Pronghorn used to range further east than they do now. That said, there is a difference between being able to keep them alive vs them thriving.
~Thylo
Any of these in U.S. zoos? and where?
- Thread starter Phantom Gaur
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Pronghorn used to range further east than they do now. That said, there is a difference between being able to keep them alive vs them thriving.
~Thylo
But not as far east as Ohio, right? Or are we talking about Pleistocene here?
I wonder if this is related to humidity, as their range appears to stop where the semi-arid Western steppe meets the humid continental Eastern grasslands - although I suppose this could be related to agricultural expansion also. That being said, I know that pronghorns have an unusual respiratory system that allows for extremely high uptake of oxygen, allowing them to run at fast speeds for a very long time compared to other mammals... perhaps this respiratory system doesn't work properly in more humid climates? (Just an idea, I have no evidence to support this)
Bearded Pig - Wild Wilderness in Arkansas should have several, Wild World of Animals in PA has one, and Capital of Texas Zoo has one. I don't think Gladys Porter still has theirs.
Bush Pig - Zoosiana, Metro Richmond in VA has some behind the scenes I think?, Brookfield Zoo?
ZooAmerica has several pronghorn that are doing well, but they seem to keep more than a couple at a time.
Bush Pig - Zoosiana, Metro Richmond in VA has some behind the scenes I think?, Brookfield Zoo?
ZooAmerica has several pronghorn that are doing well, but they seem to keep more than a couple at a time.
Brookfield does not keep Bushpigs.
drill
Well-Known Member
When did the bearded pigs die out at Tampa? Evidence for Zoosiana and Metro Richmond?
Whilst I never assumed that they were overly "common" in captivity across the pond, I'm surprised at how few Pronghorn there actually are in zoos. The average group size is just over 3.5 individuals, with a groups size of 2 being the most common ... I guess, with them being such an iconic American species, I expected to see more.
Does anyone happen to know when the European population died out? It appears that Whipsnade was the last to hold them in the UK.
Does anyone happen to know when the European population died out? It appears that Whipsnade was the last to hold them in the UK.
I believe the last individual at Hannover died in 1973; this was also the only collection which managed to keep the species alive for any significant amount of time, having kept and bred the species for a decade.
Thank you, the year after my mother was born!
I wouldn't quite call them *iconic* for Americans in the eastern half of the country; as far as native prairie hoofstock go, bison are far more so. As for the western states, they are fairly ubiquitous and easy to see in many places. This combined with possible husbandry issues could be why they aren't more widespread in that region's zoos.
I see what you mean, but from the outside (a Non-US citizen) I would personally call them iconic
I would agree that Bison far more iconic... especially if you're not typically an animal person.
Do you mean issues caused by their wide ranges and migratory habits?
No, they are very sensitive to temperature variation and air humidity - one reason why they never thrived in European collections.
Oh right, I though @Coelacanth18 meant the animal husbandry issues on top of those that you mentioned above.
Would their large ranges be a problem for a European zoo where land is typically more expensive though, or is it a negligible problem in comparison to those already mentioned?
Pronghorn exhibits in the States are not any larger than exhibits for similarly-sized, non-migratory hoofstock.
Do you think they should be?
They don't need to be. Not all pronghorn migrate, and the ones that do migrate based on availability of food (as is the case with many animals that migrate).
Almost every Pronghorn exhibit I have ever has been a mixed exhibit with bison.