Alaotran bamboo lemur Moved to another collection
Von der Decken's hornbill Moved to another collection
Luzon bleeding-heart Unable to source a suitable mate moved on
Hamlyn's monkey Moved on
Eurasian otter Temporary exhibit, housed for another collection.
Eurasian beaver Temporary exhibit in preparation for Knapdale trial
Common Raven Escaped through hole in netting before repair could be made!
European wolverine Moved to HWP
Eurasian wolf Moved to other collection
European Souslik Did not make a good exhibit. Hibernated for 6 months
Greater kudu Lesser kudu still in collection
Guinea baboon House temporarily only on behalf of Paris.
Heck cattle Proved too difficult to house and were only temporary
Laughing Kookaburra Moved on as collection plan changed
Major Mitchell's cockatoo
South American sea lion Pool too costly to upgrade to current standards
Maned wolf Family group separated as part of the breeding programme
Moholi bushbaby Not always seen by public. Group had to be split as part of breeding programme
Northern Luzon giant cloud rat Not always seen by public
Eastern bongo Moved as part of breeding programme
Eastern aardwolf Moved as part of breeding programme
Blue crane Change in collection plan and moved for benefit of species
Andean cock-of-the-rock First male moved back to Germany re-studbook keeper. Second male was aggressive towards visitors and moved on
Red titi Change in collection plan
Taiga musk deer Single male died, age related
Southern Luzon giant cloud rat Only kept North Luzon Cloud Rat
Southern Lowland Wetzone Purple-faced Langur Problems as regards captive population globally. Moved on
Syrian marbled polecat Rarely seen by visitors
White-lipped deer Held as quarantine for HWP and Scottish Deer Centre
Amur Leopard Unsuitable pairing and initially in preparation for planned upgrade of walk enclosures
Indochinese clouded leopard Only seen once!
Jaguar See press release
Tibetan golden cat Problems with compatability of individuals. moved studbook recommendations
Sclater's black lemur Failed to breed, died due to age related issues
Personally I think it is not as straight forward as some are making out. A shake up needs to happen as regards the Gelada group who pretty much all share the same father, who is now very much well represented as a result. This will be a difficult one but they are a species which is ideally suited to Edinburgh's climate.
It will be sad to see the jaguars go, however the climate isn't the best for them.
Of the remaining cats, the historic range of Asiatic lions could well have include areas of a similar climate. The Scottish Wildcat is very much an awareness exhibit. Tigers generally are very adaptable cats.
RZSS generally works as a single collection on two sites basis, the two sites being Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park. All zoos have to constantly review collections, not only in their own right but as part of the larger managed captive populations. Sometimes this means some unpopular moves The modern zoo should put the overall captive population of species as part of ongoing conservation and research programmes higher than just keeping crowd pleasing species.
Some of the most intensive and expensive animals to keep can often be the biggest crowd pleasers! If you have a minimum size group of 6 meerkats, for example, you could be looking at a minimum of around £200 to £300 a week to feed! Whilst the change in the cats in the collection is the thing that has been announced today, other changes can be made that enhance the visitor experience and will no doubt be somewhere in the pipeline.
Incidentally, not all of the changes in collection have been since Chris West has arrived. Edinburgh Zoo could well be changing to become a "centre of excellence" for certain species along with non-invasive cognitive research and other non-invasive research. Indeed, you could see more zoos going down this route. Historically Edinburgh has made many "unpopular" decisions. As we learn more about new husbandry methods collections will and must change. Watch this space!
