Australasian Exotic Mammal Species in Decline

[Zoofan15]

I would prefer if the remaining Polar Bears were transferred to NZ (if they remain in the region at all), as I don't approve of polar bears on the Gold Coast.

Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll ever see Polar bears in a New Zealand zoo again. The climate is still considered too warm for them in New Zealand and presented a range of challenges for Auckland Zoo, who kept them in an open air bear pit until 1995. Showers were installed in the dens to provide them with relief and a fountain on a central island did little to address the problem; and algal growth led to green bears.

These were all contributing reasons to the phase out; which combined with the PR issues regarding captive Polar bears and the cost of housing them, would deter zoos in New Zealand from housing them again.

 

[Jambo]

I would prefer if the remaining Polar Bears were transferred to NZ (if they remain in the region at all), as I don't approve of polar bears on the Gold Coast.

I would be very surprised if New Zealand ever acquired Polar Bears again! Realistically the only chances are both Auckland and Wellington, although considering both have limited space as it is I doubt they'd look into holding a species like Polar Bears that requires a fair amount of it.

The weather in Gold Coast is definitely unsuitable to them imo. In saying that, it is good to see systems being implemented to help keep the cool in recent years; but it would be more cost effective to not have them whatsoever.

Interestingly, Seaworld in the USA have ceased holding them in recent years, citing the temperature at each of their facilities being a contributing factor to this decision.

 

[Osedax]

Unfortunately, I doubt we’ll ever see Polar bears in a New Zealand zoo again. The climate is still considered too warm for them in New Zealand and presented a range of challenges for Auckland Zoo, who kept them in an open air bear pit until 1995. Showers were installed in the dens to provide them with relief and a fountain on a central island did little to address the problem; and algal growth led to green bears.

These were all contributing reasons to the phase out; which combined with the PR issues regarding captive Polar bears and the cost of housing them, would deter zoos in New Zealand from housing them again.

I would be very surprised if New Zealand ever acquired Polar Bears again! Realistically the only chances are both Auckland and Wellington, although considering both have limited space as it is I doubt they'd look into holding a species like Polar Bears that requires a fair amount of it.

The weather in Gold Coast is definitely unsuitable to them imo. In saying that, it is good to see systems being implemented to help keep the cool in recent years; but it would be more cost effective to not have them whatsoever.

Interestingly, Seaworld in the USA have ceased holding them in recent years, citing the temperature at each of their facilities being a contributing factor to this decision.

Well then, I would prefer if they were exported to Europe or NA.

 

[Zoofan15]

Well then, I would prefer if they were exported to Europe or NA.

The young female, Mishka, would be a valuable addition to the breeding programme of either region; but the males turn 20 this month and transit could prove stressful for them. Given the length of time permits for import/export to/from the US take, they’d be 22-23 years old by the time the transfer happened. There’s also a ban on breeding from wild born Polar bears in US zoos, which would apply to them.

I understand Sea World are planning an expansion, which will hopefully address any issues arising from the climate of Brisbane. While I agree welfare should come first and foremost, it’d be a shame to lose this majestic species from the region. @Tricoart was also advised Sea World are reluctant to transfer out any of the three Polar bears.

 

[Osedax]

@Tricoart was also advised Sea World are reluctant to transfer out any of the three Polar bears.

Here's an idea. If they want a large bear species, why don't they change to Syrian Brown Bears?

 

[Zoofan15]

Here's an idea. If they want a large bear species, why don't they change to Syrian Brown Bears?

I assume Polar bears appealed to Sea World being a marine species (Ursus maritimus). The furthest detraction we’ve seen from marine mammals was their plans to display Common hippopotamus (albeit still an aquatic species).

It’ll be interesting to see how the growing public pressure on facilities to phase out captive cetaceans will affect Sea World long term.

 

[Osedax]

I assume Polar bears appealed to Sea World being a marine species (Ursus maritimus). The furthest detraction we’ve seen from marine mammals was their plans to display Common hippopotamus (albeit still an aquatic species).

It’ll be interesting to see how the growing public pressure on facilities to phase out captive cetaceans will affect Sea World long term.

Weren't they considering gorillas at one point? And I forgot to mention, I don't approve of dolphins at Sea World either.

 

[Zorro]

Weren't they considering gorillas at one point? And I forgot to mention, I don't approve of dolphins at Sea World either.

They were going to have an African jungle exhibit, yes with Gorillas, Crocodiles and Hippos hence this is why they obtained one of the Hippos that would of been going other wise to Indonesia, But since it all fell through the hippo was fortunately was transferred to the Western plains zoo at Dubbo, thus saving the Hippo population from being in even worse shape than they are currently.

 

[Babirusa]

One Year Update (Part Two)

Vervet monkey/Colombian white-fronted capuchin:

Werribee have confirmed plans to phase out Vervet monkey and Columbian white-fronted capuchin are not a species of focus, nor are they being bred by the two remaining holders to my knowledge.

