Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Zoofan15
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As @Kifaru Bwana has pointed out there are spare bulls in the USA!
They could also most likely find a cow as well. As some of the holders are non breeding phase out to eventually go with the other subspecies. At least that was the case last time I looked. Things may have changed.
This was a list I created back in 2023 on the USA population which may be a little out of date now but worth the read anyways to get a good understanding of their population;
Current population (not 100% confirmed):
Abilene
1.0 Uhuru (2001) Mtoto x Binga, Fort Worth - UNPROVEN
Notes: Uhuru arrived from Fossil Rim earlier this year after an unsuccessful breeding stint there. Male 'Macho' died last year aged eighteen.
Austin Natural Science Center
1.0 Tom (1997) Ngwete x Tortoise, White Oak - UNPROVEN
1.0 Moyo (1997) Zambezi x Nyshasikana, Dallas - UNPROVEN
Chehaw Wild Animal Park
1.0 Sam Houston (2001) Jota x Macho, El Coyote Ranch - UNPROVEN
Disney's Wild Animal Kingdom
1.0 Badru (2000)
1.0 Bomani
Notes: Unsure whether they still have both males.
El Coyote Ranch
1.0 Gota Gota (1985) wild - PROVEN
0.1 Victoria (1984) wild - PROVEN (last offspring 2000)
0.1 Margarita (1989) Unk x Victoria - PROVEN (last offspring 1996)
0.1 Jota (1977) wild - PROVEN (last offspring 2001)
0.1 Chilpotle (1998) Macho x Jota - UNPROVEN
1.0 Buster (1998) Brewster x Barley, Milwaukee - UNPROVEN
0.1 Chalupa (2000) Macho x Victoria - UNPROVEN
Notes: Male, Crockett, now at Fort Worth was apparently born here although this hasn't been confirmed. If so, it would mean one of the females has given birth not long ago compared to what it seems above. I would hope it was to one of the younger females (Chilpotle or Chalupa).
Fort Worth Zoo
0.1 Mtoto (1989) Macho x Chula, Mcallen - PROVEN (last offspring 2005)
1.0 Travis (1996) Gota Gota x Jota - PROVEN
1.0 Limpopo (1997) Chirundu x Gundawe, San Diego - UNPROVEN
1.0 Crockett (2014)
Notes: Crockett is said to have been born at the El Coyote Ranch. Mtoto is post reproductive now.
Fossil Rim
0.1 Coco (1990) wild x Jota - PROVEN (last offspring 1999)
0.1 Salsa (1996) Gota Gota x Margarita, El Coyote - UNPROVEN
0.1 Mupani (1999) Gota Gota x Coco - PROVEN (had an unborn fetus in 2011)
1.0 Dubya (2000) Macho x Margarita, El Coyote - UNPROVEN
Notes: Fossil Rim sent bull Uhuru back to Abilene, replaced with Dubya from Tanganyika. I assume the intended pairing is him and Mupani.
White Oak
1.0 Chirundu (1994) Macho x Thombi, La Coma Ranch - UNPROVEN
1.0 Tyson (2010) South Africa - PROVEN
0.1 Little Bit (2010) South Africa - PROVEN (last offspring 2020)
1.0 Rocky (2020) Tyson x Little Bit
Notes: White Oak have the only successful breeding pair in the region at the moment - both imported from South Africa in 2010.
Abilene
1.0 Uhuru (2001) Mtoto x Binga, Fort Worth - UNPROVEN
Notes: Uhuru arrived from Fossil Rim earlier this year after an unsuccessful breeding stint there. Male 'Macho' died last year aged eighteen.
Austin Natural Science Center
1.0 Tom (1997) Ngwete x Tortoise, White Oak - UNPROVEN
1.0 Moyo (1997) Zambezi x Nyshasikana, Dallas - UNPROVEN
Chehaw Wild Animal Park
1.0 Sam Houston (2001) Jota x Macho, El Coyote Ranch - UNPROVEN
Disney's Wild Animal Kingdom
1.0 Badru (2000)
1.0 Bomani
Notes: Unsure whether they still have both males.
