Shamba Safari Shamba Safari Full Species List

birdsandbats

birdsandbats

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I visited Shamba Safari again today, largely to check on the prairie dog population (I saw more than double the number of prairie dogs I saw last time :(). I was surprised to see the facility has changed quite a bit, including a larger collection (how on Earth did they get Painted Dogs?) and a 25 acre expansion. Here's an updated species list:

Date of visit: June 18 2022

Species not seen italics

Enclosures with an asterisk are drive-through enclosure).

1. Generic Giraffe
2*. Common Waterbuck, Domestic Bactrian Camel, Domestic Guineafowl, Asian Water Buffalo, Greater Rhea, Scimitar-horned Oryx
2. Indian Rhino (all of the species in enclosure 2 can access this as well)
3. African Lion
4. Generic Tiger
5. African Painted Dog
6*. European Fallow Deer, Sika Deer, Greater Rhea
7. Common Wildebeest
8*. Nilgai
9. White Rhino, Nilgai
10. Grevy's Zebra
11*. Addax, Common Eland, Dromedary, Domestic Bactrian Camel, Impala, Addra Gazelle, Common Ostrich, Emu, Greater Rhea, Domestic Cattle, Aoudad
12. Southern Cassowary
 
birdsandbats said:
I visited Shamba Safari again today, largely to check on the prairie dog population (I saw more than double the number of prairie dogs I saw last time :(). I was surprised to see the facility has changed quite a bit, including a larger collection (how on Earth did they get Painted Dogs?) and a 25 acre expansion. Here's an updated species list:

Date of visit: June 18 2022

Species not seen italics

Enclosures with an asterisk are drive-through enclosure).

1. Generic Giraffe
2*. Common Waterbuck, Domestic Bactrian Camel, Domestic Guineafowl, Asian Water Buffalo, Greater Rhea, Scimitar-horned Oryx
2. Indian Rhino (all of the species in enclosure 2 can access this as well)
3. African Lion
4. Generic Tiger
5. African Painted Dog
6*. European Fallow Deer, Sika Deer, Greater Rhea
7. Common Wildebeest
8*. Nilgai
9. White Rhino, Nilgai
10. Grevy's Zebra
11*. Addax, Common Eland, Dromedary, Domestic Bactrian Camel, Impala, Addra Gazelle, Common Ostrich, Emu, Greater Rhea, Domestic Cattle, Aoudad
12. Southern Cassowary
Click to expand...

No really, how did they get wild dogs??? They are one of the few mammals left that isn't outside the AZA, and Shamba certainly isn't among the more reputable non-AZA places. They aren't even ZAA.
 
No sign of: anoa, banteng, bison, greater kudu, bongo, arabian oryx, yellow-backed duiker, plains zebra?
 
TinoPup said:
No really, how did they get wild dogs??? They are one of the few mammals left that isn't outside the AZA, and Shamba certainly isn't among the more reputable non-AZA places. They aren't even ZAA.
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Any zoo gone out of wild dog recently or seen a drop in numbers? Wouldn't think the species would be imported just to end up in such a place, if importable at all.
 
Ituri said:
wildlife world zoo keeps African wild dog
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When did they get them, and any idea where from? They're not on any inspection, with the most recent one being a few months old, and there's no photos on their social media accounts going back a year.
 
TinoPup said:
When did they get them, and any idea where from? They're not on any inspection, with the most recent one being a few months old, and there's no photos on their social media accounts going back a year.
Click to expand...

Well it appears they don’t any longer but they’ve had them. They were not accredited at the time they had them.
 
Ituri said:
Well it appears they don’t any longer but they’ve had them. They were not accredited at the time they had them.
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The species isn't on any of their inspections going back to 2014, so it's been at least that long. The species has been AZA-only for a while now.
 
birdsandbats said:
Date of visit: June 18 2022

Species not seen italics

Enclosures with an asterisk are drive-through enclosure).

1. Generic Giraffe
2*. Common Waterbuck, Domestic Bactrian Camel, Domestic Guineafowl, Asian Water Buffalo, Greater Rhea, Scimitar-horned Oryx
2. Indian Rhino (all of the species in enclosure 2 can access this as well)
3. African Lion
4. Generic Tiger
5. African Painted Dog
6*. European Fallow Deer, Sika Deer, Greater Rhea
7. Common Wildebeest
8*. Nilgai
9. White Rhino, Nilgai
10. Grevy's Zebra
11*. Addax, Common Eland, Dromedary, Domestic Bactrian Camel, Impala, Addra Gazelle, Common Ostrich, Emu, Greater Rhea, Domestic Cattle, Aoudad
12. Southern Cassowary
Click to expand...


Nice collection. I don’t know anything about the quality of the facility. The collection, however is really appealing to me. They have specimens of each of the large flightless birds. That is an awesome educational opportunity. And for me, one of the thrills of a zoo is the “illusion of discovery,” like you might be documenting the fauna of some new land…and a sensible predator/prey balance is very appealing. Here are three top predators and several species of either natural, or appropriately sized, prey species for each. An approach I wish more zoos took.

