I wonder where the hippos in the south East Asian and Chinese zoos originate from?, Hippos of both species are common there. I believe some Chinese zoos have had direct imports of many large animal species from Africa in resent years
Australasian Hippo Population
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
It would be great to see this occur eventually - but this doesn't seem to be case of 'in the meantime' at the present.
The Asian region essentially has their own population of Common hippos which have received very little additions from elsewhere in recent times. There are a lot of loose ends there. The Pygmy Hippo population however, is managed more coordinated on a global scale.
In saying that, Singapore is the only permitted Asian country whereby we can acquire either species, so I would say the possibility of that happening is unlikely considering the current status of both species there.
I was surprised to learn there’s been large numbers of Common hippopotamus imported into Asia in recent years (2015-2025):
China imported 2 from South Africa in 2015
South Korea imported 1 from Kuwait in 2015
China imported 1 from Denmark in 2016
Vietnam imported 2 from South Africa in 2016
Japan imported 1 from Mexico in 2017
China imported 6 from South Africa in 2018
Indonesia imported 1 from Germany in 2018
China imported 4 from Egypt in 2019
China imported 6 from South Africa in 2019
Vietnam imported 2 from South Africa in 2019
China imported 5 from Egypt in 2020
Vietnam imported 12 from South Africa in 2020
China imported 3 from Egypt in 2021
It would be great if Dubbo end up adding a Monarto like Hippo pond into their planned extended Savannah. This could allow them to accommodate a separate group of hippos (perhaps Nile), and give Dubbo the space to then acquire a bull and breed.
I believe they have the space within the current complex to hold at least three groups, so it would just mean they'd have limited space if they do intend to breed. It would likely require the bull to be housed with Nile almost full time.
Yes, Dubbo currently has the capacity to hold three groupings long term. Additional yards enable short term separation e.g. the separation of Kibibi from her mother following the birth of Cuddles’ second (surviving) calf in 2017.
Due to Nile’s vision issues, I’d be surprised if she was housed with any other hippopotami again (male or female) and I would assume, has been removed from the breeding programme. In any case, Dubbo’s other three cows are younger and have greater genetic value.
Depending on the personalities of the hippos involved, it’s possible that the new bull could be housed full time with the mother/daughter trio. Kabete at Auckland Zoo cohabited four of Auckland’s cows at one point; but previous to this, two of those cows severely bullied another bull when they were housed with him in a 1.2 ratio. If Dubbo’s new breeding bull is assertive and the cows not overly aggressive, it could well work - especially in a large exhibit.
A new pond/dam in the new extended Savanna area would be a win win situation having another place to hold a new bull would make things much easier all around!
Especially since Dubbo, Monarto and Werribee will likely be the only holders of Common hippopotamus for the foreseeable. It’s no coincidence that these three holders are all open range zoos; and while new Pygmy hippopotamus holders are likely to arise (e.g. Australia Zoo), I doubt we’ll see any zoo invest in Common hippopotamus anytime soon.
In order to maintain a viable population of Common hippopotamus, some effort will need to be made to increase the capacity of the region. There’s indications Werribee are making modifications to increase their holdings (i.e. to house two bulls); and while I acknowledge Dubbo and Monarto each have their own priorities, they have the potential to do the same.
In an ideal world, Monarto and Dubbo would each import a bull to increase genetic diversity; but at a minimum, we can expect any bull calves born at Werribee to transfer out to Dubbo/Monarto. If Werribee are to import and retain two bulls, they certainly won’t want to retain bull calves born on site in addition to those bulls.
At the end of the day holding River Hippos at open range zoos is just plain common sense as it is with holding the regions elephants which was long overdue. While I believe Pygmy Hippos would make a perfect choice for Australia zoo I would be shocked if they ever got either species the main focus atm appears to be dancing with the stars in the USA!
This would an ideal idea for the zoo. Especially since western plains has a mother and her daughters that live cohesively they could use. At least then it would break up the monotony of there savannah having all the same species on repeat. It would also open up a hippo exhibit they could use for breeding.
At the end of the day holding River Hippos at open range zoos is just plain common sense as it is with holding the regions elephants which was long overdue. While I believe Pygmy Hippos would make a perfect choice for Australia zoo I would be shocked if they ever got either species the main focus atm appears to be dancing with the stars in the USA!
Im not opposed to it, the more they build up there wealth the more likely we are to see the zoo go through improvement. Since Steve died they have been very sparring with any new development id say because of money. If they build up there profiles they may start building up the zoo agian.
