El Paso Zoo El Paso Zoo news

Kifaru Bwana said:
Any plans for candidates for release program over time?
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Hopefully! Apparently the most successful way to release them is through releasing pups into foster dens:

This strategy has been successful so far, with survival rates as high or higher than for the wild pups that are naturally born, deVos said. Of the 90 pups born and released in 2019, at least 52 survived their first year — a 58% survival rate, higher than the average pup survival rate of 50%.

A wild mother has never rejected a captive-bred pup since the program in 2014.

The pups are usually more successful than adults released into the wild, because most adult captive-bred wolves become somewhat habituated to humans no matter the steps taken by the facilities to avoid that.

Mexican gray wolf pups released into the wild aid recovery effort
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Any plans for candidates for release program over time?
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What has been happening with captive bred Mexican wolves is cross fostering (not a lot, but I know of at least two instances, and there may be more). When a large litter is born in captivity and a wild litter around the same time, one or two from each litter are swapped to increase genetic diversity in both the wild and captive populations.

EDIT @Zoofan15 was making essentially the same post at the same time I was typing this.
 
Arizona Docent said:
What has been happening with captive bred Mexican wolves is cross fostering (not a lot, but I know of at least two instances, and there may be more). When a large litter is born in captivity and a wild litter around the same time, one or two from each litter are swapped to increase genetic diversity in both the wild and captive populations.

EDIT @Zoofan15 was making essentially the same post at the same time I was typing this.
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The way I read it they shipped out the Phoenix Zoo breeding pair and their 3 male cubs meaning the zoo no longer holds a breeding pair for now. The 2 remaining female cubs might probably be source candidates to establishing a pack as you mentioned.
 
Zoofan15 said:
A male Pronghorn has arrived:

KTSM Goes Wild: El Paso Zoo introduces male pronghorn to help increase population | KTSM 9 News

The male Pronghorn, named Enrique, was transferred from the Phoenix Zoo to breed with the zoo’s six females.
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So the new Chihuahuan Desert exhibit does not house Chihuahuan pronghorn? It houses Baja Peninsula pronghorn? Given the conservation needs I suppose this is understandable, but still doesn't fit the theme. (Not that most people, myself included, would be able to tell the difference between pronghorn subspecies).
 
Arizona Docent said:
So the new Chihuahuan Desert exhibit does not house Chihuahuan pronghorn? It houses Baja Peninsula pronghorn? Given the conservation needs I suppose this is understandable, but still doesn't fit the theme. (Not that most people, myself included, would be able to tell the difference between pronghorn subspecies).
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For good purposes: Chihuahuan pronghorn is synonym for Mexican pronghorn Antilocapra America mexicana?

You are right that El Paso is part of the Peninsular pronghorn recovery ex situ program. Has been for a good number of years now, if I am correct.
 
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John Marchwick said:
Another example of stupidity

Children Spotted Inside Texas Zoo Exhibit
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The rampant stupidity continues...

That exhibit in the video is for Siamangs, but of course the news station didn't bother to figure out that the El Paso Zoo hasn't had Chimpanzees in decades. The zoo had chimps in the 1950s, but I'm not sure when the last one was there.

On a side note, the zoo has added a substantial wooden climbing structure to the Siamang exhibit that wasn't there when I visited in 2010.
 
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