Current Mammals In New Zealand Zoos

Camelids in NZ

Majority of pure guanaco left in NZ are at my farm, Big Ears Llama Ranch, North Canterbury. DNA testing has shown them to be pure ( ie not hybridised with alpaca/vicuna ) although in some cases back breeding to llama is evident in their phenotype. Advances in DNA analysis capabilities has allowed scientists in SA to confirm that the guanaco is in fact a wild llama and conversely that the llama is a domesticated guanaco.

But the guanaco is still alive, well and being bred in NZ.

Cheers

Keith
 
Payne said:
Advances in DNA analysis capabilities has allowed scientists in SA to confirm that the guanaco is in fact a wild llama and conversely that the llama is a domesticated guanaco.
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Do you have any evidence where Alpaca fit in this? Is it a domesticated form of Vicuna, or another branch/type of domesticated Guanaco?
 
llama/alpaca

Yes, scientists in SA have determined that llama are domesticated guanaco and alpaca have the same relationship with vicuna. Two major factors which influence the phenotype of present day llama and alpaca are morphology changes which accompany the change from wild to domestic and the extent of hybridisation ( llama/alpaca ), they have estimated that up to 90% of alpaca in SA have been hybridised since the Spanish toppled the Inca and up to 50% of llama. If you are interested I can direct you towards scientific studies which support this.

Cheers
 
Chlidonias said:
*Black And White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata) – Hamilton; Wellington; Orana; Willowbank
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a few months late with the news, but the last ruffed lemur at Willowbank was put to sleep in October due to health issues.
 
Chlidonias said:
PINNIPEDIA

*Californian Sealion (Zalophus californianus) – one female at Auckland

Formerly also kept at the now-closed Napier Marineland, with the remaining two animals being exported to Australia in 2015. Auckland's one remaining sealion was born at the zoo in 1993, the last of a group descended from wild-caught animals (imported 1961) and captive-bred animals from the Sea Life Park in Hawaii (imported 1981). The Napier sealions originated from a captive-bred pair imported from the Sea Life Park in Hawaii in 1981 (the two surviving animals in 2015 were both bred at Napier). Both Auckland Zoo and Napier Marineland had also kept Californian Sealions prior to the stock mentioned here.
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Auckland Zoo's last Sealion - Kipper was euthanised today - she was born at the Zoo in 1993.
 
zooboy28 said:
Auckland Zoo's last Sealion - Kipper was euthanised today - she was born at the Zoo in 1993.
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I thought she would be around for a few more years yet.

As an item of interest, Californian Sealion is the first exotic mammal species "lost" to the country since 2014. None were lost in 2015 but that year three "new" mammals made their appearance, with capybara, gorilla and bongo.
 
Chlidonias said:
I thought she would be around for a few more years yet.
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I'm quite sad she has died, the big sealions were especially impressive in that exhibit, and the comparisons with fur seals was brilliant. If only a Hookers needing rescuing...

Chlidonias said:
As an item of interest, Californian Sealion is the first exotic mammal species "lost" to the country since 2014. None were lost in 2015 but that year three "new" mammals made their appearance, with capybara, gorilla and bongo.
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A graph of total number of exotic species in NZ by year would be interesting....
 
Chlidonias said:
HIPPOPOTAMIDAE

*Common Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) – one at Auckland

The first hippo at Auckland was a female named Bella who came from Melbourne Zoo (Aus) in 1923. A male named Chaka arrived in 1925 from the Calcutta Zoo (India) and several offspring were bred from this pair. A recently-held female named Snorkel (1959-2010) was a descendant of this line, being the daughter of male Dimazulu who was born in 1937 to that original hippo pair (Bella and Chaka); Snorkel's mother was Nada The Lily, imported from Taronga Zoo (Aus) in 1939. The sole hippo left at the zoo is a female named Faith, born at Auckland in 1975 to a Taronga-bred female named Bonnie (imported in 1966), and sired by the wild-caught male Kabete who died in 1993. Faith's son Fudge (born 1988, and also sired by Kabete) died in 2016.
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Faith, the last hippo in New Zealand, was put to sleep yesterday due to fatal haemorrhagic respiratory disease (see the Auckland Zoo news thread).
 
Would Common Hippo be an allowed import if desired by any NZ zoos again ?
 
Nisha said:
Would Common Hippo be an allowed import if desired by any NZ zoos again ?
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I don't think import is currently possible into Australia or NZ, but it is supposed to be a priority...

I would hope Auckland would look at instead acquiring pygmy hippo (which also cannot currently be imported), as they don't really have the space for even a small common hippo herd. But I would imagine any hippo import would take a while to occur, probably NZ will remain hippo-less for 5+ years.
 
Chlidonias said:
TAPIRIDAE

*Brazilian Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) – one pair at Hamilton

The male was born in 1990 at Western Plains Zoo and imported to Hamilton in 1991. The female was born in 1991 at Adelaide Zoo and imported to Hamilton in 1992. They have not bred.
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the male tapir was put to sleep a few days ago, due to age-related issues.
Farewell Mr Branco - Hamilton Zoo
 
Chlidonias said:
because hippos aren't antelope. It doesn't matter what order they belong to, the individual import standards are for specific species or groups of species.
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Ok, but the reasons, or import for hippos is simply banned for no reasons?

Also is there any news that New Zealand will get koalas from the close Australia in near future?
 
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