Altina Wildlife Park Altina Wildlife Park News 2021

Mansfield have never had Tahr in any of my visits - it would suit them, but they don't have them... AFAIK Halls gap have either a single sex group or non breeding animals.
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Altina Willdife Park have welcomed six Banteng calves in the past month! Only three Australian zoos house this species: Altina, Taronga Western Plains Zoo and Crocodylus Park: Log into Facebook | Facebook
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Any info on their genetics and origins (Bali or Jawa from the original imports and wild wild outback years)? I would love to get an angle on this, thanks for any information.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Any info on their genetics and origins (Bali or Jawa from the original imports and wild wild outback years)? I would love to get an angle on this, thanks for any information.
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They are domestic ‘Bali Cattle’. From the exotic mammals in Australian zoos thread:

“The Banteng in Australia are all descended from a group of about 20 domestic animals (“Bali cattle”) released in the Northern Territory in 1849. The current zoo and farm animals derive from the feral population.”
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
They are domestic ‘Bali Cattle’. From the exotic mammals in Australian zoos thread:

“The Banteng in Australia are all descended from a group of about 20 domestic animals (“Bali cattle”) released in the Northern Territory in 1849. The current zoo and farm animals derive from the feral population.”
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Bummer, so no real intrinsic conservation value. Hence, invariably they should not be specifically named as banteng, but Bali cattle to prevent any misnomering with the real article Jawan banteng or mainland Asian subspecies.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Bummer, so no real intrinsic conservation value. Hence, invariably they should not be specifically named as banteng, but Bali cattle to prevent any misnomering with the real article Jawan banteng or mainland Asian subspecies.
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Its interesting because more than a couple of times I've heard the banteng of Australia being raised as an example of the importance of some invasive species populations and the inherent nuance surrounding the issue.

I think I've even read authors in books discussing the importance of this population but it would appear that these writers didn't do their homework.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Its interesting because more than a couple of times I've heard the banteng of Australia being raised as an example of the importance of some invasive species populations and the inherent nuance surrounding the issue.

I think I've even read authors in books discussing the importance of this population but it would appear that these writers didn't do their homework.
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I think an invasive species exhibit would not look out of place in any Antipodes zoo really. Just, I am at odds that even over the decades the issues with these larger exotics have never been resolved.

You only have to look how the import/export process for wild exotic species by zoos in the region how that remains at odds with the general state of the environment in Australia and real threats from introduced species that have no business in the Australian outback nor coastal regions.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I think an invasive species exhibit would not look out of place in any Antipodes zoo really. Just, I am at odds that even over the decades the issues with these larger exotics have never been resolved.

You only have to look how the import/export process for wild exotic species by zoos in the region how that remains at odds with the general state of the environment in Australia and real threats from introduced species that have no business in the Australian outback nor coastal regions.
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Yep, well said, I agree.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Bummer, so no real intrinsic conservation value. Hence, invariably they should not be specifically named as banteng, but Bali cattle to prevent any misnomering with the real article Jawan banteng or mainland Asian subspecies.
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Some years back I read a story about a genetic study that was done on the feral "Bali cattle" in Australia. The conclusions were interesting: The animals had no cattle genetics mixed in and where genetically indistinguishable from wild Javan banteng.
 
At the time of their introduction to Australia, around 170 years ago, all Bali Cattle were pure (domesticated) Banteng. Since then the domestic animals in Indonesia have been heavily hybridised with other domestic species (zebu and western cattle), so there is now the interesting result that the animals in Australia are pure while the animals in Indonesia are not.

Domestication produces various anatomical and biological differences in animals. In Bali Cattle, when compared to wild Banteng (i.e. in Java), the domestic animals are smaller and more gracile, have a smaller and narrower skull, smaller horns, less pronounced dimorphism between sexes, younger age of maturity, and shorter gestation. Basically, all the usual aspects one would expect from a domesticated ungulate where the effect is generally to make the animal more "juvenile" to enhance docility and ease of keeping.

Feral populations tend to revert to "wild type" but I have no idea if any of these traits have been "reversed" in the wild Australian population.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I think an invasive species exhibit would not look out of place in any Antipodes zoo really. Just, I am at odds that even over the decades the issues with these larger exotics have never been resolved.

You only have to look how the import/export process for wild exotic species by zoos in the region how that remains at odds with the general state of the environment in Australia and real threats from introduced species that have no business in the Australian outback nor coastal regions.
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Interestingly I was just reading research that suggested this would not be a good idea. Displaying such animals creates sympathy for them in the general public which makes control measures more difficult to implement.
 
toothlessjaws said:
Some years back I read a story about a genetic study that was done on the feral "Bali cattle" in Australia. The conclusions were interesting: The animals had no cattle genetics mixed in and where genetically indistinguishable from wild Javan banteng.
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Fascinating, do you have the paper or publications at hand?
 
Chlidonias said:
At the time of their introduction to Australia, around 170 years ago, all Bali Cattle were pure (domesticated) Banteng. Since then the domestic animals in Indonesia have been heavily hybridised with other domestic species (zebu and western cattle), so there is now the interesting result that the animals in Australia are pure while the animals in Indonesia are not.

Domestication produces various anatomical and biological differences in animals. In Bali Cattle, when compared to wild Banteng (i.e. in Java), the domestic animals are smaller and more gracile, have a smaller and narrower skull, smaller horns, less pronounced dimorphism between sexes, younger age of maturity, and shorter gestation. Basically, all the usual aspects one would expect from a domesticated ungulate where the effect is generally to make the animal more "juvenile" to enhance docility and ease of keeping.

Feral populations tend to revert to "wild type" but I have no idea if any of these traits have been "reversed" in the wild Australian population.
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I think it still discounts using Bali cattle as source or founding stock for Javan banteng restocking. Now, the Indonesian authorities have started a translocation exercise with the species in east Jawa.
 
Flora, the female Maned Wolf pup born last year at Hunter Valley Zoo has been transferred to Altina. The young female has been introduced to Altina's young pup, Raina:
ALTINA WELCOMES... Flora (right) the Maned Wolf pup born at Hunter Valley Zoo! She has come to Altina to be Raina’s new friend (left)! Raina our Hand reared Maned wolf pup was so excited to be meeting another pup her age! These two girls will be companions until they are old enough to be mummies themselves in a year or 2 time!
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