ZooPark de Itatiba Zoopark de Itatiba

According to annual report of Prague zoo, Itatiba received two pairs of African marabou in 2022.
The zoo's oldest animal is a marabou which lived there even before it was a zoo. I saw it when I went there on July 2022.
 
Is the Nile Hippopotamus cow known as "Rosa" still alive? She would by now be fifty-five years old, and arrived from Leipzig in 2002.
 
Is the Nile Hippopotamus cow known as "Rosa" still alive? She would by now be fifty-five years old, and arrived from Leipzig in 2002.
No, she is not. She was already gone on my first visit, back in early 2014. Gordo, Gurba and Blue (their calf) are the only hippopotamuses in Itatiba.
 
I heard that Itatiba is about to build a large new reptile house with an amazing stock list. Does anybody here have more informations about this? (Either something about the design or the planed species?)
 
I heard that Itatiba is about to build a large new reptile house with an amazing stock list. Does anybody here have more informations about this? (Either something about the design or the planed species?)
Yes, it is true. All I know, however, is that crocodiles will be amongst the residents of this new reptile house.
 
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There are entries in SISCITES of sitatungas from Austria being imported by ZooParque Itatiba. The place they came from is 100% Zoo Schmiding, their sister zoo.

These four sitatunga are the first in Brazil in over fifty years or so. A male was held in Rio in the late 1940s/early 1950s while an unknown number was in São Paulo in the 1970s (until at least 1978).

The animals in Água Funda were likely part of the historical 1972 Italian import.
 
I heard that Itatiba is about to build a large new reptile house with an amazing stock list. Does anybody here have more informations about this? (Either something about the design or the planed species?)

About the reptile, there's also some updates about it, but not anything huge at the moment. Itatiba is building it inside the natural history museum located on the zoo's grounds, and it seems like that it will be some kind of "living fossils" exposition. They have posted some videos and pictures on their Instagram profile, but no animal was shown yet.
 
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First thought was and query: Southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa giraffa (South African)? But since read @Velas database of Giraffes in Brasil and rephrase: calf of the Schmiding born pair of Rothschildt's giraffe (Nubian) Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis?
 
First thought was and query: Southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa giraffa (South African)? But since read @Velas database of Giraffes in Brasil and rephrase: calf of the Schmiding born pair of Rothschildt's giraffe (Nubian) Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis?
Itatiba has both species.

A female Southern giraffe called Ayana, born at Belo Horizonte in 2006, and five (2.3) Northern giraffes, two of which came from Schmiding in 2017. The other three, including this calf, were born in Brazil.
 
First thought was and query: Southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa giraffa (South African)? But since read @Velas database of Giraffes in Brasil and rephrase: calf of the Schmiding born pair of Rothschildt's giraffe (Nubian) Giraffa camelopardalis camelopardalis?
As said by Enzo, Itatiba has both species, and all of the giraffes born there (Lylla, Zoe and this new calf) are Rothschild's giraffes, offspring of the zoo's breeding pair (Oscar and Hortênsia).
One thing that I'd also like add is that Itatiba will most probably not be keeping Giraffa giraffa girafa on their collection anymore, since not only is Ayana post-reproductive by now due to her age, but also because she will soon be moving back to Belo Horizonte, as their new giraffe exhibit is getting finished.
 
As said by Enzo, Itatiba has both species, and all of the giraffes born there (Lylla, Zoe and this new calf) are Rothschild's giraffes, offspring of the zoo's breeding pair (Oscar and Hortênsia).
One thing that I'd also like add is that Itatiba will most probably not be keeping Giraffa giraffa girafa on their collection anymore, since not only is Ayana post-reproductive by now due to her age, but also because she will soon be moving back to Belo Horizonte, as their new giraffe exhibit is getting finished.
There was an attempt at breeding her, though. A male named Gylmar was imported from South Africa around 2008, but he passed away soon after arrival.
 
There was an attempt at breeding her, though. A male named Gylmar was imported from South Africa around 2008, but he passed away soon after arrival.
I do hope they get the awareness that also zoos in Brasil need to take on board the current knowledge base on giraffe genetics and speciation (4 species with 8 subspecies among those 4 in all) and stop the routine of creating more zoo mix hybrids and crossbreeds and stick with known origins giraffe of known (sub)species!

The majority of Brasilian giraffe seem to be direct South African imports ... (South Africa is within the range of the southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa giraffa along with parts of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mocambique and a small part in the S.E. of Angola), so that makes it a bit easier to manage!

I would hope that the local zoo association ordain through a species breeding program to phase out all hybrids/crossbreeds. Zoos should always have in mind to stay close to their wild counterparts and work along the latest in genetics and taxonomic classification and species concepts.
 
I do hope they get the awareness that also zoos in Brasil need to take on board the current knowledge base on giraffe genetics and speciation (4 species with 8 subspecies among those 4 in all) and stop the routine of creating more zoo mix hybrids and crossbreeds and stick with known origins giraffe of known (sub)species!

The majority of Brasilian giraffe seem to be direct South African imports ... (South Africa is within the range of the southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa giraffa along with parts of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mocambique and a small part in the S.E. of Angola), so that makes it a bit easier to manage!

I would hope that the local zoo association ordain through a species breeding program to phase out all hybrids/crossbreeds. Zoos should always have in mind to stay close to their wild counterparts and work along the latest in genetics and taxonomic classification and species concepts.
Well, had not Beto Carrero World imported a female Angolan giraffe, we'd not have this issue.

The giraffes in Mangaratiba have been tested and were supposedly proven to belong to the Southern species (and Cape subspecies), but a few people (@David Matos Mendes and I included) are skeptical about said results.

