The inbreeding to the extent of what happened should never have happened regardless of how little demand was some new bloodlines should have happened at some time
Australasian Hippo Population
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
I believe lack of importation back in the 70s could of been due to sheer complacency that everything was going well, there needs to be an improved way of better managing some of these species that appear to be dropped down between the cracks like the pygmy hippo was, they had opposite sex animals in different major zoos here for years until someone woke up to the fact or was the fact only noticed by someone after reading about it on the forum
Primarily I’d say the lack of importation was caused by rampant breeding. Zoos have always experienced a high mortality of hippos calves (with the leading cause of death being killed by exhibit mate); but both Taronga and Auckland had multiple cows breeding, which compensated and capacity at both zoos was quickly reached.
Given they’re a long lived species, zoos like Adelaide maintained a single bull (Newsboy) for decades without desiring more, so there was little demand.
Unfortunately, we reached capacity long before the advent of managed breeding programmes. Any genetic diversity is owed more to coincidence. Auckland imported a wild caught bull in 1956, which was only because Taronga’s latest calves were all female and they couldn’t have supplied a bull.
I thought i'd create a list of the current founders of the individuals in our region for those interested:
*Founders and current living descendants are in bold
Males:
Dizzie (1898) - Nada (1937) - Snorkel (1959) - Solucky (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Billy (1950) - Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Nile (1999)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Mana (1996) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Primrose (1990) - Tulip (2003), Lotus (2008)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
- Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1980) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
Kabete (1953) - Snorkel (1959) - Solucky (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
- Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1987) - Cudddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Females:
Fatima (1928) - Nada (1937) - Snorkel (1959) - Solucky (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Hilda/Henrietta (unk) - Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Nile (1999)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Mana (1996) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Primrose (1990) - Tulip (2003), Lotus (2008)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
- Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Mumsy (1954?) - Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1980) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In total there are only three male founders and three / four female founders that have descendants within the region. Quite shocking to see how inbred the region is!
All the hippos in the region, besides Cuddles, descend from Billy. Hilda and/or Henrietta have their line/s carried by their daughters Lindy, and Bonnie. All the regions living hippos descend from them.
Meanwhile, Dizzie, Kabete and Fatima, are survived via Cuddles and her three children.
Mumsy is survived through her son, Albert, who has a granddaughter and great grand daughter at Werribee.
*Founders and current living descendants are in bold
Males:
Dizzie (1898) - Nada (1937) - Snorkel (1959) - Solucky (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Billy (1950) - Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Nile (1999)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Mana (1996) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Primrose (1990) - Tulip (2003), Lotus (2008)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
- Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1980) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
Kabete (1953) - Snorkel (1959) - Solucky (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
- Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1987) - Cudddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Females:
Fatima (1928) - Nada (1937) - Snorkel (1959) - Solucky (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Hilda/Henrietta (unk) - Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Nile (1999)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Mana (1996) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Primrose (1990) - Tulip (2003), Lotus (2008)
- Lindy (1954) - Suzie (1970) - Harry (1978) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
- Bonnie (1957) - Faith (1975) - Fonzee (1987) - Cuddles (2002) - Kibibi (2014), Kendi (2017), Kani (2020)
Mumsy (1954?) - Albert (1965) - Beatrice (1980) - Brindabella (1990) - Pansy (2013)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In total there are only three male founders and three / four female founders that have descendants within the region. Quite shocking to see how inbred the region is!
All the hippos in the region, besides Cuddles, descend from Billy. Hilda and/or Henrietta have their line/s carried by their daughters Lindy, and Bonnie. All the regions living hippos descend from them.
Meanwhile, Dizzie, Kabete and Fatima, are survived via Cuddles and her three children.
Mumsy is survived through her son, Albert, who has a granddaughter and great grand daughter at Werribee.
One could say they are overdue for some fresh bloodlines then
It’s unfortunate when you consider the female founder base at Taronga Zoo was relatively high. They had three cows (Hilda, Henrietta and Mumsy) and at least two of these are confirmed to have bred. Unfortunately this was all with the same founder bull (Billy), who is consequently the ancestor of all hippos in the region.