The Croc hunter has been gone for a very long time now and I believe they are hardly broke, let's face it the zoo has stagnated since the passing of Steve apart from a couple of smaller projects!
Loss of the Twin Gene (Common Hippopotamus)
Twin births in Common hippopotamus are statistically unusual. In fact, there have only been two recorded twin births in Australasia. Both were born to the same mother, Faith, who lived at Auckland Zoo.
Faith was born 1975 at Auckland Zoo and lived there until her death in 2016. She gave birth 12 times, totalling 14 calves from 1978 to 1991 (also holding the record for the youngest recorded dam in the region). The twin births occurred in 1988 and 1989. 1.1 calves were produced in 1988, with the female (Fatima) killed by an exhibit mate at 15 days; and the male (Fudge) surviving to adulthood and living at Auckland Zoo until his death in 2016. 18 months later, Faith produced a second set of twins (gender unknown) that were either stillborn or died the day they were born.
Twin births across several mammal species that typically produce a single young often follow a trend: 1) They run in female lines (suggesting a hereditary component); and 2) They occur to mothers who are either older and/or have had multiple births before. Faith’s twin births were her ninth and tenth births.
Faith’s matriline can be traced back to the wild born founder female Mumsy (1950), whose offspring that have descendants in the region today were Bonnie (1957), Albert (1965) and Toby (1970). Bonnie’s only offspring to survive to adulthood was Faith, who in turn only had three offspring to survive to adulthood, all of which were sons. This matriline therefore ended with Faith’s death in 2016.
Ironically, every living hippopotamus in the region descends from Mumsy, but all via her male descendants; and as mentioned, the twin gene is only passed on via female lines.
Colour coded to show break in matriline:
0.1 Nile (15/05/1999) Ollie x Suzie:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Ollie (1988) - Nile (1999)
0.1 Cuddles (00/09/2002) Fonzie x Solucky:
Mumsy (1950) - Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1986) - Cuddles (2002)
0.1 Kibibi (11/09/2014) Mana x Cuddles:
Mumsy (1950) - Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1986) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Ollie (1988) - Mana (1996) - Kibibi (2014)
0.1 Kendi (25/05/2017) Mana x Cuddles:
Mumsy (1950) - Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1986) - Cuddles (2002) - Kendi (2017)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Ollie (1988) - Mana (1996) - Kendi (2017)
0.1 Primrose (01/12/1990) Harold x Genevieve:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Primrose (1990)
0.1 Tulip (01/01/2003) Harold x Primrose:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Primrose (1990) - Tulip (2003)
0.1 Lotus (28/03/2008) Harold x Primrose:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Primrose (1990) - Lotus (2008)
0.1 Brindabella (09/12/1990) Harold x Beatrice:
Mumsy (1950) - Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1981) - Brindabella (1990)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Brindabella (1990)
0.1 Pansy (18/11/2013) Harold x Brindabella:
Mumsy (1950) - Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1981) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
Twin births in Common hippopotamus are statistically unusual. In fact, there have only been two recorded twin births in Australasia. Both were born to the same mother, Faith, who lived at Auckland Zoo.
Faith was born 1975 at Auckland Zoo and lived there until her death in 2016. She gave birth 12 times, totalling 14 calves from 1978 to 1991 (also holding the record for the youngest recorded dam in the region). The twin births occurred in 1988 and 1989. 1.1 calves were produced in 1988, with the female (Fatima) killed by an exhibit mate at 15 days; and the male (Fudge) surviving to adulthood and living at Auckland Zoo until his death in 2016. 18 months later, Faith produced a second set of twins (gender unknown) that were either stillborn or died the day they were born.
Twin births across several mammal species that typically produce a single young often follow a trend: 1) They run in female lines (suggesting a hereditary component); and 2) They occur to mothers who are either older and/or have had multiple births before. Faith’s twin births were her ninth and tenth births.
Faith’s matriline can be traced back to the wild born founder female Mumsy (1950), whose offspring that have descendants in the region today were Bonnie (1957), Albert (1965) and Toby (1970). Bonnie’s only offspring to survive to adulthood was Faith, who in turn only had three offspring to survive to adulthood, all of which were sons. This matriline therefore ended with Faith’s death in 2016.
Ironically, every living hippopotamus in the region descends from Mumsy, but all via her male descendants; and as mentioned, the twin gene is only passed on via female lines.
