Species on the brink of disappearing from U.K Collections

Pertinax said:
I've asked a contact in Australia who has good experience with marsupi-carnivores in captivity. I know you are aware of the age-related issues but here's a few other possibilites they suggest;

1. Stress, causing pouch young to be aborted or...
2. Young being born but not even making it to the pouch.
3. Pseudo-pregnancies. Quite common apparently.
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Interesting, thank you. Not too much we can do about 2 and 3, I guess? We had considered stress of course, as it was a very logical conclusion, but we've tried every combination of housing and facilities, and nothing appears to be consistent and there is no obvious evidence. Another possibility has occurred to us, IF (which of course we dont know) it is happening at the same stage, has it become habitual after happening by chance the first time. I've not managed to get an opinion; could you run that one past your Aussie contact?
 
Andrew Swales said:
Interesting, thank you. Not too much we can do about 2 and 3, I guess? We had considered stress of course, as it was a very logical conclusion, but we've tried every combination of housing and facilities, and nothing appears to be consistent and there is no obvious evidence. Another possibility has occurred to us, IF (which of course we dont know) it is happening at the same stage, has it become habitual after happening by chance the first time. I've not managed to get an opinion; could you run that one past your Aussie contact?
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Will do. check in again tomorrow for an answer to that.
 
Pertinax said:
Places I remember seeing Malayan Tapir at include; London, Port Lympne, Chester (originally in the Elephant House) Twycross & Marwell. I also have a postcard of one at Colchester but don't remember seeing them there.
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I do remember seeing Malayan Tapirs there in 71
 
Jungle Man said:
The current population of Malayan Tapirs in UK is of 5.3.3 and here are the zoos that have malayan tapirs:

Edinburgh
1.0 Mowgli born 2009 arrived 2012 from Dortmund.
0.1 Sayang ?
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Sayang was PTS earlier this year.
 
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Andrew Swales said:
Interesting, thank you. Not too much we can do about 2 and 3, I guess? We had considered stress of course, as it was a very logical conclusion, but we've tried every combination of housing and facilities, and nothing appears to be consistent and there is no obvious evidence. Another possibility has occurred to us, IF (which of course we dont know) it is happening at the same stage, has it become habitual after happening by chance the first time. I've not managed to get an opinion; could you run that one past your Aussie contact?
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No comment on the habituation theory really. But she does say Tiger Quoll is territorial whereas Eastern Quoll isn't (or maybe its less so...?) So any mileage in the suggestion of the females not feeling secure enough after matings by still being kept in too close proximity to the males or each other? 'So many variables' was another consensus. Not too helpful I'm afraid...
 
Thought I would update this thread with some species that are in low numbers.

First of all, there seems to be very few holders of wild ass. Both onagers and kiang are down to one holder each. Chester has been the only holder of onager for 5 years now but as far as I'm aware they still breed somewhat regularly? I'm not knowegable on the situation of the kiang at Knowsley, they have been the only ones in the UK for 8 years.

A long while ago in this thread there was much worry over Arabian oryx, Marwell are still the only holder here... But one thing that always surprises me is how rare gemsbok have gotten. Whipsnade is currently the only holder of gemsbok! Beisa are also currently only held at Marwell but they had actually been absent from the UK for a while until this pair appeared. Seems the only oryx that is doing well is scimitar-horned which is currently held in 7 collections but even so this is still a decrease in the last decade as there was at least 10 previously.

Another obvious one to mention is giant panda, they should be leaving Edinburgh in a year or so... And I really doubt anywhere else is going to be getting them any time soon.

The closure of Living Coasts and Bristol also saw the departure of some species from the UK... Tufted puffin, kowari, South American fur seal (formerly held at both! Though I imagine the Bristol animals are still there and will move to another UK collection? Either way, not on public view currently in the UK!) ... There is definitely more but that is all I can currently think of.

One I haven't seen mentioned that is certainly getting rare very quickly in the UK is the North American river otter, go back 10 years and there was about 10 collections with this species but now there is only 2! And if zootierliste is accurate, they are all female, meaning without fresh import this species could be doomed here.
 
Mayki said:
Thought I would update this thread with some species that are in low numbers.

First of all, there seems to be very few holders of wild ass. Both onagers and kiang are down to one holder each. Chester has been the only holder of onager for 5 years now but as far as I'm aware they still breed somewhat regularly? I'm not knowegable on the situation of the kiang at Knowsley, they have been the only ones in the UK for 8 years.

A long while ago in this thread there was much worry over Arabian oryx, Marwell are still the only holder here... But one thing that always surprises me is how rare gemsbok have gotten. Whipsnade is currently the only holder of gemsbok! Beisa are also currently only held at Marwell but they had actually been absent from the UK for a while until this pair appeared. Seems the only oryx that is doing well is scimitar-horned which is currently held in 7 collections but even so this is still a decrease in the last decade as there was at least 10 previously.

