Dwarf forest buffalo in the UK

taun

taun

Well-Known Member
I found the numbers off ISIS but was wondering if any you guys can tell me the history of Dwarf forest buffalo in UK zoo's. Have any other zoo's kept them in the past? Or are they quite a new species to zoo's? etc....

Chester 1.4
Knowsley 1.5
Marwell 3.9
Woburn 3.3

ISIS also states that knowsley have 0.5 of another subspecies??? Is that right or am I reading ISIS wrong?

They seem such as easy species for zoo's to keep, but they seem quite rare in UK zoo's with only four collections exhibiting them.

Any further knowledge would be great appreciated. Thanks.
 
Whipsnade had a successful breeding herd up till a few years ago, and Suffolk wildlife park (Africa alive) also had 2 or 3.
 
Thanks for information Kiang

So then does anyone know where whipsandes herd went off too?

Looking on ISIS, they also seem quite rare in zoo's globally. Are they too similar to cattle and therefore zoo's dont keep them?
 
I haven't had time to do much research but this is whaty I have up to now.

I first became aware of Congo Buffalo in the 1970s when Marwell had some. The first UK breeding took place at Marwell in 1979.

The second collection to have them was Whipsnade, from where Chester's animals originated. Chester also exchanged bulls with a private collection, I can't remember where this was but it may have been in Cumbria.

Whipsnade sent their stock to Woburn about 3 years ago, and the former enclosure at Whipsnade is now a fenced off area for bluebells.
 
Twycross once kept a group of 3 where the Dwarf Zebu`s are now,but before they moved in the enclosure was used for Dwarf Zebu`s.Molly and Nat thought they would make a good exhibit their as they were about the same size as the Zebu,but they hadn`t counted on the destructive nature of the Buffalo,as the maintenance staff had to be called out most morning to repair the shed walls as over the night the Buffalos had knocked some of the wooden planks out of the side walls of the shed.Hence they didn`t stay long as they cost more to keep in repairs then the Zebu ever did.
 
bongorob said:
Chester also exchanged bulls with a private collection, I can't remember where this was but it may have been in Cumbria.
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There is probably a few private breeders. It seem that herds are just past around and not really grown to send off some the hed to start a new one at another collection.

Seems strange of Whipsnade seemed to have a succesful herd for them to give them up.

Thanks for the information bongorob.

Zoogiraffe@ Thanks for that bit of information. Interesting to hear Twycross once housed them if only for a sort period of time.
 
Seems strange of Whipsnade seemed to have a succesful herd for them to give them up.[/QUOTE]

Well Whipsnade also had a succesful herd of Tompsons Gazelles, Yak, Mush ox and more only to have them all gone these days, did it have to do with the cutting back the number of species some years ago when the LZS were having financial troubles :confused:

Whipsnade used to be well known for their hoofstock collection
 
bongorob said:
I first became aware of Congo Buffalo in the 1970s when Marwell had some. The first UK breeding took place at Marwell in 1979.
The second collection to have them was Whipsnade, from where Chester's animals originated.
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There were no Congo Buffalo on display in any UK zoos in the decades prior the 1970's. The first ones I ever saw were in Antwerp Zoo.

Marwell must have imported theirs some time in the mid-late 1970's. They could well have supplied Whipsnade with their first animals, as Marwell received a number of their earliest species from Whipsnade, and fostered good relations with ZSL. So in turn Chester's & Woburn's may have stemmed from the original Marwell import (speculation rather than fact).
 
Pertinax said:
Marwell must have imported theirs some time in the mid-late 1970's.
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It state's on Marwells website (trying to do some research myself) they first imported a male their in 1978 and was called Muhammad Ali, or Champ for short.
 
I found today through BIAZA website that in 2005 someone at Chester Zoo was the species manager for Dwarf forest buffalo, can anyone confirm this?

If so I can just contact Chester Zoo myself for a copy of the stud book (If they will allow it).
 
Thanks Writhedhornbill for that information.

I will email them sometime to see if they can patch any of the information gathered up and fill in missing links.

I have tried BIAZA they have limited information on ESB, I have also tried EAZA but that points torwards this website and another which I don't seem to access.
 
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taun said:
It state's on Marwells website (trying to do some research myself) they first imported a male their in 1978 and was called Muhammad Ali, or Champ for short.
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where on earth did you find that on marwells webite!!!!!

i didnt think that marwell had that big a website lol
 
taun said:
... ISIS also states that knowsley have 0.5 of another subspecies??? Is that right or am I reading ISIS wrong? ...
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Having recently visited Knowsley I can confirm they keep both S. caffer nanus and S. caffer caffer (??) . In their book, it says that the group originated from western Uganda. They are the only black Capes I have seen in the UK, but very different from those I have seen in southern Africa. Knowsley's animals had very fluffy ears, similar to the Congos'. I believe that there is some overlap in features where the ranges meet.

Must say I was very impressed with the overall collection and setup at Knowsley.
 
tetrapod said:
Having recently visited Knowsley I can confirm they keep both S. caffer nanus and S. caffer caffer (??) .
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Thanks Tetrapod, What I have read up on them, it appears that the sub-species often interbred, because of overlapping of where they are found.

I gather Knowsley keep the two herds seperate?
 
Marwell's Congo buffalo

I am reasonably sure that the original Marwell animals were quarantined for a year on show on the Cotton Terraces at Regent's Park . In those days I believe ungulates had to be quarantined a distance away from any farm stock , only a few collections met this requirement . I think a pair of Marwell addax were quarantined at Edinburgh . The small zoo at Plymouth was used by the Chipperfield organisation to quarantine all the giraffes etc. they caught and imported .
 
Marwell's Congo buffalo

Just had a rummage through old Marwell Annual Reports and News .

3.4 Congo buffalo were imported in 2 groups in 1978 , jointly by Marwell and Tim Walker for quarantine at Regent's Park . The following year 2.3 were transferred to Marwell .

Tim Walker , chairman of Marwell Preservation Trust maintained a private collection at his home in I think Wiltshire . I visited it with the Marwell Zoological Society . He had Grevy zebras , Malayan tapirs , roan antelope and others . He died in 1988 and his collection was dispersed .

I do not know if the Whipsnade buffalo came from Tim Walker or from Marwell , somewhere in my old ZSL Annual Reports the arrival date might help . The original Whipsnade roan antelope and Grevy zebras might also have been from the same source .

I do not think many more have been brought into the country since the original importation .
 
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