Why is there an absence of Ethiopian Wolves in captivity?

MRJ said:
I'd endorse the comments by @Onychorhynchus coronatus, @Maguari and @birdsandbats, it is possible to see many species in the wild once you know where to look. Further there are just so many more species out there that are never seen in zoos, and never will be.
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I'm not against seeing animals in the wild (in fact, I consider it to be a rare honor), but it is definitely more expensive, carbon-intensive, (and sometimes dangerous) to travel the world and traverse the wilderness to see species, an activity often limited to the wealthy. Zoos make animals more accessible to the public, especially for lower-income urban folks.
 
EternalPigeon said:
I couldn’t find anything on ZooChat directly talking about this issue, but I’m sorry in advance if there is something already talking about this topic. Ethiopian Wolves are endangered and have an extremely small distribution range, so why are they not in captivity? They are in serious danger of dying out, and I think a zoo should keep a group of these animals to preserve the species, if the wild population of them ever die out. I thought at first maybe they can’t live in zoos, since they live at such a high altitude, it can’t be replicated in a zoo. But other Ethiopian species (Geladas, Nubian Ibex, Wattled Crane) have been kept in captivity successfully. I figure they would be a popular attraction for a zoo, due to their rarity and beauty, so anyone know why they don’t keep them in zoos?
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Establishing a sustainable insurance population for a species is not as easy as moving a group of animals into a zoo. An insurance population needs to number around 400-500 individuals (this number differs with species) with active genetic management to ensure that genetic diversity is maintained and the population survives over an extended period of time.

Ecotourism can indeed be a savior for wildlife. For instance mountain gorilla numbers are now three times what they were at the end of last century, and this can be put down to ecotourism in East African countries. Conservation efforts for these "flagship" species also help preserve the many "lesser" species that live in the same habitat.
 
RatioTile said:
I'm not against seeing animals in the wild (in fact, I consider it to be a rare honor), but it is definitely more expensive, carbon-intensive, (and sometimes dangerous) to travel the world and traverse the wilderness to see species, an activity often limited to the wealthy. Zoos make animals more accessible to the public, especially for lower-income urban folks.
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I agree and I support zoos, and in fact own one. However not every species is going to make it into a zoo nor is every endangered species going to be saved by a zoo breeding program.
 
TinoPup said:
I imagine it has to do with both the grey wolf and red fox being found throughout north america, europe, and asia. Along with them being local to so much of the world's population, the majority of biologists studying animals have historically come from europe and north america(unfortunately) so knowledge about them is likely to be more prevalent, especially compared to species that have fairly specific ranges like the ethiopian wolf, south american canids, etc.
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Yes, I agree it is probably to do with the familiarity of these canids in the Northern hemisphere.

Species like the dhole, bushdog and Ethiopian wolf (though I know Claudio Sillero has done a lot in the long-term research of these animals) by contrast are still terra incognita in terms of the paucity of research.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I don't think you are the only one by any means who forgets about them. Afterall they are quite an obscure species.

I think many canid species in general tend to be largely forgotten about with the most prominent / well known being the gray wolf. I have no idea why this is exactly and it strikes me as very odd.

Considering the popularity of the domestic dog in households all around the world you would sort of expect people to be much more interested in wild canids.

However, with the exception of the wolf, foxes, coyotes and to a lesser extent the African painted dog they are still a very poorly known and studied family of carnivores.
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Plus the reasons others have mentioned, I think another plausible factor is the global lack of “big dog” species. The most popular members of the cat family tend to be among the seven or so reaching 100+ pounds in weight, with most smaller felids not really exceeding most wild canids in popularity. The 100-pound threshold is only meant by one extant canid, that being the gray wolf, the largest species... and from there the runner-ups decrease pretty steeply in size. For comparison, the fifth-largest canid is the coyote, growing up to 46 lb or 21 kg, while the fifth-largest felid is the leopard, reaching up to 198 lb or 90 kg in weight.
 
evilmonkey239 said:
Plus the reasons others have mentioned, I think another plausible factor is the global lack of “big dog” species. The most popular members of the cat family tend to be among the seven or so reaching 100+ pounds in weight, with most smaller felids not really exceeding most wild canids in popularity. The 100-pound threshold is only meant by one extant canid, that being the gray wolf, the largest species... and from there the runner-ups decrease pretty steeply in size. For comparison, the fifth-largest canid is the coyote, growing up to 46 lb or 21 kg, while the fifth-largest felid is the leopard, reaching up to 198 lb or 90 kg in weight.
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Yes, I definitely think that this size thing is a factor when it comes to popularity with the general public but I dont know why it should factor in the equation when it comes to research of wild canids.
 
