Oh, well, we've got one of those already, but it doesn't do anything like that really although its still got quite a few old Guenons, but no Macaques......
Species on the brink of disappearing from U.K Collections
- Thread starter zoogiraffe
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Oh, well, we've got one of those already, but it doesn't do anything like that really although its still got quite a few old Guenons, but no Macaques......
A certain place beginning with "T" has, to the best of my knowledge, never once exhibited a macaque, a mangabey, Drill or mandrill, or a baboon. Maybe they might have spoiled those lawns...
I did hear a rumour that in the 1980's they acquired a pair(?) of Lion-tailed Macaques from somewhere (probably either Bristol or London) but they were soon moved on for that very reason- destroying the grass.
However I've never been able to substantiate that and I certainly never saw any there but maybe they were only there between two of my visits.
I saw the Bristol specimen several times when it was on display in the old Monkey House; I was also lucky enough, on one occasion, to be taken “behind the scenes” for a closer look at it after it had been taken off exhibit. This ex-Bristol specimen is now in the Edinburgh Museum.
The Bristol animal wasn’t the only one in Europe, though, there was also an individual in London Zoo between 1924 and 1933 (although it wasn’t recognised as such at the time). This ex-London Zoo animal is in the Natural History Museum (London).
See the link below for an interesting paper on the taxonomy which concludes that the Bristol Zoo / Edinburgh Museum specimen and the London Zoo / Natural History Museum specimen are Macaca siberu.
http://riset-siberut.net/wp-content...sights-into-the-Taxonomy-of-M.-pagensis-v.pdf
Very interesting; thanks Tim 
I daresay you have seen more than your share of nice species which we won't be seeing on our shores again anytime soon
makes me wonder what species which are currently doing well might end up in a thread like this someday.
I daresay you have seen more than your share of nice species which we won't be seeing on our shores again anytime soon
makes me wonder what species which are currently doing well might end up in a thread like this someday.
johnstoni.
Well-Known Member
Porfell Wildlife Park appear to have a bonnet macaque living with a pig-tailed macaque and a hybrid, rescues from Holland:
AAP Foundation - 3 macaques to Porfell Wildlife Park, England | Outplaced until now | What we do
http://www.porfell.co.uk/items/macaque-monkeys/
There are also Long-tailed macaques listed at Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary in Berkshire (as well as crab-eating....it would be interesting to know the origin of the long-tailed animals):
http://www.lakeviewmonkeysanctuary.co.uk/monkeys.php?categoryid=5
Of course, thousands of captive-bred crab-eating and rhesus macaques are still imported to UK labs each year, its likely the luckier of these may occasionally end up at public collections from time to time, as happened with the stump-tailed macaques.
Flamingoland was actually one of the last places I remember some of the macaque species no longer represented in the UK. I'd say a strange combination of stagnation in the collection (by the early 90s it really hadn't changed for many years and only the hardier species seemed to remain), and the longevity of individual primates which, while not a marker of success if they haven't bred in sufficient numbers, is still possibly why we end up talking about species that haven't bred in the UK for many years if at all, as these species are often still represented by singleton elderly monkeys which cling on for many years, often decades, after the last import of their kind.
I don't ever remember Japanese macaques in the UK until RZSS acquired some, and had never hoped to see Heck's macaques until Howletts suddenly imported them, similarly I'd never seen stump-tailed macaques until Monkey World rescued their first group, so I don't feel the UK is particularly impoverished in this respect. There have been several new collections holding Barbary macaques in recent years. Also, it seems there are some unusual surprises coming out of the various rescue-imports we've seen in the last 10-15 years, allthough as I've said these will inevitably become less over time, which of course is a good thing given the origins of the individuals involved.
Its interesting that Thrigby apparently have a single, elderly stump-tailed macaque - the group that arrived must have been a fairly recent acquisition (ie in the last 5 years or so), so must have arrived as animals fairly advanced in age. I sort of agree about Thrigby having been the last place for a number of species in captivity, I wonder if that's because they acquired single animals and were then unable to find mates, or if they were more concerned with exhibiting rather than cultivating species not likely to form sustainable captive populations long-term, while concentrating on breeding those that were part of healthy managed programs....given that they have maintained the following quote on their website for many years:
"The collection of animals at Thrigby was the first to be signed over in entirety to the Joint Management of Species Programme."
