Bears and Zoos
- Thread starter foz
- Start date
heres a list of all bears in the UK
Asian Black-Dudley and heythrop
American balck-Woburn
Eurasian brown-Whipsnade, Heythrop
Sloth-Whipsnade
Specticeled-Chester, South Lakes, Belfast and Jersey
Sun-Belfast, Rare species conservation centre(RSCC)
Polar-Ediburgh, heythrop
Hope this helps
apparently one of the dartmoor trio is a syrian brown bear
i think more zoos should provide a refuge for bile bears, nameley asiatics and sun bears, that way it would provide more blood lines (particularly for the old asiaitics in the UK), that way providing a better home for the bears, new blood lines and educating the public on bear bile farms. i undertand they do this in some US zoos.
subspecies of brown bears: how many different subspecies are there in europe? are there any subspecies other than grizzly and kodiak in the US?
Dan
Well-Known Member
Having received more flak that I can honestly stand for raising questions on animal welfare her on ZooChat (especially, of course, bringing the dreaded "cultural" factor into account - hence all the accusations of "racism" etc), I will not go into any such debates ever again - much less, initiate them.
However, I reserve the right to now and then - as quiet as possible, of course - whisper the odd "hurrah" or "bravo" whenever I read something that I really, really... REALLY like.
So: "bravo" to tetrapod and - as always - "bravo" to zoooman!
However, I reserve the right to now and then - as quiet as possible, of course - whisper the odd "hurrah" or "bravo" whenever I read something that I really, really... REALLY like.
So: "bravo" to tetrapod and - as always - "bravo" to zoooman!
The KCZooman
Well-Known Member
For Foz
thanks for the idea. i dont particularly organise my zoos by geographical, although i see the benefits of having a geographical layout i like to keep people guessing whats round the next corner. both bear species have good/bad points. for example black bear: could be recieved from a asian rescue centre freeing up places for more animals in those centres. andean (or spectacle): opportunity for a mixed exhibit
Thank you for your input
I agree with you that keeping people guessing about what's up the path makes for an awesome zoo experience. Since you don't organize your zoos by geography, how do you organize them? Also, are you considering other species of bears for any of your zoos? These questions might help me to help you to decide between your choices.
thanks for the idea. i dont particularly organise my zoos by geographical, although i see the benefits of having a geographical layout i like to keep people guessing whats round the next corner. both bear species have good/bad points. for example black bear: could be recieved from a asian rescue centre freeing up places for more animals in those centres. andean (or spectacle): opportunity for a mixed exhibit
Thank you for your input
I agree with you that keeping people guessing about what's up the path makes for an awesome zoo experience. Since you don't organize your zoos by geography, how do you organize them? Also, are you considering other species of bears for any of your zoos? These questions might help me to help you to decide between your choices.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Chester Zoo once had the idea of building a Brown Bears an enclosure round the perimeter of the zoo and using them as a means of extra security for the zoo however the local council wasn`t to keen on the idea,so it never went any further.
Was that back in the late 80's I met with the director at that time. He was a little out there. With soime great ideas like this!
I have seen all 8 species, not necessarily trying to, but it's pretty easy to do here in the U.S. All are good exhibit animals (I think), but I agree that most polar bear enclosures are too small. At my zoo (Reid Park, Tucson) we have the only polar bears in Arizona and their space is way too small (even with the grass yard that was added a few years ago). They are the one animal I would get rid of here.
I am also suprised that of the four U.S. panda exhibits, all of which cost a few million, only one (National Zoo) has a decent size exhibit area.
Are there any brown supsecies other than grizzly or alaskan here? I believe San Diego has chinese/manchurian brown bear and it seems I saw that or another asian type last month at Denver? (But both are old style bear pits - not worth seeing really).
Philadelphia Zoo has a four-bear complex with some of the best (in terms of size) exhibits. Polar bear is so-so, but spectacled, sloth and asian black are very good and no bars - very photo friendly.
If you want American bears (black and grizzly), no place beats Northwest Trek in Washington state. One acre each of natural forest. (Same for other native predators like wolf, bobcat, etc).
