Werribee Open Range Zoo Baby hippo at werribee
- Thread starter PAT
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Thank goodness some zoological institutions still exhibit and breed them in a natural group setting. It is undeservedly so an undervalued species these days in zoos globally. I wish more larger - even urban - zoos would go into the concept of providing hippo acco for groups of females with multiple males (2 or 3 bassins and islands ... perhaps with crocs in them too)!!!
And, and, and ... we are talking a species that is now also under threat of the axe in Africa. Currently, Hippopotamus amphibius is listed as Vulnerable ... (that is rather serious don't you think)! A long way off from the safe situation they were termed at just half a decade ago.
The herd at Werribee continues to grow, and from photos the hippo exhibit appears to be very natural and blends seamlessly into the background. Combined with the expansion plans, things are definitely looking up for Victoria's zoos. Increasing the number of animals to 1,000 will also help Melbourne Zoo and its potential plans to shift some of its collection out to Werribee.
Sounds Werribee with all its open spaces and a new determined SA director is on the up. (PAT), is it not possible to exchange the uncooperative female for an unrelated female? Are the prospects for a transfer out of her any time realistic (the species is part of an ASMP as Australia is dealing with small populations)?
Similarly, I guess the daughter will move on to WPZ or another Australian collection. Are WPZ animals or others in any way related to the Werribee hippos or can they freely exchange unrelated individuals?
hippos at werribee and beyond..
the situation with hippos isn't great but could be far worse. currently five zoos in the region have hippo.
auckland zoo
adelaide zoo
cairns wildlife safari reserve
werribee open-range zoo
western plains zoo
auckland are sitting on a breedable unrelated female but she can't be imported into australia.
adelaides pair are post-reproductive.
werribee and western plains have been running a program essentially by themselves so some of their animals are related.
and cairns has an trio unrelated to any other hippo in the region (but are related to eachother) but are not yet ARAZPA members. in addition rumours had them leasing some of their hippo to seaworld.
last time i checked, only one werribee/WPZ pairing was being suggested by the TAG but it appeared both zoos were being somewhat slack regarding shifting animals.
does anyone know why brindabella is considered unbreedable? she has had offspring in the past i'm sure, in fact, i thought it was primrose who was teh nasty one, killing brindabellas offspring?
the situation with hippos isn't great but could be far worse. currently five zoos in the region have hippo.
auckland zoo
adelaide zoo
cairns wildlife safari reserve
werribee open-range zoo
western plains zoo
auckland are sitting on a breedable unrelated female but she can't be imported into australia.
adelaides pair are post-reproductive.
werribee and western plains have been running a program essentially by themselves so some of their animals are related.
and cairns has an trio unrelated to any other hippo in the region (but are related to eachother) but are not yet ARAZPA members. in addition rumours had them leasing some of their hippo to seaworld.
last time i checked, only one werribee/WPZ pairing was being suggested by the TAG but it appeared both zoos were being somewhat slack regarding shifting animals.
does anyone know why brindabella is considered unbreedable? she has had offspring in the past i'm sure, in fact, i thought it was primrose who was teh nasty one, killing brindabellas offspring?
oh, and heres the an article and pic. (don't ya hate it when people don't post a link? 
)
Hip, hip hooray, a new calf | Herald Sun
)Hip, hip hooray, a new calf | Herald Sun
i wonder if adelaides male is also castrated? (he may be, i seem to remember another reason why this old hippo isn't considered for breeding).
its a shame that hippo can't/won't be utilised for breeding. ii hate to see "dead-end" linages.
ideally, since she can't come to australia, we would sent auckland a "spare" male. but with so few hippo even here, i doubt that will happen anytime soon...
its a shame that hippo can't/won't be utilised for breeding. ii hate to see "dead-end" linages.
ideally, since she can't come to australia, we would sent auckland a "spare" male. but with so few hippo even here, i doubt that will happen anytime soon...
What exactly is the rationale behind the impossibility to export the unrelated female to Australia?
Which also brings me to why Cairns as an ARAZPA member zoo is contemplating sending hippos elsewhere, whereas they are desperately needed to even maintain a hippo presence in Australian zoos? Why can not Cairns be persuaded to trade some individuals, perhaps even several?
that hippos are artiodactyls. and that the import of such is banned into australia. come' on jelle, surely you know that by now, we have been mentioning it for years...
cairns is not currently an ARAZPA member zoo.
well if they do go to seaworld (that australia's seaworld) which is an ARAZPA member, hopefully that will open up a doorway to distribute genetics between the two lineages. however, we're told the new owner of CWSR does want to join the regional association and so i have little doubt that when that happens, they will follow recommendations that will see vital pygmy and common hippo transfers between the zoos.
Ara, there are numerous documented cases of exotic animal diseases being transmitted or going unnoticed for years....
in another thread you said you are a realist. how realistic is it, then, to potentially jeapordise a valuable agricultural industry just to import some new zoo animals?
you say our biosecurity/quarantine laws are too tight? i say they arent tight enough. the recent horse flu is a good example of our strategy's shortcomings. the import of birds into australia in the 1990s saw two new disease strains enter the country and remain undetected.
my point is that im prepared to forgoe the risk of disease and put up with fewer zoo animals then the alternative. small as the risk is, particularly with hundreds of thousands of people entering the country every year, and acting as possible disease vectors, i dont think its a gambl worth taking. not yet anyway.
in another thread you said you are a realist. how realistic is it, then, to potentially jeapordise a valuable agricultural industry just to import some new zoo animals?
you say our biosecurity/quarantine laws are too tight? i say they arent tight enough. the recent horse flu is a good example of our strategy's shortcomings. the import of birds into australia in the 1990s saw two new disease strains enter the country and remain undetected.
my point is that im prepared to forgoe the risk of disease and put up with fewer zoo animals then the alternative. small as the risk is, particularly with hundreds of thousands of people entering the country every year, and acting as possible disease vectors, i dont think its a gambl worth taking. not yet anyway.