Species formerly kept in Brazil
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
no, i think it's just a generic domestic sheep, because it's very fluffy to be a dall sheep.
I am not talking about the fluffy ram, but the white one that can be seen running alongside it. It resembles a Dall's sheep much more than a leucistic mouflon or a regular ram.
Utahraptor
Active Member
It's hard to tell from this video, but the animal match the appearence of the Dall sheep, so i tend to agree with you that it is Ovis dalli.
I'm not leaving the possibility it's just a regular domestican ram, though. Its tail looks a bit too long to be a Dall's sheep, to be honest.
i tend to think it's not a dall sheep, but who knows...
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
ah i thought you were talking about the fluffy ram, now i remember, yeah it looks like a dall's sheep.
Asian black bears were among the most common species of bear in Brazil in the last century. They were also one the preferred bear species in circuses, as they tended to be smaller (and more easily obtainable) than their American counterparts. Where have they been held?
- Rio de Janeiro (1950-2007);
- São Paulo (1958-1988);
- Zoo Agenor (1950s);
- Belo Horizonte (1988);
- Curitiba (from the 1960s to the late 1990s, both at Passeio Público and the zoo);
- Sapucaia do Sul (from the 1950s to the 1980s);
- Goiânia (until around 1992);
- Recife (from at least 1975 to at least between 1989 and 1993);
Possibly Bwana Park as well.
- Rio de Janeiro (1950-2007);
- São Paulo (1958-1988);
- Zoo Agenor (1950s);
- Belo Horizonte (1988);
- Curitiba (from the 1960s to the late 1990s, both at Passeio Público and the zoo);
- Sapucaia do Sul (from the 1950s to the 1980s);
- Goiânia (until around 1992);
- Recife (from at least 1975 to at least between 1989 and 1993);
Possibly Bwana Park as well.
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
so probably the asiatic black bears were at bioparque do rio in the 50s, when the old documentary was released.
- Rio imported three Himalayan black bears from Asia in 1950, along with an Indian sloth bear.
- São Paulo got theirs from Montevideo. As they bred, their cubs were spread across Brazil, including a female transferred to Rio in 1970.
- Belo Horizonte obtained a female from the Moscou Circus in 1988.
Ted, the last bear in São Paulo, and Geny, the circus bear from Belo Horizonte, were loaned to Rio, as a desperate breeding effort, in 1988.
Speaking of bears, Malayan sun bears have been held in at least three zoos:
- Zoo Agenor (a privately-owned zoo in São Paulo which closed in 1975 after the owner was killed by the zoo's elephant cow), where they were mislabeled as Japanese bears;
- Sapucaia do Sul, which imported two Malayan sun bears from Germany in 1966;
- Goiânia (I have heard from a friend the zoo did hold Malayan sun bears at one point).
According to the 1988 International Zoo Yearbook, there was a male sun bear in a Brazilian zoo in 1984. I believe this was the bear in Goiânia my friend told me about).
- Zoo Agenor (a privately-owned zoo in São Paulo which closed in 1975 after the owner was killed by the zoo's elephant cow), where they were mislabeled as Japanese bears;
- Sapucaia do Sul, which imported two Malayan sun bears from Germany in 1966;
- Goiânia (I have heard from a friend the zoo did hold Malayan sun bears at one point).
According to the 1988 International Zoo Yearbook, there was a male sun bear in a Brazilian zoo in 1984. I believe this was the bear in Goiânia my friend told me about).
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
wow, that's really interesting i had no idea brazilian zoos ever kept sloth bears.
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
i've heard that sun bears are very agressive because of the smaller size compared with other bears, i'm impressed that brazilian zoos were able to keep them.
Some old but unmentioned information about antelope in Brazil:
- Along with three giraffes, twenty-one antelope were imported to São Paulo from Italy in 1972. It was unspecified where they came from, but the most likely answer would be Rome, which held a world-class collection of bovids at the time. Among the animals shipped to Água Funda, there were:
- Two gemsbok;
- Two sable antelope;
- Two springbok;
- Three blesbok;
- Three greater kudu;
- Three impala;
- An unknown number of blue wildebeest.
I suppose the zoo's Nile lechwe also came in that shipment. Since there was no name in Portuguese for the species at the time, zoo staff and news reporters referred to them with their Italian name. "Cobo lichi (do Nilo)".
