Australasian Coati Population

akasha

akasha

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Brown-nosed Coati

In May 2011, Melbourne Zoo imported 1.4 Brown-nosed Coati (Nasua nasua) from Leipzig Zoo in Germany. They were male Floppy, and females Mohawk and Helga (sisters), and Margrethe II and Isabella (sisters). Margrethe II and Isabella came to Leipzig from Denmark.
By the end of 2011 all four females had bred, with a total of 26 kits being born. All the kits were born within a two-week period and raised communally within the group. Likely litters were; Mohawk [4], Helga [9], Margrethe II [9] and Isabella [4]. Isabella’s kits did not survive infancy.
Over the next few years the offspring were distributed to various other zoos in single-sex groups. Six females went to Gorge (2012), three females to Adelaide (2013), six males to Perth (2015) and three males to Altina (2016). Melbourne retained four (one male, two females and one unknown).
In 2018, three more coati were imported by Melbourne, they are post-breeding animals that came from Singapore Zoo.
Floppy was euthanised in 2020, leaving only one entire male in the country who is now post-breeding age.
The current Australian population is comprised of the post-reproductive offspring from the 2011 import animals, as well as the two surviving Singapore imports. Melbourne Zoo are the species co-ordinator for the region, and intend to import additional coati for breeding.
There are no coati in New Zealand.

Adelaide Zoo, SA, Australia

0.1 Cha Cha (Floppy x Mohawk) 25/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2013
0.1 Rumba (Floppy x Margrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2013
0.1 Samba (Floppy x Margrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2013

Altina Wildlife Park, NSW, Australia

1.0 Ron (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2016
1.0 Potter (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2016
1.0 Harry (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2016

Gorge Wildlife Park, SA, Australia

0.1 Gabriella (Floppy x Helga) 21/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Indiana (Floppy x Helga) 21/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Penelope (Floppy x Helga) 21/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Anabella (Floppy x Mohawk) 25/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Charlie (Floppy x Magrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012

Melbourne Zoo, VIC, Australia

0.1 Japura (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011
0.1 Bahia (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011
0.1 Luna (613544 x 613542) 18/06/2010 Imported from Singapore Zoo 2018
0.1 Kasey (613544 x 613542) 27/06/2011 Imported from Singapore Zoo 2018

Perth Zoo, WA, Australia

1.0 Blanco (Floppy x Mohawk) 25/11/2011Transferred from Melbourne 2015
1.0 Verde (Floppy x Margrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2015
1.0 Castano (Floppy x Margrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2015

Brown-nosed Coati Population Total: 18 (6.12)
 
Great list @akasha. I was amazed to learn the 18 Coati we have in the region are all post reproductive and with the exception of the elderly Singapore imports, are descended from the same male. What a difference it would have made if unrelated founders (including at least two males) had been made at the outset to establish a thriving breeding programme within the region. The comparatively short lives of the species will necessitate regular imports (comparable to porcupine or otters), but this would have at least sustained the population for longer.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Great list @akasha. I was amazed to learn the 18 Coati we have in the region are all post reproductive and with the exception of the elderly Singapore imports, are descended from the same male. What a difference it would have made if unrelated founders (including at least two males) had been made at the outset to establish a thriving breeding programme within the region. The comparatively short lives of the species will necessitate regular imports (comparable to porcupine or otters), but this would have at least sustained the population for longer.
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It does seem a little odd that with this number here so little was done with breeding them.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Great list @akasha. I was amazed to learn the 18 Coati we have in the region are all post reproductive and with the exception of the elderly Singapore imports, are descended from the same male. What a difference it would have made if unrelated founders (including at least two males) had been made at the outset to establish a thriving breeding programme within the region. The comparatively short lives of the species will necessitate regular imports (comparable to porcupine or otters), but this would have at least sustained the population for longer.
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Yes, one more male in 2011 would have allowed for a second generation. Then there would have been time to organise further imports to keep the program going after that.
 
akasha said:
Yes, one more male in 2011 would have allowed for a second generation. Then there would have been time to organise further imports to keep the program going after that.
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It would seem an expensive way with importation to have just a filler species if breeding a second generation was not the goal.
 
