Species absent from Australia
- Thread starter markun
- Start date
BIRDS can, in theory, be imported but its such an enormous headache - no zoo has ever bothered. the result is an exotic bird collection in which many non parrot species common in overseas collection are absent or functionally extinct here. toucans, hornbills, flamingos, touracos all fall into this category.
sadly, in addition, zoos in australia take almost zero interest in supporting or developing recovery programs for those exotic species that are held in aviculture. there are numerous asian songbirds, waterfowl, finches and even a species of south american tanager that all desperately require higher numbers in order to continue here and would benefit greatly from some co-ordinated management.
fortunately due to importation from consortiums of breeders in the 90's - we do have a healthy and extensive range of exotic parrots from mainland asia, indonesia, africa and south america.
MAMMALS generally fare a lot better. if you looked on paper what species are in the country, the collective collection from all our zoos combined would look pretty standard by comparison to most other collections worldwide. the only problem is that whilst we may have squirrel monkey on our list, with so few zoos here, the truth is we only have five animals vs 500 in US zoos.
as our zoos attempt (and i add emphasis on "attempt" - sometimes i think they are taking one step forward and two back) to develop a more sustainable and responsible attitude to managing exotic wildlife, this collection is being radically consolidated and is expected to shrink somewhat. notable absentees (or near absentees) in australian zoos are european and north american fauna (such as brown bears, beavers, raccoons etc) which is for the most part wisely being phased out mostly in favour of asian and african species, and also edentates (an elderly pair of sloth comprises that list) although giant anteater are planned for reimportation.
the major issue here however is the current blanket ban on the importation of artiodactyls. this has left us with small, diminishing and highly inbred collection of cloven hoofed ungulates.
this is a terrible shame since the thing australians zoos do best of all is the open range style zoo and we have 3 internationally well renowned ones. our climate and even the "look" of our landscape lends itself to fantastic african style experiences.
whilst acquiring rhino and zebra is no problem and hybridising giraffes has extended their lifespan - animals such as hippo and antelopes can only be inbred for so long before ethical reasons (as a result of low birth rates and deformities) will force the zoos to stop. currently we are squeezing out the last generation or two of peccaries, pygmy hippo, bongo, eland, addax, waterbuck and oryx hoping to overturn the ban further down the line.
there are numerous introduced asian antelope, deer and bovine species in australia. but virtually none of these are being exploited by our zoos.
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS can be freely imported and coupled with the wide range of spectacular native species our reptile houses are comparable if not better than any others worldwide.
lastly lets not forget NATIVE species. australia has some spectacular native species, and you'll see plenty of them here. in fact some, such as platypus - you'll only see here.
that said we could certainly do MUCH, MUCH better. there are many amazing natives that absent from even our largest zoos and many that really should have managed breeding programs.
there are for example, none of our own rare native tree kangaroo species in australian zoos. likewise there is no managed program for our most beautiful and largest mainland carnivore the spot-tailed quoll (which mind you is highly endangered). we have a spectacular array of fruit bats in australia. good luck seeing any in zoos. same said for numbats, marsupial moles, palm cockatoos, black necked storks and sarus cranes.
so thats the state of our zoos in short. i could write about individual scenarios all day, however i have to get back to work....
sadly, in addition, zoos in australia take almost zero interest in supporting or developing recovery programs for those exotic species that are held in aviculture. there are numerous asian songbirds, waterfowl, finches and even a species of south american tanager that all desperately require higher numbers in order to continue here and would benefit greatly from some co-ordinated management.
fortunately due to importation from consortiums of breeders in the 90's - we do have a healthy and extensive range of exotic parrots from mainland asia, indonesia, africa and south america.
MAMMALS generally fare a lot better. if you looked on paper what species are in the country, the collective collection from all our zoos combined would look pretty standard by comparison to most other collections worldwide. the only problem is that whilst we may have squirrel monkey on our list, with so few zoos here, the truth is we only have five animals vs 500 in US zoos.
as our zoos attempt (and i add emphasis on "attempt" - sometimes i think they are taking one step forward and two back) to develop a more sustainable and responsible attitude to managing exotic wildlife, this collection is being radically consolidated and is expected to shrink somewhat. notable absentees (or near absentees) in australian zoos are european and north american fauna (such as brown bears, beavers, raccoons etc) which is for the most part wisely being phased out mostly in favour of asian and african species, and also edentates (an elderly pair of sloth comprises that list) although giant anteater are planned for reimportation.
