thanks. Helps to know German to search for things like that
Just google Stralsund + Roland + Seeelefant (= Elephant seal)
Last edited:
Elephant seals in captivity.
- Thread starter loftustheraven
- Start date
Just google Stralsund + Roland + Seeelefant (= Elephant seal)
Yes, I have been to the Natural History Museum in Berlin many times; as “Batto” has mentioned the remains of the elephant seal “Roland” are not there.
Digressing briefly from elephant seals, the museum does, though, display the mounted skins of various former inhabitants of Berlin Zoo including:-
• a quagga
• the famous gorilla “Bobby” (1928 – 1935)
• the thylacine that died in Berlin Zoo in 1864 (and which Berlin Zoo
acquired from London Zoo)
...of whom, just as for hippo bull "Knautschke", a life-sized statue has actually been erected on Berlin Zoo grounds (granite for the gorilla, bronze for the hippo).
As I have discussed in the past, within my Berlin trip report, it *is* a fantastic museum and one I look forward to revisiting at some point
it is also perhaps the museum with the second-highest number of former zoo animals on display which I have visited - surpassed only by Manchester Museum, which has literally dozens of mounted specimens from Belle Vue Zoo.
Bib Fortuna
Well-Known Member
By the way-Berlin had five"Rolands". "Roland"was a traditional name for elephant seals at Berlin Zoo, so all other males followed the first"Roland"got the same name.
Roland I lived from 1930 until 1935
Roland II arrived in 1935 and died three years later. He fathered a dead born calf in 1938.
Roland III lived from 1939 until 1944
Roland IV arrived in 1955 and died in 1961. He was a Northern elephant seal, the only one ever kept in Berlin.
and Roland V, the last of this dynasty, lived from 1962 until 1970.
The other males were Bolle (1971-78) Erik(born at Antwerp Zoo in 1977),Sammy(1983-1992) and Sharky(1993-99)
Roland I lived from 1930 until 1935
Roland II arrived in 1935 and died three years later. He fathered a dead born calf in 1938.
Roland III lived from 1939 until 1944
Roland IV arrived in 1955 and died in 1961. He was a Northern elephant seal, the only one ever kept in Berlin.
and Roland V, the last of this dynasty, lived from 1962 until 1970.
The other males were Bolle (1971-78) Erik(born at Antwerp Zoo in 1977),Sammy(1983-1992) and Sharky(1993-99)
btw: The only elephant seal statue I´ve ever seen at any zoo I´ve visited until now is the one at Antwerp Zoo (but this isn´t life-size as well).
Regarding the breeding results of elephant seals, "Eric" from Antwerp was the only one who growed up to a Young adult, but there were also two females which grew up, one in Berlin and "Isolde" in Stuttgart.
Regarding the breeding results of elephant seals, "Eric" from Antwerp was the only one who growed up to a Young adult, but there were also two females which grew up, one in Berlin and "Isolde" in Stuttgart.
The link below provides some discussion about another elephant seal called “Goliath” alleged to be the largest in captivity.
http://www.zoochat.com/22/elephant-seal-exhibited-steel-pier-atlantic-126996/
I did attach a scan of my postcard depicting “Goliath” to the original thread but this has “disappeared” so have attached it here.
Attachments
Last edited:
I wonder if it had any access to a tank of swimming water, or was just hosed down...
the circus actually had two Goliaths, one in 1928-29 and the other in 1933-34. The latter spent the winter at Cincinatti Zoo in a former elephant bath. Perhaps the circus was closed down over the winter?
Other than that winter at the zoo, both animals must surely have been confined to wagons and the ring for their entire time?
As a kid in the sixties, I remember seeing Henry the Hippo at Chipperfields Circus. His travelling wagon had a huge water tank in it. Not that I would imagine that's any kind of life for an Elephant Seal, but I imagine it could have had something similar.
Crandall's 'The Management of Wild Mammals in Captivity' has quite a lot about the captiv history of Elephant Seals up to 1963. I can't find the reference right now, but I think Edinburgh Zoo has had at least two over the years.
According to "The Story of Edinburgh Zoo" (T, H. Gillespie; 1964) the zoo acquired two young elephant seals in 1914 from Christian Salvesen & Coy. (I know that there were later elephant seal(s) too.)
At the same time as receiving the elephant seals, and from the same source, the zoo were given a Weddell's seal, four king penguins, a gentoo penguin and a macaroni penguin.
Confusingly, one section of the book states these animals arrived in "early spring" 1914 whilst elsewhere, in the same book, it claims that this shipment of animals was received on a "cold day in January" 1914.
I'm sure you will know the answer to this (although it is a big side-track from the thread topic) - did Edinburgh at one point have both emperor and little blue penguins at the same time? About twenty years ago I read in an English avicultural magazine (something like Cage & Aviary Birds) an article where it mentioned a zoo which I remember as being Edinburgh having in the past had both the largest and smallest species simultaneously.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
The only place in the UK that has kept Little Penguins in the last 20 years was Bristol and that was long after they has sent Edinburgh their last Kings
In the book I mentioned earlier, dated 1964, the author states that Edinburgh had only once had little blue penguin and that was a solitary individual; the author also adds "we live in hope of receiving even perhaps the great emperor penguin".
Consequently, if Edinburgh ever had both species simultaneously, it would have to be after 1964 and I have no recollection of that ever happening.
As "zoogiraffe" points out, Bristol is the only place in the UK to have had blue penguins in recent years; it is certainly the only place I've ever seen the species in the UK (although I did see blue penguins on my first four or five visits to Antwerp Zoo).
Last edited:
thanks. It may be that the author of the article I read confused kings with emperors, and perhaps also made the jump to the zoo having had both at the same time even if that wasn't necessarily the case.
(Or, of course, there's the possibility my memory is at fault with what the article said!)
Just in case somebody missed: northern elephant seals are quite commonly rehabilitated and released, so some are in captivity every year. San Diego Seaworld normally receives a few every year. They are pups, kept behind the scenes and released back as soon as possible. However, a friendly zoochatter might ask the keepers to have a peek at them.
San Diego Seaworld has now also two rehab Guadelupe Fur Seals on display.
San Diego Seaworld has now also two rehab Guadelupe Fur Seals on display.
When did Antwerp Zoo have Blue penguins?
According to Zootierliste from 1981 until 1999
Thanks Tim, I had looked at the non-subspecific entry and missed the Western Blue Penguins. Even though I visited Antwerp regularly in that period I cannot remember them. Where they housed in the penguin pool next to the restaurant? The one that is now gone as the new restaurant got build on top of it.