I believe you have hit the nail on its head here, This bare minimum approach of almost everything is like an ideology and that's why our collections by and large will be second rate compared to overseas collections.
Considering biosecurity restrictions greatly limit what Australasian zoos can import, it’s more important than ever that we succeed in maintaining viable populations of the species we have.
While I appreciate some phase outs are inevitable due to a lack of availability (the Southern black rhinoceros may one day fall into this category); I would hope where there’s the option to import, the initiative will be taken to do so.
Considering biosecurity restrictions greatly limit what Australasian zoos can import, it’s more important than ever that we succeed in maintaining viable populations of the species we have.
While I appreciate some phase outs are inevitable due to a lack of availability (the Southern black rhinoceros may one day fall into this category); I would hope where there’s the option to import, the initiative will be taken to do so.
I agree some phase outs are inevitable but some are not as mentioned before with the Onagers and Maned wolfs (which was only saved within the region by Altina), This heavy handed approach coupled with this minimalist ideology are leading to a decline in our zoo collections and even less interest from the public which is only going to hit zoos in their hip pocket even more so with unfunded non government zoos!
Yes, it would appear Australia hold the last Eastern bongo in the Southern Hemisphere. The regional population is currently 5.2 bongo:
Monarto Safari Park:
1.0 Isaac (20/01/2012) Ndugu x Binti
Taronga Zoo:
1.0 Ekundu (23/11/2005) Marraquie x Shani
Taronga Western Plains Zoo:
0.1 Djembe (15/09/2008) Marraquie x Nambala
1.0 Kulungu (26/11/2010) Ndugu x Binti
0.1 Maisha (00/00/2013) Imported 2016
1.0 Kamau (05/09/2018) Kulungu x Djembe
1.0 Masikio (21/11/2022) Kulungu x Djembe
Total regional population: 5.2 bongo
Like @Zorro says, a succession of male births to what is currently the only viable breeding female in the region hasn’t helped. She has previously given birth to a daughter, who we exchanged with Singapore for the female that’s failed to breed.
It’s been 12 months since Djembe last gave birth, so hopefully she’s pregnant again (ideally with a female calf).
I've posted a thread detailing the entire history of Bongos in South Africa. If you'd be interested in that. Would love to hear any opinions or criticisms.
Thanks
I've posted a thread detailing the entire history of Bongos in South Africa. If you'd be interested in that. Would love to hear any opinions or criticisms.
Thanks
It was interesting seeing the parallels between the South African and Australian populations. Both acquired founders from South Africa and later, Singapore. The lightning strike was especially devastating, wiping out your only breeding female.
We’ve similarly been reduced to a single breeding female and a daughter from her would help, what I’d really like to see are fresh imports to avoid inbreeding. Hopefully both South Africa and Australia can undertake this in years to come.
I wish Djemebe would do us a favour and produce a daughter. She’s getting on in years and it’d be nice to build up something of a female herd while we wait for imports. If she could produce two (reproductively capable) daughters, that’d be sufficient to generate double figures of calves between them (and a bull) over the course of 10-15 years.
I would be surprised if we see more calfs out of these two they might just cut their loses, Possibly the worse move was exporting the female they had bred since they were in such low numbers here looks like an own goal to me!
I would be surprised if we see more calfs out of these two they might just cut their loses, Possibly the worse move was exporting the female they had bred since they were in such low numbers here looks like an own goal to me!
I believe the young cow we sent to Singapore was exchanged for the cow we received in return. On hindsight, it has indeed contributed to the downfall of the region; but at the time would have seemed like a fair swap, especially since it gave us an unrelated founder female.
Djembe is 15 years old, so could potentially have another calf or two in her remaining years. Fingers crossed for females!
I believe the young cow we sent to Singapore was exchanged for the cow we received in return. On hindsight, it has indeed contributed to the downfall of the region; but at the time would have seemed like a fair swap, especially since it gave us an unrelated founder female.
Djembe is 15 years old, so could potentially have another calf or two in her remaining years. Fingers crossed for females!
Does anyone have any further information on 'Rambo', who died at Monarto in 2019? It was mentioned he was a little bit younger than Isaac (who was born in 2012 at Melbourne). I'm wondering if he was a younger sibling of Isaac's.
Does anyone have any further information on 'Rambo', who died at Monarto in 2019? It was mentioned he was a little bit younger than Isaac (who was born in 2012 at Melbourne). I'm wondering if he was a younger sibling of Isaac's.
Isaac (2012) only had two siblings at Melbourne Zoo to my knowledge - Kulungu (2010) and Madiba (2013). His mother died in 2015 and there’s no mention of her giving birth that year (which is the earliest we could have expected her next calf).
I can’t find any mention of Rambo being older, so I’m actually wondering if he’s this bull, who was born to Nambala:
1.0 D1/06 (M)
Born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo 26/10/2006
Sent to Monarto Zoo 14/09/2007
Still at Monarto Zoo 31/12/2012
Isaac (2012) only had two siblings at Melbourne Zoo to my knowledge - Kulungu (2010) and Madiba (2013). His mother died in 2015 and there’s no mention of her giving birth that year (which is the earliest we could have expected her next calf).