the major issue here however is the current blanket ban on the importation of artiodactyls. this has left us with small, diminishing and highly inbred collection of cloven hoofed ungulates.
this is a terrible shame since the thing australians zoos do best of all is the open range style zoo and we have 3 internationally well renowned ones. our climate and even the "look" of our landscape lends itself to fantastic african style experiences.
whilst acquiring rhino and zebra is no problem and hybridising giraffes has extended their lifespan - animals such as hippo and antelopes can only be inbred for so long before ethical reasons (as a result of low birth rates and deformities) will force the zoos to stop. currently we are squeezing out the last generation or two of peccaries, pygmy hippo, bongo, eland, addax, waterbuck and oryx hoping to overturn the ban further down the line.
there are numerous introduced asian antelope, deer and bovine species in australia. but virtually none of these are being exploited by our zoos.
REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS can be freely imported and coupled with the wide range of spectacular native species our reptile houses are comparable if not better than any others worldwide.
lastly lets not forget NATIVE species. australia has some spectacular native species, and you'll see plenty of them here. in fact some, such as platypus - you'll only see here.
that said we could certainly do MUCH, MUCH better. there are many amazing natives that absent from even our largest zoos and many that really should have managed breeding programs.
there are for example, none of our own rare native tree kangaroo species in australian zoos. likewise there is no managed program for our most beautiful and largest mainland carnivore the spot-tailed quoll (which mind you is highly endangered). we have a spectacular array of fruit bats in australia. good luck seeing any in zoos. same said for numbats, marsupial moles, palm cockatoos, black necked storks and sarus cranes.
so thats the state of our zoos in short. i could write about individual scenarios all day, however i have to get back to work....
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That is an extremely informative reply phoenix! Australian zoos are hit-and-miss, as there are fantastic collections of some birds, reptiles and amphibians and native fauna...but a barren amount of hoofstock, bears and even to some extent cats. There are big zoos in the United States and Europe that have in one park more mammal diversity than the entire continent of Australia, but there are still some great Aussie zoos down under.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
I'd say we severly lack american species over hear. Though there is just from what I'm seeing.
There were. Melbourne held several for some time in the 70s (?). But due to no breeding and probably inadequate captive diets at the time they died out. Intersting to see whether Australia gets on the aardvark bandwagon which has been happening in Europe. I understand they want to obtain giant anteaters.
taun
Well-Known Member
You havn't quite grasped the idea of this thread have you Cat-man?
I remember seeing them but they never came out of their shelter, not when I was there at least. I do remember the Giant Anteaters, many years before that. But my favourite were the armadillos. Great little animals, always active, and occasionally up for a scratch behind the ears (did I say that?)
Michael
I remember seeing the aardvarks and hairy armadillos at Melbourne in 1978. The aardvarks were asleep, but a zoo worker told me that at dusk they wake up and start running round the enclosure - and keep going all night! The armadillos, on the other hand, were running around their exhibit for most of the day, like cute little tanks. And yes, I gave them a scratch too!
Hix
Hix
markun
Well-Known Member
He's pointing out a species in decline, no? Is it Taronga with the Indian rhino?
taun
Well-Known Member
Yes but this thread is about species absent from Australia, not what may soon be? Or has the word absent be redefined in the last day or two?
And why quote number of UK collections? And this isn't declining! In fact I know of at least one more collection that has put its name on the waiting list to receive animals to be part of the breeding program.
markun
Well-Known Member
I think he was comparing the situation in Australia with that in the UK.
My original post read:
I'm curious about which species cannot be imported into Australia or are absent from Australian collections as well as those which are in serious decline - such as flamingos. Any information would be appreciated!
My original post read:
I'm curious about which species cannot be imported into Australia or are absent from Australian collections as well as those which are in serious decline - such as flamingos. Any information would be appreciated!
taun
Well-Known Member
I don't wish you to argue with you and take this thread off topic, so this will be my last post about this matter.
How are we meant to read that? Cat-man needs to think about what he is typing so that it makes sense for everyone else, instead of having to try and read between the lines. Or get his parents to read through them because some of his language is disgusting for his age.
Sorry to our Aussie friends for thaking this off topic