There have been talks about importing drills from the Drill Ranch, but since breeding here is very poor, and breeding there is very good, it's hard to justify an import. I'm pretty sure though that it's an option that is not closed. The EEP and Pandrillus work together and communicate.
I'd have thought it was a sensible move; fresh blood might well improve ex-situ breeding success, and to have such a high proportion of an endangered species' population on one site is surely never a good thing.
There have been talks about importing drills from the Drill Ranch, but since breeding here is very poor, and breeding there is very good, it's hard to justify an import. I'm pretty sure though that it's an option that is not closed. The EEP and Pandrillus work together and communicate.
I wouldn't say that breeding is very poor- rather the number of breeding groups is small because of the very small European population. So the chance to set-up fresh breeding groups is limited too. I don't think Drills are any harder to breed than Mandrills- those at Barcelona, Hanover, Stuttgart and Port Lympne have all bred regularly and one or two other zoos(e.g Edinburgh and one in France)are now also starting to breed them too, while Woburn want to join this programme too- they currently just have castrated males. Access to females is the usual hindrance to fresh breeding groups being created.
Half a dozen unrelated animals would be a welcome infusion of new blood into these groups.
I agree. Just a couple of healthy males - chosen from specimens that are unsuitable for release and not needed for the in situ breeding programme - could make a massive difference to future of the species in European zoos.
The drill apparently is hyper-endangered in the wild.
Does anybody know why the captive breeding program is so dysfunctional; does this species just not do well in captivity? There used to be some at the LA Zoo and they have either moved or died.
This seems like a textbook case for the kind of species that zoos are legitimately "arks" for.
Drills do very well in captivity if managed right. The problem in Europe right now is that for a lot of years, no one really cared to manage them properly, and since that has improved, far more male offspring then females have been born. So there are not enough young females, and most males in the population are related to these few females.
IMHO, bringing in a group of a dozen Drills from Nigeria to the largest primate enclosure at London would make for a better exhibit and would be of far greater use to EAZA than its present use!!
IMHO, bringing in a group of a dozen Drills from Nigeria to the largest primate enclosure at London would make for a better exhibit and would be of far greater use to EAZA than its present use!!
Where are the best drill exhibits in Europe? Is it possible that London might be a drill exhibit? It seems like a species that a small-medium sized zoo might be the ideal home for.
Where are the best drill exhibits in Europe? Is it possible that London might be a drill exhibit? It seems like a species that a small-medium sized zoo might be the ideal home for.
Port Lympne's is just one of their early wood and wire cages. It is tall and spacious however with plenty of 'perching' and the Drills utilise all of it. But it would be great if they would allow them access to a hotwired section of woodland as there is plenty directly adjacent to the current enclosure.
Woburn's are in a large Oak-wooded drive-through enclosure, shared with Patas and Barbary Apes + Bongo.
Barcelona's is fairly traditional. Stuttgart's is small I believe. Hanover's is modern and maybe the best? Frankfurt have 2.2. in their new modern ApeHouse. Not sure about the facilities of the French holder, St Martin La Pleine, but they are an upcoming breeding group(listed as 5.6 currently).Wuppertal have males only.
IMHO, bringing in a group of a dozen Drills from Nigeria to the largest primate enclosure at London would make for a better exhibit and would be of far greater use to EAZA than its present use!!