Asian black or spectacled? Asians are cool because of their crescent chest (giving them the alternative name "moon bear"), but I like spectacled too because they have a wide variety of markings. I saw a reddish one at National Zoo (DC) and one with an all-white face at Houston Zoo.
Do they belong in zoos? Here in America at least, many are rescue animals that had nowhere else to go. Virtually all black bears, many brown bears, and even some polar bears which come either from orphans in Canada or the six that were rescued from a Mexican circus.
I am also suprised that of the four U.S. panda exhibits, all of which cost a few million, only one (National Zoo) has a decent size exhibit area.
Are there any brown supsecies other than grizzly or alaskan here? I believe San Diego has chinese/manchurian brown bear and it seems I saw that or another asian type last month at Denver? (But both are old style bear pits - not worth seeing really).
Philadelphia Zoo has a four-bear complex with some of the best (in terms of size) exhibits. Polar bear is so-so, but spectacled, sloth and asian black are very good and no bars - very photo friendly.
If you want American bears (black and grizzly), no place beats Northwest Trek in Washington state. One acre each of natural forest. (Same for other native predators like wolf, bobcat, etc).
Asian black or spectacled? Asians are cool because of their crescent chest (giving them the alternative name "moon bear"), but I like spectacled too because they have a wide variety of markings. I saw a reddish one at National Zoo (DC) and one with an all-white face at Houston Zoo.
Do they belong in zoos? Here in America at least, many are rescue animals that had nowhere else to go. Virtually all black bears, many brown bears, and even some polar bears which come either from orphans in Canada or the six that were rescued from a Mexican circus.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Yep it was back around the time of Dr.Brambles time.Was that back in the late 80's I met with the director at that time. He was a little out there. With soime great ideas like this!
Sun Wukong
Well-Known Member
Recent fossil founds indicate that Polar bears seem to be both older as a species and more able to adopt to climate changes than some might assume.
The Oldest Polar Bear Fossil: 130,000 Years Old! - From Svalbard - Softpedia
There are other, less popular species of Arctic Wildlife that could be more severly impacted.
The majority of the current zoo exhibits displaying ursidae could indeed be improved-no doubt about that. However, this doesn't consequently mean that polar bears or other ursidae disqualify for zoo husbandry in general; zoos just have to improve their current husbandry according to their bearish needs. Various horses, dogs and other domestic animals/pets display stereotypical behaviour; this doesn't have to mean that these animals are not suited for husbandry in general, but that the particular husbandry they are currently in needs improvement.
A general aspect could be, and that is already put into practise by some zoos, to keep the species best suited to the native environment of the zoo. Why have Polar Bears in San Diego or Sloth Bears in Moscow?
One should also be aware of the availableness of the particular species. In terms of sloth bears, mentioned here as "apt inner city zoo bears", the situation and future of the species in zoos is rather bleak: the European zoo population (in 6 zoos) is tiny and closely related, wheras the American one is not really prolific and also includes several subspecies hybrids. India doesn't allow the export of sloth bears, so that Sri Lanka remains as the sole possible "source" (except maybe Pakistan, Bhutan or Nepal-but try to get animals from there...)-however, that's a different subspecies than the one kept in European zoos..."Phasing out" other species with a more promising zoo population doesn't seem to be the way to go. Additionally, given the life span of most bears, that would take a while...
Andean/Spectacled Bears, on the other hand, are now quite common in zoos-to the extent that some zoos have problems to find suitable places for their offspring. Moon Bears are also impacted by the TCM trade-yet neglected in favour of other bear species...
A rather "novel" idea in ursidae husbandry is the idea of mixing them with different species, may it be primates, canidae, mustelidae, procynidae or even ungulates. It's a nice idea, but can backfire in both ways.
Why should the "Siberian" tiger be called Amur Tiger instead? From a zoogeographical viewpoint, the term "Amur" (or Manchurian/Ussuri tiger) would be more appropriate. However, if the recent results about tiger subspecies are true, we might have to find a new common term for both Pantera tigris altaica and virgata...
And @Dan, even if you don't want to respond to my post: please don't try to act like the innocent victim that you surely aren't...
