Trends in European zoo collections in the 21st century
- Thread starter lintworm
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I really hope, they do not manage to form a invasive feral population. A smal species, which can easily escape like them is a potential high risk.
Yeah, as someone who is extremely familiar with that species in the wild, American Red Squirrel has massive invasive species potential.
The last I had heard (from the EAZA 2023 TAG Report) was that EAZA is still in communication with ZAA regarding the import of more little blue penguins to Europe.
Many exotic squirrel species already are on the European Union invasive species list and the ones that aren't yet likely soon will be. So I wouldn't put up my hopes for any non-native squirrel species. Any North American species likely would survive in Europe and be a potential threat to the native red squirrels.
I got to see them in a university along with Israeli blind mole rat, such a fierce spirit packaged in such small creatures!Obviously not a zoo but they are still present in private hands as Czech zoos were offered few months ago a big group of them and also Rhizomys sumatrensis from the Netherlands, as they are not allowed to be kept there in private hands anymore (obviously, such vicious creatures are a danger to society)
Also there's at least one breeder of Rhizomys sumatrensis in Italy so if I wanted I could try and see them there, since Plzeň officially announced the end of BTS visits.
ZooNews2024
Well-Known Member
Surely the huge accumulation of taxa at Plzen is likely to reduce, now that the collection is under a different control?
ZooNews2024
Well-Known Member
The invasive species lists should include those taxa which are currently feral in Europe, not those which could be.
IF the lists are extended to cover all animals and plants which could theoretically become self-sufficient somewhere in Europe, then with climate change, they will be very, very, very long.
It is? I didn't know.
But the BTS tours have to do with the huge extra work load that staff was going through because apparently lots of people wanted to visit the BTS.
Control went from father to son, who still likes diversity a lot, so the focus will remain. But it seems likely to be a slightly smaller collection. They still brought in species like southern springhare and Balkan snow vole this year, as an example there is still a lot of space for small mammals there.
For now these tours are indeed impossible, but they might eventually come back in a different form...
there are so many trpical fruit eating species, which can not become invasive, why not focus on them
As I understand it, the wording of the EU Invasive regulations allow them to cover *any* species that can potentially survive (or has already become invasive) anywhere within the territory of a country within the EU; as countries such as Netherlands and France legally extend into the Tropics as a result of Caribbean, Indian Ocean and South American holdings such as Aruba, Mayotte and French Guiana, this means that - in theory - any taxon that could survive in those locations is at risk of a ban.
And these rules, typically for the EU, or so overdesigned, that they become unuseblle
ZooNews2024
Well-Known Member
This is not what I have been told. The inclusion of some species is already being challenged even thought they are and have been established, on the grounds that populations are not truely feral and self-supporting.
Other species, such as the domestic cat (potentially one of the most destructive) have been left off for presumably political reasons, makes the whole thing a bit silly - and perhaps infiltrated by the anti-captivity factions?
...or - enforced unequally and only by member countries that choose to do so, or even in the case of non-members like the UK enforced to the letter (and WITHOUT exemptions for zoos) - even though it is EU legislation!
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Indeed - I fully agree with you that the whole exercise is inconsistent, founded on extremely shaky ground and (as you note) quite likely influenced by the anti-zoo lobby hoping for a "thin end of the wedge" tool to achieve their ends. To cite another example of the ridiculous inconsistencies, one need look no further than the fact that Raccoon Dog and American Mink are listed on the grounds that they are proven invasives throughout Europe, yet the fur farms from which the species in question escaped in the first place are exempt from the ban!
2024 in review
It has been a year since all the profiles were completed, but European zoo collections have continued changing. Some of those changes already happened before some profiles were published, but only became public knowledge afterwards. But I thought it would be fun to see what has changed, focusing on species that have disappeared, appeared or made a reappearance. This list is based on Zootierliste only, though I did check a few things with the IUCN Red List ZIMS tool. It is completely possible I missed some stuff though.
Species gained
Red-tailed bush squirrel - Paraxerus palliatus
A squirrel species that hadn't been kept yet in Europe this century. A pair was imported from Africa by Hamerton Zoo Park and this pair already bred this year. Other animals that were simultaneously imported include brown hyenas, Smith's bush squirrels and black-backed jackals, the first 2 have also already bred.
Asian brush-tailed porcupine - Atherurus macrourus
Faunapark Flakkee, a small zoo in the Netherlands with a love for obscure species received 1.2 of these porcupines in 2024. This is one of those unexpected additions that happen from time to time.
Oldfield deermouse - Peromyscus polyonotus
This small North-American rodent had been kept at a few British and German zoos in the recent past and was still around in the pet trade. This species made its reappearance on the zoo level at Reaseheath College Zoo, where it is kept behind the scenes.
Cheesman's gerbil - Gerbillus cheesmani
A gerbil that was kept before in Plzen until 2011, as well as in 2 German collections. It made a reappearance in an obscure Czech zoo called Minizoo Blondies in Zermanice.
Southern African mastomys - Mastomys coucha
Another murine to reappear in Czechia is this mastomys of which Zoo Hodonin acquired two animals back in 2023. It was previously last held in another Czech zoo, Teplice, until 2020.
@Maguari The largest new mammal of the year is a rather small porcupine
Species lost
Red-tailed squirrel - Sciurus granatensis
This squirrel was rarely kept throughout the century and the final animals were held in the now closed Eekhoorn Experience in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands. Given that this species is still around in private hands, it wouldn't be surprising if it made a reappearance in the near future.
