Zoo Barcelona Barcelona municipal council and Zoo XXI initiative

JigerofLemuria said:
However, some of the animals that'll be fased out include:
- Those we already knew: Dolphins, brown bears, common hippos, white rhinoceros, Dalmatian pelicans, Chilean flamingos...
- New additions: Lions, Giraffes, elephants, giraffes.
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Any clue on when the zoo will start fasing them out or removing them from the collection? Or when the zoo is going to start construction for their change of plans in general?
 
Jurek7 said:
I think Barcelona city council desperately needs to consult European Association of Zoos and Aquaria or a similar body.

Many old mid-city zoos modernized with removing some big animals. Barcelona surely can get valuable knowledge from other zoos.

Now it looks like the city council does not know much about modern zoos. The proposal that Barcelona zoo should breed endangered species but without membership in zoo organizations sounds self-contradictory. How would they get animals for fresh blood and funds?
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This demand from the AW extremists would absolutely contravene European and Spain's very own oversight laws governing the maintenance of exotic species in captivity.
 
NVP said:
Unfortunately, it seems the activists have won this time.

VIDEO : Watch: Barcelona Zoo told to stop breeding unless offspring reintroduced into wild
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Ehh? If they don't breed their animals for a little while it shouldn't be a big issue (I think). If anything it might buy us time for Barcelona Zoo to try and find a escape-route from this disaster.
Yes, they have some species that if possible should be bred to keep bloodlines and conservation going. But a quick ZTL shows me that they definitely don't need to breed *everything*; ex; capybaras and zebras.

It sucks, definitely, but if this is what's needed for a while then so be it. For short-term it probably won't hurt, in the long-run it probably will hurt the most.

Also, how's it going with the whole Barcelona deal around sending their conservation needing species away to other facilities? I know it's not easy to just send away like a rhinoceros or a leopard to a zoo if they aren't prepared, but is it a possibility that Barcelona may be looking at with the EAZA? To send animals that have importance to studbooks and breeding programmes to other zoos? If they would be able to do that then it wouldn't hurt Barcelona zoo much to not be allowed to breed apart from missing out on a great marketing aspect for zoos; babies.
 
I care less about the immediate influence this decision (might) has/have, but more the long term impact, specially the "signal" for animal rights activits in other regions and countries.

What bothers me: Last week I thought that the most "weird" (I would like to use another, less appropriate term) people live in Basle after refusing the "construction schedule/Richtplan" for the Ozeanium (saying that as as Swiss!). But know, the responsible authorities/politicians in Barcelone are the new leaders....
 
zoomaniac said:
I care less about the immediate influence this decision (might) has/have, but more the long term impact, specially the "signal" for animal rights activits in other regions and countries.
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That's the part that worries me the most. I hate to use the "slippery slope" argument, but if the activists can successfully lobby for changes that suit their agenda to a well-established European zoo, what's to say other zoos in the West aren't at risk?
 
zoomaniac said:
I care less about the immediate influence this decision (might) has/have, but more the long term impact, specially the "signal" for animal rights activits in other regions and countries.

What bothers me: Last week I thought that the most "weird" (I would like to use another, less appropriate term) people live in Basle after refusing the "construction schedule/Richtplan" for the Ozeanium (saying that as as Swiss!). But know, the responsible authorities/politicians in Barcelone are the new leaders....
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...actually, it seems that the organization successfully lobbying against the Ozeanium in Basel and for the 'zoo XXI' transformation of Barcelona are one and the same.
 
This is actually the most idiotic thing I've ever seen animal rights groups do and I hope to God that the EAZA can grow a pair and oust them as they are ruining everything for everyone. Like if they try this sorta crap with the Bronx Zoo, I'm fighting it as hard as I can.
 
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Jurek7 said:
Do I understand right that activists delayed everything for a year? Many animals will die of old age waiting for their brave new future.
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Exactly, there will be a year of uncertainty now. I just hope they won't give in to these "people" (they're more like wailing banshees to me)
 
zoomaniac said:
I care less about the immediate influence this decision (might) has/have, but more the long term impact, specially the "signal" for animal rights activits in other regions and countries...
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Well said zoomaniac !