The sable antelope bred at least twice, with the first calf being born in 1975. Another birth happened between 1975 and 1982, which led to a total of four (2.2) individuals in that same year, according to the 1988 International Zoo Yearbook. A male, I believe the original sire, had passed away by 1984 and in the mid 1980s, two were moved to Simba Safari, but both were gone from the park by late 1988/early 1989. I guess they either died or were sent back to FPZSP, as they were still signed in a map from 1988. The 2010 census listed a female still being held at the zoo, most likely backstage, but she was not listed as of 2011.
The 2010 census claimed there was still a female at the zoo, but she had passed away in 2011.
The springbok bred at least once in the early 1980s. When the African Plain was reinaugurated, in the 1990s, they were still signed in the enclosure, but they were gone by the early 2000s.
I have no info on the blesbok, but @David Matos Mendes and I believe the three could have been moved to Belo Horizonte and had their remains donated to the PUC museum of Natural Sciences. There is also a mounted bontebok head the Taubaté Natural History Museum.
The greater kudu have quite a long story. One of the three passed away (or was moved elsewhere) not long after the Antelope Plain (the first version of the current-day African Plain) was inaugurated, in 1973. The remaining couple gave birth to a female to 1975, but the breeding cow did not live much longer, so the already elderly male was left to mate with his own daughter. Before any inbreeding could occur, a balloon fell inside the antelope paddock and the calf, already three years old at the time, got scared and ran into a wall, where it broke its neck. The newly widowed kudu was alone and "in grief", so a crowdfunding campaigned amassed enough money to buy a new female for him. The same year his companion passed away, Bem-vinda arrived from Germany. Both kudus, however, passed away not so long later. A new shot would be given to the species in the 2000s, but in spite of successful births, they had died out by the mid 2010s.
The impala bred quite a few times and were still present in the African Plain by the early 2000s. They, however, probably have nothing to do with the impala held in Itatiba at the same time.
@Chlidonias I found the origin of the nilgai in Brazil. Three were imported to São Paulo from Genoa in 1974 (I guess the calves born from this trio were sent elsewhere, like Sorocaba) and other two were imported to Curitiba from Zurich in 1988. The Curitiba pair was very prolific and gave birth to a few calves, possibly including a female sent to Brusque and a male sent to Santa Inês, in Maranhão. The last nilgai in Curitiba passed away last year.
Lowland nyala and sitatunga were also both present in São Paulo at the time. I have no information on the marshbuck, but I'm sure three (2.1) nyala were moved to Belo Horizonte in 1981, which could have meant the species had left São Paulo for the first time. In Minas Gerais, at least eight calves were born (and I thought Rio was successful with the species). São Paulo somehow acquired a male nyala in the mid 1990s (the most likely answer for that would be RioZoo), but he was gone by the 2000s.
The sitatunga in São Paulo, however, were not the first ones in Brazil, as a male was donated to Rio de Janeiro by the Antwerp zoo in 1948. The nyala in São Paulo would not be the last ones in the country either, as RioZoo imported three (1.2) from Germany in 1991, with the first calf being born in 1993. Other two were born in 1999 and a last birth was recorded in 2002. The last nyala in Brazil was a male born and raised in Rio which passed away in 2016. I was too late when I realized my local zoo had nyala, as I only got to see one in 2018, at the Lisbon zoo.
Scimitar-horned oryx were first held in Brazil in the 1970s. Londrina imported a pair from Hannover in 1976, according to the ISB, but they were "lost, to follow up". What I believe had happened was that both were moved to São Paulo, which also held a couple from the 1970s to the mid-to-late 1980s (the last one passed away between 1986 and 1988).
Twelve scimitar-horned oryxes were imported to Estação Experimental de Terras Secas, in Pedro Avelino (Rio Grande do Norte), from Texas in 1983 (you can see a CITES entry which matches this claim). They were brought to Northeastern Brazil because it was believed they would outperform other livestock in the Caatinga due to their hardiness to semi-arid climates. The experiment, however, failed, and the remaining three antelope, including a female oryx, were sent to Recife in 1988.
Red hartebeest were also held also held in São Paulo in the late 1970s. A few were imported from Germany in 1976, and the first Brazilian calf was born a year later. A few were transferred to Sorocaba, including one in 1984. Kongoni were still in Quinzinho by 1995, when a birth happened at the zoo.
