EAZA Ex-Situ Programmes update

The newest edition of Zooquaria includes information about the updates for the lizards in the Reptile TAG. A total of fifteen new-style EEPs have been proposed (compared to the ten currently). These include:
  • Komodo dragon (pre-existing EEP)
  • Lesser Antillean iguana (pre-existing ESB)
  • Fijian banded iguanas (pre-existing ESB)
  • Turquoise dwarf gecko (pre-existing ESB)
  • Bornean earless monitor lizard
  • Crocodile lizard
  • Cuban iguana
  • Philippine sailfin lizard
  • Nguru pygmy chameleon
The other lizards will be monitored, while both marine and Galapagos land iguanas are specifically mentioned as species not to be obtained.

The article is on pages 18 and 19 in the link below:
https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/Zooquaria/ZQIssues/2023/ZQ120-web-LR.pdf
 
The January 2024 EAZA list of breeding programmes has now been uploaded; these are the changes since July 2023:

Elasmobranch TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the undulate ray, overseen by Chessington World of Adventures.
  • The horn shark, zebra shark and sandbar shark ESBs have all been upgraded to new-style EEPs, with all three still overseen by their previous studbook holders (Artis for the horn shark, Aquario di Genova for the zebra and sandbar sharks).
Freshwater Teleost TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the goodeids, overseen by Chester Zoo.
Reptile TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the Palawan forest turtle, overseen by Chester Zoo.
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the Bornean earless monitor lizard, overseen by Prague Zoo.
  • The lesser Antillean iguana ESB has been upgraded to a new-style EEP, still overseen by Jersey Zoo.
  • The Utila spiny-tailed iguana, gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard ESBs have been removed from the list.
Raptor TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the Chaco owl, overseen by Yorkshire Wildlife Park.
  • The king, African white-backed, Ruppell's, white-headed and lappet-faced vulture programmes have all been upgraded to new-style EEPs, all being overseen by the original holders.
Galliformes TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for European grouse (combining Western capercaillie, hazel grouse and black grouse), overseen by Parc Animalier de Sainte-Croix.
Pigeon and Dove TAG
  • The white-naped pheasant pigeon ESB has been replaced with a new-style EEP for both white-naped and green-naped pheasant pigeons, still overseen by the same holder.
  • The Victoria crowned pigeon ESB has been upgraded to a new-style EEP, still overseen by Mandai.
Songbird TAG
  • New-style EEPS have been created for both the rufous-fronted laughingthrush and Java sparrow, both overseen by Chester Zoo.
Monotreme and Marsupial TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the Eastern quoll, overseen by Leipzig Zoo.
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the common bear cuscus, overseen by Berlin Tierpark.
Bear TAG
  • The Malayan sun, sloth, brown and polar bear programmes have all been upgraded to new-style EEPs, all still overseen by the original holders.
Small Carnivore TAG
  • The red panda and binturong EEPs have been upgraded to new-style EEPs, both being overseen by their original holders.
Tapir and Suiform TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the Baird's tapir, overseen by Olomouc Zoo.
The full list can be seen in the link below:
https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/CCC/Other/January-2024.pdf
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Tapir and Suiform TAG
  • A new-style EEP has been created for the Baird's tapir, overseen by Olomouc Zoo.
Click to expand...

Jana said:
I would rather expect the opposite - phasing out under observation of the EEP.
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Quite unexpected that it has been given to a collection that does not and has never held the species mind you!

Given the low numbers remaining in Europe I think that creating an entire EEP to oversee the phasing out of basically a single group at one zoo, and an ageing singleton at another, is a bit of a waste of time and money :P
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Pigeons and Doves TAG
The extinct pigeons TAG has now been created, coordinated by Zoo Dortmund.
Click to expand...
PossumRoach said:
I expect something similar to the extinct pigeons EEP like education or fundraising.
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Couple of questions:

1. How is this "new-style EEP" different from the old EEPs?
2. What exactly is the function of an EEP for extinct species...?
 
Coelacanth18 said:
Couple of questions:

1. How is this "new-style EEP" different from the old EEPs?
2. What exactly is the function of an EEP for extinct species...?
Click to expand...

1. I believe the new-style EEPs incorporate the One Plan Approach coined by the Conservation Planning Specialist Group - if I understand correctly, it is a more comprehensive conservation plan than the older ones. It talks about it a bit more at the top of this page, under the heading 'EAZA's new population management structure':
PROGRAMMES » EAZA

2. Everything I've heard about the extinct pigeons EEP is that it is being used solely for educational purposes.
 
A) I'm very happy that they discovered that a lot of bears population are declining in captivity, so is time to work about this.

B) The earless monitor is a must have EEP. The progenitors of the animals owned in zoos are in Europe with shady stories. And not obtained in the 70' but in the past two decade. These things will became very popular, so better having a plan to breed them and having a substainable population without WC animals.​
 
Indolencio Aguilar said:
A) I'm very happy that they discovered that a lot of bears population are declining in captivity, so is time to work about this.
Click to expand...
The bears already had a breeding/management programs before the upgrade to the EEPs. The new upgrades, as @DesertRhino150 just explained, expands the focus of the programs to research, education, and a greater focus on in-situ conservation of the species.

