Adelaide Zoo Adelaide Zoo News 2017

Zorro said:
That's true but I understand some zoos are making an effort to build up a breeding program for one of the local species the Lumholtz species with at least three holders at this time, just off the top of my head!
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I am not completely sure either on the number of holders. Do we include rescue centers cum breeding facilities too?

The 2 zoos are Fleays on the Gold coast and Wildlife Habitat at Port Douglas in northern Queensland. But please do correct or add on!
 
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Kifaru Bwana said:
I am not completely sure either on the number of holders. Do we include rescue centers cum breeding facilities too?

The 2 zoos are Fleays on the Gold coast and Wildlife Habitat at Port Douglas in northern Queensland. But please do correct or add on!
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True the Port Douglas Wildlife Habitat has a breeding group also "Dreamworld" near the Gold coast has another breeding group, Not sure as to what "Fleay's wildlife park"has in numbers at this time they have bred them in the past. The Tree roo rescue centre has/had about ten or more which I understand are past on to holders like Dreamworld. I believe there was at least one other zoo in SE Queensland that had shown some interest in holding the species.
 
Aha, so possibly even 4 locations (with Dreamworld included)!

I seem to remember that ZAA had every intention to include Lumholtz's TK in their native conservation breeding program set up (along with the current and well established world / WAZA sponsored Goodfellow's TK program.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Aha, so possibly even 4 locations (with Dreamworld included)!

I seem to remember that ZAA had every intention to include Lumholtz's TK in their native conservation breeding program set up (along with the current and well established world / WAZA sponsored Goodfellow's TK program.
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I know Dreamworld have a breeding group and I believe last year they obtained one or two more from the TR rescue centre!
 
I seem to remember that ZAA had every intention to include Lumholtz's TK in their native conservation breeding program set up (along with the current and well established world / WAZA sponsored Goodfellow's TK program.[/QUOTE]

Who can say what ZAA want to do they change their mind so often it appears, the Antelope species for the region were to be Sable and impala but now it appears to be only Nyala, even Bongo seems to be pushed to the side now so yes which way is the wind blowing today?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Aha, so possibly even 4 locations (with Dreamworld included)!

I seem to remember that ZAA had every intention to include Lumholtz's TK in their native conservation breeding program set up (along with the current and well established world / WAZA sponsored Goodfellow's TK program.
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Always seems to have been a strange situation that Australia had two tree roo spp native, yet only ever kept the NG spp in captivity, outside QLD. Would be nice to see an expansion of holders in the future.
 
tetrapod said:
Always seems to have been a strange situation that Australia had two tree roo spp native, yet only ever kept the NG spp in captivity, outside QLD. Would be nice to see an expansion of holders in the future.
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@tetrapod, I did a little more research and it appears that thanks to the rescue facility and the Queensland zoos Lumholtz TK is now a fully operational ZAA conservation breeding program. There are now at least 3 zoos involved, David Fleay NP (3.0), Wildlife Habitat (2.2) and Dream World (2.3+) with both WH and DW having bred them in 2015 and 2016.
 
tetrapod said:
Always seems to have been a strange situation that Australia had two tree roo spp native, yet only ever kept the NG spp in captivity, outside QLD. Would be nice to see an expansion of holders in the future.
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I believe at least one other zoo in Queensland has/had shown some interest in keeping them!
 
Western Swamp Tortoise Breeding Success:

Hope for the Western Swamp Tortoise with four new arrivals

Adelaide Zoo is celebrating a successful breeding season for the critically endangered Western Swamp Tortoise, with four hatchlings joining the family this year!

Hatching at Adelaide Zoo over the last three months, these tiny tortoises will play an important role in our work to help secure a future for this remarkable species.

Endemic to Western Australia, this incredible reptile is in serious trouble in the wild, with less than 50 individuals estimated to have been in the wild in the mid 1980s.

Adelaide Zoo reptile keeper John Della says the youngsters’ arrival is a very exciting achievement for the zoo.

“With a total of four little ones currently in their hatchling pond, eating well and gaining weight, this season equals Zoos SA’s best at producing this rare and unique reptile,” John says.