- Along with three giraffes, twenty-one antelope were imported to São Paulo from Italy in 1972. It was unspecified where they came from, but the most likely answer would be Rome, which held a world-class collection of bovids at the time. Among the animals shipped to Água Funda, there were:
- Two gemsbok;
- Two sable antelope;
- Two springbok;
- Three blesbok;
- Three greater kudu;
- Three impala;
- An unknown number of blue wildebeest.
I suppose the zoo's Nile lechwe also came in that shipment. Since there was no name in Portuguese for the species at the time, zoo staff and news reporters referred to them with their Italian name. "Cobo lichi (do Nilo)".
The sable antelope bred at least twice, with the first calf being born in 1975. Another birth happened between 1975 and 1982, which led to a total of four (2.2) individuals in that same year, according to the 1988 International Zoo Yearbook. A male, I believe the original sire, had passed away by 1984 and in the mid 1980s, two were moved to Simba Safari, but both were gone from the park by late 1988/early 1989. I guess they either died or were sent back to FPZSP, as they were still signed in a map from 1988. The 2010 census listed a female still being held at the zoo, most likely backstage, but she was not listed as of 2011.
The 2010 census claimed there was still a female at the zoo, but she had passed away in 2011.
The springbok bred at least once in the early 1980s. When the African Plain was reinaugurated, in the 1990s, they were still signed in the enclosure, but they were gone by the early 2000s.
I have no info on the blesbok, but @David Matos Mendes and I believe the three could have been moved to Belo Horizonte and had their remains donated to the PUC museum of Natural Sciences. There is also a mounted bontebok head the Taubaté Natural History Museum.
The greater kudu have quite a long story. One of the three passed away (or was moved elsewhere) not long after the Antelope Plain (the first version of the current-day African Plain) was inaugurated, in 1973. The remaining couple gave birth to a female to 1975, but the breeding cow did not live much longer, so the already elderly male was left to mate with his own daughter. Before any inbreeding could occur, a balloon fell inside the antelope paddock and the calf, already three years old at the time, got scared and ran into a wall, where it broke its neck. The newly widowed kudu was alone and "in grief", so a crowdfunding campaigned amassed enough money to buy a new female for him. The same year his companion passed away, Bem-vinda arrived from Germany. Both kudus, however, passed away not so long later. A new shot would be given to the species in the 2000s, but in spite of successful births, they had died out by the mid 2010s.
The impala bred quite a few times and were still present in the African Plain by the early 2000s. They, however, probably have nothing to do with the impala held in Itatiba at the same time.
@Chlidonias I found the origin of the nilgai in Brazil. Three were imported to São Paulo from Genoa in 1974 (I guess the calves born from this trio were sent elsewhere, like Sorocaba) and other two were imported to Curitiba from Zurich in 1988. The Curitiba pair was very prolific and gave birth to a few calves, possibly including a female sent to Brusque and a male sent to Santa Inês, in Maranhão. The last nilgai in Curitiba passed away last year.
Lowland nyala and sitatunga were also both present in São Paulo at the time. I have no information on the marshbuck, but I'm sure three (2.1) nyala were moved to Belo Horizonte in 1981, which could have meant the species had left São Paulo for the first time. In Minas Gerais, at least eight calves were born (and I thought Rio was successful with the species). São Paulo somehow acquired a male nyala in the mid 1990s (the most likely answer for that would be RioZoo), but he was gone by the 2000s.
The sitatunga in São Paulo, however, were not the first ones in Brazil, as a male was donated to Rio de Janeiro by the Antwerp zoo in 1948. The nyala in São Paulo would not be the last ones in the country either, as RioZoo imported three (1.2) from Germany in 1991, with the first calf being born in 1993. Other two were born in 1999 and a last birth was recorded in 2002. The last nyala in Brazil was a male born and raised in Rio which passed away in 2016. I was too late when I realized my local zoo had nyala, as I only got to see one in 2018, at the Lisbon zoo.
Scimitar-horned oryx were first held in Brazil in the 1970s. Londrina imported a pair from Hannover in 1976, according to the ISB, but they were "lost, to follow up". What I believe had happened was that both were moved to São Paulo, which also held a couple from the 1970s to the mid-to-late 1980s (the last one passed away between 1986 and 1988).
