Calgary Zoo Calgary Zoo News 2015

Also a King Penguin chick hatched at the zoo on August 22nd. It is the first king chick for the zoo!
 
Calgary Zoo in 1972: moose

Does anyone have a map or description of the Calgary Zoo in/around 1966-72? I am writing a biography of a moose that arrived probably as an orphan around 1967, was rehabilitated in the back rehab facility (on or off island?), and then exhibited for about three years before being sold in 1971 to Northwest Trek in Washington state, where he became that new park's iconic first moose.
I would like to recreate the setting: wildlife rehab facility and zoo exhibit area at that time.
Also, what is/was the practice and conditions for raising orphan moose in that era?
Leads to keepers, volunteers, etc. gratefully received.
Thank you
 
TZFan said:
The zoo has a rather large but adorable mistake on its hands. Giraffe, Carrie, gave birth to a female calf Oct 22. Why the large mistake? Carrie is a reticulated/rothschild but father Nabo/Crosby is a Masai. The baby has zero genetic value to either SSP and will probably be hard to place.
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how is this a mistake? It seems from the articles I have seen that the zoo obtained the male specifically for breeding.
 
They shouldn't be crossing Masai bloodlines (Nabo's) with Reticulated (Carrie's). They are supposed to avoid crossing giraffe species. That's why there is a specific Masai SSP and a second one for the Reticulated/Rothschild lines.

Nabo was brought in with the eventual goal of bringing in additional Masai females. A female from Nashville named Cami was recommended to come up in May 2013 but that didn't happen for some reason. There seems to be a big of a shortage of young females in recent years. Many zoos were told they were on the list once suitable females were born (Calgary and Toronto included). Carrie was to be managed at that time as a non breeding animal until she passed away. The zoo would when exclusively focus on Masai

In the future the calf will be of no genetic value to either SSP because she is neither a Masai or a Reticulated/Rothschild.

The zoo is just choosing not to admit to an accident like when they "neglected" to mention their hippos are grandmother and grandson when Sparky gave birth to twins who did not survive last winter. Accidents happen but it can be very embarrassing to admit to.
 
TZFan said:
They shouldn't be crossing Masai bloodlines (Nabo's) with Reticulated (Carrie's). They are supposed to avoid crossing giraffe species. That's why there is a specific Masai SSP and a second one for the Reticulated/Rothschild lines.

Nabo was brought in with the eventual goal of bringing in additional Masai females. A female from Nashville named Cami was recommended to come up in May 2013 but that didn't happen for some reason. There seems to be a big of a shortage of young females in recent years. Many zoos were told they were on the list once suitable females were born (Calgary and Toronto included). Carrie was to be managed at that time as a non breeding animal until she passed away. The zoo would when exclusively focus on Masai

In the future the calf will be of no genetic value to either SSP because she is neither a Masai or a Reticulated/Rothschild.

The zoo is just choosing not to admit to an accident like when they "neglected" to mention their hippos are grandmother and grandson when Sparky gave birth to twins who did not survive last winter. Accidents happen but it can be very embarrassing to admit to.
Click to expand...
the reticulated-Rothschild population is a hybrid one anyway. I don't know how the zoos in North America manage their hybrids but it would seem a little obtuse to reject adding a particular hybrid animal to the population because it's not the "right kind" of hybrid. The hybrid population has no "genetic value" in any case, except as zoo stock for display (in fact, for argument's sake, adding new blood to the hybrid population is strengthening that population).
 
You have a point she may be allowed into the Recticulated-rothschild program as they are hybreds anyway. She should definitely be kept out of the Masai program though. Those lines are being maintained pure. Regardless she is a oops because Nabo and Carrie were classed as animals that should not be breeding right now... least of all with each other.

I do get your point on the for argument's sake. You are right there. Diversity is strengthening populations...
 
there's really no way the calf would be added into the Masai program, so I wouldn't worry about that.

Of course, my only major query was around the "mistake" because the articles I had read made it sound like the zoo got the male specifically to breed with that female (i.e. the birth was not the result of a mistake), but this obviously wasn't the case if their intention was to later get pure Masai females.
 
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