I am really pissed off with zoos at the moment. The following information I have obtained from The Australian Birdkeeper magazine, Vol 19, No. 2. 2006. It is a magazine for birdkeepers.
The freckled duck is Australias most endangered duck species, it's habitat and breeding requirements rely on large rivers, like the Murray darling, flooding, which we all know is rare nowdays.
In the early 1980s 15 eggs were taken into captivity and hatched, beginning a new captive program for the species., in 1993 the breeding colony was dospiersed among several leading zoos and nature reserves. 14 ducks were sent to Slimbridge in the Uk from which a breeding group has since entered private hands and can be found in collections in the UK, Europe, The US and South Africa, non are kept in private hands in Australia.
The zoos created a very successful breeding program amongst themselves but by 2002 the Freckled Duck Management program set up by the zoos had collapsed, the zoos had LOST INTEREST!!
Today there are 16.11 ducks held at Australian zoos, primarily at Melbourne and Healesville. There are others at sanctuaries not listed on ISIS, though not many. I know that melbourne still breeds them occassionly.
Once again the zoos have lost an excelent oppurtuinty in captive breeding an endangered native species. The ducks are not hard to breed in captivity, can be housed with other bird species and don't take up a lot of room. Also they can be reintroduced into the wild, a lot easier than say the Californian consdor, or the leadbetters possum. The ducks are very rare in the wild, there numbers are dropping dramatically and the zoos have let it go. I no longer think that Australian zoos are fair dinkum in their aim to conserve species, freckled ducks, like the possums are not great drawcards, unlike say - ELEPHANTS!!!
If the zoos can lose interest on a native species, where are their real priorities?
Very Disapointed, very Unhappy
Jason
The freckled duck is Australias most endangered duck species, it's habitat and breeding requirements rely on large rivers, like the Murray darling, flooding, which we all know is rare nowdays.
In the early 1980s 15 eggs were taken into captivity and hatched, beginning a new captive program for the species., in 1993 the breeding colony was dospiersed among several leading zoos and nature reserves. 14 ducks were sent to Slimbridge in the Uk from which a breeding group has since entered private hands and can be found in collections in the UK, Europe, The US and South Africa, non are kept in private hands in Australia.
The zoos created a very successful breeding program amongst themselves but by 2002 the Freckled Duck Management program set up by the zoos had collapsed, the zoos had LOST INTEREST!!
Today there are 16.11 ducks held at Australian zoos, primarily at Melbourne and Healesville. There are others at sanctuaries not listed on ISIS, though not many. I know that melbourne still breeds them occassionly.
Once again the zoos have lost an excelent oppurtuinty in captive breeding an endangered native species. The ducks are not hard to breed in captivity, can be housed with other bird species and don't take up a lot of room. Also they can be reintroduced into the wild, a lot easier than say the Californian consdor, or the leadbetters possum. The ducks are very rare in the wild, there numbers are dropping dramatically and the zoos have let it go. I no longer think that Australian zoos are fair dinkum in their aim to conserve species, freckled ducks, like the possums are not great drawcards, unlike say - ELEPHANTS!!!
If the zoos can lose interest on a native species, where are their real priorities?
Very Disapointed, very Unhappy
Jason