“All of our hatchlings are destined to be released back into the wild, playing a vital role in our work to help save this species from extinction.”

Current populations are found across two small swamp reserves in WA, and are under increasing threat from feral predators such as foxes.

Climate change also brings new pressures for the species, with declining winter and spring rainfall wreaking havoc on their critical swamp habitats.

As a conservation charity, Zoos SA is proud to be one of only two zoos in the world to be involved in a successful breeding program for the species, in which our newest, coin-sized baby tortoises mark an important contribution.

Since 2012, we have now successfully bred and raised sixteen Western Swamp Tortoises, with nine already making the journey back to Western Australia to be released into the wild as part of a conservation program.

The program, led by Parks and Wildlife WA and Perth Zoo, is part of a recovery plan that will ensure a genetically viable population of Western Swamp Tortoises are released back into the wild.

Western Swamp Tortoises are an amazing little animal and one of the oldest reptiles on the planet, with ancestries which date back nearly 20 million years.
 
A welcome and rare breeding!

Over the last 1-2 years the recovery effort and the number of hatchlings from the conservation assurance colonies has enabled the expansion of the range of these iconic and critically endangered turtles to beyond the 2 current reserves.

In itself this deserves a lifetime achievement award for ex situ conservation breeding for both the initiator Perth Zoo and the new participant zoo Zoos SA.
 
Sad news from Adelaide this morning:

ADELAIDE Zoo is mourning the loss of one of its oldest residents — and Australia’s last sloth — Miss C.

The Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth was euthanased on Friday, June 2, after her quality of life deteriorated due to age-related health issues.

She was the only sloth in Australia.

Adelaide Zoo Curator of Conservation and Native Fauna Dr Phil Ainsley said Miss C was found on Friday morning by her keepers looking visibly unwell.

“The average life expectancy of a sloth in the wild is about 10-12 years old, so Miss C truly was a phenomenal creature and believed to be the oldest of her kind in the world,” Dr Phil said.

“The treatment Miss C required was very invasive and would likely only delay the inevitable so the hard decision was made to humanely euthanise her.

“Although this is an extremely sad loss for us all, it was the right thing to do for Miss C.”

Born at Adelaide Zoo in 1974, Miss C was an important part of Adelaide’s Zoo’s history and was dearly loved by staff, volunteers and visitors.

“We were extremely lucky to have called Miss C a member of our Adelaide Zoo family for so long,” Phil said.

“Her long life is a true testament to the stellar care provided by our dedicated zoo staff over the years.

“Miss C will always hold a special place in the hearts of our zoo family and will be fondly remembered by all who travelled from near and far to visit our iconic friend.

“At this stage, there are no sloths left in the region, so while we would love to one day house this amazing species again, it may be some time before a sloth once again calls Adelaide Zoo, or Australia home.”

The Hoffmann’s Two-toed Sloth is a solitary, nocturnal and arboreal animal that inhabits parts of Central and South America including Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil and Bolivia.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/na...a/news-story/20eb0bbc999b1f2656b9f784a511e106
 
Miss C

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/messe...e/news-story/da88b017288f5b8bf284dba9dd74848c

ADELAIDE Zoo’s beloved sloth Miss C, who died recently at age 43, will be cremated and have her ashes buried at the zoo.

Zoo curator of conservation and native fauna, Dr Phil Ainsley, said the Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth would be cremated following a post-mortem to “confirm what was happening with her”.

“She will get buried on-site at the Adelaide Zoo and we will have an option where staff can say their farewells for her,” he said.

“We don't have a specific place yet and we are not sure when it will be done, but it will be in the near future.

“As far as I’m aware, the only other animal we have done a similar thing for was Karta the orang-utan.”

Miss C was euthanased on Friday, June 2, due to age-related health issues.

The average life expectancy of a sloth in the wild is about 10-12 years and Miss C was believed to be the oldest of her kind in the world.

Mr Ainsley said the burial would be an “appropriate send-off” for the “special” animal. “Normally we have a couple of options, one we would work with institutions such as the museum and ones around Australia and the second option would be using it for research ... but in Miss C’s case that won’t be happening, on the basis of who and what she is.