Another obvious one to mention is giant panda, they should be leaving Edinburgh in a year or so... And I really doubt anywhere else is going to be getting them any time soon.

The closure of Living Coasts and Bristol also saw the departure of some species from the UK... Tufted puffin, kowari, South American fur seal (formerly held at both! Though I imagine the Bristol animals are still there and will move to another UK collection? Either way, not on public view currently in the UK!) ... There is definitely more but that is all I can currently think of.

One I haven't seen mentioned that is certainly getting rare very quickly in the UK is the North American river otter, go back 10 years and there was about 10 collections with this species but now there is only 2! And if zootierliste is accurate, they are all female, meaning without fresh import this species could be doomed here.
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Which 2 collections have the North American River Otters now? I remember seeing a few in the 1990s, the Buckfast butterfly/otter centre was one for sure, also the Chestnut Centre and New Forest, and I think Bristol? I guess the Smooth Coated Otter has replaced them to an extent in the UK, as I never saw any of them at that time. I hadn't realised they had declined to this extent, though!
 
Sand Cat said:
Which 2 collections have the North American River Otters now? I remember seeing a few in the 1990s, the Buckfast butterfly/otter centre was one for sure, also the Chestnut Centre and New Forest, and I think Bristol? I guess the Smooth Coated Otter has replaced them to an extent in the UK, as I never saw any of them at that time. I hadn't realised they had declined to this extent, though!
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The aforementioned Buckfast centre is one of them; ZTL suggests that Amazona in Norfolk also holds a singleton, but I have a feeling it may have passed away at some point. New Forest, Slimbridge and Bristol all lost the species within the last 18 months or so.
 
Current Otter holdings in the UK as per ZTL:
  • Alaskan sea otter - 1 holder (Sea Life Birmingham)
  • Asian small-clawed otter - 83 holders (Not naming all these ;))
  • Eurasian otter - 5 holders (Buckfast, Wildwood, British Wildlife Centre, Welsh Owl Garden, New Forest WP)
  • Giant otter - 5 holders (Yorkshire WP, Chester, South Lakes, New Forest WP, Longleat)
  • Indochinese smooth-coated otter - 6 holders (Yorkshire WP, Exmoor, Colchester, New Forest WP, Twycross, Wingham)
  • North American river otter - 2 holders (Buckfast, Amazona)
  • Spotted-necked otter - 1 holder (Belfast)
I didn't realise until looking this up that there is multiple collections with 4 or 3 otter species! Buckfast has 3 and New Forest have 4.
 
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Mayki said:
Current Otter holdings in the UK as per ZTL:
  • Alaskan sea otter - 1 holder (Sea Life Birmingham)
  • Asian small-clawed otter - 83 holders (Not naming all these ;))
  • Eurasian otter - 5 holders (Buckfast, Wildwood, British Wildlife Centre, Welsh Owl Garden, New Forest WP)
  • Giant otter - 5 holders (Yorkshire WP, Chester, South Lakes, New Forest WP, Longleat)
  • Indochinese smooth-coated otter - 6 holders (Yorkshire WP, Exmoor, Colchester, New Forest WP, Twycross, Wingham)
  • North American river otter - 2 holders (Buckfast, Amazona)
  • Spotted-necked otter - 1 holder (Belfast)
I didn't realise until looking this up that there is multiple collections with 3 otter species! Buckfast and New Forest both have 3.
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I think New Forest have 4 and had 5 possibly before the last N American River otter died
 
The ASCO’s are hugely over represented, but perhaps they are the ‘best fit’ for most collections as they may be the most visible for their size? I’d be interested to know whether experience in ASCO husbandry prepares a collection for perhaps looking after a less represented species like the Marine Otter, that may need more intervention for survival against extinction?
 
Mayki said:
Current Otter holdings in the UK as per ZTL:
  • Alaskan sea otter - 1 holder (Sea Life Birmingham)
  • Asian small-clawed otter - 83 holders (Not naming all these ;))
  • Eurasian otter - 5 holders (Buckfast, Wildwood, British Wildlife Centre, Welsh Owl Garden, New Forest WP)
  • Giant otter - 5 holders (Yorkshire WP, Chester, South Lakes, New Forest WP, Longleat)
  • Indochinese smooth-coated otter - 6 holders (Yorkshire WP, Exmoor, Colchester, New Forest WP, Twycross, Wingham)
  • North American river otter - 2 holders (Buckfast, Amazona)
  • Spotted-necked otter - 1 holder (Belfast)
I didn't realise until looking this up that there is multiple collections with 4 or 3 otter species! Buckfast has 3 and New Forest have 4.
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Thanks for posting this list - fantastic info! I'm amazed that more collections have the Smooth-Coated Otter now than our own native otter species, which is nowhere near as well represented as I would have expected!

83 holders of ASCO is quite astonishing, but they are very cute!!
 
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