AAP Foundation - 3 macaques to Porfell Wildlife Park, England | Outplaced until now | What we do
http://www.porfell.co.uk/items/macaque-monkeys/
There are also Long-tailed macaques listed at Lakeview Monkey Sanctuary in Berkshire (as well as crab-eating....it would be interesting to know the origin of the long-tailed animals):
http://www.lakeviewmonkeysanctuary.co.uk/monkeys.php?categoryid=5
Of course, thousands of captive-bred crab-eating and rhesus macaques are still imported to UK labs each year, its likely the luckier of these may occasionally end up at public collections from time to time, as happened with the stump-tailed macaques.
Flamingoland was actually one of the last places I remember some of the macaque species no longer represented in the UK. I'd say a strange combination of stagnation in the collection (by the early 90s it really hadn't changed for many years and only the hardier species seemed to remain), and the longevity of individual primates which, while not a marker of success if they haven't bred in sufficient numbers, is still possibly why we end up talking about species that haven't bred in the UK for many years if at all, as these species are often still represented by singleton elderly monkeys which cling on for many years, often decades, after the last import of their kind.
I don't ever remember Japanese macaques in the UK until RZSS acquired some, and had never hoped to see Heck's macaques until Howletts suddenly imported them, similarly I'd never seen stump-tailed macaques until Monkey World rescued their first group, so I don't feel the UK is particularly impoverished in this respect. There have been several new collections holding Barbary macaques in recent years. Also, it seems there are some unusual surprises coming out of the various rescue-imports we've seen in the last 10-15 years, allthough as I've said these will inevitably become less over time, which of course is a good thing given the origins of the individuals involved.
Its interesting that Thrigby apparently have a single, elderly stump-tailed macaque - the group that arrived must have been a fairly recent acquisition (ie in the last 5 years or so), so must have arrived as animals fairly advanced in age. I sort of agree about Thrigby having been the last place for a number of species in captivity, I wonder if that's because they acquired single animals and were then unable to find mates, or if they were more concerned with exhibiting rather than cultivating species not likely to form sustainable captive populations long-term, while concentrating on breeding those that were part of healthy managed programs....given that they have maintained the following quote on their website for many years:
"The collection of animals at Thrigby was the first to be signed over in entirety to the Joint Management of Species Programme."
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I saw the stump-tailed macaques at Edinburgh around 2005/2006.
I have seen the species this year at Gentleshaw.
I've had a look at Zootierliste and below is a list of mammal species in 10 or more UK collections. Please note that Zootierliste lists domestic varieties and 'species' under a separate category and I haven't included them here:
83: Meerkat
69: Oriental small-clawed otter
59: Ring-tailed lemur
57: Red-necked wallaby
49: Black and white ruffed lemur
41: Common marmoset
37: Capybara
36: Ring-tailed coati
34: Cotton-top tamarin, mara, tiger
32: Lion, fallow deer
31: Red ruffed lemur
27: Northern raccoon, Brazilian tapir
25: Giraffe
23: Emperor tamarin, Goeldi’s monkey, Geoffroy’s and pygmy marmosets, red squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, red panda
22: Reeve’s muntjac
21: Lar gibbon, northern lynx, common zebra
20: White-faced saki, black-capped capuchin, common squirrel monkey, Azara’s agouti, long-tailed chinchilla
19: Crested porcupine, wolf, red river hog
18: Parma wallaby, South African porcupine, degu, striped skunk
17: Lesser hedgehog tenrec, yellow mongoose, leopard, cheetah
16: California sea-lion, red deer
15: Egyptian rousette bat, red-bellied lemur, golden lion tamarin, silvery marmoset, European harvest mouse, Gambian giant pouched rat, dwarf mongoose, snow leopard, white rhinoceros, sitatunga
14: Rodriguez flying fox, Colombian black howler monkey, golden-headed lion tamarin
13: Belanger’s tree shrew, black lemur (including blue-eyed lemur), red-fronted lemur, black-and-gold howler, golden-handed and red-bellied tamarins, siamang, chimpanzee, two-toed sloth, ocelot, serval, sika, bongo
12: Long-nosed potoroo, guereza, giant anteater, lechwe
11: Sulawesi crested macaque, western gorilla, Prevost’s squirrel, African wild dog, red fox, North American and Eurasian river otters, axis deer, scimitar-horned oryx, blackbuck
10: Four-toed hedgehog, Alaotran gentle lemur, Bolivian squirrel monkey, pied tamarin, Asia Minor spiny mouse, fennec, vicuna
There are some suprises here, but it does seem that many of the species are kept for reasons other than conservation.