When did Werribee confirm this?

 

[Zoofan15]

Weren't they considering gorillas at one point? And I forgot to mention, I don't approve of dolphins at Sea World either.

Correct, I’d forgotten all about that. I found this article which raised a couple of interesting points:

https://www.news.com.au/travel/aust...s/news-story/cf8820c003151e5cde9ec059da42c437

The gorillas would be sourced from an international breeding program designed to shore up populations of the primate.

Only three parks in Australia have gorillas and none in Queensland, but it is understood Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast has expressed an interest in housing gorillas.

It’s implied they would have imported from overseas (as opposed to receiving bachelor males), which would have a great boost to the regional population; and as recent as 2013, Australia Zoo were considering acquiring gorilla. I’d thought they’d abandoned their plans to exhibit them at least five years earlier.

Fataki, Fuzu and Mahale were surplus males in 2013, but were possibly already earmarked for Orana by that stage.

When did Werribee confirm this?

@PaddyRickMFZ asked about the Vervet monkeys when he visited Werribee in September 2023 and reported as follows:

100% vervet will not be reinstated, no word on replacements.

 

[Jambo]

I assume Polar bears appealed to Sea World being a marine species (Ursus maritimus). The furthest detraction we’ve seen from marine mammals was their plans to display Common hippopotamus (albeit still an aquatic species).

It’ll be interesting to see how the growing public pressure on facilities to phase out captive cetaceans will affect Sea World long term.

Interestingly Seaworld in the USA also owns hippos; although they are kept at the more zoological themed sister park 'Busch Gardens'.

Weren't they considering gorillas at one point? And I forgot to mention, I don't approve of dolphins at Sea World either.

I can't imagine Seaworld with gorillas. I think it was more of an idea that was always destined to fall through (at least in my eyes); similar with the calls of introducing theme park rides at Werribee!

 

[Jambo]

Correct, I’d forgotten all about that. I found this article which raised a couple of interesting points:

https://www.news.com.au/travel/aust...s/news-story/cf8820c003151e5cde9ec059da42c437

The gorillas would be sourced from an international breeding program designed to shore up populations of the primate.

Only three parks in Australia have gorillas and none in Queensland, but it is understood Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast has expressed an interest in housing gorillas.

It’s implied they would have imported from overseas (as opposed to receiving bachelor males), which would have a great boost to the regional population; and as recent as 2013, Australia Zoo were considering acquiring gorilla. I’d thought they’d abandoned their plans to exhibit them at least five years earlier.

Fataki, Fuzu and Mahale were surplus males in 2013, but were possibly already earmarked for Orana by that stage.


@PaddyRickMFZ asked about the Vervet monkeys when he visited Werribee in September 2023 and reported as follows:

100% vervet will not be reinstated, no word on replacements.

Re. the Orana gorillas, I believe the initial plan was to send Kibabu and his sons down (this was in 2011), but the earthquake prevented this from occuring.

I wonder if the struggles to actually acquire a troop of gorillas from overseas actually is what prevented Australia Zoo abandoning plans to hold them. As we know, both the European and North American populations don't have a lot of surplus, and it would've been difficult to source a sizeable troop from within the Australasian region too.

 

[Zoofan15]

Re. the Orana gorillas, I believe the initial plan was to send Kibabu and his sons down (this was in 2011), but the earthquake prevented this from occuring.

I wonder if the struggles to actually acquire a troop of gorillas from overseas actually is what prevented Australia Zoo abandoning plans to hold them. As we know, both the European and North American populations don't have a lot of surplus, and it would've been difficult to source a sizeable troop from within the Australasian region too.

That makes sense as the delay in Orana receiving them meant Frala and her two sons lived together for a while in between the transfer of the family troop to Mogo and Frala joining Kibale’s troop.

That’s certainly possible. The initial infants and juveniles in Taronga’s troop were all returned to Europe (they likely had designations prior to their export from Apenheul) and it’s only the Australian born infants that have remained in the region. It’s only now that Europe finally has a surplus, though the lack of imports from Melbourne make me think they’re waiting on a decision from Taronga on whether to disband.

 

[Dassie rat]

I prefer reading about Australasian zoos breeding Australasian mammals and releasing them into the wild, rather than keeping exotic mammals that are not part of reintroduction programmes

 

[Jambo]

That makes sense as the delay in Orana receiving them meant Frala and her two sons lived together for a while in between the transfer of the family troop to Mogo and Frala joining Kibale’s troop.

That’s certainly possible. The initial infants and juveniles in Taronga’s troop were all returned to Europe (they likely had designations prior to their export from Apenheul) and it’s only the Australian born infants that have remained in the region. It’s only now that Europe finally has a surplus, though the lack of imports from Melbourne make me think they’re waiting on a decision from Taronga on whether to disband.

