying to continue with the trend of Masoala and Semien and emphasise that they have a particular partnership with that reserve/area in particular. However, I don't know why they chose Lewa if they then turn around and realise that they cannot actually get their hands on the animals needed to evoke the environment of Lewa. I find it slightly underwhelming, given its size and the fanfare with which it was received. I was under the impression that we were going to see yet another entirely new and innovative exhibit from Zurich, yet right now I'm wishing they'd sent all that time and money on building better and newer exhibits for their great apes and penguins.
The very reason Lewa and other conservancies were established are the black rhino they are to protect and conserve!!!!!
So why aren't they representing Lewa's conservation efforts better by displaying the frankly much more endangered and much more logical Black rhino instead of its cousin? I know they are trying to protect and conserve, but it is also important to rebuild and renovate old or outdated enclosures, not only to improve breeding results but also, more importantly in my opinion, to ensure the welfare and the happiness of the animals living there. It also means that when people visit, they won't be left with a bad impression of the zoo and therefore zoos in general, helping zoos' visitor numbers worldwide. So renovating enclosures, much as it may be tedious, costly and seemingly aimless for an economically-driven zoo director or bursar, is much more important, at least in my opinion, than new developments.
The choice for white rhinos seems rather evident to me. There are plenty in zoos right now and the EEP is looking for new holders if I'm not mistaken. Plus, if black rhinos ever become more readily available, it should be pretty easy to switch.
Didn't Twycross take on Blacks for exactly the opposite reason? - ie there were too many Whites in zoos and the EEP/s were specifically NOT looking for new holders for them, even though they (Whites) might be the zoo's first choice.
So why doesn’t the new complex reflect that instead of having an apparently random selection of African animals which aren’t all found there?
There is context for this though: five (?) years ago Zurich had giraffes and rhinos in the old Africa House which must have been in very small paddocks. So this isn't just Zurich moving into new species rather than updating their poor exhibits, this is part of a long-term plan to modernise the zoo.
Actually the giraffes were absent from the zoo since 1956 but they were always on the masterplan. The choice to use White rhinos was mainly based on the fact that they are better to be keept with other species. And there is still some space for future development near the savanna, possibly this space can be turned into a habitat for Black rhinos, we'll see what the new director assuming later this year will do. And, yes, the species chose isn't greatly done in Zurich, but the same can also be seen on Pantanal and even Masola.
From 2018 Rhinoceros TAG report: White rhinoceros EEP (Ceratotherium simum) The white rhinoceros EEP population started with 316 (132.184) animals in 80 zoos. ° Births: 10.9 of which 10.8 survived. Deaths: 1.5 +0.1 calves that did not survive. The adult deaths include mostly older animals. Transfer: In total 17 (11.6) animals were transferred between the participants showing the continuous close cooperation within this EEP. During 2018 Singapore Zoo became an EAZA Member, adding 8 animals (+ 1.1 births) to the EEP population. The initiatives of the EEP, with regard to the historical lack of breeding in this species are now really showing results with more and more animals breeding. Up to 45% of the female rhinoceroses are now breeding, and this percentage is rising with a large majority of younger females starting to breed without any problems. With the number of births rising, the population has become sustainable. But with the increasing number of calves, there is an increase in the importance of additional separation/holding facilities for animals which cannot be held in the group any longer. Especially older males, no longer needed for breeding, can be a potential future problem. Holders are encouraged to be creative to be able to house surplus rhino in other hoofstock paddocks since they are easy to mix with other species.