It would have been better if Auckland Zoo had received Mumsy instead of Bonnie for breeding (assuming Hilda and Henrietta had passed away); though such things were given no consideration in those days and Bonnie would have been exported because of the dynamics of the Taronga herd first and foremost.
It's also very interesting that none of Melbourne's hippos have descendants today. They had at least two breeding pairs (William and Rosamund), and then Dimazulu from Auckland and another female who were paired together in the 50's.
The original pair, William and Rosamund apparently bred but never produced successful calves. Melbourne had no hippos as of 1931 and were looking to purchase one of Auckland's young males.
The last hippo calf at Melbourne that i'm aware of was Millie (1969), who was hand raised. This leads me to believe she was born to a first time mother, likely a calf of the previous pair (Dimazulu and unknown), and since there were no new imports at this time, we can assume Dimazulu sired this calf.
Maybe there's also a chance Primrose's mother was Melbourne born, although I don't believe Melbourne had hippos at the time of 1984. She would have to have been born in the mid 50's which perfectly ties in around the time Dimazulu arrived to Melbourne, so possibly Melbourne could've received one of Hilda/Henrietta who were imported in the early 50's to breed with Dimazulu?
I too have been following the theory that Primrose’s mother was Melbourne bred as I found a note in an article stating that Esmeralda from Melbourne Zoo was a founder of the current population (as soon as I find this article again, I will post it). I’ve since disapproved that Esmeralda was a founder (see below), but there’s some exciting implications nonetheless if she has descendants.
Melbourne Zoo History
1913: Melbourne Zoo imported a breeding pair of Common hippopotamus named William and Rosamund.
1921: William and Rosamund produced a daughter named Bella. She was sent to Auckland Zoo in 1923, where she produced several calves.
1933: William and Rosamund produced a son named Billy. Billy is loaned to a circus in 1938.
1934: William and Rosamund produced a daughter named Sally. It’s noted her birth follows several male calves.
1934: William dies after swallowing a tennis ball.
1937: The plan to loan Newsboy from Adelaide to breed with William and Rosamund is discussed.
1940: Billy returns from the circus, but fights with Rosamund and Sally. He disappears from records after this point, so either died or returned to the circus.
1945: Rosamund dies after swallowing a tennis bull.
1946: Dimazulu is imported from Auckland Zoo and renamed Rangi.
1954: Sally (renamed Esmeralda) gives birth to a calf that dies three days later.
1955: Esmeralda gives birth to a female calf in November named Genevieve. She’s noted to be the zoo’s first surviving calf since Esmeralda was born there in 1934.
1961: Esmeralda gives birth to a female calf in February named Henrietta.
1961: Esmeralda dies in October after swallowing a tennis ball (at least the third hippopotamus at the zoo to do so).
Additional Founders
Assuming the source claiming that members of the current population descend from Esmeralda are accurate, the significance of this information means we can add three new wild born founders to the population:
1.0 William (imported 1913)
0.1 Rosamund (imported 1913)
1.0 Chaka (imported 1926)
To summarise, William and Rosamund produced several calves including daughters, Bella (1921) and Sally/Esmeralda (1934).
Chaka and Bella produced several calves including a son named Dimazulu/Rangi, who sired several calves to Esmeralda including daughters Genevieve (1955) and Henrietta (1961).
Following Henrietta’s death, it seems likely that Dimazulu/Rangi sired offspring to one or more of his daughters to produce the 1969 calf and possibly others. The eldest female in this scenario (Genevieve) would have been 35 years old upon the birth of Primrose in 1990, making for multiple candidates here.
Updated Founder List
1.0 Dizzy
0.1 Fatima
1.0 William (TBC as above)
0.1 Rosamund (TBC as above)
1.0 Chaka (TBC as above)
1.0 Billy
0.1 Hilda and/or 0.1 Henrietta
0.1 Elizabeth/Mumsy
1.0 Kabete
That's a nice comprehensive list!
Adelaide also had a young male that died there in 1931. He was born at Melbourne before Bella, so he would've been born around 1918. Their first offspring was born in 1916 but didn't survive long.
Apparently in 1940 Billy returned to Melbourne. His mother (Rosamund) and sister (Sally/Esmeralda) were the only hippos there at the time. He must've died afterwards as the circus sent him back to Melbourne due to handling issues.