The Oldest Polar Bear Fossil: 130,000 Years Old! - From Svalbard - Softpedia
There are other, less popular species of Arctic Wildlife that could be more severly impacted.
The majority of the current zoo exhibits displaying ursidae could indeed be improved-no doubt about that. However, this doesn't consequently mean that polar bears or other ursidae disqualify for zoo husbandry in general; zoos just have to improve their current husbandry according to their bearish needs. Various horses, dogs and other domestic animals/pets display stereotypical behaviour; this doesn't have to mean that these animals are not suited for husbandry in general, but that the particular husbandry they are currently in needs improvement.
A general aspect could be, and that is already put into practise by some zoos, to keep the species best suited to the native environment of the zoo. Why have Polar Bears in San Diego or Sloth Bears in Moscow?
One should also be aware of the availableness of the particular species. In terms of sloth bears, mentioned here as "apt inner city zoo bears", the situation and future of the species in zoos is rather bleak: the European zoo population (in 6 zoos) is tiny and closely related, wheras the American one is not really prolific and also includes several subspecies hybrids. India doesn't allow the export of sloth bears, so that Sri Lanka remains as the sole possible "source" (except maybe Pakistan, Bhutan or Nepal-but try to get animals from there...)-however, that's a different subspecies than the one kept in European zoos..."Phasing out" other species with a more promising zoo population doesn't seem to be the way to go. Additionally, given the life span of most bears, that would take a while...
Andean/Spectacled Bears, on the other hand, are now quite common in zoos-to the extent that some zoos have problems to find suitable places for their offspring. Moon Bears are also impacted by the TCM trade-yet neglected in favour of other bear species...
A rather "novel" idea in ursidae husbandry is the idea of mixing them with different species, may it be primates, canidae, mustelidae, procynidae or even ungulates. It's a nice idea, but can backfire in both ways.
Why should the "Siberian" tiger be called Amur Tiger instead? From a zoogeographical viewpoint, the term "Amur" (or Manchurian/Ussuri tiger) would be more appropriate. However, if the recent results about tiger subspecies are true, we might have to find a new common term for both Pantera tigris altaica and virgata...
And @Dan, even if you don't want to respond to my post: please don't try to act like the innocent victim that you surely aren't...
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im pretty, absalutly posotive that someone on zoobeat said that she wasnt a syrian
thank you, cat man.
i have indeed considered other bear species for my personal zoo, here are my current plans for bears in the zoo.
1st enclosure for a pair of andean (spectacled) bears or asian black bears that is very much based on durrell/chester enclosure. i am very much considering housing polar bears in a larger enclosure next to it, fenced in the same way. the two enclosures would be similar except the polar bear exhibit would be far larger. in effect i could house both asians and andean (spectacled), one of them replacing polar bears, however i ahve deciding against this idea, and i very well mioght scrap the poalr bears. but my plans are always changing and no doubt the next week i'll have a brand new zoo.
but all my zoos generally have a bear species usually black bears or andean bears and so this decision will aid many of my future zoos.
on the case of mixed besar exhibits the combination i'm aware of are:
- sloth bear, muntjac, macaque and peafowl
- brown bear wolves, red fox, artic fox
- andean (spectacled) coati, short clawed otter, howler monkey, brazilliant tapir and capybara (not sure on capybaras)
(not all in the same zoo) have any more combinations been tried? how sucessful have they been?
Then, I'm pretty sure they were wrong, she came from the Mappin Terraces at london and is definately a syrian. I think that there is only an information board about eurasian brown bears at the enclosure which could be where the confusion stems from, however, both at the feeding display and by a keeper I was told that she was Syrian.
That they are especially tolerant of electric shocks. It cannot be the thickness of fur (rules out suns). With regards to other species, I have heard of soaking wet baboons sitting on electric fences with apparent immunity. Crazy.
Trying to sound scientific, but if the Baboons were to jump on top of the fence from a tree or something, then would they not be earthed and as a result not feel the shock?
Same goes for most monkeys.
And those bears are still mixed with Tapirs, otters and Capybara at South lakes aren't they? Absolutely ridiculous and stupidly thought out species mix in my opinion.