Apologies for another digression, that has nothing to do with Javan rhinos, but I don’t think quagga were bred at Knowsley either.
Interestingly, though, the Knowsley quagga mare, that was purchased by Amsterdam Zoo after the Earl of Derby died, subsequently gave birth to a hybrid foal to an Asiatic wild ass in Amsterdam.
I can't see any reason why we can't digress- its all interesting discussion and related in its way
Interesting about this hybrid equine foal, like the ones produced at ZSL it indicates to me they had singles only of the different species, as was common in the 'postage stamp' zoo era.
Re above comments:
I'm fascinated London bred a Quagga hybrid; is it preserved anywhere, or does anyone know of a photo?
I suppose one could regard the passenger Pigeon as a 'super' Mourning Dove; much more colourful, bigger, and dimorphic.
I think the draught-trained Quaggas were in South Africa; there's an intriguing old photograph in Hagenbecks's 'BEASTS & MEN' of a small two-person cart pulled by a team of eight animals, harnessed in pairs. As far as I can make out the front pair are domestic oxen [probably necessary to 'anchor' the rest of the team], the next pair are Eland, then Plains Zebra followed by what look like domestic donkeys. This looks more of a stunt than a serious mode of transport, as one donkey could have pulled the whole thing. Lord Rothschild's much photographed team of draught Zebras was actually three Zebras and a steady black pony as 'anchor'. I believe London Zoo used one or more Zebroids [never pure Zebras] as publicity draught animals around London. John Edwards' book has a Grevy's mare saddled and carrying a small boy. Hagenbeck[again] writes of using two of Professor Ewart's Zebroids [a stallion and a gelding, presumably bred from Ewart's Burchell's stallion] successfully as draught animals.
The 19th century 'Lists of the Vertebrates' at London Zoo make fascinating reading. they reveal that primates almost never bred [probably didn't live long], giraffes and hoofstock in general did inordinately well, pigeons, pheasants and waterfowl did well, while most of the cats lived and bred very poorly by modern standards; Macropods also and perhaps surprisingly, appear to have done well, in spite of what appear to have been cramped quarters.
Correction to my last post; of course it was Amsterdam that bred to Quagga hybrid.
Pink-headed Duck; Myanmar [Burma] is not the easiest place to travel around, it's a sedentary species that lives on jungle pools I believe, so could be missed. On the other hand, an expedition in recent years couldn't find it. A pity, as there aren't that many pink birds around apart from Flamingos. That head colour is stunning. While we're on 'extinct' ducks, what about the Crested Shelduck? Does anyone believe these are still around?
The book Horses, Asses, Zebras, Mules and Mule Breeding (Tegetmeier & Sutherland, 1895) records that a pair of horse x Burchell's zebra hybrids were "drawn about London in the service of the Zoological Society" early in the nineteenth century. (However, Flower (1929) does not list a zebra x horse hybrid in the Zoological Society of London collection prior to 1898, although zebra x donkey hybrids were in the collection as early as 1830.)
Hagenbeck[again] writes of using two of Professor Ewart's Zebroids [a stallion and a gelding, presumably bred from Ewart's Burchell's stallion] successfully as draught animals.
Carl Hagenbeck purchased six of the Chapman’s zebra x horse hybrids bred by Professor Cossar Ewart; he also bought their father from Ewart (the Chapman’s zebra “Mataop” which Ewart had acquired from Antwerp Zoo). I believe that Hagenbeck subsequently sold some of the hybrids to the British Army for use in India.
There is, incidentally, a hybrid between a male donkey and a female quagga in the Doncaster Museum; this interesting specimen, born 1830, is not on display.
There's a photo in the 'Golden Days' book of old ZSL photos, of a team of 4 pure Zebras(look like Chapman's) harnessed to a 'Mazawattee Tea Cart,' dated 1914, outside the Zoo Offices.
I still think Knowsley had Quaggas in harness at some time, but can't find a source for that.
As FBBird said, there was a recent unsuccessful expedition to search for them. However it doesn't mean they are not still extant somewhere. I do find it a bit surprising a species of duck living in that sort of jungle/marsh habitat could be exterminated so easily.
This is something of a 'mystery' species and some taxonomists have argued it may be a shelduck hybrid, rather than a true species. It certainly doesn't like a hybrid bird to me though, where would the crest come from? But there are only very few(3?) skins and they are in places like Vladivostock... Again it seems an unlikely area for a duck to be exterminated- but so does Labrador...
This is something of a 'mystery' species and some taxonomists have argued it may be a shelduck hybrid, rather than a true species. It certainly doesn't like a hybrid bird to me though, where would the crest come from? But there are only very few(3?) skins and they are in places like Vladivostock... Again it seems an unlikely area for a duck to be exterminated- but so does Labrador...
I believe there are pictures of Crested Shelduck on old Japanese pottery, and also somewhere in a very old Japanese avicultural work, the inference being that they were once better known, and even in aviculture. A further point against the hybrid idea is the marked sexual dimorphism; I cannot imagine what the crested parent would have to be, to produce this combination of colour and markings. Falcated Teal is the only possibility, with Common or Ruddy Shelduck as the other parent; doesn't add up. Anyway, I would love to believe there were still some out there. The Labrador Duck, probably a relict [or even naturally tiny] population anyway, was doomed in the days of indiscriminate market hunting, even if [as a sea duck] it tasted horrible.
Re the 'Golden Days' zebra cart photo, I had completely forgotten it, and yes, this team are all definitely zebras. At least one of the hind pair has no shadow striping though; what race of Plains Zebra would that make it?
