Volcano rabbit declared extinct
- Thread starter tigris115
- Start date
Nagoya have 10 now?
Thanks estimado @Carlos, any science papers on the reintroduction efforts? Did they also use teporingos in wild to wild release in these?
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
I can't give you specific statistical breeding information , but I worked with this zoo in the past and knew those in charge of the conservation programe for this species and I can tell you that the breeding of this animal in Chapultepec and the other two zoos is profilic to say the least. The colonies maintained across the three institutions are constantly producing young so the problem is not one of breeding the species in captivity as they breed like...well...rabbits.
Rather the difficulty of keeping these animals alive is that they are very short lived and very easily develop gastrointestinal illnesses that lead to a very high number of deaths every year. That said nutrition is a consideration that is taken very seriously indeed and several grass species that they feed upon in the wild (known collectively as "Zacaton" ) are naturally fed to the animals and planted / used in the enclosures. To add to that there is a difficulty in replicating the microclimates of the higher altitude conditions of the habitats in which they occur in the wild (Slightly off topic but I consider myself quite lucky to have seen these animals in the wild on one occasion).
In this way the situation closely resembles that of the axolotl (though these are far easier to maintain ex-situ and can be kept ex-situ outside of their natural range) which is also a conservation priority of these three zoos. That is to say that they are best kept in captivity, if at all, ideally in-situ in enclosures situated within their rapidly diminishing natural habitat.
However, until the conservation of these ecosystems is addressed by and given top priority by the powers that be their only viable future will be within ex-situ breeding programes in zoos and in the case of the volcano rabbit in zoos within their natural range as attempts to bring them to zoos abroad have failed dismally). The need for these animals to be kept ex-situ in zoos is something that many animal rights activists spectacularly and very idiotically fail to comprehend.
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Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Yes , this is correct as far as I am aware , there is (or was when I was privy to it) a strong working relationship between Japan and Mexico with regards to lagomorph conservation.
The interest in the volcano rabbit by the Japanese is mainly scientific and due to some of the similarities between the Anami rabbit and the "teporingo". This is due to them both being of conservation concern , having specific habitat and dietary requirements in captivity, and these both being very primitive "living fossil" species of lagomorph.
I think that Dr Erika Servin Zamora and a few of the other conservationists at Chapultepec (Dont quote me on that though) have visited Japan and formed connections with Japanese scientists to exchange information etc.
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