I can’t find any mention of Rambo being older, so I’m actually wondering if he’s this bull, who was born to Nambala:
1.0 D1/06 (M)
Born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo 26/10/2006
Sent to Monarto Zoo 14/09/2007
Still at Monarto Zoo 31/12/2012
Does anyone have any further information on 'Rambo', who died at Monarto in 2019? It was mentioned he was a little bit younger than Isaac (who was born in 2012 at Melbourne). I'm wondering if he was a younger sibling of Isaac's.
Isaac (2012) only had two siblings at Melbourne Zoo to my knowledge - Kulungu (2010) and Madiba (2013). His mother died in 2015 and there’s no mention of her giving birth that year (which is the earliest we could have expected her next calf).
I can’t find any mention of Rambo being older, so I’m actually wondering if he’s this bull, who was born to Nambala:
1.0 D1/06 (M)
Born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo 26/10/2006
Sent to Monarto Zoo 14/09/2007
Still at Monarto Zoo 31/12/2012
I likewise thought Rambo was the male born in 2006 to Nambala at TWPZ. However, I found a reference on the forum to Rambo arriving at Monarto in 2017, which would preclude him from being the male sent to Monarto before his first birthday in 2007. I then found another Facebook post which identified a male named Rafiki as being integrated with Isaac as of 2015.
Therefore, I'm currently of the view that the male named Rafiki is the male born 2006, and he must have died sometime between the 2015 post and the arrival of Rambo in late 2016 or Jan 2017. So, who is Rambo? Well, it's more than likely he was Australian-born (imports still required quarantine in NZ at that stage).
Most of the breeding females are accounted for; ie, there's little hope for them to have produced a mystery calf, and bongo births are generally pretty well-reported anyway. I'm happy to hear if anyone has any more information, but I'm currently of the view that Rambo is Tambo, the male born to Djembe at Taronga in 2013 and transferred to Dubbo in 2015.
I likewise thought Rambo was the male born in 2006 to Nambala at TWPZ. However, I found a reference on the forum to Rambo arriving at Monarto in 2017, which would preclude him from being the male sent to Monarto before his first birthday in 2007. I then found another Facebook post which identified a male named Rafiki as being integrated with Isaac as of 2015.
Therefore, I'm currently of the view that the male named Rafiki is the male born 2006, and he must have died sometime between the 2015 post and the arrival of Rambo in late 2016 or Jan 2017. So, who is Rambo? Well, it's more than likely he was Australian-born (imports still required quarantine in NZ at that stage).
Most of the breeding females are accounted for; ie, there's little hope for them to have produced a mystery calf, and bongo births are generally pretty well-reported anyway. I'm happy to hear if anyone has any more information, but I'm currently of the view that Rambo is Tambo, the male born to Djembe at Taronga in 2013 and transferred to Dubbo in 2015.
That sounds likely. Both young bulls were of a similar age - Tambo born 2013 and Issac born a year earlier in 2012; as well as being surplus to the regional breeding programme.
I would also agree he was Australian born as the region has a succession of male births and though increased genetic diversity is never a bad thing, demographically, what we needed was females - such as the one we imported from Singapore (Maisha).
The bull Monarto received from Dubbo was alive in 2012, but therefore appears to have died in the following years (or post 2015 assuming he was Rafiki) as he doesn’t seem to have been transferred elsewhere.
That sounds likely. Both young bulls were of a similar age - Tambo born 2013 and Issac born a year earlier in 2012; as well as being surplus to the regional breeding programme.
I would also agree he was Australian born as the region has a succession of male births and though increased genetic diversity is never a bad thing, demographically, what we needed was females - such as the one we imported from Singapore (Maisha).
The bull Monarto received from Dubbo was alive in 2012, but therefore appears to have died in the following years (or post 2015 assuming he was Rafiki) as he doesn’t seem to have been transferred elsewhere.
Yeah, Tambo fits the other particulars of being likely younger than Isaac. He was originally transferred to Dubbo for companionship for Kulungu, which would have been less necessary once the breeding program transferred back to TWPZ. The similarity of the names also stood out to me - if Tambo was a particularly bullish bull, he may have been nicknamed Rambo and it stuck.
Yeah, Tambo fits the other particulars of being likely younger than Isaac. He was originally transferred to Dubbo for companionship for Kulungu, which would have been less necessary once the breeding program transferred back to TWPZ. The similarity of the names also stood out to me - if Tambo was a particularly bullish bull, he may have been nicknamed Rambo and it stuck.
In addition, Tambo, which means ‘vigorous’, was the name of a zebra colt born 2010 at Dubbo. They may have renamed him for that reason by changing the first letter of his name. They were both ungulates and likely shared keepers.