Dimazulu arrived in 1950 not 1946? Or, at least he was introduced to Esmerelda in 1950. They were the zoos only hippos, so Billy must've died sometime during the 1940's.
It seems Esmerelda gave birth to a calf between Genevieve and Henrietta, a six year age gap is unusual.
As of 1966, Melbourne opened a new hippo enclosure with Rangi, Genevieve and Henrietta.
Also, with Melbourne having a calf named 'Henrietta' we can assume the Taronga 'Henrietta' was deceased at the time.
I think we can assume Rangi was obviously the sire of 'Millie' (1969). I'm thinking Henrietta may have been her mother, only due to the fact she was kept by herself and sort of hand raised following her mother's death when she was only eight months old.
Genevieve (1955) is also perfect age to be Primrose's mother, so I think we may have found her. We've ruled out pretty much everyone else, so it has to be her. Henrietta is a little too young, studbook number wise, but I guess we can't rule her out too. This means an additional three founders are added to the population via Primrose and her daughters.
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I’m actually a little confused on the male hippo Melbourne received from Auckland Zoo as I’ve found an article stating a bull named Rangi arrived 20/03/1946. He’d been renamed and I’d assumed this was Dimazulu as you previously mentioned him arriving from Auckland Zoo - thought my records state Dimazulu died at Auckland Zoo in 1946. Since the article from Melbourne advised he was the son of Bella, I assumed my version to be incorrect.
To add to the confusion, Nada gave birth to a second calf in December 1946. Had Dimazulu been exported in March that year, he couldn’t have been the sire. The only other male at Auckland Zoo was En Zed (Nada’s 2.5 year old son). It makes more sense that he would have been sent in 1946, though that contradicts the article stating the bull was the grandson of Rosamund and William (En Zed was the great grandson). I also have down En Zed died at Auckland Zoo 09/11/1951 (via tennis ball I believe).
Ultimately, it’s irrelevant I suppose as either a son or grandson of Chaka and Bella means the additional three founders listed above can be included in the founder base.
I read an article claiming Rangi was first introduced to Esmerelda, but this was in 1950. It's quite possible they may have kept them apart initially. Your right though, I just found an article talking about 'Rangi' arriving to Melbourne from Auckland in March 1946. He was named after a Maori chief. The article mentions him as being the zoos 'youngest hippo' so maybe this is a son of Dimazulu and Nada born prior to En Zed (who was born in 1944). It's very possible as Nada arrived five years before that, aged two.
Also, Dimazulu produced a calf with Nada which was born in 1947. This wouldn't have been possible if Dimazulu was sent to Melbourne the previous year.
I had read a post of yours which stated Dimazulu was sent to Melbourne, but then an updated version mentions him dying there in 1946. It seems maybe he was never sent to Melbourne and did indeed die at Auckland.
I just looked back on my records and this is what I have:
Chaka died at Auckland Zoo in October 1937 after swallowing a rubber ball.
Dimazulu died at Auckland Zoo in June 1946 after swallowing a rubber ball.
A male calf (sired by Dimazulu) was born at Auckland Zoo in December 1946 and named Cetawayo. I believe the confusion of a 1947 calf came from a news article announcing the birth that occurred December in January the following year. He appears to have died young.
En Zed died at Auckland Zoo in November 1951 after a deterioration in condition (not a rubber ball this time!) By this time, the only other bull was his son Khama - born 1950 to Nada.
Ultimately, this adds to the confusion of what Melbourne actually received from Auckland Zoo in 1946, as all their bulls appear to be accounted for.
Swanson02
Well-Known Member
Gee forget about inbreeding and no imports, rubber balls were what doomed our hippo population
Gee forget about inbreeding and no imports, rubber balls were what doomed our hippo population
Yes, three died at Auckland Zoo - Chaka in 1937, Dimazulu in 1946 and Kiboko in 1970. In researching them, I also came across numerous reports of near misses - in one case, a ball was fished out of a hippopotamus’ mouth by a keeper who witnessed the incident.
It was equally problematic for the Australian zoos. Melbourne Zoo lost at least three from the records I’ve found and so did other zoos. Taronga had the right idea. They covered their exhibits in a netting that prevented further incidents. It would have been money well spent given the value of these animals.