It's intriguing to imagine how things would have been if Orana did initially acquire Kibabu and his sons; things would've probably gone along a similar trajectory, but I'd assume Mogo may have never been able to obtain gorillas!

Melbourne's lack of importing does concern me. Any presumptions about covid preventing such from occurring can now be dismissed. If there's not enough surplus females in Europe (that aren't related to the regional population), than the only other theoretical explanation is Melbourne don't want to risk introducing new females to Otana, which would be a shame if so.

 

[Zoofan15]

It's intriguing to imagine how things would have been if Orana did initially acquire Kibabu and his sons; things would've probably gone along a similar trajectory, but I'd assume Mogo may have never been able to obtain gorillas!

Melbourne's lack of importing does concern me. Any presumptions about covid preventing such from occurring can now be dismissed. If there's not enough surplus females in Europe (that aren't related to the regional population), than the only other theoretical explanation is Melbourne don't want to risk introducing new females to Otana, which would be a shame if so.

In that scenario, it’s likely the Taronga troop would have remained centred around Mouila, Kriba and Frala (headed up by Kibale); with Mbeli and Johari remaining at Melbourne and Kimya joining them. On hindsight, Melbourne’s troop would have looked a lot healthier by now (albeit with the inevitable fall out between Otana and Johari).

It’s certainly possible they’re cautious of introducing new females to Otana. While I was willing to dismiss his intolerance of socially abnormal females as something that wouldn’t affect his reaction to socially normal females joining the troop, I recall you mentioning the distance between him and Kimya. It’s far from the typical relationship you’d expect to see from a silverback and his favourite female, who sticks to him like glue.

 

[Tricoart]

I would prefer if the remaining Polar Bears were transferred to NZ (if they remain in the region at all), as I don't approve of polar bears on the Gold Coast.

Going to preface by saying that I do get the thought behind this opinion, and am not in any way trying to discredit it. With that in mind, there are a few things I’d like to mention, at the very least to explain my personal reasons for not being against Sea World’s holding of Polar Bears.

- Polar Bears are known to be very good at regulating their internal temperature in widely varying external ones. In the wild, they commonly venture to locations with comparable temperatures to that of Sea World, especially in the Summer months (which the enclosure’s designed to replicate). It’s also worth noting that, though a distinct species in their own right, Polar Bears’ rather close relatives do thrive in warmer conditions 24/7, so it’s unlikely there’s an inherent physiological issue that makes them unsuitable for sustained periods of warmer conditions (like, for example, Antarctic/sub-Antarctic penguins). The closest to such would be the colour of their fur (or more accurately, the lack of it), which results in a greater risk of skin damage with prolonged, unprotected exposure to the hot sun.

- According to the AZA’s Polar Bear Care Manual, there is no agreed upon temperature range for Polar Bears in captivity, as a result of the widely varying temperatures in their natural habitat. They do, however, state that adequate shade should be given, likely to protect them from the sun. They also give examples of additional features that warmer climates should take into account, including: Ice, misters, sprinklers, air-conditioned spaces, and chilled pools/water. Sea World, at the very least, contains everything but the air-conditioned spaces (and I highly doubt they don’t have air-conditioning, I just haven’t asked about/noticed it). So, they're at least taking the necessary proper precautions as a result of the climate.

- (According to Keepers) Sea World have toyed with the idea of making the enclosures more regulated on at least 2 separate occasions, both to no avail. The main enclosure is said to be fitted with an ‘artificial rain’ system, where sprinklers could activate to keep the enclosure cooler in warm days, among other things. This hasn’t been used, however, as the bears supposedly disliked it upon activation. They’ve also trialled regulating the pool at a colder temperature (I could very well be mistaken, but I believe the current temp is somewhere between 11-17°c), but the bears refrained from using it. That, in my opinion, shows the bears are at least acclimated to their current environment, and I know Sea World put a lot of care into keeping it as such.

 

[PossumRoach]

I prefer reading about Australasian zoos breeding Australasian mammals and releasing them into the wild, rather than keeping exotic mammals that are not part of reintroduction programmes

If you do then why did you get out of your way to click on a thread that literally has exotic on the title rather than giving attention to it before stating your preferences?

 

[Dassie rat]

If you do then why did you get out of your way to click on a thread that literally has exotic on the title rather than giving attention to it before stating your preferences?

Because I hoped that a decline in exotic mammals in Australasian zoos could lead to an increase in Australasian mammals, especially those not kept outside Australasia

 

[Tricoart]

Because I hoped that a decline in exotic mammals in Australasian zoos could lead to an increase in Australasian mammals, especially those not kept outside Australasia

As much as I’d love to see more rare native animal representation, if there’s one thing our zoos are doing fine, it’s native animals. If they were to switch something out for a rare native, I’d hope it’d be a common native, not a rare exotic.