They do have them in the uninhabited centre hippo enclosure so I wouldn’t be surprised.
Australasian Hippo Population
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
It wouldn’t surprise me to see them sign it…
I think in this case, we can genuinely get our hopes up. I’ve seen photographs of Kambiri, which show her to be heavily pregnant and it fits with the timeline of breeding her again following the loss of her calf. Tied in with her removal from public display and I’m confident she’s given birth. Whether the calf survives is an unknown.
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
K
Kambiri is a Pygmy hippo right?
Yes, at Taronga.
Yes, this is the entire regional population of both species:
Common Hippopotamus
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
0.1 Nile (15/05/1999) Ollie x Suzie
0.1 Cuddles (00/09/2002) Fonzie x Solucky
0.1 Kibibi (11/09/2014) Mana x Cuddles
0.1 Kendi (25/05/2017) Mana x Cuddles
1.0 Kani (15/04/2020) Mana x Cuddles
Werribee Open Range Zoo:
0.1 Primrose (01/12/1990) Harold x Unknown
0.1 Brindabella (09/12/1990) Harold x Unknown
0.1 Tulip (01/01/2003) Harold x Primrose
0.1 Lotus (28/03/2008) Harold x Primrose
0.1 Pansy (18/11/2013) Harold x Brindabella
Total regional population: 1.9
Pygmy Hippopotamus
Taronga Zoo:
1.0 Fergus (06/08/2009) Frank x Fluffy
0.1 Kambiri (26/06/2010) Timmy x Petre
Melbourne Zoo:
1.0 Felix (17/11/2006) Frank x Fluffy
Adelaide Zoo:
1.0 Obi (25/05/2015) Felix x Petre
Darling Downs Zoo:
0.1 Kamina (21/02/2017) Fergus x Kambiri
Total regional population: 3.2
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
0.1 Nile (15/05/1999) Ollie x Suzie
0.1 Cuddles (00/09/2002) Fonzie x Solucky
0.1 Kibibi (11/09/2014) Mana x Cuddles
0.1 Kendi (25/05/2017) Mana x Cuddles
1.0 Kani (15/04/2020) Mana x Cuddles
Werribee Open Range Zoo:
0.1 Primrose (01/12/1990) Harold x Unknown
0.1 Brindabella (09/12/1990) Harold x Unknown
0.1 Tulip (01/01/2003) Harold x Primrose
0.1 Lotus (28/03/2008) Harold x Primrose
0.1 Pansy (18/11/2013) Harold x Brindabella
Total regional population: 1.9
Pygmy Hippopotamus
Taronga Zoo:
1.0 Fergus (06/08/2009) Frank x Fluffy
0.1 Kambiri (26/06/2010) Timmy x Petre
Melbourne Zoo:
1.0 Felix (17/11/2006) Frank x Fluffy
Adelaide Zoo:
1.0 Obi (25/05/2015) Felix x Petre
Darling Downs Zoo:
0.1 Kamina (21/02/2017) Fergus x Kambiri
Total regional population: 3.2
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Yes.
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
Brindabella's mother was I think Beatrice.
The Sleepy Hippo
Well-Known Member
Both lists are depresingly short!
That’s correct. I just copied it from the original population list.
Details for Beatrice are as follows:
0.1 Beatrice
Born at Adelaide Zoo 08/04/1981
Arrived at Werribee Open Range 13/09/1982
Died at Werribee Open Range Zoo 06/02/2001
I’m hopeful we’ll see rapid growth within the common hippopotamus population, now things are finally happening at Monarto. They breed readily and they’ll soon have a bull and two cows. The cows can easily breed every two years and any bull calves born can supply Dubbo and Werribee, who will have four and three cows respectively.
The pygmy hippopotamus population will be slow going, though another female calf from Taronga would provide the option to form three pairs within the region.
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
Who would you say would be next In line for Taronga female?
I’d say Melbourne Zoo. Felix is the best genetic match for a daughter of Fergus and Kambiri - though I use this term loosely as they’re all pretty inbred. He’s also a decade older than Adelaide’s male, so it would be prudent to get him breeding sooner rather than later. Both Melbourne and Adelaide have the space to breed them.
The calf could also be a male, in which case I’d like to think he’d be swapped with either Felix (Melbourne) or Obi (Adelaide); with one of them paired with Kamina (Darling Downs Zoo) if they’re open to holding a pair. Unless the Hippopotamus IRA is imminent, it makes sense to pair her sooner rather than later, while we still have the chance.
Best case scenario would be for a female and that female to be transferred down to Melbourne who have the facilities to breed.
Not sure about DDZ’s current situation (and whether they can accomodate another hippo), but Adelaide at this stage can only hold a single hippo until the new exhibit is built, of which is still a few years away.
Even if the next calf is a male, it makes the most sense to send that calf up to DDZ and then Kamina down to Melbourne to be paired with Felix.
Let’s just hope the next calf is born healthy.
The area in and around the Pygmy Hippo enclosure at the DDZ could hold muti number of them with no problem at all!
I’d love to see Darling Downs Zoo become a regional hub for pygmy hippopotamus. Even a 1.2 breeding trio could easily produce 10 calves over the space of a decade.
So would we!!! Working on it!
Good to hear @Steve Robinson. I hope Darling Downs Zoo is able to receive more pygmy hippopotamus in the future, either from within the region or via import when the Hippopotamus IRA is completed.
On that note, has there been any indication of when the Hippopotamus IRA might be completed? Totally understand if you’re unable to share that information, but I know it’s a source of curiosity for many of us given the time it’s taken and the benefit it’ll bring to the region.
The Import Risk Assessment is still a work in progress.
Given our experience with the Bovid IRA it would be unwise to predict a completion date.
The Hippopotamus IRA is certainly long awaited. Next month marks 67 years since the import of the last common hippopotamus into the region - Kabete (1953), imported by Auckland Zoo in 1956.
Its a shame that some of the New Zealand zoos can't come on board with the Pygmys as they don't take up much room compared to the River Hippos and work as regional group.