El Coyote Ranch
1.0 Gota Gota (1985) wild - PROVEN
0.1 Victoria (1984) wild - PROVEN (last offspring 2000)
0.1 Margarita (1989) Unk x Victoria - PROVEN (last offspring 1996)
0.1 Jota (1977) wild - PROVEN (last offspring 2001)
0.1 Chilpotle (1998) Macho x Jota - UNPROVEN
1.0 Buster (1998) Brewster x Barley, Milwaukee - UNPROVEN
0.1 Chalupa (2000) Macho x Victoria - UNPROVEN
Notes: Male, Crockett, now at Fort Worth was apparently born here although this hasn't been confirmed. If so, it would mean one of the females has given birth not long ago compared to what it seems above. I would hope it was to one of the younger females (Chilpotle or Chalupa).
Fort Worth Zoo
0.1 Mtoto (1989) Macho x Chula, Mcallen - PROVEN (last offspring 2005)
1.0 Travis (1996) Gota Gota x Jota - PROVEN
1.0 Limpopo (1997) Chirundu x Gundawe, San Diego - UNPROVEN
1.0 Crockett (2014)
Notes: Crockett is said to have been born at the El Coyote Ranch. Mtoto is post reproductive now.
Fossil Rim
0.1 Coco (1990) wild x Jota - PROVEN (last offspring 1999)
0.1 Salsa (1996) Gota Gota x Margarita, El Coyote - UNPROVEN
0.1 Mupani (1999) Gota Gota x Coco - PROVEN (had an unborn fetus in 2011)
1.0 Dubya (2000) Macho x Margarita, El Coyote - UNPROVEN
Notes: Fossil Rim sent bull Uhuru back to Abilene, replaced with Dubya from Tanganyika. I assume the intended pairing is him and Mupani.
White Oak
1.0 Chirundu (1994) Macho x Thombi, La Coma Ranch - UNPROVEN
1.0 Tyson (2010) South Africa - PROVEN
0.1 Little Bit (2010) South Africa - PROVEN (last offspring 2020)
1.0 Rocky (2020) Tyson x Little Bit
Notes: White Oak have the only successful breeding pair in the region at the moment - both imported from South Africa in 2010.
As you can see, there are little available females that are younger and proven. Realistically only White Oak's cow is still viable - however there are a good amount of bulls (proven and unproven) that could be imported to be paired with our cows.
It’s worth noting that Australasia hold the South-Central black rhinoceros which is held by only seven North American facilities. The Eastern black rhinoceros by comparison has a magnificent 28 holders in the US.
With this in mind, North America should consider sending the (viable) remnants of their SCBR population to Australia and concentrating on the Eastern subspecies.
We really did luck out when Bahkita started producing multiple females. It seems a thing for this subspecies to have difficult breeding with a lot of unproven founders. With a large male bias which we did see in the earl years of breeding.
What’s interesting with Bakhita’s line is all of the cows to date have successfully bred upon reaching maturity. This is in contrast to some of the founders remaining nulliparous as you mention.
Dubbo are the breeding hub for black rhinoceros and have made significant investments in reproductive technology, which has in part facilitated breeding (in addition to natural breeding).
I do wonder if it is literally because she is the only-ish first generation female.
Breeding from wild stock is always hit and miss from shock of being captured and then moved. It seems all rhinos tend to have a decent drop out rate when it comes to those that actually do breed. Bahkita and her descendants have all been bred at Dubbo. So there is no 'culture' shock at play in trying to get them to breed.
That’s entirely possible. The opposite has been observed in Southern white rhinoceros (fertility is higher in founder females), but black rhinoceros are more temperamental.
