Africam Safari Africam Safari News

A recent visit to Africam Safari showed some nice developments in the walkthrough area of this AZA accredited mexican zoo. A very nice jaguar exhibit clalled aventura amazonica was opened between the butterfly houses and the large bat cave. Anacondas will come later and the zoos brocket deer will also be moved to this area. There is a nice new free flight aviary next to the kangaroos, currently only with budgies, diamond doves and zebra finches but more interesting avian species will arrive later. The design is very natural. Africam is showing some interesting endangered mexican frog species, instead of the poison arrow frogs that are in many other collections. Of note, is the large crested toad, i species that was only rediscovered in 2009 in the mountain town of Cuetzalan, Puebla, only about an hour and a half from Puebla city. Africam staff has a breeding program for this critically endangered species thought to have been extinct since 1990 until its rediscovery.
The red panda is gone. In its exhibit was a reticulated python. At Chapultepec zoo the red panda was replaced by raccoon dogs from Nagoya, Japan. It is likely that there are now no red pandas in Mexican zoos. What a contrast to the U.S. or U.K: where red pandas seem to be everywhere.
 
Yes the parents are elephants imported from Namibia.
Viz the old African elephant import thread from 2012: Orphaned elephants travel from Namibia to Mexico - Story - Environment/Sci - 3 News

What I am especially glad about is that this is natural reproduction. As 5 years have passed prior to the first birth. This really disproves all the anti-zoos that orphaned or relocated to captivity elephants cannot breed there (along with all the more outrageous and unscientific claims they may make).

I do hope Africam Safari may now attempt an import of white rhinos too to quick-start a breeding program for them (they presently have 2.0 I believe, with no hope of getting females from US based AZA zoos (.....???).
 
Africam Safari does not put much info about the elephants on the internet,may be because they do not went to deal with the anti zoo groups. If i visit during my summer vacation i will ask about the 10 elephants there.
 
Amy Camacho, general director of Africam Safari Puebla died today from a stroke at Hospital Ángeles, Puebla. Her family owns this notable mexican zoo. Amy was 57 years old.
 
Great news. Baird s tapir is very endangered in Mexico and only had been bred in this country at Zoomat, Chiapas, which is part of this species native range. Let us hope for more baby tapirs .
 
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Great news. Baird s tapir is very endangered in Mexico and only had been bred in this country at Zoomat, Chiapas, which is part of this species native range. Let us hope for more baby tapirs .
Yes, news to be applauded. Any idea how large the Baird's tapir population in Mexican zoos is at the moment?
 
Zoomat Chiapas has the largest breeding group of Baird s tapir now. They have about seven or eight.
Aluxes zoo in Palenque Chiapas has a breeding pair with 2 offspring.
Africam Safari Puebla has a breeding pair with 1 offspring.
Chapultepec zoo has 1 male.
Merida zoo, Yucatán has 1 male.
Leon zoo has 1 male named Scooter who appeared in the movie Apocalyptico.
Xcaret Park has a pair of tapirs which do not get along and are displayed at separate times.
 
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Zoomat Chiapas has the largest breeding group of Baird s tapir now. They have about seven or eight.
Aluxes zoo in Palenque Chiapas has a breeding pair with 2 offspring.
Africam Safari Puebla has a breeding pair with 1 offspring.
Chapultepec zoo has 1 male.
Merida zoo, Yucatán has 1 male.
Leon zoo has 1 male named Scooter who appeared in the movie Apocalyptico.
Xcaret Park has a pair of tapirs which do not get along and are displayed at separate times.

I think its quite a shame that the Chapultepec tapir has never been paired with a female for breeding.
 
You are correct KB, female tapirs are indeed scarce. The other problem is that many of the tapirs in Mexican zoos come from one source, Zoomat in Chiapas. I do not the Origen of the tapirs at Africam Safari. Since this park is accredited by the AZA , I hope at least 1 of the tapirs came from a US zoo.
 
You are correct KB, female tapirs are indeed scarce. The other problem is that many of the tapirs in Mexican zoos come from one source, Zoomat in Chiapas. I do not the Origen of the tapirs at Africam Safari. Since this park is accredited by the AZA , I hope at least 1 of the tapirs came from a US zoo.
Sounds like need for animal exchange, but I believe that is actually also part and parcel of the AZA program. I know they do not include all Mexican zoos which is a shame ...
 
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