Itatiba is the sole Brazilian zoo with Rothschild's giraffes and I am very sure no interbreeding between Giraffa camelopardalis and Giraffa giraffa will occur there, be it wether AZAB allows it or not.
 
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I do hope they get the awareness that also zoos in Brasil need to take on board the current knowledge base on giraffe genetics and speciation (4 species with 8 subspecies among those 4 in all) and stop the routine of creating more zoo mix hybrids and crossbreeds and stick with known origins giraffe of known (sub)species!

The majority of Brasilian giraffe seem to be direct South African imports ... (South Africa is within the range of the southern giraffe Giraffa giraffa giraffa along with parts of Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mocambique and a small part in the S.E. of Angola), so that makes it a bit easier to manage!

I would hope that the local zoo association ordain through a species breeding program to phase out all hybrids/crossbreeds. Zoos should always have in mind to stay close to their wild counterparts and work along the latest in genetics and taxonomic classification and species concepts.
Thankfully there's not a lot of hybrid giraffes in Brazil at the moment (unfortunately not for very long, due to Animália's hybrid individuals and the South African female that they got from Pomerode), but even with that, I don't believe that hybridization will become a popular practice for our zoos in the future.

Not only because the amount of zoos that keeps Giraffa on their collections is limited, but also because the mentality of zoos in Brazil has been focusing much more towards the conservations of species, so I'm very sure that both Itatiba and the zoos that keep/will keep South African giraffes (if the said giraffes of mangaratiba are actually from the Cape subspecies) won't allow interbreeding.

But I do agree with your point. It would be very much apreciated if AZAB focused more in programs that phase out hybrids of a lot of species from our zoos...
 
Thankfully there's not a lot of hybrid giraffes in Brazil at the moment (unfortunately not for very long, due to Animália's hybrid individuals and the South African female that they got from Pomerode), but even with that, I don't believe that hybridization will become a popular practice for our zoos in the future.

Not only because the amount of zoos that keeps Giraffa on their collections is limited, but also because the mentality of zoos in Brazil has been focusing much more towards the conservations of species, so I'm very sure that both Itatiba and the zoos that keep/will keep South African giraffes (if the said giraffes of mangaratiba are actually from the Cape subspecies) won't allow interbreeding.

But I do agree with your point. It would be very much apreciated if AZAB focused more in programs that phase out hybrids of a lot of species from our zoos...
All the same, my point stands that the AZAB needs to have a national policy no hybrids/crossbreeds and mutation type animals (like white lions and tigers...).
 
After a popular voting with the zoo's visitors, the chosen name for the new giraffe calf was "Jordan", revealed today in a Brazilian news TV show.
About the reptile, there's also some updates about it, but not anything huge at the moment. Itatiba is building it inside the natural history museum located on the zoo's grounds, and it seems like that it will be some kind of "living fossils" exposition. They have posted some videos and pictures on their Instagram profile, but no animal was shown yet.
Although it has not yet been officially opened and there is no complete species list, the Zoo already started showing some of the species being kept on the new reptile house on their Instagram profile, and the visitors can now have small guided visits in order to get a "preview" for the new facility.

From what has been shown so far, the reptile house's exhibits will feature different regions, biomes and countries of the world (some of the ones announced/revealed so far were the Amazon rainforest, the Sonoran desert and Madagascar), and will feature not only reptiles, but also fishes and even birds. The "living fossils" theming is also present there.

Here's some of the species that they've shown so far:
  • Asian water monitor (Varanus salvator)
  • Green anaconda (Eunectes murinus)
  • Burmese python (Python molurus)
  • Green iguana (Iguana iguana)
  • Arrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa)
  • Spiny-tailed monitor (Varanus acanthurus)
  • Bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps)
  • Garden tree boa (Corallus hortulanus)
  • Emerald tree boa (unknown if it is a Corallus caninus or batesii)
  • Some kind of crocodilian, which I believe are Yacare caiman (Caiman yacare)
  • A species of Chameleon
  • A species of Milk snake (which I believe it's a Honduran milk snake)
  • A species of Arapaima
  • A species of Pacu
  • A species of Softshell turtle and some other Freshwater turtle species
If anyone can help me to identify those animals or see the facility, here's some links:
Zooparque Itatiba on Instagram: "Você não está preparado para essa novidade! Se você AMA répteis você PRECISA vir nesse feriado prolongado e conhecer essa área nova, que estará aberta SOMENTE do dia 01 ao dia 04/05! Está INCRÍVEL , não perca essa chance! ️ Adquira seu ingresso pelo link da bio."
Aelton Aquino | São Paulo Interior on Instagram: "Dica de passeio perto de SP, na cidade de Itatiba, aqui no interior: @zooparque.itatiba ❤️ Com cupom pra seguidor no site: SPINTERIOR10 (não cumulativo, apenas para compra de ingresso online). O parque está com programação especial no feriado prolongado, do dia 1º ao dia 4, olha só: Espiadinha na Área Nova Casa dos Répteis (novidade que está sendo preparada no zoo: 10h às 16h30. Alimentação mini zoo: 10h e 14h Hora animal: 15h Encontro animal deck: 10h, 11h, 14h e 16h *Encontro animal Casa dos Répteis (área nova) somente com répteis: 11h, 12h, 13h e 15h* Tour guiado no museu com réplicas de dinossauros e outros animais: 11h, 13h e 14h ⏰ O Zooparque funciona das 9h às 15h30 para entrada e saída até às 17h. Ingressos pelo site: R$ 109 adulto e R$ 59 criança. Com cupom, ganha mais 10% de desconto!"
 
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