Has anyone out there taken into account the habitat and diet of the animal? I mean, we are talking about a mammal that lives at an altitude of more than 3,000-4,500 m and feeds only on Afroalpine rodents? Could it survive at low altitudes and eating meat other than its natural prey? (I also wonder if the Tibetan fox would also adapt to the captive environment being an animal that lives more than 3,500-5,200m in the Tibetan Plateau)
 
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Clouded Leopard 153 said:
Has anyone out there taken into account the habitat and diet of the animal? I mean, we are talking about a mammal that lives at an altitude of more than 3,000-4,500 m and feeds only on Afroalpine rodents? Could it survive at low altitudes and eating meat other than its natural prey? (I also wonder if the Tibetan fox would also adapt to the captive environment being an animal that lives more than 3,500-5,200m in the Tibetan Plateau)
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I don't see elevation being an issue - Snow Leopards do quite well as does Pallas' Cat. Carivores aside, various goats and sheep as well as the Takin, Yak, Bactrian Camel, Vicuna, and Guanaco do just fine in captivity despite normally living at high elevations.
Equally I'd be quite surprised if diet was a major issue in keeping them.
 
Clouded Leopard 153 said:
Has anyone out there taken into account the habitat and diet of the animal? I mean, we are talking about a mammal that lives at an altitude of more than 3,000-4,500 m and feeds only on Afroalpine rodents? Could it survive at low altitudes and eating meat other than its natural prey? (I also wonder if the Tibetan fox would also adapt to the captive environment being an animal that lives more than 3,500-5,200m in the Tibetan Plateau)
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Great Argus said:
Equally I'd be quite surprised if diet was a major issue in keeping them.
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From what I’ve read, it’s primary diet is mole rats and grass rats, both of which are abundant in its habitat. But it does occasionally hunt young antelopes and hares.

My interpretation is the rodents comprise its primary diet because they’re abundant and easy to catch - not because it won’t eat anything else. Some sources also report it eating eggs and chicks, so I’d say it’s likely it would adapt to an equally diverse captive diet.
 
Zoofan15 said:
From what I’ve read, it’s primary diet is mole rats and grass rats, both of which are abundant in its habitat. But it does occasionally hunt young antelopes and hares.

My interpretation is the rodents comprise its primary diet because they’re abundant and easy to catch - not because it won’t eat anything else. Some sources also report it eating eggs and chicks, so I’d say it’s likely it would adapt to an equally diverse captive diet.
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Based on a new behavior in their diet, how is nectar going to be provided.
 
ThylacineAlive said:
They seem to benefit more from the eco-tourism people visiting to see their unusual endemic wildlife provides (in a pre-COVID world, of course).
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This is a somewhat short sighted policy. (If indeed that is the primary reason for their export ban).
Its almost a guarantee that more people would be interested if more people knew about Ethiopian wolves, mountain nyala, walia ibex etc. That is not exactly the most stable part of the world, I would think that their government COULD be seen to see the value of insurance populations.
 
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Great Argus said:
I don't see elevation being an issue - Snow Leopards do quite well as does Pallas' Cat. Carivores aside, various goats and sheep as well as the Takin, Yak, Bactrian Camel, Vicuna, and Guanaco do just fine in captivity despite normally living at high elevations.
Equally I'd be quite surprised if diet was a major issue in keeping them.
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I thought manuls in zoos had disease problems

Or is that no longer an issue?
 
tigris115 said:
I thought manuls in zoos had disease problems

Or is that no longer an issue?
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Yes - historically at least, they were highly susceptible to Toxoplasmosis, which is found in pretty much all domestic cats, housed and feral; and the reason why most responsible zoos have a no-cats on site policy. Marsupials are very susceptible, too.
 
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