lechweoryx
Well-Known Member
What species are kept in the deer and antelope park there and in what numbers?
Howletts Wild Animal Park Antelope and deer park
- Thread starter lechweoryx
- Start date
yer, they have at least 5 nilgai, and im sure lympne have more than 2
Nilgai- about five(females only?) were still present last year in the main Howletts paddock.
The Kudu and Bongo are in seperate enclosures. There also used to be Sambar in the main 'deerpark' enclosure but I think not any more.
lechweoryx
Well-Known Member
Where are the sambar kept at Port Lympe?
ZooLeopard
Well-Known Member
Howletts does seem to have decreased the number of antelope species it now keeps
Barasingha in UK
No, I believe they imported a small group (from East Berlin) straight to Port Lympne. They were the first Barasingha imported into this country for a long time- previously the only herds were the inbred ones at Woburn & Whipsnade. I don't know if any of this 'new blood' has infiltrated the latter herds but knowing the Howletts/ZSL relationship I doubt very much any have ever been transferred to Whipsnade.
The Woburn/Whipsnade ones are very inbred and the stags exhibit degenerative/poor antler development.
Marwell kept Barasingha for a while- stock from Whipsnade.
West Midland herd I think derives from Port Lympne who had a very large number but have now culled most of them.
No, I believe they imported a small group (from East Berlin) straight to Port Lympne. They were the first Barasingha imported into this country for a long time- previously the only herds were the inbred ones at Woburn & Whipsnade. I don't know if any of this 'new blood' has infiltrated the latter herds but knowing the Howletts/ZSL relationship I doubt very much any have ever been transferred to Whipsnade.
The Woburn/Whipsnade ones are very inbred and the stags exhibit degenerative/poor antler development.
Marwell kept Barasingha for a while- stock from Whipsnade.
West Midland herd I think derives from Port Lympne who had a very large number but have now culled most of them.
I think the Nilgai will disappear when these females die off. I think there may still be rather more than 2 Hog Deer though. These deer/antelope were part of John Aspinall's early animal collection. It is a very attractive enclosure but I don't think these commoner Asian species are particularly important to them now as they don't fit the 'endangered' brief..if any die out I can't seem them deliberately replacing with the same species.
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Very interesting Pertinax, you would think ZSL/Aspinall would put their differences aside for the good of the animals.
Didn't Chester also have barasingha at one time?
Yes, you would- but worrying about whether an inbred Swamp deer herd could benefit from an exchange of blood sadly doesn't seem high on anybody's list of priorities, which is a shame. I doubt whether anyone has ever even considered that option. So the two 'lines' seem(unless someone knows otherwise) to have stayed seperate.
Chester had a few Barasingha- I don't know where they came from or where they went to (Knowsley or West Mids?) There are also a couple of private herds too- at least one was sourced from Port Lympne stock.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Chester recieved 3 females from Whipsnade I believe I do know that they all died at Chester.
Pertinax,
Any idea which subspecies of bharasingha is in European zoos (or do we have multiples)? In the wild there is 3 ...., so interesting to know from a conservation point of view!
K.B.
Cervus duvauceli- The 'Hard ground' Barasingha.
Moving nervous deer in large numbers would be a very difficult process I think. All I know is that they did have a very large number at one stage, but don't appear to be listed with more than about 8 now. Unless anyone can confirm they do still have them?
Cervus duvauceli is the species name ... I mean subspecies (one is ranjithsinhi, a nominate race + a third). So, from which bloodlines do the European bharasingha stem?