Once in zoos but now extinct

[Tim May]

I've actually looked into this matter myself in the past - no other collections ever held the species. This does not, of course, rule out private menageries and collections which may possibly have existed in Argentina or Brazil - but it is highly unlikely I feel.

Thanks for this, Dave; I not been able to trace any other collections that had Falklands Island “wolf” either. I agree with you it is extremely unlikely that any other zoos did have this species; however, although highly improbable, it is not impossible that there was an undocumented individual in a zoo somewhere……..

The more interesting, and depressing, point is that the final London individual was likely either the last living Warrah, or the penultimate - it died on 2 March 1876, and the last individual killed in the wild was killed in early 1876.

Yes the last London animal died on 2nd March 1876 after more than five years at the zoo (it arrived on 8th November 1870).

I’ve always found it frustrating that – to the best of my knowledge – no photographs of the last London Zoo specimen have been located (although there are photos of other animals at London Zoo from this era).

 

[Tim May]

I couldn't see any reference to Caribbean monk seals ..... being kept in any European zoos.

Caribbean monk seals were kept though at both Washington Zoo and the previous New York Aquarium.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I’ve always found it frustrating that – to the best of my knowledge – no photographs of the last London Zoo specimen have been located (although there are photos of other animals at London Zoo from this era).

In point of fact, I'm pretty sure there are *no* photos of a living Warrah at all! There's a few stuffed ones, but very few indeed - as far as I know, only three specimens have been photographed.

Talking of which; as a young girl, Hel's grandmother went to London Zoo and saw what must have been their last Thylacine, going by the presumed date of the late 1920s or very early 1930s - when she passed away a few years ago and I was going through her papers as part of my ongoing research into Hel's family history, I found photographs of said. In the interim, Hel's family have moved and I'm not sure where in the pile of boxes the photos will now be I'll really have to root them out!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

A similar case of a once-numerous species going extinct relatively recently for whom we have *no* photographs or - in this case - mounted skins is the Sea Mink, Neovison macrodon. All we have is vague artist's impressions of what it might have looked like from second-hand descriptions, no images from life.

 

[Tim May]

In point of fact, I'm pretty sure there are *no* photos of a living Warrah at all!

Indeed; hence my frustration about the lack of photos of the last London Zoo specimen!

Thanks for posting the photos of the Leiden specimens.

Incidentally, on my only visit to the Leiden Museum, there was an exhibition of extinct animals (featuring, amongst others, the museum’s quagga and blaubok specimens) but I cannot find any reference to such an display on the website. Does anybody know if they are still on show?

 

[condor]

Turquoise-throated puffleg: Frankfurt.

I seriously doubt this was correctly identified. This species is only known for certain from 6 specimens collected during the Victorian era hummingbird craze when thousands of skins were sent to Europe. All records after 1900, a few claimed sightings in the wild, are unconfirmed. If the claimed 1973 Frankfurt record listed on zootierliste was correct it would be a huge sensation but I feel quite confident saying that it must be a mistake, likely involving one of its close relatives. There are several similar pufflegs and hummingbird identification can be very difficult (even harder in the 1970s when there was almost no literature covering the subject)

 

[Dassie rat]

Caribbean monk seals were kept though at both Washington Zoo and the previous New York Aquarium.

Hallo Tim

Thanks for this information. I saw two Hawaiian monk seals at the Waikiki Aquarium in 1981. Is there a website that gives details of animals that have lived at zoos outside Europe?

 

[Tim May]

Hallo Tim

Thanks for this information. I saw two Hawaiian monk seals at the Waikiki Aquarium in 1981. Is there a website that gives details of animals that have lived at zoos outside Europe?

Unfortunately, I don't know of an equivalent of ZooTierliste for non-European zoos.

 

[Chlidonias]

I don't think that any NZ species that are now extinct were ever displayed in a NZ zoo (native birds were only allowed to be legally displayed from the 1950s), although they may have been displayed overseas.

probably the only NZ extinct birds to have been kept in captivity were the laughing owl, huia and piopio. All were kept in NZ privately (e.g. by Walter Buller, who even bred the owls) but not in zoos. The owl and huia were both kept in overseas zoos though, notably London. I haven't heard of piopio being kept overseas but they may well have been. It wouldn't surprise me if the NZ quail and South Island kokako had also been kept at some point.

Stead's bush wren and Stewart Island snipe were kept very short-term in captivity in the early 70s when attempting (unsuccessfully) to transfer the last surviving individuals to a rat-free island.

Just outside NZ, I believe the last Norfolk Island kaka died at London Zoo.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

probably the only NZ extinct birds to have been kept in captivity were the laughing owl, huia and piopio. All were kept in NZ privately (e.g. by Walter Buller, who even bred the owls) but not in zoos. The owl and huia were both kept in overseas zoos though, notably London. I haven't heard of piopio being kept overseas but they may well have been. It wouldn't surprise me if the NZ quail and South Island kokako had also been kept at some point.

