collared peccary

C

Coquinguy

Well-Known Member
this might be one for zoo pro, because i want a definite answer(not to say evrybody elses inut wouldnt be vaued, id love to hear). whats the future of this species in australia? perth zoo is listed as studbook keeper, isnt this the easiest job going? i thought this species was dying out?
but for everyone to brainstorm on...when was the last time this species bred regionaly?
 
Sadly, there are only 9 males and 5 females left in the region, at 4 institutions (Melbourne, Adelaide, Taronga and Wellington). Two of those institutions (Melbourne and Wellington) don't wish to hold the species in the future, leaving a pretty dismal, inbred population left in the country. And with almost no chance of the zoos being able to import more into the country due to quarantine issues, I'd say it looks like this is another exotic mammal species that will disappear from our collections in the not too distant future. Some animals will be moved around and paired in an attempt to extend the life of the species here for a while, but it doesn't look good for the only pig species in our zoos. :(

I'll do a bit of research on the last breedings and will let you know.
 
It looks like the last births in the region were:

Melbourne 1985
Adelaide 1993, 1995, 1996
Dubbo 1999, 2000, 2001
Wellington 1995, 1996
Sydney 1984
 
Wellington Zoo

I can confirm that Wellington is planning to dispose of theirs -- the how and when is still undecided .
It is my understanding ( but I could have this mistaken ) that the whole region is going to phase out the species (?)
If I had my way , I would send Wellingtons peccaries to Hamilton or Orana
 
interestingly - did you know peccaries are technically not pigs?

still, they sure look and act like them to me and i agree that its a shame that they are being phased-out like everything else.

still although there may be 14 left in the region you have to remember that when it comes to anything with a cloven hoof - NZ and australia are actually two seperate populations and theres since their is virtually zero opportunity to manage the two populations co-operatively.

so really their isn't much hope for them anyway...:(
 
patrick said:
interestingly - did you know peccaries are technically not pigs?
Click to expand...
True. They are in the family Tayassuidae (peccaries), immediately under Suide (pigs and boars). For those who care :) here's some more detail. and sadly, it's from one of my least favoured sources - Wikipedia :o alrright already, I'm in a hurry LOL

People often confuse peccaries, which are found in the New World, with pigs that originated in the Old World, especially since some domestic pigs brought by European settlers have escaped over the years and now run wild in many parts of the United States. These feral pigs are popularly known as razorback hogs. Relatives of the Old World pigs include the warthog of Africa. One of the ways to tell apart the two groups is the shape of the canine tooth, or tusk. In the Old World pigs the tusk is long and curves around on itself, whereas in the New World peccaries the tusk is short and straight. Peccaries use their tusks for defense; they feed chiefly on roots and grasses but also eat invertebrates and small vertebrates.
 
And their babies have to be the cutest little.... ummmm...."not-piglets" I've ever seen! Exact replicas of their parents but in a tiny form.
 
thanks zoopro. obviously the current population is ageing and inbred, a bit like andean condors. with generation lengths, etc, do you see this species persisitng for the next te years in our zoos or not?
 
i agree woth pat, its basically 2 seps pops, as we carnt cross them over with nz and oz animals, its basically useless to try

on a swine note, if we was able to concentrate on a pig (or pig like ;) )species in the region, what would people want, continue with peccaries, or my choice would be warthogs, they have much mroe ed value i think, as they are very well known already, and would gain support easier than a peccary, maybe we just need a new movie out with them starring, what about the jaguar king, with a all singing all dancing peccary/kinkajou pair :p)
 
lol

seriously, this whole family would be a population management nightmare for our region. in the future an opportunity might arise, as it has in the past with artiodactyl species, to import.
if this occured, then id like to see babirusa and peccary and forest hog. but this range of species would need an intensive level of management and commitment from all the zoos in Australia if it were to succeed. as with endangered antelopes like the bongo, our regions impact on any conservation progam for a swine/peccary species would be negligible, as our quarantine laws would mean animals were being exported and no new genetic stock entering the region. unless quarantine laws fully change i think we should just resign ourselves to the fact that pigs are a write off for our regions zoos.
 
glyn said:
thanks zoopro. obviously the current population is ageing and inbred, a bit like andean condors. with generation lengths, etc, do you see this species persisitng for the next te years in our zoos or not?
Click to expand...
Nope! Frankly, I see them gone from the region in about 5 years, unless some miracle happens and we can suddenly import more.

The region has previously expressed interest in Babirusa, Visayan Warty Pigs, and at some stage, Red River Hogs, but these have all come off the respective collection plans due to the lack of ability to import them.

I'm guessing if the quarantine restrictions do get eased for somespecies, some of these might make it back onto the collection plans, but I think the region is working on trying to change the import rules for other artiodactyl species (deer, antelope etc.) before they look at pigs and not-pigs!
 
i guess unless any proposed changes to quarantine laws became permanent then it would be useless outlaying funds on importingnew species to the region if only the laws changes and suddenly zoos were unable to import any more.
with the bongo, what sort of strategy is in place to manage this species. is it being managed for display value only, being managed to be phased out or is it being managed with a view to potentially increase the population and import more in the future???
 
Pigs are great zoo exhibits, a pity you can't yet get more species in Oz. Red River Hogs are really cool- beautiful colour and comical apearance all in one smart package. Very rare in UK zoos until about a decade ago- now many zoos have pairs and at some they are breeding quite freely(London, Chester, Colchester(?)) Similar story for Babirusas.

By contrast forty years ago Collared Peccary used to be very common in UK zoos, then they almost died out completely for lack of interest in keeping them. Now they seem to be reappearing in some zoos again, while the Cotswold Wildlife Park has bred the White-lipped species.:)
 
Recently Chester and edinburgh zoo recieved groups of Visayan warty pigs. These are the only 2 zoos in the UK to hold the species.
 
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