Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo 2014

Chlidonias said:
huh. That sounds like a way of just avoiding admitting they are mixing different subspecies together (if the original identification of the guentheri was correct and I don't see why it wouldn't have been if they knew where they came from).
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It seems they did separate stock and or in the interval some of these individuals may have died or moved to other collections. Admixing may have occurred ...

Hix, we are talking full species now in Chelonoidis sp. (the more ancient and now correct scientific nomenclature). So, we have f.i. C. vicina, C. guentheri, C. hoodensis and C. porteri.

C. elephantopus is used for the species from Floreana. And to the best of my knowledge no representatives of this species nor C. hoodensis now remain abroad - that is ... outside the Galapagos islands -.

NOTA BENE: C. elephantopus has recently been demonstrated to persist in hybrid tortoises at both the Santa Cruz breeding center and on Northern Isabela (Albemarle .. in the Anglo Saxon vernacular, but I prefer to use the Spanish names as Ecuador is Latino speaking for easy reference) and an estimated 40 of this species are thought to remain on northern Cerro Wolf, Isabela.

NOTA BENE II: In more or less the same localities on Cerro Wolf, Isabela hybrids of C. abingdonii persist where the parentage must have been C. abongdonii tortoises having lived and bred on Isabela.

Both examples are due in no undue part to out-shipping by sailors poaching giant tortoises for the long journeys to US, Asian and European ports.


On the whole, my understanding of Galapagos tortoise imports outside of the Galapagos islands is that most were taken from northern / middle Isabela and / or Santa Cruz islands and thus belong to either C. becki, C. guentheri, C. vicina and C. microphyes and for the Santa Cruzs just C. porteri. The highest takings have been from Santa Cruz and the porteri group, followed to a lesser extent by both C. vicina and C. guentheri.


Only very few specimens / individuals were collected from any other Galapagos giant tortoise species. One notable exception was a C. eppiphium that ended up in Zoo Koeln and from there was transferred with another male (I think this was the C. porteri species) to Zoologicka Zahrada Praha.

This - for our US attendance whose collecting expeditions have been the most thorough both in live and killed giant tortoises - includes all the collections from the 1928 Townsend Expedition!!!
 
The two pregnant rhinos are mother and daughter, the older female has dominated the breeding program. would like to see some of the other females breeding, particularly having daughters.
 
jay said:
The two pregnant rhinos are mother and daughter, the older female has dominated the breeding program. would like to see some of the other females breeding, particularly having daughters.
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Agreed, but are not most if not all well at the end of their breeding life span?

Apart from the most successful breeding female Kalungwezi, the only other successful breeding females at Dubbo have been Pepe Kalle (2003 - InDuna) and Dongajuma (2004 - Sentwali).

The calves of Pepe Kalle and Dongajuma are both now at Monarto.

Incidentally: which black rhinos still reside at Dubbo?
My headcount comes to 5.6.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Agreed, but are not most if not all well at the end of their breeding life span?

Apart from the most successful breeding female Kalungwezi, the only other successful breeding females at Dubbo have been Pepe Kalle (2003 - InDuna) and Dongajuma (2004 - Sentwali).

The calves of Pepe Kalle and Dongajuma are both now at Monarto.

Incidentally: which black rhinos still reside at Dubbo?
My headcount comes to 5.6.
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I suppose that they must be, as Bakhita is the only female of her generation I wonder if the zoo is looking at obtaining other females from somewhere else? Fossil Rim and Abiline zoos have had successful breeding peograms I understand.
 
baby giraffe: Taronga Zoo welcomes baby giraffe | Photos | Daily Liberal

20 August 2014

There is a new addition to one of the most popular exhibits at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, with two-week-old Nkosi joining the giraffe enclosure on display to the public.

The name Nkosi means chief in Zulu but for now, rather than ruling the roost, he has to settle for being the smallest one in the enclosure.

Zookeeper Kevin Milton said the birth was relatively straightforward and the calf has been doing well.

"He was born two weeks ago. A giraffe's pregnancy lasts 455 days or around 15 months. They tend to hide their pregnancies but we knew his mother was pregnant," he said.

Nkosi was already taller than an adult human when he was born, standing at almost two metres high and when he reaches maturity, it is expected he will be over five metres.

He is the second calf for Ntombi and he will feed from her for approximately four months before moving onto solid food.

"Giraffes aren't the most social creatures. He might be at one end of the enclosure and his mother might be up the other end but he spends a fair bit of time chasing her round and feeding.

Nkosi will remain with his mother for the immediate future but could find himself at another zoo in Australia or further afield in years to come.

"Boys aren't as important as girls to our breeding program. He will be important around the region. He will stay with his mother for at least 12 months and then a decision will be made on his future," Mr Milton said.

"We have another two giraffes who are pregnant and they are due in the next 12 months.

"Our breeding program has been very successful and we supply Australasia. We sent giraffes to New Zealand and to other zoos in Australia."
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jay said:
Does anyone know which is the breeding male nowdays?
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I can't find any references to the name of the male. They have like eight of them though I think - do they only breed from one, or do they take turns?
 
Chlidonias said:
I can't find any references to the name of the male. They have like eight of them though I think - do they only breed from one, or do they take turns?
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They us to only breed from one as many of the males are the sons of the females. A rothschilds born at Melbourne zoo used to be their breeding male. That was a number of years ago though and I know he sired quite a lot of calves.
 
Does anyone know why there was such a big break between births? Have they been kept together but nothing has happened or have they been kept separate this whole time?
 
This is terrific news for the zoo and the region as a whole, what would be the preferred sex of the calf?
 
There is only 1 breeding male left in the region, as Werribee's male died recently leaving 4 females.... so another male would be good. Is the mother the one that came from Cairns?
 
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