The whole import and management of this species seems to be poorly thought out. I should be surprised, but sadly am not. Basically all the coati that have been imported/bred will have no input in keeping the species going in the country. Surely there was someone who was managing the program?
 
tetrapod said:
The whole import and management of this species seems to be poorly thought out. I should be surprised, but sadly am not. Basically all the coati that have been imported/bred will have no input in keeping the species going in the country. Surely there was someone who was managing the program?
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It wouldn’t have hurt to inbreed that first generation to get a population established.
 
tetrapod said:
Cannot do that if they are all post-reproductive! Madness that only one male was imported. Don't understand the Singapore import.
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Well no, time has run out. Could have been done a few years ago, with enough numbers produced to minimise inbreeding depression.
 
tetrapod said:
The whole import and management of this species seems to be poorly thought out. I should be surprised, but sadly am not. Basically all the coati that have been imported/bred will have no input in keeping the species going in the country. Surely there was someone who was managing the program?
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True. But would not be the first time a species importation was poorly thought out within our zoos. :rolleyes:
 
This won’t be the first time this species has been bred then left to die out in Australia. I remember seeing them at Melbourne Zoo in the early 2000s. They were definitely there in 2006 when I proposed to my wife there.
 
MattyP said:
This won’t be the first time this species has been bred then left to die out in Australia. I remember seeing them at Melbourne Zoo in the early 2000s. They were definitely there in 2006 when I proposed to my wife there.
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Different species - white-nosed coati, although I thought they were all gone by 2000. Not sure any other zoo held them, but yes same result.
 
akasha said:
Perth Zoo’s last two coati, Castano and Verdi, passed away in July 2022.
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Zorro said:
Perhaps another phase out coming!
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New imports will be need given the entire regional population is elderly. It wasn’t ideal only one male was imported, leading to all but the post-reproductive imports from Singapore being related to each other.

Personally I think this species would be a great loss to the range. A small carnivore from South America (a poorly represented region in its own right) is a nice compliment to small Asian and African carnivores like the Asian-small clawed otter and Slender-tailed meerkat.
 
The two Singapore imports, Kasey and Luna, at Melbourne have recently been euthanised due to age related illnesses. This leaves Melbourne with Floppy's two daughters, Japura and Bahia.
 
akasha said:
The two Singapore imports, Kasey and Luna, at Melbourne have recently been euthanised due to age related illnesses. This leaves Melbourne with Floppy's two daughters, Japura and Bahia.
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That's sad news; I saw all four during my visit less than a month ago.

Hopefully Japura and Bahia can live another few years - it'll be interesting to see if Melbourne decide to continue with this species once they pass (and import more from overseas). Hopefully they do.

Also you mentioned in the Exotic Mammals thread that Altina no longer have Coati too? That would leave only three holders (Gorge, Melbourne and Adelaide) and all three have elderly populations. So a regional decision will have to be made on this species very soon.
 
Jambo said:
That's sad news; I saw all four during my visit less than a month ago.

Hopefully Japura and Bahia can live another few years - it'll be interesting to see if Melbourne decide to continue with this species once they pass (and import more from overseas). Hopefully they do.

Also you mentioned in the Exotic Mammals thread that Altina no longer have Coati too? That would leave only three holders (Gorge, Melbourne and Adelaide) and all three have elderly populations. So a regional decision will have to be made on this species very soon.
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Yes, only three holders now. It is highly unlikely another import will happen. My advice to anyone to wants to see them, would be get your butt to a zoo now! These are all elderly animals and the species will be gone from the region soon.
 
Brown-nosed Coati 2022

The ageing population is beginning to dwindle, with the remaining Perth animals and two of Melbourne’s coati being euthanised in 2022 due to age related illnesses. The three males at Altina have also passed away, as well as one of the females at Gorge.
Melbourne Zoo would have liked to import more, and would still like to, but the designation of Brown-nosed Coati as a pest species in Europe in 2016 meant that zoos there had to castrate males and cease breeding. This has made young animals very difficult to source. Numbers of available animals in the US is also low. It is highly likely the nine remaining females will be the last Brown-nosed Coati in Australia, at least for the foreseeable future.

Adelaide Zoo, SA, Australia

0.1 Cha Cha (Floppy x Mohawk) 25/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2013
0.1 Rumba (Floppy x Margrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2013
0.1 Samba (Floppy x Margrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2013

Gorge Wildlife Park, SA, Australia

0.1 Gabriella (Floppy x Helga) 21/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Indiana (Floppy x Helga) 21/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Anabella (Floppy x Mohawk) 25/11/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012
0.1 Charlie (Floppy x Magrethe II) 04/12/2011 Transferred from Melbourne 2012

Melbourne Zoo, VIC, Australia

0.1 Japura (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011
0.1 Bahia (Floppy x unk) 00/00/2011

Brown-nosed Coati Population Total: 9 (0.9)
 
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