Is it like your favourite species then? Which would be what? Because many crocodilians look somewhat similar!
Sorry couldn't resist poking fun at this ubiquitous piece of "youth" language...at least you didn't say they are "awesome"!
Dallas World Aquarium Is Dallas World Aquarium worth it??
- Thread starter Phantom Gaur
- Start date
Is it like your favourite species then? Which would be what? Because many crocodilians look somewhat similar!
Sorry couldn't resist poking fun at this ubiquitous piece of "youth" language...at least you didn't say they are "awesome"!
Interestingly I met the owner of the Croc Zoo at Eskilstrup recently, and he is of the opinion that the Orinoco Crocodile might NEVER have been in European zoos before(a big statement I cant agree with.. Berlin used to have one labelled for starters).His females have come from DWA. The crocodile zoo in the Czech Republic might have them now as well.
Oh..and of course,St Augustine have them.The only place in the world that has all the currently recognised crocodilian species besides Eskilstrup..but that's for now,big taxonomic changes are due or are already in place according to some.
Last edited:
San Antonio Zoo has some as well. (SA Zoo has a pretty great collection of crocs and gators) It's where I first saw them.
sooty mangabey
Well-Known Member
This article makes the Dallas World Aquarium sound like a wonderful place!
I love the description of the mob who wanted to protect the pygmy sloths - and so tried to overturn the van in which they were being transported. That'd help them!
If I wanted to say it was similar to my favorite species, I would've said "It is like my favorite species", but without the comma. So I guess this is your Valley Girl Grammar lesson for today.
AverageWalrus
Well-Known Member
Thats like saying "Johnny, your stuck ontop of that 80 foot tall bridge! Jump off to get down!"
a Zoochat thread from the time, about the pigmy sloth debacle: http://www.zoochat.com/65/pygmy-sloth-exporting-337604/
Dallas world aquarium
visited this place in October 2013. Was very impressed and it has much more than fish. I would consider it a combination zoo/aquarium. Walking along the path that starts at top and winds down to the bottom was pretty cool. Reminded me of a smaller version of the Lied Jungle at Omaha Zoo. Of course I will the jaguar exhibit was larger as well as for the giant otters and crocs but overall I was impressed.
There was recently an article about the owner of the DWA which was quite concerning over the mistreatment of animals and his way of conducting business. It will be interesting to see how this is handled.
visited this place in October 2013. Was very impressed and it has much more than fish. I would consider it a combination zoo/aquarium. Walking along the path that starts at top and winds down to the bottom was pretty cool. Reminded me of a smaller version of the Lied Jungle at Omaha Zoo. Of course I will the jaguar exhibit was larger as well as for the giant otters and crocs but overall I was impressed.
There was recently an article about the owner of the DWA which was quite concerning over the mistreatment of animals and his way of conducting business. It will be interesting to see how this is handled.
This place has manatees, right? Their website is kind of annoying to navigate.
AverageWalrus
Well-Known Member
yeah, im pretty sure they are (I think they are either Amazonians or West Indians)
You should see their signage. Touch screens (with rotating images) in all directions...ugh.
I like how many of their species profiles have statistics on breeding and captive populations. I wish more zoological facilities would post information like that.
They are the only North American institution to keep three-toed sloths (or sloth... I think there's only one). They are difficult to keep in captivity, are common in the wild, and many zoos already keep two-toed sloths, so there's not really a demand for them. DWA sure likes to advertise it, though.
They are the only North American institution to keep three-toed sloths (or sloth... I think there's only one). They are difficult to keep in captivity, are common in the wild, and many zoos already keep two-toed sloths, so there's not really a demand for them. DWA sure likes to advertise it, though.
West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus).
As far as I know, the only Amazonian manatee outside of South America is kept at Atagawa Tropical & Alligator Garden (Japan).
@Coelacanth18: Has there ever been a "demand" for any sloths?
Given the popularity of three-toed sloths in the public (think of all the "OMG how cute" videos, memes, plush toys, The Croods merchandise of "Belt" etc.), DWA seems to address a market gap, explaining its advertisement. And learning how to keep difficult species alive in captivity might be beneficial in worst-case scenarios when ex-situ husbandry might be the only option left. Pangolins might be such an example.
I agree Batto. I like that the DWA is trying to help pave the way for other facilities to one day keep them. The maned three-toed sloth is endangered, so learning how to maintain the pale-throated species in captivity could turn out to be very beneficial. And great example... I love pangolins!
I just meant that they are difficult to care for in captivity, and outside of the DWA there isn't much of a push to establish a captive breeding population. In fact, the 2009 Regional Collection Plan published by the AZA Pangolin, Aardvark, and Xenarthran Taxon Advisory Group recommends phasing them out. Quote from the report:
"At the time of the 2007 Space Survey there were three additional species reported in respondents’ collections that have been
designated as Phase Out species. These are the Pale-throated sloth, Bradypus tridactylus (1.0 in 1 institution), Hairy armadillo
Chaetophractus villosus (2.1.0 in 2 institutions), and Mexican tamandua, Tamandua mexicana (2.1.1 in 2 institutions). Given the
very small current holdings (and implicit limitations of founder base), lack of interest by other survey respondents, and similarity to
other managed species (for which genetically and demographically viable populations can be established), each has allocated a target
population of zero." (p. 31)
I read the article today and had very mixed feelings.
I'm open to the idea Dallas World Aquarium is mistreating animals - I've barely heard of it before, because I've mostly used this site to keep track of nearby facilities and general trends - but I don't think the article makes as effective a case as it could, since it only contains a list of deaths, with no real details as to why/how they occurred and how/why they could have been preventable. Calling it a "shocking expose" feels like overkill in that respect. It's completely possible these WERE preventable deaths, but then the article should discuss it.
On the opposite hand, the story of a keeper being sexually assaulted on zoo grounds is deeply troubling to me for a variety of reasons. That, to me, reflects more poorly on the facility than anything the article discusses related to the wildlife.
I'm open to the idea Dallas World Aquarium is mistreating animals - I've barely heard of it before, because I've mostly used this site to keep track of nearby facilities and general trends - but I don't think the article makes as effective a case as it could, since it only contains a list of deaths, with no real details as to why/how they occurred and how/why they could have been preventable. Calling it a "shocking expose" feels like overkill in that respect. It's completely possible these WERE preventable deaths, but then the article should discuss it.
On the opposite hand, the story of a keeper being sexually assaulted on zoo grounds is deeply troubling to me for a variety of reasons. That, to me, reflects more poorly on the facility than anything the article discusses related to the wildlife.