Twelve scimitar-horned oryxes were imported to Estação Experimental de Terras Secas, in Pedro Avelino (Rio Grande do Norte), from Texas in 1983 (you can see a CITES entry which matches this claim). They were brought to Northeastern Brazil because it was believed they would outperform other livestock in the Caatinga due to their hardiness to semi-arid climates. The experiment, however, failed, and the remaining three antelope, including a female oryx, were sent to Recife in 1988.
Red hartebeest were also held also held in São Paulo in the late 1970s. A few were imported from Germany in 1976, and the first Brazilian calf was born a year later. A few were transferred to Sorocaba, including one in 1984. Kongoni were still in Quinzinho by 1995, when a birth happened at the zoo.
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BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
it's impressive that we used to have a great diversity of african antelopes, i wish we had all those antelopes currently in our zoos.
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
and sansão is a hybrid of both bornean and sumatran species.
It was actually a female sun bear, not a male. My apologies.
Time for some odd-toed ungulates!
African wild ass (Equus africanus):
According to the 1983 International Zoo Yearbook, four (2.2) African wild asses were bred at Sapucaia do Sul in 1981.
Przewalski's wild horse (Equus (ferus) przewalskii):
According to the 1988 International Zoo Yearbook, three Brazilian zoos held a total of ten (2.8) Przewalski's wild horses in 1982, with five (3.2) foals being born that year. Two years later, the number had increased by two animals (4.6.2), though the number of holders remained the same.
One of these holders was a zoo in Rio Grande do Sul. @David Matos Mendes had a chat with the current director of the Sapucaia do Sul zoo, who arrived at FZBRS in 1978, but she had no memories of the species in the collection. She believes the horses belonged to the defunct Pampas Safari.
@Wisp O' Mist
Hartmann's mountain zebra (Equus (zebra) hartmannae):
Zoo Agenor held a Hartmann's mountain zebra, mislabeled as Equus burchellii antiquorum, in the 1950s.
CITES lists two zebras being imported from Germany in 1996. Other two were brought from Austria three years later. It is safe to assume the Austrian zebras were held (but not for very long) in Itatiba.
Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdi):
A female was held in São Paulo in 1975.
Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus):
São Paulo imported two Malayan tapirs from Saint Louis in 1973. The male died en route and the female passed away in 1975.
A year later, another pair was imported (I am not sure where they came from, though), the male of which passed away in 1981. He, however, survived long enough to father a female born in 1982. Both mother and calf were still present by 1984.
CITES lists a tapir being exported to the United States in 1987 (perhaps, it was the 1982-born female), another two being imported from Germany in 1991 and another final two being brought from the US in 1994. These entries match an absence of Malayan tapirs in São Paulo, shown in videos from 1990 and 1993. The species had left Água Funda by 1998.
Eastern black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli):
Rio de Janeiro imported a pair (Britador and Teresinha) from Kenya in 1949. Births happened in 1954 (0.1 Cacareco, died 1962), 1956 (1.0 Quinzinho, died 1956) and 1958 (0.1 Pata-choca, died 1961). Cacareco was loaned to São Paulo in 1958 (returned the next year) and to Sapucaia do Sul in 1962 (returned a month a later).
São Paulo imported a pair (Heinz and Kifaru) from Munich in 1974. Both died in the following year.
Sapucaia do Sul imported a female from Fasano (Ciccia) in 1978 and a male from Lodz (Tytan) in 1985. The bull passed away in 1986, while the cow was exchanged with a conservation project in South Africa for two white rhinos (Congo and Garamba), both of which are still at the park.
South-central black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis minor):
São Paulo imported a male (Calhambeco) from Lisbon in 1967, as a replacement for Cacareco. He passed away in 1971.
Sapucaia do Sul imported a male (Tobias) from Lisbon in 1972. He passed away in 1979.
BetoYoung
Well-Known Member
wow, it's so amazing that our zoos were able to keep those beautiful ungulates, it's a shame we don't have this great diversity anymore.
Time for some bison again!
American bison (Bison bison):
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service donated two buffalo to the Rio de Janeiro zoo in 1966, but I am doubtful if any made it to Quinta da Boa Vista.
CACCEX allowed FZBRS to import American bison from Germany in 1966. Bison were also mentioned in a news report about the park in São Leopoldo a few years later.
American bison (Bison bison):
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service donated two buffalo to the Rio de Janeiro zoo in 1966, but I am doubtful if any made it to Quinta da Boa Vista.
CACCEX allowed FZBRS to import American bison from Germany in 1966. Bison were also mentioned in a news report about the park in São Leopoldo a few years later.