The following species only exist in only 1 UK zoo
Short-beaked echidna, bear cuscus, koala, agile wallaby, Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo, European mole, Pallas’s long-tongued bat, Indian, little red and Lyle’s flying foxes, straw-coloured fruit bat, eastern grey bamboo, white-collared brown and western fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, northern dry zone slender loris, Moholi bushbaby, eastern tarsier, black-faced and black-headed spider monkeys, silvery woolly monkey, southern Bolivian night monkey, black crested and golden-bellied mangabeys, bonnet and Heck’s macaques, olive baboon, crowned, mona, lesser spot-nosed, Lowe’s, Roloway and red-tailed guenons, Javan and mitred surelis, purple-faced langur, bonobo, Hoffman’s sloth, little hairy and nine-banded armadillos, black-tailed, edible and Kellart’s dwarf dormice, grizzled giant and red-bellied squirrels, red and white giant and southern flying squirrels, Brazilian porcupine, rock cavy, black-rumped agouti, mountain and plains viscachas, Desmarest’s hutia, greater Egyptian jerboa, Russian dwarf and Syrian hamsters, steppe lemming, Nicaraguan harvest mouse, Arabian and Mount Kulal spiny mice, Egyptian gerbil, common water rat, Matthey’s, Natal multimammate and yellow-necked field mice, North Luzon giant, Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat, African civet, banded palm civet, marsh and ring-tailed mongooses, spotted fanaloka, brown and spotted hyenas, black-footed cat, little spotted and jungle cats, jaguarondi, American black bear, giant panda, sloth bear, white-nosed coati, ratel, marbled polecat, Siberian weasel, harbour and hooded seals, bearded pig, white-lipped peccary, tufted deer, caribou, Bawean deer, Javan rusa, Persian fallow deer, wapiti, gaur, Arabian oryx, Arabian mountain gazelle, red duiker, musk ox, Chinese goral, Japanese serow, bharal, markhor, Himalayan tahr
By compiling this list, I was surprised to find many species that I expected to still exist in UK zoos no longer exist there and some species that do not occur in any European zoo.
83: Meerkat
69: Oriental small-clawed otter
59: Ring-tailed lemur
57: Red-necked wallaby
49: Black and white ruffed lemur
41: Common marmoset
37: Capybara
36: Ring-tailed coati
34: Cotton-top tamarin, mara, tiger
32: Lion, fallow deer
31: Red ruffed lemur
27: Northern raccoon, Brazilian tapir
25: Giraffe
23: Emperor tamarin, Goeldi’s monkey, Geoffroy’s and pygmy marmosets, red squirrel, Siberian chipmunk, red panda
22: Reeve’s muntjac
21: Lar gibbon, northern lynx, common zebra
20: White-faced saki, black-capped capuchin, common squirrel monkey, Azara’s agouti, long-tailed chinchilla
19: Crested porcupine, wolf, red river hog
18: Parma wallaby, South African porcupine, degu, striped skunk
17: Lesser hedgehog tenrec, yellow mongoose, leopard, cheetah
16: California sea-lion, red deer
15: Egyptian rousette bat, red-bellied lemur, golden lion tamarin, silvery marmoset, European harvest mouse, Gambian giant pouched rat, dwarf mongoose, snow leopard, white rhinoceros, sitatunga
14: Rodriguez flying fox, Colombian black howler monkey, golden-headed lion tamarin
13: Belanger’s tree shrew, black lemur (including blue-eyed lemur), red-fronted lemur, black-and-gold howler, golden-handed and red-bellied tamarins, siamang, chimpanzee, two-toed sloth, ocelot, serval, sika, bongo
12: Long-nosed potoroo, guereza, giant anteater, lechwe
11: Sulawesi crested macaque, western gorilla, Prevost’s squirrel, African wild dog, red fox, North American and Eurasian river otters, axis deer, scimitar-horned oryx, blackbuck
10: Four-toed hedgehog, Alaotran gentle lemur, Bolivian squirrel monkey, pied tamarin, Asia Minor spiny mouse, fennec, vicuna
There are some suprises here, but it does seem that many of the species are kept for reasons other than conservation.