Lesser bamboo rat - Cannomys badius
Last year it was still mentioned to be kept in Budapest and Plzen, but the Budapest holding actually ceased in 2022. The final animal in Plzen also passed away in 2023. This species has never been held long anywhere, so its disappearance is no huge surprise and it could pop up again.
Cape fox - Vulpes chama
Plzen's final Cape fox passed away early 2024 meaning this species is now gone from European zoos. Their former enclosure now holds southern springhare,
Hartebeest - Alcelaphus busephalus
It was long expected, but this year it finally happened: Europe's final hartebeest passed away in Wroclaw. Given the trouble importing hoofstock from Africa or the Middle East he could well have been Europe's last hartebeest for a long long time. That is a pity as it is a unique looking antelope that would complement many savanna exhibits.
Slender-horned gazelle - Gazella leptoceros
Just like with the hartebeest, it was less of a question if, but rather when the final slender-horned gazelle in Planckendael would pass away. This had always been a rare species in Europe but after the collapse of the Planckendael breeding group the passing of the final animal in 2024 was no surprise anymore. Unless the US population will significantly grow in the future, we are unlikely to see this species again.
Bearded pig - Sus barbatus
After 30 years the curtain fell for the bearded pig in Europe. Due to disinterest the breeding groups in Berlin and London stagnated and for years only a single male in Berlin remained, he also passed away in 2024, marking the end of a species, whose return to Europe is highly unlikely.
@twilighter One of the final pictures of what is possibly the most prominent loss of 2024
Species gaining popularity
This is not going to be some extensive list and it is hard to add/remove species from this category after only a single year. But here is a (non-exhaustive) list of stuff I found worth highlighting:
- The import, with quick breeding results, of 3.3 southern springhares by Zoo Berlin means a dwindling population has a chance to grow again. With Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Plzen 2 new holders could already be added based on that import.
- Brown hyena also have a mini-revival with new animals imported to Dvur Kralove and Hamerton, with the latter having the female arrive pregnant. This means not all is lost for these hyenas. A southern aardwolf breeding in Dvur Kralove also showed there are still some possibilities, even though 2 of the 6 originally imported animals already died.
- Black-and-rufous sengi are continuing their victory tour, 7 zoos started with this species in 2024 and 5 zoos started with successfully breeding them this year. Currently 19 zoos keep this species in Europe, but that number will likely grow further the coming years.
- The number of holders for southern tree hyrax has also jumped from 3 to 7 this year, with Randers, Gyor, Bratislava and Zamosc starting with this species. Zoo Frankfurt also became the first zoo outside of Czechia to breed this species in 2023.
- Not yet gaining popularity, but the recent decision to not phase-out gaur was an important one. It has already let to Zoo Berlin reacquiring a bull. The only calf to be born this year was in Zlin, so things need to move quickly in France and Whipsnade to revive the small gaur population.
@Ding Lingwei black-and-rufous sengi are hot in Europe, they are not unlikely to come to a zoo near you in the future (as long as you live in Europe)
Species losing popularity / dead ends
Not much has changed here, compared to last year. A non-exhaustive list of noteworthy species:
- Most of the dead ends still seem alive with the final Matschie's tree kangaroo, Panay cloudrunner, mountain anoa and others clinging on.
- Golden-bellied mangabey are a species we might lose rather quickly. It might be a while before the final animals die, but the phase-out decision has led to a full breeding stop and a population that is clearly getting smaller.
- Tammar wallaby are also down to 2 small potential breeding groups, so this is a species likely to be gone within a decade too, though it will remain around in private hands. Many kangaroos are winners this century, but not this one.
- An import of 1.1 Asian golden cat from Asia by Tierpark Berlin means the European population isn't completely dead yet, but the state is still dire.
@WhistlingKite24 The speed at which Tammar wallaby are disappearing from Europe is extremely high
What does 2025 hold
Predicting what exactly will happen in terms of collection changes is always difficult. But from a species hunter perspective we can look out for the appearance of the golden snub-nosed monkey in at least Pairi Daiza and Zooparc de Beauval. To see such a unique species appear, is quite extraordinary, but whether the lease agreement is to be celebrated is another question. What other species will appear or disappear is something we will just have to find out. Who knows what is already kept somewhere behind the scenes, but not communicated yet...
2024 was a year in which the number of rodents grew again, but as was expected the number of hoofstock species kept shrunk a little. Overall the net change is -1, so still no change compared to 2000 when it comes to mammals, but the average mammal is getting smaller. I haven't done the exercise for birds, but with quite some species being newly kept, especially in Walsrode, I wouldn't be surprised if overall bird species numbers have remained rather stable last year.
@Ding Lingwei After all these years, finally coming back to Europe
And 2024 had another (expected) victim. Just before the year ended the final Daurian pika (Ochotona daaurica) died in Tierpark Berlin. Berlin kept this species since 2017 breeding profusely for a few years. But as happens so often, the breeding group bred ever more slowly and dwindled down to 2 animals at the start of 2024. With such a short-lived species this meant the end was inevitable. It is a shame for us that despite an exhibit being built for them (now home to rock squirrels), it was never on show. This means one mammal family is not kept now anymore in European zoos.
Were they part of a reintroduction programme? Remember seeing this somewhere. Could have been another small mammal however.
You're thinking of Bavarian Pine Vole - these are still present as far as I recall, and are expanding throughout European collections at present.
Not bad going for a species classified as extinct until 25 years ago!
That’s the one Dave! Very good going indeed.