Also brown bears (one of the species to get an EEP) probably will never have a shortage since there are always individuals in need of rescue in an out of Europe.
 
DesertRhino150 said:
Although it's not an update to the list, I did notice on the EAZA Facebook page that the Felid TAG has met with in-situ experts to discuss the statuses of wild cats and deciding which should be managed under new-style EEPs.

The recommendation is that 30 species or subspecies of felid should have EEP programmes established, where currently there are 22.
Click to expand...

The EAZA's Facebook page has now posted about an update to the Regional Collection Plan for the Felid TAG. A slight change to the previous recommendations - there will be 28 new-style EEPs, rather than the 30 originally mentioned. One thing that is mentioned is that the RCP has specifically identified the small cats as priority species.
 
The latest issue of Zooquaria was released today. It includes further information about the new EEPs for meerkats and the extinct pigeons, each having an article about their roles:
  • The meerkat EEP is specifically for reducing their numbers and replacing them with rarer small carnivores
  • The extinct pigeon EEP is intended for education and also studying the mechanisms of past extinctions to see if there are lessons that can be learned to reduce the chances of further pigeon extinctions
There is also information about the Marine Teleost TAG - the Banggai cardinalfish and both long- and short-snouted seahorses will be the only EEPs. There will be monitoring programmes for elegant filefish Nemateleotris decora, bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus, humphead wrasse Cheilinus undulatus, and green wrasse Labrus viridis. There are also plans for further monitoring programmes for another twelve species of reef fish, including species surgeonfish, angelfish, butterflyfish and both the blue-green damselfish and mandarinfish.

Finally, there is new information about the planned updates for the Galliformes TAG. The nine current tags that will all be upgraded to new-style EEPs are:
  • Vietnam pheasant
  • Palawan peacock-pheasant
  • Rothschild's peacock-pheasant
  • Malay peacock-pheasant
  • Great argus
  • Cabot's tragopan
  • Congo peafowl
  • Malay crestless fireback
  • European grouses (combining capercaillie, black grouse and hazel grouse) - already a new-style EEP
The Bornean crested fireback is also listed as getting a new-style EEP, and already has a coordinator in place. The other seven planned new-style EEPs for new species are all awaiting a coordinator:
  • Green peafowl
  • Grey partridge
  • Collared hill partridge
  • Ocellated turkey
  • Northern helmeted curassow
  • Red-billed curassow
  • Blue-billed curassow
One thing to note is that a major role of the green peafowl EEP is reducing the numbers of hybrids and enlarging the population of pure subspecies birds - according to the article, the only purebred green peafowl in Europe is a small population of the Indochinese subspecies Pavo muticus imperator. That is certainly news to me, as I had previously thought that there were also Javan green peafowl kept in European zoos.

The Zooquaria issue can be seen below - all the information about the different EEPs can be seen from pages 18-23:
https://www.eaza.net/assets/Uploads/Zooquaria/ZQIssues/2024/ZQ121-webLR.pdf
 
There Is this guy in northern Italy that breeds Pavo muticus imperator in his garden and I'm laughing thinking that probably the "population" is in the hand of a barely amateur (theorically he started as one) chicken breeder
 
DesertRhino150 said:
There will be monitoring programmes for elegant filefish Nemateleotris decora, bluestreak cleaner wrasse Labroides dimidiatus,
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Amazing to hear the EAZA have an ounce of interest towards my favorite ocean fish.

While it’s nice to hear that the meerkats numbers will be controlled I wonder what zoos that chose to keep them in themed areas switch them with? As far as I know, there aren’t too many rare small carnivores, especially of EAZA’s interest, that could easily replace meerkats.
 
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PossumRoach said:
Amazing to hear the EAZA have an ounce of interest towards my favorite ocean fish.

While it’s nice to hear that the meerkats numbers will be controlled I wonder what zoos that chose to keep them in themed areas switch them with? As far as I know, there aren’t too many rare small carnivores, especially of EAZA’s interest, that could easily replace meerkats.
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Banded Mongoose and Yellow Mongoose surely? They are both nice ones

Not many zoos specifically keep meerkat in Kalahari themed etc anyways. Most keep them in a general 'Africa' area
 
dillotest0 said:
Banded Mongoose and Yellow Mongoose surely? They are both nice ones

Not many zoos specifically keep meerkat in Kalahari themed etc anyways. Most keep them in a general 'Africa' area
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Yellow mongoose are listed as invasive animals; probably these carnivores are the Vontsira and the Bokyboky. They needs breeding in case of decreasing in the wild population but at the same time they require also more complex exhibit. So if there isn't an artificial obstacle, much of the zoos will prefer the more easy and knowed meerkat
 
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