Stead's bush wren and Stewart Island snipe were kept very short-term in captivity in the early 70s when attempting (unsuccessfully) to transfer the last surviving individuals to a rat-free island.

Just outside NZ, I believe the last Norfolk Island kaka died at London Zoo.

If memory serves, Laughing Owls bred relatively easily in captivity; another missed opportunity to save a species.

 

[zooboy28]

probably the only NZ extinct birds to have been kept in captivity were the laughing owl, huia and piopio. All were kept in NZ privately (e.g. by Walter Buller, who even bred the owls) but not in zoos. The owl and huia were both kept in overseas zoos though, notably London. I haven't heard of piopio being kept overseas but they may well have been. It wouldn't surprise me if the NZ quail and South Island kokako had also been kept at some point.

Stead's bush wren and Stewart Island snipe were kept very short-term in captivity in the early 70s when attempting (unsuccessfully) to transfer the last surviving individuals to a rat-free island.

Just outside NZ, I believe the last Norfolk Island kaka died at London Zoo.

Thanks for that. All so sad, especially the failure of those early transfers to islands.

 

[Crowthorne]

What an interesting thread, so sad that so many opportunities (for breeding or photography) were missed.

On the topic of missed opportunities, although there are no photographs of the Warrah, I have found this engraving from the Illustrated London News in 1873 of the Warrah at London Zoo

Does anyone know where the Warrah was kept? Was it in the Carnivore Terrace or one of the smaller mammal houses? (Sorry if I've missed the answer elsewhere!)

 

[vogelcommando]

Guadelupe caracara has been kept at San Diego Zoo, see this article :
https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v035n01/p0010-p0014.pdf

 

[Elephas Maximus]

If last-century zoos begun concentrating on breeding rather than exbibiting & entertainment more early, many of those species would be preserved alive (though hot so genetically variable).

 

[IanRRobinson]

Talking of which; as a young girl, Hel's grandmother went to London Zoo and saw what must have been their last Thylacine, going by the presumed date of the late 1920s or very early 1930s - when she passed away a few years ago and I was going through her papers as part of my ongoing research into Hel's family history, I found photographs of said. In the interim, Hel's family have moved and I'm not sure where in the pile of boxes the photos will now be I'll really have to root them out!

I have only just seen this. Have you had a chance to look into this further, Dave?

My mother was born in 1923, so I think her childhood visits might have encompassed the captive lifespan of London's last Thylacine. Somehow I can't get rid of that thought, nor the idea that to most visitors it was another dog-like animal that was quite probably curled up asleep.

I wonder if there are species we've walked past that in another 70-80 years' time will be extinct?

 

[Dassie rat]

I think that several animals in zoos at the moment wil become extinct in the near future. It seems that many zoos are prepared to spend milions of pounds on animals that have a large total population, because these are the animals that visitors expect to see. This is despite the fact that some of the animals are 'not yet threatened' or will never be returned to the wild, as they cannot adapt to an independent existence ot there is insufficient suitable habitat. The new, larger enclosures mean that many of the less popular species are being phased out. If these animals have no captive population and are critically endangered in the wild, they could easily become extinct. Zoos could save them, if they wanted to.

 

[Brum]

I wonder if there are species we've walked past that in another 70-80 years' time will be extinct?

I'd say a prime candidate (in fact a certainty) is the Northern white rhino, I've not personally seen one but I'm pretty sure you have Ian!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I have only just seen this. Have you had a chance to look into this further, Dave?

.......

I wonder if there are species we've walked past that in another 70-80 years' time will be extinct?

So many boxes, so little time when I find the photographs she took at London Zoo I believe I will upload *all* of them, not just the Thylacine ones. Will be interesting to see what there is on closer inspection.

As for your other question, it is sadly certain in some cases and almost so in others. Merely in terms of taxa that I know Zoochatters have seen.... Northern White Rhino, Cao-vit Crested Gibbon, Sumatran Rhino, Mountain Pygmy Possum, Numbat, Tasmanian Devil, Scottish Wildcat - the first two are certainly doomed, the others could go either way.

 

[Ituri]

I'm surprised there has been no mention of the Po'ouli, the last individual of which died at the Maui Bird Conservation Center. While not technically a zoo, it is partly run by San Diego Zoo Global, so I think it counts.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6630652/

 

[Pertinax]

I have only just seen this. Have you had a chance to look into this further, Dave?

My mother was born in 1923, so I think her childhood visits might have encompassed the captive lifespan of London's last Thylacine. Somehow I can't get rid of that thought, nor the idea that to most visitors it was another dog-like animal that was quite probably curled up asleep.

The last Thylacine at ZSL was a female that arrived on 22.1.1926, and died on 9.8.1931, a total of 5 years, 7 months.