Space Invaders of the Ecological Kind: Are there invasive species exhibits in zoos?

DavidBrown

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I just read a cover story on invasive species in the July 28, 2014 issue of Time magazine. The first paragraph is online as I write this, but unfortunately the story is behind a paywall: Invasive Species Could Cost the U.S. $120 Billion a Year in Damages - TIME

It lays out the escalation of species invasion as people and goods move around the world at unprecedented speed and scale. There are several case studies discussed, especially the infamous python invasion of the Everglades.

Are there any zoos out there with exhibits about invasive species? Most zoo visitors may not want to hear about it, but some will. The Time story documents that in some areas that invasive species are the greatest wildlife conservation threat after habitat destruction, so it's an important story to tell.
 
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I think the Burmese python exhibit at the Houston Zoo mentions that they're an invasive species in Florida.

Anyway, I agree with you, it's an important topic and I'd like to see more zoos tackle it.
 
I think a lot of zoos that house Burmese Pythons and other invasive species might note their invasions or invasive potential on signage, but I've never heard of an entire exhibit complex devoted to invasive species and their stories. I read the article when I got my issue of the magazine, and it reminded me that although some invasive species can wreak havoc on an ecosystem, others can be beneficial to where they invade as well. That would be an interesting comparison in an exhibit about invasives, if said exhibit is ever made.
 
The Florida Aquarium at Tampa once had a whole complex of exhibits dedicated to invasive species in Florida, including Green iguana, Spotted tilapia, Cuban treefrog etc.
 
There is a brand new one in Gaiazoo, the Netherlands. It is about 3000 square meters.

It features animals that are newcomers to the Netherlands, so apart from species that have established themselves/ will come to the country (eagle owl and wolf) it features mainly exotic species that can be found in the Netherlands: skunks, raccoon and an aviary with american turtles, mandarin ducks and several parakeet species.
 
At the Acuario Interactivo in Cancun in Mexico there is an aquarium full of Lionfish complete with a "Wanted ( dead or alive )" sign and the explination why this invasive fish can be a danger for the native ecosystem.
 
Many zoos in Australia have exhibits for invasive species, like cane toads, camels and red foxes, and typically have signage noting their invasiveness. But not on a large scale really. That could be a super interesting exhibit though. But not really worth expending resources displaying these animals when there are other species which would benefit more from exhibition. Although in places like Australasia (especially Australasia) invasives are some of the most readily available exotic species, so do get exhibited fairly regularly.

There is an exhibit in Oregon Zoo that displays invasive red-eared sliders and American bullfrog (I think) alongside threatened native amphibians and turtles, with messages about invasions.
 
I would love to see a well down Natives exhibit in a Southern US zoo that includes Wild Hogs as the example of invasive species.
 
Just uploaded some pictures in the GaiaZoo - the Netherlands Gallery ( GaiaZOO Kerkrade Gallery ) of the newly opened Invasive species enclosure and the species kept in it ( Monk, Ring-necked and Alexandrine parakeets, Sacred ibis and Slider ).
Another Dutch collection with an enclosure special devoted to an invasive species is Kasteeltuin Born, which has an enormous enclosure special build for the Pallas squirrel. The animals kept in there are wild-catched from the Dutch invasive-population and some good information-sign give some explination about the invasive nature of this species. I already asked for the creation of a Gallery for this collection and as soon as it is there, I will up-load also pictures from this enclosure.
Also at Taman Indonesia - the Netherlands - a small group of Dutch-wild caught Pallas squirrels is kept and in their Gallery also photos can be found of the species.
 
It's not a good photo, but this tank at the Waikiki Aquarium is about Introduced species. The large graphic on the left above the tank is titled "Food Gone Wild". The species labels are for the Mozambique Tilapia, Blackchin Tilapia, Redbelly Tilapia, Tahitian Prawn, Asian Freshwater Clam and Apple Snail.

http://www.zoochat.com/1153/introduced-fish-display-266638/

:p

Hix
 
Regents Park has a brown rat exhibit and I am sure there are others in zoos around the world. One complication is that there may be legislation about keeping invasive species. In the UK you need a special licence to keep coypu, over and above the Zoo Licence. I don't think I have seen a coypu in a zoo since they were exterminated in the UK about 25 years ago.

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
Regents Park has a brown rat exhibit and I am sure there are others in zoos around the world. One complication is that there may be legislation about keeping invasive species. In the UK you need a special licence to keep coypu, over and above the Zoo Licence. I don't think I have seen a coypu in a zoo since they were exterminated in the UK about 25 years ago.

Alan
Click to expand...

Certainly it took a visit to Zoo Berlin for me to see my first coypu!
 
Ethical questions

I think most, if not all, of the animals do not have their place in a zoo. Mainly the endangered animals and those who need space to live. Even zoos offering space and infrastructure are subject to human contacts (because it is the primary purpose of a zoo). Unfortunately, contact that should be possible is not possible due to the negative impact we have had on the environment and its wildlife. A parallel education could be done before you can actually meet wild animals. A greater respect and a higher spirit of safeguard must be taught to the every generation (to the youngsters as well as the oldsters). We take this diversity for granted while this is far from the case.
 
Aqua Ferskvandsakvarium (Freshwater Aquarium) in Denmark has quite a lot of focus on invasive species. They have several tanks with smaller species of invasive fish and invertebrates as well as a exhibit for Siberian chipmunks, and about half of their outdoor is dedicated to enclosures for invasive mammal species - nutrias, minks, raccoons and raccoon dogs. And lots of educational panels all around that describes what influence invasive species can have on the nature and the original species.
 
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