That is great news! The last photo I saw of Thisiam, he looks a lot like his Dad from when he starred in Circus Knie and Pierre Etaix's film "Yoyo". As for Ramon, here is a video I saw several years ago. I didn't realize he was so famous. In it he had a tusk infection and gets the one tusk removed.
From photos I've seen of tuskless bulls (makhnas), it seems like all the hormones and growth used to make tusks in tuskless bulls converts into building a massive heavy trunk like Tusko at the Oregon Zoo.
How big would you say?
I only know about it because I read a book in 2009 called "The Wonders of Life On Earth" published in 1960 by the Editors of Life Magazine in which there is an article about the rediscovery of the James's Flamingo in the 1950's in the Bolivian Andes at Laguna Colorada. It recalls the story of Roger Tory Peterson's expedition to secure a small number for the Bronx Zoo and includes a fantastic two page spread of an illustration he did of Laguna Colorada. The article leaves off saying that they acclimated to the NY weather just fine and only one died from the import. I don't know if anymore were exhibited in the U.S. It's such a shame because they're so unique along with the Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus). I'd really like to go to a zoo one day and walk into an Andean aviary with them in it.
The only old safari or zoo related TV shows I've seen are the ones by Martin & Osa Johnson back in the 20's & 30's and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom starring Marlin Perkins from the 60's which can be viewed on YouTube. That show sounds awesome!
The AZA & EAZA seriously needs to reconsider their SSP's for Phoenicopteriformes! If they're so into breeding Guam Rails, Red Crowned Cranes, & Waldrapp Ibises, they should phase out Caribbeans, Greaters, or Chileans and focus on the two Andean species. I could see them doing really well in a northern zoo climate. Also seeing a good sized group of these flamingos on an icy lake (which they're adapted to) would be so awesome!
Are WWT Slimbridge & Zoo Berlin the only ones keeping them anymore? By the way here is an awesome blog on the WWT Slimbridge Flamingos.
Flamingos live a long time, phasing out thousands of birds isn't exactly easy, nor is it necessary. Zoo Berlin just had an Andean flamingo chick, and acquired 7 more birds (presumably from Slimbridge). Hopefully more (and of both species) will follow.
Maybe a zoo each in the in the AZA & EAZA with no flamingos can import some (founding populations) and then maybe a place like White Oak, San Diego Zoo Global or Audubon Nature Institute's Survival Center can hold larger flocks to promote captive breeding and then as numbers grow, disperse surplus juveniles across different zoos and facilities that can accommodate them? I think it'd be a great idea for the ex-situ conservation of the two species.
So private people can import flamingos and have their own flock (with permitting of course)? That'd be so awesome!!! What would the permitting process be like if obtaining wild caught birds?
No, the privately owned birds were purchased from zoo collections years ago.
