Antelope in zoos.

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sitatunga

Active Member
Antelope are my favorite animals so I wondering just what people's thoughts were on these animals being exhibited.

p.s disscussions can be about anything related to this subject from what zoos do for them to what vistors think of these animals

p.p.s Does anyone have any info yet on the antelope who are going to be displayed at Columbus Zoo's African exhibit coming in a couple years. Just wondering? Thank you
 
Welcome to ZooChat, Sitatunga! Here is a list of all species I have heard might be on exhibit, just remember we haven't even started anything on the exhibit just throwing ideas around so nothing is final (Except for Hippo, Elephant, Rhino, Lion and Giraffe). We probably wont start construction until 2010.

Antelope:
Giant Eland
Lechwe
Sitatunga
Waterbuck
Gerenuk
Lesser Kudu
Springbok
Wildebeest (White Tailed)

Other Animals:
African Elephant
Black Rhino
Giraffe
Zebra (Probably Grant's)
Hippo
Cheetah
Lion
Hunting Dog
Nile Crocodile
Various Birds
 
Thanks ColumbusZoo001 for the information. It's great to known that Columbus zoo might bring white tailed gnu back to the U.S.
 
sitatunga said:
Thanks ColumbusZoo001 for the information. It's great to known that Columbus zoo might bring white tailed gnu back to the U.S.
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So what happened to the White tailed Gnu in the US, I know that the SD WAP used the have a herd some years ago
 
There are plenty of White-tailed (Black) Wildebeest to go around in the US. Almost all of them are held in private hands.
 
My local zoo Marwell apparentley has the largest collection of antelope in the UK, with:

Sable Antelope
Bongo
Dama Gazelle
Dorcas Gazelle
Gemsbok
Scimitar-Horned Oryx
Addax
Roan Antelope
Arabian Oryx
Ellipsen Waterbuck
Nyala
Speke's Sitatunga
Greater Kudu

In the past White-Tailed Gnu, Impala, Blue Duiker, Common Eland, Blackbuck & Nilgai have been kept at the zoo, and more species are to follow in the masterplan.
 
Maybe both species of wildebeest dissapperead ( there are just a few zoos with white bearded in us zoos)from us collections from the reasons they are gone in german zoos. Black wildebest are gone since 2002, the last were kept behind the scenes at the Berlin Zoo, white bearded wildebeest are not be kept in germany and blue wildebeest are just in three zoos,a fouth zoos with them will be Leipzig in spring, two commerical safariparks and a little private owned circus zoo, but his"thing" has just one male. Gnus are to boring for the vistors and they are not endangerd, two very good reasons to the german zoos, not keeping wildebeest. Some zoos are not keeping them, espeically the black wildebeest, because the males can be very agggressive. Okay, this might be, but I know many,many other antelopes with aggressive males, and what about stallions of some zebras, asian wild asses,somali wild asses, camels, or bulls of wild cattle, male der and especially or so much beloved elephants ? All this animals can be very,very dangerous and agggressive,too, but all zoos are keeping them ? So Gnus dissappeared from geramny, becuase tehy are too common and to boring, its more important to keep cute and from the visitors beloved animals, so merkats,ring tailed lemurs, elephants, coatis....

So all these reasons are valid also for all other antelopes here in my beloved germany,ha,Ha,Ha.I guess, in 10 years,just 10 or 15 antelopes species are left in german collections. Hannover zoo has had once the largest collections of antelopes in the wolrd, almost 50 spiecies and subspecies were kept at the same time. What left are just a few, because the zoos is gone since 15 years and was replaced to a disgusting Funpark with a few animals in the background. The former specialty of the zoo, the antelopes, were the first victims of the new funpark conception. As I've visted the San Diego WAP for the first time in 2002, I've seen there more than 50 antelope forms, more than in all german zoos together, at this time, we had 35 antelope species in germany. Now we have 32 forms, and some of them will be gone in a couple of years, so the last saiga at Cologne Zoo or the klippspringers. In both cases, there are no chances to get new animals from the wild. Some zoos are intersted in gerenuks,but get them from where ? The USA ? No chance. And no good idea, its too hard to keep this species sucessful in capitivity, so its better to keep them only in the states and arabia and not anymore in europe with long and cold winters.
 
I think the reason most antelope species are disappearing from US zoos is the fact that zoos aren't really concentrating on Savannah exhibits right now, the few that are will probably use species that are left in the US population (Gerenuk, Lesser Kudu, Dama Gazelle, Thompson's Gazelle).
Zoos are really concentrating on Polar Bears and Elephants. (Maybe Savannah will be the next craze). And like Okapikpr said many species may not be in zoos, but private breeders right now have very successful and diverse ungulate collections. If a zoo really wanted a species (ex: White Tailed Gnu) they would only have to go to a private breeder and work out a deal.
 
The largest collection of antelopes in Europe is kept in Dvur Kralove in Czech Republic, there are about 25 species and subspecies, in the past ( 70-80 years ) they have kept and bred 6 species of hartbeests, including hirolas,but almost only several years, in the past, the knowledges about animals health and diet have not been in such standard as in this time,unfortunately it had not happened establish any stable polulations of same rare antelopes species in Europe, they imported a group of gerenuks in 1972 and in 1973 only one animal has been living...
 
Thanks for all the wonderful respondes to my first thread! My views onantelope are that despite the fact that they look "boring" they can be very interesting animals. Here some exmaples:

Sitatunga-the most aquatic antelope
Springbok and royal antelope- jumping 10 ft. into the air
(Let us see a cow do that!!)
Gerenuk- with it's long neck and ability to stand on it"s toes to reach the food it eats
saiga- the sac nose helps it survive in the dry cold steppes
Finally the wildebeest performing one of the greatest migrations ever!!!