Both species benefit from reproducing young and there’s the opportunity to ensure they’ve given every opportunity to do so when maanged in captivity.
On the basis of my previous data (as well as using the now defunct ISB for black rhino - some of the individuals you cite are no longer there nor alive) and my participation in various forums on Global Black Rhino and the southern black IRF program in particular.
The US population is now unviable, yet is not managed by the AZA/SSP but the IRF on its own. For example: the notions PROVEN and UNPROVEN are qualifications I handed down. The data above does have some individuals that are currently no longer ALIVE or not under AZA management and outside the country. Even the data on El Coyote you cite are 10-15 years out of date ATM.
IRF does work closely with AZA, but is not part of their ex situ conservation breeding program. The southern black program is a lose cooperative MoU between all participants (US + Australia). Further, .... I have to admit that not all southern blacks are currently under its scope and in other countries both in Africa and overseas ....
If the Australian ZAA program does not wise up soon ..., it will go the same way as the current US southern black population. The only US zoos with a somewhat functional breeding group are White Oak (a breeding pair in the good age/sex range ..., and the Fossil Rim herd ..., yet the latter been trying with elderly females and I do think all are now part post-reproductive or have breeding capacity "issues".
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I honestly can’t see a future for the North American South-Central black rhinoceros population. Like you say, the numbers aren’t viable and the writing is on the wall with a thriving Eastern black rhinoceros population held across 28 North American holders.
Whether this increases the likelihood of North Amercia giving up and the viable remnants of their population coming to Australia I don’t know. They may limp on with what they have (like they are with sun bears) with the goal of a regional phase out.
Again whether this foreshadows the future of our breeding programme in decades to come is unclear. Dubbo can’t inbreed forever (or rather they shouldn’t).
The US AZA never really endorsed the fact that 2 separate subspecific populations could be managed within its accredited zoo network ..., to its own detriment. IRF is/was close with AZA, yet never got full active support vice versa...
Yeah it was more or less based on information from the rhino database, and of course on here so I assumed some of it may be inaccurate (ie. some individuals present on the list may have passed by that point). However it's certain there's been no additional births to my knowledge, which does put the overall population in a more precarious situation with now majority ageing animals and little successful breeding.
I think the only further births may have been at El Coyote ranch...! That site is off-limits to most!
Goodday, I am off-line now....!
That's good news if true. It would provide a much better population of viable individuals that could potentially be transferred to Australia; as otherwise, White Oak is essentially the only other current breeding facility at the moment with Fossil Rim attempting to breed without success.
Don't forget about the 2-3 available single bull rhino that are perfect matches for the Australian southern black rhino population (and realistically the easiest individuals to acquire import/export/paperwork and bureacracy wise).
In a social media post today, TWPZ celebrated the recent birthdays of some of their primates, thus confirming the DOBs of the following animals:
- Black-handed spider monkey: 0.1 Martina (16/04/2001)
- Black-handed spider monkey: 0.1 Jenny (02/04/1977)
- Ring-tailed lemur: 1.0 Skynard (09/04/2013)
- Black-handed spider monkey: 0.1 Martina (16/04/2001)
- Black-handed spider monkey: 0.1 Jenny (02/04/1977)
- Ring-tailed lemur: 1.0 Skynard (09/04/2013)
Wow, 48 years is an incredible age for a spider monkey!
Jenny was imported in 1982 from San Francisco Zoo.
New Zealand’s oldest spider monkey is Jeneill - born 1984 at Auckland Zoo.
Jenny is the oldest Spider Monkey regionally, followed by a male at Halls Gap. There have been a few Spider Monkey's who've made it to their 60's - the global longevity record is 61 I believe. So hopefully Jenny has a long way to go!
Jenny's has many descendants within the current troop at Dubbo - including her daughter, and her large number of grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A cheetah cub has been born to female Siri. The female cub is currently being handraised and is the sole survivor from a litter of four following birthing complications - reported on their FB page.
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