Thank you for posting the list. And don’t worry about the Prarie Dogs…if they spread beyond the grounds, and disrupt agriculture/golf courses/or housing infrastructure, they will likely be exterminated as an economic nuisance and pest (with the big bullseye of “invasive/introduced/feral species” we have all been conditioned to hate on them). On the other hand, if they can, by their presence restore some meadow/prairie habitat perhaps it will be beneficial to native snakes, birds, and badgers. If they adapt to the woodlands? Another mid sized prey species will be a boon for local predators…and if they adapt (which they probably won’t) it would be a sign of the potential of the Prairie Dogs natural expansion that might be otherwise disrupted by man made barriers such as housing, roads, and agricultural fields…in addition to the animal’s much reduced numbers across their traditional range.

Most likely they will just be a local curiosity somewhat shielded by the presence of the zoo…once it’s gone and redeveloped…they too will disappear.

Great list! Thank you for posting.
 
Pleistohorse said:
And don’t worry about the Prarie Dogs…if they spread beyond the grounds, and disrupt agriculture/golf courses/or housing infrastructure, they will likely be exterminated as an economic nuisance and pest (with the big bullseye of “invasive/introduced/feral species” we have all been conditioned to hate on them). On the other hand, if they can, by their presence restore some meadow/prairie habitat perhaps it will be beneficial to native snakes, birds, and badgers. If they adapt to the woodlands? Another mid sized prey species will be a boon for local predators…and if they adapt (which they probably won’t) it would be a sign of the potential of the Prairie Dogs natural expansion that might be otherwise disrupted by man made barriers such as housing, roads, and agricultural fields…in addition to the animal’s much reduced numbers across their traditional range.

Most likely they will just be a local curiosity somewhat shielded by the presence of the zoo…once it’s gone and redeveloped…they too will disappear.
Click to expand...

The problem with the prairie dogs is their burrows are tripping the safari's hoofstock. There's another thread about this place on here with the safari's promo video, and in it an oryx nearly breaks a leg stumbling into a prairie dog tunnel. It's a hazard for all the hoofstock and the ratites, too easy to be irreparably injured by stepping into a tunnel. For most of those species if they break the leg, the animal dies... especially since Shamba isn't exactly a great facility.
 
Great Argus said:
The problem with the prairie dogs is their burrows are tripping the safari's hoofstock. There's another thread about this place on here with the safari's promo video, and in it an oryx nearly breaks a leg stumbling into a prairie dog tunnel. It's a hazard for all the hoofstock and the ratites, too easy to be irreparably injured by stepping into a tunnel. For most of those species if they break the leg, the animal dies... especially since Shamba isn't exactly a great facility.
Click to expand...

Ah! Good point. I’m surprised they would not address that, seems to have something to say regarding the quality as you have addressed. Even if it has not happened yet, once it does, you are one hundred percent correct regarding the needless fate of the affected animal.

Thank you for the update and again great list…I wish the facility was worthy of the collection and opportunity it has.
 
Pleistohorse said:
Thank you for posting the list. And don’t worry about the Prarie Dogs…if they spread beyond the grounds, and disrupt agriculture/golf courses/or housing infrastructure, they will likely be exterminated as an economic nuisance and pest (with the big bullseye of “invasive/introduced/feral species” we have all been conditioned to hate on them). On the other hand, if they can, by their presence restore some meadow/prairie habitat perhaps it will be beneficial to native snakes, birds, and badgers. If they adapt to the woodlands? Another mid sized prey species will be a boon for local predators…and if they adapt (which they probably won’t) it would be a sign of the potential of the Prairie Dogs natural expansion that might be otherwise disrupted by man made barriers such as housing, roads, and agricultural fields…in addition to the animal’s much reduced numbers across their traditional range.

Most likely they will just be a local curiosity somewhat shielded by the presence of the zoo…once it’s gone and redeveloped…they too will disappear.

Great list! Thank you for posting.
Click to expand...
I do hope that the prairie dogs will be exterminated - however your idea on the benefits you think prairie dogs would have show a fundamental misunderstanding of invasive species and the local ecology. The type of grasslands that grazing from prairie dogs would create is shortgrass - our native grassland species here all require tallgrass prairie. And if they could adapt to woodlands, it would just be another invasive destroying understory in an area with lots of endangered woodland species.
Pleistohorse said:
Nice collection. I don’t know anything about the quality of the facility. The collection, however is really appealing to me. They have specimens of each of the large flightless birds. That is an awesome educational opportunity. And for me, one of the thrills of a zoo is the “illusion of discovery,” like you might be documenting the fauna of some new land…and a sensible predator/prey balance is very appealing. Here are three top predators and several species of either natural, or appropriately sized, prey species for each. An approach I wish more zoos took.
Click to expand...
I do actually agree with this. Other than the whole prairie dog fiasco and the fact that the carnivore enclosures are terrible, this place is actually pretty good.
 
Visited again today and found they've gotten their hands on even more stuff I would have thought impossible. Pygmy Hippo, Somali Wild Ass? Also this was first time I've ever seen a lechwe.

Date of Visit: June 26 2024

Species not seen in italics

(Enclosures marked with * are drive-through enclosures)

1. Generic Giraffe
2. Red Kangaroo
3. Pygmy Hippo
4. Indian Rhino
5*. Scimitar-horned Oryx
6. African Lion
7. Generic Tiger
8. African Painted Dog
9*. European Fallow Deer
10. Plains Zebra
11. Southern White Rhino
12*. Common Eland
13. Southeastern Wildebeest
14*. Nilgai, Common Ostrich, Greater Rhea, Common Waterbuck, Somali Wild Ass, Addax, Nile Lechwe
15. Brazilian Tapir
16. Emu
17. Domestic Bactrian Camel, Dromedary
 
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