The following species only exist in only 1 UK zoo
Short-beaked echidna, bear cuscus, koala, agile wallaby, Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo, European mole, Pallas’s long-tongued bat, Indian, little red and Lyle’s flying foxes, straw-coloured fruit bat, eastern grey bamboo, white-collared brown and western fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, northern dry zone slender loris, Moholi bushbaby, eastern tarsier, black-faced and black-headed spider monkeys, silvery woolly monkey, southern Bolivian night monkey, black crested and golden-bellied mangabeys, bonnet and Heck’s macaques, olive baboon, crowned, mona, lesser spot-nosed, Lowe’s, Roloway and red-tailed guenons, Javan and mitred surelis, purple-faced langur, bonobo, Hoffman’s sloth, little hairy and nine-banded armadillos, black-tailed, edible and Kellart’s dwarf dormice, grizzled giant and red-bellied squirrels, red and white giant and southern flying squirrels, Brazilian porcupine, rock cavy, black-rumped agouti, mountain and plains viscachas, Desmarest’s hutia, greater Egyptian jerboa, Russian dwarf and Syrian hamsters, steppe lemming, Nicaraguan harvest mouse, Arabian and Mount Kulal spiny mice, Egyptian gerbil, common water rat, Matthey’s, Natal multimammate and yellow-necked field mice, North Luzon giant, Panay bushy-tailed cloud rat, African civet, banded palm civet, marsh and ring-tailed mongooses, spotted fanaloka, brown and spotted hyenas, black-footed cat, little spotted and jungle cats, jaguarondi, American black bear, giant panda, sloth bear, white-nosed coati, ratel, marbled polecat, Siberian weasel, harbour and hooded seals, bearded pig, white-lipped peccary, tufted deer, caribou, Bawean deer, Javan rusa, Persian fallow deer, wapiti, gaur, Arabian oryx, Arabian mountain gazelle, red duiker, musk ox, Chinese goral, Japanese serow, bharal, markhor, Himalayan tahr
By compiling this list, I was surprised to find many species that I expected to still exist in UK zoos no longer exist there and some species that do not occur in any European zoo.
A handful of the above are incorrect, due to a number of factors:
1) the species having likely left the collection without 100% confirmation having come as yet in order to remove the listings - the hutia, the jerboa and the siberian weasel fall under this category
2) ZTL being inaccurate due to human error - for instance, I know of two collections with Chinese goral.
3) Further holders of a species who have not announced this is the case yet. I can see one or two species on the list which I personally know fit this category, but obviously I cannot point them out
A very useful list, however! Some of the species on that list are unlikely to leave the UK anytime soon, despite only one collection holding them - for instance the koala, giant panda, jaguarundi and viscachas - but others are indeed on the brink.
Thanks TeaLovingDave and Sand Cat
I accept that Zootierliste isn't perfect, but it's the only list I could work on. I've been to some zoos and have questioned whether the animal I was looking at was the same as that shown in the label. Many years ago, I spent some time trying to count the toes on the front foot of a New Guinea echidna at London Zoo. The label stated it was a Bruijn's echidna, but I counted 5 toes on the front foot. I'm glad that it has since been classified as a Barton's echidna and I'm sad that there are no echidnas at London Zoo.