I totally agree and inevitably situations like this are now going to crop up more and more in other regions and countries.
 
I am more concerned about welfare of animals than activists.

However, currently the group 'managing' Barcelona Zoo is making a very good example not to give animal rights activists influence any zoo or similar institution.
 
JigerofLemuria said:
Alright, it's news time! Today the city council has made their decisive vote to say if the zoo will be ransacked by the activists.
And the answer is...
It's not. The Zoo will proceed on a different path.
The zoo will focus on three directives in terms of their collection:
- Mediterranean animals (Montseny brook newt and other herps, bison, Iberian wolf, barbary macaque, vultures, waterfowl, Spanish toothcarp...), Which will me the most focused on.
- Endangered animals from across the world (great apes, certain mammals [Scimitar-horned oryx, various smaller primates], various birds and herps...)
- Animals they already have in captive breeding programs (many of those I already mentioned, Dorcas gazelle, giant anteater, Sri Lankan leopard...)

However, some of the animals that'll be fased out include:
- Those we already knew: Dolphins, brown bears, common hippos, white rhinoceros, Dalmatian pelicans, Chilean flamingos...
- New additions: Lions, Giraffes, elephants, giraffes.
This last section bothers me. They just invested a crap-ton of money in making new enclosures for all three of these, and now they say they won't be restocked in the future? Makes no sense to me...
Also, the activist influence is all over this new plan, with the frontrunners accusing the zoo as it is of being "colonialist", for instance, and could prove detrimental in the long run... However, I am happy that they won't reduce the zoo to 11 species, and this at least gives the institution more margin for flexibility.
What do you all think about this?
El Ayuntamiento de Barcelona aprueba un nuevo modelo para el Zoo
PA 180717 | betevé
El Ayuntamiento de Barcelona inicia el fin de su zoo decimonónico
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I'm a bit late to this , but I have to say that I like the first category of focus on Iberian and Mediterranean species. I think of all of these updates this is the most encouraging to read.

If the activists were to succeed in removing all of the other animals apart from the native species (and their conservation programes) it would still be a reason for hope for the continuation of the zoo and a victory for conservation over human stupidity.

Personally I think that when even the ex situ conservation programes of native species are subjected to this kind of stupidity by "animal rights" campaigns that there is a dire reason to worry.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
If the activists were to succeed in removing all of the other animals apart from the native species (and their conservation programes) it would still be a reason for hope for the continuation of the zoo and a victory for conservation over human stupidity.
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That's like saying that you like the idea to mesmerize all your money and let only some spare money because you still can use it. Or that you like the idea that a restaurant reduces its supply of food and serve only bananas, because bananas are still good. Or that you like the idea that children in school learn only maths instead all kind of things, because maths are still useful for life. Etc etc etc...
 
Kakapo said:
That's like saying that you like the idea to mesmerize all your money and let only some spare money because you still can use it. Or that you like the idea that a restaurant reduces its supply of food and serve only bananas, because bananas are still good. Or that you like the idea that children in school learn only maths instead all kind of things, because maths are still useful for life. Etc etc etc...
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Interesting and rather bizarre attempt at interpretation / "divination" of what I said , but no , no es lo que quise decir.

Actually what I was trying to articulate was an observation that there are gradations of negative changes made to zoos and the most catastrophic IMO would be/ is the scrapping of programes for the conservation of native biodiversity and endangered species.

Why ?

Well , self evidently because these programes are the most immiediately relevant and pertinent to the reality of the conservation of Spain's fauna. Many zoos worldwide have ex-situ programes for the exotic species such as elephants, oryx etc. , but how many institutions have programes for the Iberian wolf or the Montesny brook newt ?

Furthermore, how many have achieved what Barcelona zoo has managed to achieve over the years in terms of supporting In-situ conservation of ecosystems and species in Catalonia ?

There are a lot of interesting endemic species in Spain and (as I've seen in first hand experience) the Iberian penninsula is one of the most biodiverse rich regions of Europe. It would therefore be a far greater tragedy IMO if programes for the ex-situ conservation of these species were shut down even in a single Spanish zoological institution.

In essence it would be a significant loss for Spanish conservation due to the feckless knee jerk stupidity of animal rights activists.
 
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