This seems like a pretty great zoo all and all. Some older and rough-looking cages and aviaries but nothing that struck me as bad per say. I don't know much about African zoos and obviously South African is a bit more developed than some other countries but I'm surprised to see just how international the collection here is. Also a little surprised to see that, at least mammal-wise, there isn't really anything here that can't be seen in either the US or Europe.
@ThylacineAlive There were some additional poorer enclosures that I do not have photos of, including some small primate cages, a series of roundhouses, and some small, dirty aquarium tanks, but overall, it is a very nice zoo that has fallen on hard times. You can tell that it was excellent in its heyday, but unfortunately, it is currently rather run down, dirty, and unkempt. Being the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, it is nationally funded, and given South Africa's unstable political and economic climate, funding for the zoo has fallen by the wayside. Staffing has been an issue, and unfortunately, in a growing and increasingly modernized urban center, careers in animal care and wildlife are not highly desired. Many keepers are untrained and only work for the zoo because it is a job they could get, and, unfortunately, the health of the animals has suffered despite the best efforts of the very dedicated vet staff. I have seen some posts since I left the zoo that have suggested things are turning around, including the start of an enrichment program, so I sincerely hope this is true. It is a beautiful, historic zoo with a lot of potential, and I would love nothing more than to see it fulfilled.
The collection is surprisingly diverse; however, it used to be even more so, and I suspect the downward trend will continue.The diversity present just isn't sustainable, at least when it comes to mammals. There are only singletons of the following species: okapi, Sichuan takin, addax, blackbuck, Malayan tapir, Kodiak bear, Queensland koala, giant anteater, maned wolf, and red-capped mangabey, there are only small groups with limited to no breeding success of the following species: Nubian ibex, transcaspian urial, African forest buffalo, black-faced impala, Indian hog deer, lion-tailed macaque, South American fur seal, striped hyena, and Linne's two-toed sloth, and there are only single-sex groups of the following species: Arabian oryx, chimpanzee, hamadryas baboon, patas monkey, and drill. Then you have the Kafue Flats lechwe and the black-eared marmoset, which have had incredible breeding success, but the zoo is the only holder of the former and only one of two of the latter. For other species, like the ring-tailed and brown lemurs, white-handed and buff-cheeked gibbons, red kangaroo, red-necked wallaby, pygmy hippopotamus, chital, and generic tiger, there seems to be enough breeding and enough holders to secure their presence in South Africa long-term.. Exotic birds and reptiles are doing much better in South Africa, with number of specialist parks and private owners in addition to the major zoological collections. Overall, there just are not many zoos in South Africa or in Africa as a whole, and there are even fewer with reliable support and funding, so there just isn't the infrastructure in place for many cooperative breeding programs of exotic species. I know that there is a strong push from the Director of Conservation and Research at the zoo for the collection managers to make shift towards focusing on a native collection.
That said, the only native species of mammal present that would be a true rarity in an American or European collection would be the white-throated samango.