Colour coded to show break in matriline:
0.1 Nile (15/05/1999) Ollie x Suzie:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Ollie (1988) - Nile (1999)
0.1 Cuddles (00/09/2002) Fonzie x Solucky:
Mumsy (1950) - Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1986) - Cuddles (2002)
0.1 Kibibi (11/09/2014) Mana x Cuddles:
Mumsy (1950) - Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1986) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Ollie (1988) - Mana (1996) - Kibibi (2014)
0.1 Kendi (25/05/2017) Mana x Cuddles:
Mumsy (1950) - Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1986) - Cuddles (2002) - Kendi (2017)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Ollie (1988) - Mana (1996) - Kendi (2017)
0.1 Primrose (01/12/1990) Harold x Genevieve:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Primrose (1990)
0.1 Tulip (01/01/2003) Harold x Primrose:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Primrose (1990) - Tulip (2003)
0.1 Lotus (28/03/2008) Harold x Primrose:
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Primrose (1990) - Lotus (2008)
0.1 Brindabella (09/12/1990) Harold x Beatrice:
Mumsy (1950) - Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1981) - Brindabella (1990)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Brindabella (1990)
0.1 Pansy (18/11/2013) Harold x Brindabella:
Mumsy (1950) - Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1981) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
Mumsy (1950) - Toby (1970) - Harold (1984) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
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Swanson02
Well-Known Member
For any of those interested in the size of Monarto's hippo dam, the two little dots next to each other in the NE section are Brindabella and Pansy. Imo Monarto could easily fit a pod of 10-12 (if not more) hippos in this dam, with bulls and multiple cows mixed
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Wow, that’s much bigger than I expected.
I would have a lot of confidence in achieving an integrated pod with a starting point of 1.2 (i.e. a bull joining Brindabella and Pansy). Cows need to be afforded space to isolate with their calf until it’s robust enough to join the pod, but an exhibit this size allows this. City zoos (with exhibits a fraction of the size) are obliged to replicate this via isolation of the mother and calf in an off display yard; but this isn’t far removed from the natural habitat of a hippopotamus.
From there, the cows could produce calves at least every two years, easily reaching double figures within the decade. If bulls are castrated, they could likely remain in their natal pod without running into conflict with their sire. Any bull required for the breeding programme could be transferred out at 3-5 years; but if they source their bull as a Werribee bred calf, they’ll be little (if any) demand for bulls by the time Monarto are breeding (with Werribee presumably supplying Dubbo around the same time).
It would be good to see them just let them be hippos let them live in a more natural way. Game reserves have dams like wild africa has and they just chuck in/have hippos and let them live out how hippo's do. With monarto's dams it would be nice to see them fill a dam or two with a couple pods. One could easily down the track add them to the paddock where the rhino and cheetah will be. They won't be able to have hoof stock in with the cheetahs. But hippo's would work similarly like the rhino would, while rhino and hippo coexist in the wild.
Going by the scale the Dam is roughly 140 metres by about 40 to 60metres in size.
Going by the scale the Dam is roughly 140 metres by about 40 to 60metres in size.
This is why I would not be surprised about one of the new import bulls could be sent out to Monarto, they are serious about having a herd and having just two there in such a massive exhibit is not going to look that impressive but a larger herd certainly will
Didn't Monarto build a series of similar sized dams through the wild Africa precinct. They could even keep a bachelor pod in another paddock with dams of a similar size. Then just rotate which male they want for breeding. At a similar size it would let bachelor males spread out as needed.
I agree Werribee transferring over a bull immediately would be better than retaining both and then transferring out male offspring (that won’t be breeding until the age of five years). They should transfer one bull out and then swap them down the line (a decade later for example).
In order to allow the Monarto pod to breed at natural birth intervals, I’d be in favour of castrating (surplus) bulls at five years. At that point, they’ll not only be 2-3 adult breeding bulls in the region; but each bull as its castrated could have up to two younger siblings per dam as a contingency. i.e. at any given point, there could be up to seven intact bulls left in the country as each castration is undertaken. This won’t be a repeat of Auckland Zoo castrating one of only two bulls in the country (with the other dying that year).
Daughters of Brindabella and Pansy could remain in their natal pod long term, as could any castrated son.
First I believe there are about 8 new dams in the Wild Africa exhibit so perhaps spare bulls could be placed in them if needed also perhaps as mentioned before some maybe transferred to other regional zoos