“We have had no contact from (institutions) at this point and our decision is to bury her on-site. This is something we thought would be a really appropriate end to celebrate her life.”

Mr Ainsley said the death had deeply affected many of the zookeepers.

“It’s a big loss definitely for our keepers who looked after her on a day-to-day basis ... it’s hard for people to work through but what we are trying to do is recognise the immense achievement that she got to 43 years of age,” he said.

“We’ve had emails and letters come in from member of the public telling us how connected they were to Miss C.”

Miss C’s enclosure at the Zoo’s nocturnal house sits empty for now, with a sign commemorating her long life.
 
Sad to hear Kemiri has passed away but what a fantastic life. She looked so youthful and healthy, well into old age. She really was a beautiful tigress.

Kemiri was the first cub of the second generation of Taronga Zoo’s Sumatran tiger dynasty. Here is the media announcement of her mother Selatan’s pregnancy in 1994:

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/121521478/

Kemiri was handraised by staff at the Taronga Zoo. Here is a an article about her handraising, which also has a photo of her as a cub:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/47650351@N02/4367471458/in/photostream/

On her birthday in November last year, it was reported Kemiri was the second oldest Sumatran tiger in the world and she was the oldest Sumatran tiger in Australasia at her death. She has now set the record for longevity in the Australasian region at 22 years and 7 months.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimp_amy/4177799687/

Btw, her name means 'candlenut' in Indonesian in case anyone is wondering. It is a type of tree in Sumatra.


Kemiri

Friday 18th November 1994 – Wednesday 28th June 2017

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A grand old dame has gone. R.I.P. Kemiri.


BTW: Kemiri tree - Aleurites moluccana
Use: The nuts are used in Indonesian cuisine. Raw they are poisonous, so they should always be properly heated to neutralise the poison. The nuts are then ground to pulp and made into a paste that is used in stews and gives it a singular taste.
 
Kemiri was so well-loved, and had a huge following. It's a huge loss. Although she's the oldest with a confirmed age, Tiger Boy (also Adelaide) was believed to have been 24, which has to be a testament to the level of care given- though unlike Kemiri, Tiger Boy really looked old. Their remaining two tigers are also geriatric. With the losses of beloved residents Kemiri, Karta, and Miss C, this has been a sad year indeed for the Adelaide Zoo family.
 
soona said:
Kemiri was so well-loved, and had a huge following. It's a huge loss. Although she's the oldest with a confirmed age, Tiger Boy (also Adelaide) was believed to have been 24, which has to be a testament to the level of care given- though unlike Kemiri, Tiger Boy really looked old. Their remaining two tigers are also geriatric. With the losses of beloved residents Kemiri, Karta, and Miss C, this has been a sad year indeed for the Adelaide Zoo family.
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Personally, I'd dispute Tiger Boy's estimated age (unless he was captured as a cub and it clearly obvious he was less than 1 year of age). Male tigers typically live shorter lives than their female counterparts. I heard last year that Kemiri was the second oldest Sumatran tiger in the world. I'd be interested to know who the oldest was at that point (November 2016) and if they are still alive. The world record was set by Kemiri's first cousin, Djelita (1991-2016), who died aged 25 years at the Honolulu Zoo. I really hoped Kemiri would reach that age but at almost 23, the Adelaide Zoo should be very proud of the long and comfortable life they gave her.
 
It's a pity, I can't find any information at all on Tiger Boy's past. Whatever his actual age, he was clearly a very old cat.
 
soona said:
It's a pity, I can't find any information at all on Tiger Boy's past. Whatever his actual age, he was clearly a very old cat.
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Tiger-Boy was born 29/4/1990 at Krefeld - he was 18 when he died in May 2008. His brother (Indah) surpassed him and lived until December of the same year
 
Thank you for finding that infromation @Nisha. Do you know if he was handraised or parent raised and what year he came to Adelaide? I know he was there the same time as Kemiri as Adelaide Zoo attempted to breed from them.

So as far as I can tell, Kemiri has set the record for longevity in the Australasian region at 23 years and 7 months.
 
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