Numbats in zoos: history, present, and future

[DavidBrown]

Hi Australian Zoochat friends (and Chlidonias and anyone else who likes numbats). Numbats are a beautiful and wonderful animal, that like platypi, seem not to be allowed outside of Australia.

Is the Perth Zoo the only place to see one, or are there other Australian zoos with them?

Has anybody here seen one in the wild? Is seeing them in the wild practically impossible unless you are a field biologist spending years following them?

Does anybody know if there have ever been numbats in zoos outside of Australia? Is there any remote possibility that they may be allowed out to the San Diego Zoo or some similar place in the future?

Update: I just found this thread with a discussion of some (but not all) of the questions I've asked here: http://www.zoochat.com/24/only-1-000-numbats-left-wild-94518/
From what Hix says it sounds like at least Taronga had them in the past.

 

[Chlidonias]

Hi Australian Zoochat friends (and Chlidonias and anyone else who likes numbats). Numbats are a beautiful and wonderful animal, that like platypi, seem not to be allowed outside of Australia.

the plural of platypus is platypus or platypuses, not platypi (although you do quite often see it used, it is completely incorrect!)

Is the Perth Zoo the only place to see one, or are there other Australian zoos with them?

I keep forgetting what the other one or two places are that have them! Someone else can field that one.

Has anybody here seen one in the wild? Is seeing them in the wild practically impossible unless you are a field biologist spending years following them?

not me
Pygathrix has
(mumbles obscenities under breath)
The numbat population has crashed again, so now its very difficult to find them. There are literally only two places in the wild to see them: Dryandra (where I failed) and Perup -- they used to be found across almost the whole of southern Australia

Does anybody know if there have ever been numbats in zoos outside of Australia? Is there any remote possibility that they may be allowed out to the San Diego Zoo or some similar place in the future?

never, and no

 

[Pygathrix]

The plural of platypuses might be platypedes strictly speaking.

Cleland wildlife park in SA exhibits numbats as well as Perth:

http://www.zoochat.com/88/numbat-154424/

Chlidonias, don't read the following paragraph.
I have seen numbats in Dryandra on three out of four visits, two of those were for less than twenty seconds, the other time was for a couple of minutes but it bolted when I went to reach for my camera . The last time was about eight years ago, I understand that populations have fallen after years of slow growth. Certainly the woylies which were plentiful once were not to be seen on my last visit. I also stayed at Perup forest which is a wonderful place with a lot of wildlife. We spent three days walking in in 30 degree heat hissing at the children to keep quiet without any sign of a numbat, only to have one cross the road in front of the car as we left.

 

[Chlidonias]

I know you warned me Pygathrix but I read it anyway. I'm not bitter, not at all.....

but just for that I'll point out the inaccuracies of your statement "The plural of platypuses might be platypedes strictly speaking," namely 1) you can't pluralise a plural p), and 2) I think you mean "platypodes", but seriously can you imagine anyone ever calling them that?


p.s. I saw only one woylie at Dryandra and it was in a live-trap. Their numbers have crashed appallingly as well

 

[Pygathrix]

"The plural of platypuses might be platypedes strictly speaking," namely 1) you can't pluralise a plural p), and 2) I think you mean "platypodes", but seriously can you imagine anyone ever calling them that?

Sorry I meant to say "the plural of platypus". Anyway you are quite correct, I was making the assumption that it was native latin and therefore third declension ie platypedes, but in fact it is Greek and therefore platypodes as you say, just like the strict plural of octopus is octopodes. Of course I wouldn't use this word, I tend to anglicise anyway eg cactuses rather than cacti, which I think is more acceptable these days.

p.s. I saw only one woylie at Dryandra and it was in a live-trap. Their numbers have crashed appallingly as well

In Perup we were practically tripping over them. We opened the patio doors of the house, put weetabix* on the floor, and ended up with three different species of marsupial in the living room at once.
(*I know that was probably very wrong)

 

[DavidBrown]

Here's what Wikipedia, the inarguable foremost authority on everything, has to say about the plural of platypus:

"There is no universally agreed plural of "platypus" in the English language. Scientists generally use "platypuses" or simply "platypus". Colloquially, the term "platypi" is also used for the plural, although this is technically incorrect and a form of pseudo-Latin;[6] the correct Greek plural would be "platypodes". Early British settlers called it by many names, such as watermole, duckbill, and duckmole.[6] The name "platypus" is often prefixed with the adjective "duck-billed" to form duck-billed platypus, despite there being only one species of platypus.[13]"

Being a pretty colloquial guy, I'm sticking with "platypi".

I'm sure that we can all agree that the plural of numbat should be "numbati" because that is cooler than "numbats". This whole subject leaves me numb and batty.

 

[Chlidonias]

In Perup we were practically tripping over them. We opened the patio doors of the house, put weetabix* on the floor, and ended up with three different species of marsupial in the living room at once.

woylie, brush-tailed possum and tammar wallaby?

 

[Pygathrix]

woylie, brush-tailed possum and tammar wallaby?

woylie, brush-tailed possum and southern brown bandicoot. i should have put down some termites and may be there would have been numbats too

 

[Chlidonias]

the bandicoots are cute aren't they? The caretakers at Dryandra were hand-rearing a baby one when I was there: http://www.zoochat.com/674/southern-brown-bandicoot-isoodon-obesulus-243365/

I saw some wild ones at Cheyne Beach later. Great wee things.

One day I will return to try for numbats again.

 

[Hix]

A greek person told me years ago the plural should be platypodenda.

I've used this word before and impressed no-one - not even myself.



Hix

 

[Chlidonias]

was he an ancient Greek person?

 

[Tim Brown]

No record of Numbats at London..ever,doubt that this species ever got outside of Australia.Re.Australia itself,Taronga had at least one pair between 1968 and1977,Alice Springs and Cleland have had captive bred specimens from Perth as well.

 

[Chlidonias]

currently also numbats on captive display at Healesville outside Melbourne: http://www.zoochat.com/24/healesville-sanctuary-news-2013-a-323705/

(including within additional reference to two other wild populations having been (successfully??) established, in NSW and South Australia)

 

[MattyP]

The plural of platypuses might be platypedes strictly speaking.

Cleland wildlife park in SA exhibits numbats as well as Perth:

http://www.zoochat.com/88/numbat-154424/

Chlidonias, don't read the following paragraph.
I have seen numbats in Dryandra on three out of four visits, two of those were for less than twenty seconds, the other time was for a couple of minutes but it bolted when I went to reach for my camera . The last time was about eight years ago, I understand that populations have fallen after years of slow growth. Certainly the woylies which were plentiful once were not to be seen on my last visit. I also stayed at Perup forest which is a wonderful place with a lot of wildlife. We spent three days walking in in 30 degree heat hissing at the children to keep quiet without any sign of a numbat, only to have one cross the road in front of the car as we left.

So lucky! I would love to see numbats in the wild. I really need to organise a roadtrip to WA.