According to Zootierliste, UK's only jungle cat is kept at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Ashford.
I accept that Zootierliste isn't perfect, but it's the only list I could work on. I've been to some zoos and have questioned whether the animal I was looking at was the same as that shown in the label. Many years ago, I spent some time trying to count the toes on the front foot of a New Guinea echidna at London Zoo. The label stated it was a Bruijn's echidna, but I counted 5 toes on the front foot. I'm glad that it has since been classified as a Barton's echidna and I'm sad that there are no echidnas at London Zoo.
According to Zootierliste, UK's only jungle cat is kept at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Ashford.
Are Jungle Cats really only kept in one UK collection - and if so, where is it? That's pretty shocking!
And this has only been the case for about 6 months or so - prior to this the species had been absent from the UK for about a decade.
I can confirm the Golden-bellied Mangabeys at Port Lympne are both still present, by the by.
presumably jungle cats are still kept privately in the UK? One was killed by a car in Hampshire in 1988 and another found dead in Shropshire in 1989, both of which were certainly escapes from private collections. (I know those are longer ago than a decade, but it suggests there are perhaps still some privately owned).
I think there are one or two still kept; there was a list of what unusual mammals were held privately in the UK under a DWA license doing the rounds a year or so ago, including jungle cats, but the only link on here for it is dead.
Incidentally, I have been inspired to start a sister thread to this one; rather than discussing species which *might* disappear from UK collections, the aim of the thread is to share images or indeed stories about species we have seen which *have* disappeared from UK collections.
http://www.zoochat.com/38/species-youve-photographed-have-since-disappeared-326532/#post684033
Bwassa
Well-Known Member
Wildebeest (or Brindled Gnu)
I've visited West Midland & Knowsley Safari Parks this week and worryingly noticed that the former had no Wildebeest, while Knowsley appeared to be down to a single animal, which was in a holding pen near the African Wild Dog enclosure.
It would be a real shame if this was another species on the brink in the UK, especially as Knowsley used to be proud of their herd of White-bearded Wildebeest.
I've visited West Midland & Knowsley Safari Parks this week and worryingly noticed that the former had no Wildebeest, while Knowsley appeared to be down to a single animal, which was in a holding pen near the African Wild Dog enclosure.
It would be a real shame if this was another species on the brink in the UK, especially as Knowsley used to be proud of their herd of White-bearded Wildebeest.
And don't count your laurels about Lake district wildlife park's breeding, they're being mixed in with Zebra,Lechwe, Nyala, and more, and from what I've heard Wildebeest's in the UK in mixed exhibits haven't fared too well.
Edit: LDWP have already lost 1 animal, but got a replacement.
It would appear that the sole remaining Montane Purple-faced Langur (Trachypithecus vetulus monticola) in the UK - indeed in Europe - is no longer at Cotswold Wildlife Park. A shame, but I am glad I saw it in June 2013.
Strange how the Purple-faced Langurs had a brief showing in our collections for a few years, breeding at both Twycross, and then again later at Cotswold(residue of Twycross' animals?) before disappearing as quickly as they came.
The Twycross animals were non-ssp level - at least officially, it is quite possible they were pure and merely of unknown origin.
The Cotswold animals (monticola) came from Belfast, which had held them since the 1990's. Both collections bred the species regularly.
The Edinburgh animals came from Singapore in 2007 in the hope they would be able to boost the genepool of those animals already in the UK, but as they turned out to be the nominate ssp this was not done. These also bred regularly in the 5 years they were at the collection.
The departure of all Trachypithecus vetulus from the UK was, I believe, due to the desire to move both subspecies to a location where they would be able to boost a pre-existing genepool - this being somewhere in South Africa if I recall correctly. This left a single remaining animal at Cotswold which, if I were to guess, may have been deemed too elderly to move.
