The last Purple Langur in Europe - and sad to say I cannot really foresee seeing his like again! This particular animal, I believe, was born at the collection.
The last Purple Langur in Europe - and sad to say I cannot really foresee seeing his like again! This particular animal, I believe, was born at the collection.
This looks like the stump-tailed one which if I remember correctly was one of the two males housed together. So maybe not one of the ones that were born there? I don't know- just querying...
You could well be right - my above statement is based on the fact I know there was only the one female at CWP before the rest of the group all left for South Africa, the fact the species bred at CWP in 2009, and the fact I recall hearing this male was still relatively young and housed with his mother at one point.
However, if there was a second female that died before the big move, this could well be what is throwing my mental calculations off! I doubt there will have been multiple animals with damaged tails, so the odds are you are correct.
However, if there was a second female that died before the big move, this could well be what is throwing my mental calculations off! I doubt there will have been multiple animals with damaged tails, so the odds are you are correct.
Pretty sure they had as adults; 2.0 and one breeding pair only- so only one female. The breeding pair produced two(?) male offspring afaik..
This still looks like a 'mature' male to me and combined with the short tail makes me think its one of the original two males that lived together. Strange how they were left with this one on its own too. Not the best outcome for the animal really.
Can you tell me more about this subspecies? When did Cotswold get them? I don't have them on my list from my visit in early Spring 2012. Why did they go to South Africa? And why not all of them? I did see the Southern subspecies in Edinburgh, what happened to these?
Can you tell me more about this subspecies? When did Cotswold get them? I don't have them on my list from my visit in early Spring 2012. Why did they go to South Africa? And why not all of them? I did see the Southern subspecies in Edinburgh, what happened to these?
Cotswold went into the species in 2008, receiving 0,1 from Belfast and 2,0 from Twycross. These were the final remnants of two breeding groups at the respective collections. The resulting group bred once in 2009 before 2,1 individuals left in 2011 for Induna Primate and Parrot Park, a private collection in South Africa. This left 1,0 male at Cotswold Wildlife Park.
As for why they left, or why one male remained, I do not entirely know.
As for the animals held at Edinburgh of the nominate subspecies, these were held between 2007 and 2012 and bred regularly whilst at the collection, until the entire group was sent to Panyu Xiangjiang Safari Park in China. I believe these left the collection because as the only group in Europe the management of Edinburgh Zoo deemed them a "dead end" taxon taking up space unnecessarily.
Cotswold went into the species in 2008, receiving 0,1 from Belfast and 2,0 from Twycross. These were the final remnants of two breeding groups at the respective collections. The resulting group bred once in 2009 before 2,1 individuals left in 2011 for Induna Primate and Parrot Park, a private collection in South Africa. This left 1,0 male at Cotswold Wildlife Park.
As for why they left, or why one male remained, I do not entirely know.
As for the animals held at Edinburgh of the nominate subspecies, these were held between 2007 and 2012 and bred regularly whilst at the collection, until the entire group was sent to Panyu Xiangjiang Safari Park in China. I believe these left the collection because as the only group in Europe the management of Edinburgh Zoo deemed them a "dead end" taxon taking up space unnecessarily.
Presumably the Cotswold's animals fell into the same "dead end" category and so it was either let them die out or ship them out - ideally to someone with other individuals, but I have no idea if the South African facility would have had others (seems unlikely). It does seem very odd to keep a single male though, hardly ethical I would have thought. Although keeping two males may not have been possible in the small group. Still sad I didn't spot him in 2012, where abouts in the park is he kept (or where was he kept in 2012)?
What was the origin of the two subspecies in Europe? Were they a dwindling population obtained decades ago, or a more recent doomed attempt at a managed programme?
Not sure this is where he would have been when you visited in 2012, but on my first visit to Cotswold Wildlife Park in 2013 he was mixed with Lar Gibbon in a cage near the Reptile House.
What was the origin of the two subspecies in Europe? Were they a dwindling population obtained decades ago, or a more recent doomed attempt at a managed programme?
Well, this is the thing regarding the Edinburgh animals - they were a newly imported line comprising animals from Singapore Zoo and Perth Zoo, and as noted above were breeding profusely. So they need not have been seen as a dead end - Chris West, the CEO of RZSS, merely saw them as such because they were the only group in Europe at that point in time. It's a bit like if Taronga Zoo hypothetically managed to bring in Pampas Cat, bred them, and then a new manager came in who decided that as they were the only group in Australia they would have to go regional populations have to start somewhere!
As regards the Cotswold animals, these *were* the remnants of a dwindling population - as noted before the animals derived from Belfast and Twycross, who had both held and successfully bred the pure subspecies in question for a decade or so prior. Unfortunately I believe the birth rate was heavily skewed towards male infants, hence the decline in population towards the end of the 00's.
Before this point, incidentally, various Purple-faced Langur taxa had been held in Europe intermittently through the years - but the nominates held at Edinburgh until lately were a new taxon for Europe entirely.
Not sure this is where he would have been when you visited in 2012, but on my first visit to Cotswold Wildlife Park in 2013 he was mixed with Lar Gibbon in a cage near the Reptile House.
Well, this is the thing regarding the Edinburgh animals - they were a newly imported line comprising animals from Singapore Zoo and Perth Zoo, and as noted above were breeding profusely. So they need not have been seen as a dead end - Chris West, the CEO of RZSS, merely saw them as such because they were the only group in Europe at that point in time. It's a bit like if Taronga Zoo hypothetically managed to bring in Pampas Cat, bred them, and then a new manager came in who decided that as they were the only group in Australia they would have to go regional populations have to start somewhere!
As regards the Cotswold animals, these *were* the remnants of a dwindling population - as noted before the animals derived from Belfast and Twycross, who had both held and successfully bred the pure subspecies in question for a decade or so prior. Unfortunately I believe the birth rate was heavily skewed towards male infants, hence the decline in population towards the end of the 00's.
Before this point, incidentally, various Purple-faced Langur taxa had been held in Europe intermittently through the years - but the nominates held at Edinburgh until lately were a new taxon for Europe entirely.
Thanks for the info TLD. Most interesting. I did see the Lar Gibbon, so maybe htey hadn't yet mixed the Langur in. I don't think Singapore holds this taxa anymore either, and Perth haven't for many years.
Yeah, as noted above the Perth animals all went to Edinburgh in 2007 not sure if all the Singapore animals went to Edinburgh or just some.
The remaining male at Cotswold is still relatively young, so assuming he does not leave to join the others in South Africa or succumb to ill health, the taxon will hopefully be around a little longer - but as I said in the introductory post of this thread, I doubt we shall ever see the taxon in Europe again beyond this last survivor.
