Mixed species exhibit ideas
- Thread starter LowlandGorilla4
- Start date
Sacramento had RRH mixed with Bongo for awhile, but that mix was discontinued after the RRH's were harassing the newer Bongos that came in. Sac no longer has RRH.
The Franklin Park Zoo also mixed RRH with Bongos for a while, before stopping for unknown reasons. The former Bongo habitat is now only for RRH, as today FPZ has no Bongos at all.
An italian zoo, Parco Faunistico Le Cornelle, mixes RRH with Bat-Eared Fox, the foxes successfully bred and sometimes they even rest on the hogs, I guess they were just lucky to find some good tempered animals for the mix; also I believe the foxes have some ways of evading the hogs if they want to.
I actually do not know if the mix at Saint Louis is still place or not.My point, exactly
It is not. St. Louis only has a single fox left, and it is no longer mixed with the hogs.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
The hares and the ptarmigans would feel disturbed by the hoofstock. And 2 species of ptarmigans would hybridize.
Lota lota
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, i didn't thought about the possibility of hybridization,my bad.But in what way would the ptarmigan be disturbed? I have seen several cases of galliformes with hoofstock like guinea fowl in african savannah exhibits.
Domestic Helmeted Guineafowl are kept with hoofstock because they’re cheap, can fly, and are very hardy. Ptarmigan are expensive, difficult to keep, and would have to be flight restricted. They wouldn’t last five minutes
Lota lota
Well-Known Member
Why would they need to be flight restricted?Domestic Helmeted Guineafowl are kept with hoofstock because they’re cheap, can fly, and are very hardy. Ptarmigan are expensive, difficult to keep, and would have to be flight restricted. They wouldn’t last five minutes
Because, unless the enclosure is netted over (which most hoofstock paddocks aren’t), they will fly away.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
Maybe they should live in a large netted exhibit (like the Hippo exhibit in Beauval), with large quarters inaccessible to the hoofed animals, where Ptarmigans (and Hares) could retire easily.
And only one Ptarmigan species would be recommended to avoid hybridization.
Another difficulty may be the protection of the birds/hares against the foxes and other predatory mammals that could roam in the enclosure. A special fence would be needed.
How common is this do you know? I know all three species of ptarmigan share the same range in areas of Western Canada and Alaska, and I'm not aware of any habitat restrictions that separate them.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
Some related species are known to hybridize in the wild (Capercaillie × Black Grouse = Rackelhahn), creating even conservation problems in some places.
Recently, I decided to come up with a potential concept design for an African aviary that would contain Lesser Flamingoes, African Yellow-Billed Ducks, Marbled Teals, African Spoonbills, and Hadada Ibis. However, I am not too certain if this mixture would still work if a breeding pair of Saddle-Billed Storks were ever incorporated into the mix. So in theory; between the two storks and the other birds, could the mix still feasibly work in a way that would be best for all of the birds involved? Worst case scenario; I could always remove the storks from the plans, and leave the aviary mix the way that it is. But then again, I will also take any responses with appreciative gratitude, just to see if the following can be feasible enough for me to work with.
A breeding pair of Saddle-bills would most likely terrorize the rest of the inhabitants, especially the ducks.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
I may have met Saddle-billed Storks mixed with other species (Ibises, Pelicans...) in the main aviary of Rome Zoo in 1995.
And in Beauval the huge Hippo complex displays several Storks (but not the SB) with Spoonbills, Ducks, Ibises and other birds in free-flight.
Well in that case, after imagining a scenario similar to what you have pointed out. I have decided that it would be necessary to remove the stork pair from the plans. However, instead of moving them out of the zoo entirely; they would now be housed in a separate habitat that is connected to the aviary, via, their off-show holding area. But to anyone else who would think that keeping the pair within the aviary is still a good idea? I would be more than happy to accept any of your suggestions.
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I have also seen Saddle-bills in mixed situations, but a breeding pair changes dynamics. Saddle-bills are aggressive as far as storks go and they are known to occasionally kill smaller species. It could work fine or it could go very badly.