For an example of the other domesticated camelid from South America being mixed with wild species in a display, Milwaukee County Zoo keeps alpaca with Baird’s tapir and greater rhea.
An Inquiry Into the Acceptability of Llamas
I see llama or alpaca frequently kept mixed with rhea in small private petting zoos.
Water buffalos - Ostrava zoo keeps them in a large mixed pen with blackbuck, nilgai, axis deer, barasingha, tajik markhor (unsure if any are still left now), hog deer and indian peafowl.
Reindeer is not as easy (cheap) to feed as other common hoofstock and that probably dissuades many potential institutions. Most zoos around here import dried lichen from Scandinavia to complement their diet. Olomouc zoo is trialing lichen-free protocol - I´m unsure about exact contents but I remmember they give lots of browse, freshly cut grass, special hey and high-protein pellets (similar to what is fed to racing horses).
Ostrava zoo - mixed Indian hoofstock pen with water buffalo.
From what I understand reindeer moss is quite abundant in the United Kingdom and I have seen it wild in Kent myself. I wonder if it could be harvested and fed?
Though I will say that with reindeer although not many zoos choose to hold them [presumably because of this reason] in the USA, they are nonetheless in some abundance on private holdings; with reindeer farms becoming popular as recreational amenities [think holiday displays]. And from what I understand in many of those states [I have heard there are even some such farms in Texas] lichen doesn't grow as it does further north. But still the deer eat and breed okay...
filovirus
Well-Known Member
I have not- just listed it as an example where there COULD be a stand-in sort of situation. It was the first that came to my mind wherein the "domestic version" is identical species-wise to the "wild version".
Wisp O' Mist
Well-Known Member
Domesticated horses look quite different from their wild ancestors. Przewalski's horses are a better "lookalike", plus they're an actual wild species with conservation value.
Same here in the states. Keeping water buffalo in mixed Asian paddocks is really common, also on drive through safaris.
Is it really “really common”? I only know Disney’s animal Kingdom who keeps them (albeit as an AZA member) otherwise I didn’t even knew they were commonly kept.
It's incredibly common, especially outside the AZA.
Wild Adventures theme Park, Atlanta Safari, Texas Zoofari, Wild Florida and Safari Wilderness come to mind.
Last edited:
Conor McGarry
Well-Known Member
I think having llamas or alpacas to represent guanacos or vicunas makes a lot of scene mainly because of they are much harder to find in captivity
Overloon has a separated paddock for dromedary camels in their Australian walkthrough habitat which they kangaroos and wallabies can fully access