That's very interesting. More than one article did state Melbourne received a supposedly young hippo from Auckland. It's almost certain. A name wasn't mentioned though and he was apparently renamed 'Rangi' for his New Zealand origin. Could he possibly be a bull that was born prior to En Zed?
Swanson02
Well-Known Member
Wait so they weren't the hippo's toy rubber balls? Rather they were balls chucked into the exhibit by the general public?
Yes, it was a malicious act. An article from Melbourne Zoo blamed it on teenage boys, who were apparently doing it for a laugh. The incidents were well publicised, which would have given others the idea to do it. The balls were tennis ball size - just the right size to block the oesophagus without being able to pass down.
Records are quite clear that Dimazulu (born 1937) was Chaka and Bella’s last offspring and indeed Chaka died that year. They only had two surviving offspring prior - Pondo (1929), who was exported to Perth Zoo in 1934; and Zulu (1932), who was exported to Adelaide Zoo in 1933 (arrived 1934) and renamed Newsboy.
Following Nada’s import in 1939, the birth of En Zed in April 1944 was widely celebrated as the first second generation hippopotamus.
I do have a couple of theories:
1. The Melbourne article stated the bull from Auckland was a son of Bella. Bella was still at Auckland Zoo until her death in 1954. Perhaps she conceived a son with Dimazulu and this bull was exported to Melbourne? The curator made a comment around this time of how En Zed should be found an unrelated female as “no hippo should mate with it’s grandmother.” This came across more anthropomorphic than anything, but perhaps they were embarrassed to admit incest had occurred and chose not to inform the papers (the only way records seem to be found from this era). This is supported by the reasoning that the zoo had two hippopotamus exhibits and Dimazulu was probably separated off with Bella; while Nada was isolated with her newborn in 1944.
2. Nada gave birth to En Zed in April 1944 and Cetawayo in December 1946. The shortest inter-birth interval following a surviving calf appears to be 11 months within the region, so Nada potentially could have given birth to a second calf any time from March 1945 to January 1946. Possibly September 1945 as WWII ended and the paper had bigger things to report than a hippopotamus birth? This reasoning could also explain why a birth from Dimazulu and Bella was never reported.
A quick search and I found some more info on Chaka:
He was born in 1920 at a Zoo in Germany. He spent some time at London before arriving to Auckland in 1925 as a mate for four year old Bella.
Chaka and Bella's offspring:
Unamed (1926)
Pondo (1928)
Newsboy (1929)
Unamed (1932)
Unamed (1935)
Dimazulu (1937)
He was born in 1920 at a Zoo in Germany. He spent some time at London before arriving to Auckland in 1925 as a mate for four year old Bella.
Chaka and Bella's offspring:
Unamed (1926)
Pondo (1928)
Newsboy (1929)
Unamed (1932)
Unamed (1935)
Dimazulu (1937)
I found an article from 1947 detailing whether Auckland should allow 'a hippo to marry its grandmother'. Considering Belle was still alive at this time, i'm wondering whether this male calf was an offspring of Nada and Dimazulu. Possibly born in 1945? This may very well be Rangi who was sent to Melbourne in 1950.
These were the fates of their six offspring:
1.0 Unnamed (September 1926) Died 1926
1.0 Pondo (January 1929) Exported 1934
1.0 Unnamed (November 1930) Died 1930
1.0 Zulu (January 1932) Exported 1933
1.0 Unknown (November 1935) Died 1935
10 Dimazulu (February 1937) Died 1946
As I mentioned in Post #318, this hippopotamus was En Zed (born April 1944). He was the first offspring of Dimazulu and Nada.
The death of Dimazulu in 1946 left the zoo without a breeding pair, so they considered bringing in a new female to pair with his adolescent son. These plans were abandoned (likely because they realised having three unrelated cows would be carnage) and En Zed sired a calf with his mother, Nada, in 1950 (Khama); before dying (surprisingly not via rubber ball) in 1951.
Rather than breed Khama back to his mother (who was also his grandmother), he was exported to Calcutta Zoo in 1952 and Kabete was imported in 1956.