Otter civets
- Thread starter vogelcommando
- Start date
Couldn't more zoos keep otter civets to try and save the species? I have never seen the species in captivity.
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
It would be nice , but out of pure cynicism I would be inclined to think that the vast majority of them would rather take the well trodden path of mediocrity and focus on that ubiquitious crowd favourite the short clawed otter, than either endangered convergent otter civets or otter shrews, or for that matter other endangered otter species.
Found a postcard and some old notes about this species kept at the San Diego Zoo :
- first animal ( unknown orgin and unknown sex ) obtained in Dec. 1949 and died Dec. 1950
- a trio ( 1 male 2 females ) from Sumatra were obtained Jan. 1969 and the last one of these died Jan. 1971.
Old postcard of a Otter civet at the San Diego Zoo.
- first animal ( unknown orgin and unknown sex ) obtained in Dec. 1949 and died Dec. 1950
- a trio ( 1 male 2 females ) from Sumatra were obtained Jan. 1969 and the last one of these died Jan. 1971.
Old postcard of a Otter civet at the San Diego Zoo.
Attachments
I actually have that postcard.
Zootierliste lists otter civets living at Ampang Jaya, Artis, London, San Diego Zoo, Taiping and Wassenaar
Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand also kept them, but I need to insert that information into the database.
Greaterbilby
Well-Known Member
A unique mammal. I have seen an image of an individual in the dark with their eyes glimpsing
London Zoo acquired its only otter civet in 1954: this specimen is listed in the Zoological Society's Annual Report for 1954 as a species “new to the collection”.
Did it live long enough for you to see it, Tim? Or was it gone by the time you first visited London Zoo?
It's possible that I saw London Zoo's otter civet when I was very young but, regrettably, I have no recollection of ever seeing it.
Unfortunately I don't know how long this animal lived in the zoo but I'll endeavour to find out more in the ZSL Library.
After a little investigation, I can confirm that London Zoo’s only otter civet was purchased on 17th September 1954 and, sadly, died about five months later on 25th February 1955.
It's possible that I saw it but, as previously mentioned, I have no recollection of ever seeing this fascinatingly species; that's hardly surprising as I would have been less than two years old when it died.