Its all about the ability of the people to be educated.
 
At a recent meeting with a zoo, a curator stated that wildebeast are poor exhibit animals: they a re a dumb herd that are easily startled and can stampede damaging the exhibits and (I suppose but it wasn't said) themselves.

While some zoos think about collecting, most consider whether an animal is a "good" exhibit animal or not.
 
sitatunga said:
Thanks for all the wonderful respondes to my first thread! My views onantelope are that despite the fact that they look "boring" they can be very interesting animals.

Its all about the ability of the people to be educated.
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I agree Antelope are a wonderful and diverse group. They are for the most part a most attractive Zoo exhibit too- but because of the similarity(at least to general visitors) of many species, comparatively few are kept at any one location nowadays. The wonderful collections in zoos such as Hanover are largely a thing of the past and may never be repeated.

In the UK Marwell has the largest collection of African Antelope(see list above)while a number of other collections, including some of the Safari Parks, have Scimitar-horned Oryx, Addax, Bongo, Kudu, Sitatunga, Blackbuck, Nilgai etc. Wildebeest are a comparative rarity nowadays- at just two or three locations. Nowhere in Uk has White-tailed Gnu anymore. Common Eland are held by several Safari Parks.
 
The problem with common eland at Chester Zoo was the damage done to the ground by such heavy animals in a comparitively small space. Wildebeeste left because they are a common species in the wild. The Sable Antelope left to join breeding groups in other collections.

The recent arrival of dik-dik may be the start of more antelope species at Chester. I hope so. They only have 6 at the moment I think.

Antelope are one of my favourite animal groups, but to the average zoo visitor they are just another deer.
 
@sitatunga. What you write might be correct, but nobody of the normal zoo vistors cars about this facts. Whats the reson for a family to visit a zoo ? Eduacation ? Certainly not, they want to have fun, they want to relax and they want to see dangerours, cute, famous or well knwon animals, as like as lions, elephants,giraffes,bears,apes and monkeys,seals,merkats, if they cans ee all this animals, the people are happy ! Nobody of them wants to see antelopes, or have you ever heared people in the zoo asking things like"Hey,where are the Duikers ?","Mom,I want now to the sable antelopes","Mom,Gnus,Look there,Gnus !" I don't think so.....Unfortunately, most zoos give the people what they want to see, and others pecies have no chance, antelopes are the biggest loosers of this zoo political game....

@bongorob.Wildebeest left because they are common species in the wild".Okay, so if this is a reason to give a species away, chester would be an empty zoo. I know so many animals, which are common in the wild,common zebras,african elephants,giraffes,lions, baboons,squrirl monkeys, ostriches,penguins,californian sealions, merkats and,and,and.....
 
@Zebraduiker, you did describe the situation absolutly correct, I have asked curator of mammals in Dvur, if they would like to get some new antelopes species and he has said to me, that they have other plans , so no expectation to get some new species, even though due to the strict veterinary recipes from EU, which ban to export antelopes from Africa.

Once i have admired sand gazelles in this zoo and have heard, how father was saying to his child: Do not look at this goats, let us go to the gorillas:mad:
Normal zoo-visitors would like to see their favourite animals,they are not interested in antelopes, asian deers,duikers, aardwolwes etc.
I would die to see hirolas once again..
 
Some antelope species increased: addax, scimitar-horned oryx, dama gazelles, lechwe, nile lechwe, bongo. So zoos focus more on rare/endangered species.

It is true, that as zoos try to give animals more space, the logical thing is to turn hoofstock paddocks for elephants, bears, cats, apes etc.

BTW - I wondered if antelope could be made more popular by making walk-thru exhibits? For e.g. gazelles and other smaller species?
 
Hoofstock in general are slowly disappearing from US zoos, as they continue to house less species in larger enclosures. Gone are the days when one could see large complexes of paddocks for hoofstock...this is part of the trend from taxonomic exhibitry to zoogeography. Many zoos that want to maintain elephants and expand exhibits are looking hungrily at their hoofstock yards to build their new elephant exhibits. Large African Savanna expanses have long been popular in zoos for almost 30 years now. I believe that the Africa Savanna is the single most popular zoogeographic theme used in zoos today. But unlike Europe, the US is home to hundreds of private owners that manage exotic hoofstock...so I doubt the possibilty for good diverse antelope collections will go away completely.
 
Cool idea! Unfortunalty though I don't think it will work either. It is like bongrob said if people do not the difference bettween antlers and horns than how can we believe that people will watch even for a minute.

It just angers me being an antelope lover to here deer over and over again.
 
Zebraduiker said:
Nobody of them wants to see antelopes, or have you ever heared people in the zoo asking things like"Hey,where are the Duikers ?","Mom,I want now to the sable antelopes","Mom,Gnus,Look there,Gnus !" I don't think so.....Unfortunately, most zoos give the people what they want to see, and others pecies have no chance, antelopes are the biggest loosers of this zoo political game....

@bongorob.Wildebeest left because they are common species in the wild".Okay, so if this is a reason to give a species away, chester would be an empty zoo. .
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Ha Ha. Children pestering to see the Antelope? That is very funny :D

I think in the case of Chester's Wildebeest, two factors together; being an Antelope AND a Common species may have been behind that decision. Wilbebeest and Eland are two species not to be seen in any of our mainstream Zoos nowadays, but Eland are a 'filler' species in several Safari Parks which can afford the space for them. I saw the first Eland I have seen for a very long time at West Midlands Safari Park last year. They also have Wildebeest + Blackbuck & Nilgai, two other comparatively uncommon species nowadays. The only other Wildebeest I know of in the UYk are at Knowsley and Port Lympne (who deliberately imported some from Austria for their 'African' venture)
 
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