Wildheart Animal Sanctuary Isle of Wight zoo - esp. tigers

I noticed the other day on wikipedia about a reintroduction of a tiger from Twycross zoo to India in the 1970s. Interestingly, the population of the national park she was released in now have certain phenotypical features of Amur tigers. I didn't realise we'd (or more specifically, Twycross) already done some damage with the old dodgy 'bengals'....:

"Tara, a hand-reared supposedly Bengal tigress acquired from Twycross Zoo in England in July 1976 was trained by Billy Arjan Singh and reintroduced to the wild in Dudhwa National Park, India with the permission of India’s then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in an attempt to prove the experts wrong that zoo bred hand reared Tigers can ever be released in the wild with success. In the 1990s, some tigers from Dhudhwa were observed which had the typical appearance of Siberian tigers: white complexion, pale fur, large head and wide stripes. With recent advances in science it was subsequently found that Siberian Tigers genes have polluted the otherwise pure Bengal Tiger gene pool of Dudhwa National Park. It was proved later that Twycross Zoo had been irresponsible and maintained no breeding records and had given India a hybrid Siberian-Bengal Tigress instead, although at the time, and taking into account information received regarding all of the tigers kept at Twycross Zoo, it was believed that Tara was a pure Bengal tiger at that time. Dudhwa tigers constitute about 1% of India's total wild population, but the possibility exists of this genetic pollution spreading to other tiger groups, at its worst, this could jeopardize the Bengal tiger as a distinct subspecies"
 
Pertinax said:
johnstoni;44281 In the 1990s said:
They thought that Tara had died without having bred- but it appears that she did...
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Both sad-mad and uplifting-encouraging at the same time.

Sad-mad :mad:
This testifies that good zoos should accurately maintain pedigrees and studbooks of each taxon in their care.

Uplifting-encouraging :p
This testifies that reintroduction of captive carnivores is possible under careful scientific guidance and monitoring. They can be made to hunt and breed once more.

The only but in the latter is the maintenance of genetically intact, healthy and pure-bred subspecific captive taxa.

All those on this and other threads who even dare to okay oncemore the breeding of intraspecific or interspecific hybrids must now leave the center stage and for ever more ...... hold their tongue. :D


The net result on this Bengal-Siberian tiger outing at Dudhwa is that all tigers in the reserve of suspect genetic background should be taken out of the breeding population or 'euthanised'.
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Pertinax said:
1. JAF has no purebred Indian tigers. When they started breeding tigers in the 1950/60's there were no studbooks or recognition of the need to retain racial purity. Some of their founder animals were mixed race. I believe their policy now is to phase out the impure Indian tigers(as they died off) in favour of the known- pure Siberians, and also Sumatrans( recently aquired by Howletts) too.

2. Am I still right in believing no pure Indian tigers exist in captivity outside of India? I have not seen a pure Indian tiger(apart from in India...) in a zoo for near on thirty years I think. The last ones I saw were probably the white ones(plus a normal) at Bristol Zoo in the 1970's.

3. I'd be interested to hear too if there was any plan to resurrect the keeping and breeding of Indian tigers in Europe...
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Pertinax,

You will be happy to hear that the zoo in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India has been designated as Regional Species Coordinator as well as Studbook Keeper for the Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris. The current pure-bred stock in India is in the order of 250 individuals.

On question 2. I could not vouch for any Bengal tiger's pure-bred credentials. It is the Asian lion complex par excellence that plagued Europe in the late 1980's I am afraid. If we do wish to resurrect the subspecies as an off-shoot to the Indian zoos Species Programme (which I doubt the Tiger EEP management authorities will do), we need first to get rid of all these 'hybrid' and white tigers in zoos and safari parks in Europe.

Personally, I feel an institution can not be termed a good zoo or safari park if they maintain and breed these tigers with the express purpose of bringing in tourist dollar. It is a substantially outdated mode to present wild animals in captivity and testament to a "run out of any ideas" concept in some zoo quarters. I feel there are better and more imaginative methods for accessing visitor interest in faunal and floral taxa exhibitted in zoos (this not just goes for mega fauna like tigers and elephants, but also for Schneider's skinks or Nelson alpine weta) and showing why biodiversity, conservation, education and environmental action matter in this day and age. ;)
 
jelle said:
Pertinax,

You will be happy to hear that the zoo in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in India has been designated as Regional Species Coordinator as well as Studbook Keeper for the Bengal tiger Panthera tigris tigris. The current pure-bred stock in India is in the order of 250 individuals.

On question 2. I could not vouch for any Bengal tiger's pure-bred credentials. It is the Asian lion complex par excellence that plagued Europe in the late 1980's I am afraid. If we do wish to resurrect the subspecies as an off-shoot to the Indian zoos Species Programme (which I doubt the Tiger EEP management authorities will do), we need first to get rid of all these 'hybrid' and white tigers in zoos and safari parks in Europe.

Personally, I feel an institution can not be termed a good zoo or safari park if they maintain and breed these tigers with the express purpose of bringing in tourist dollar. It is a substantially outdated mode to present wild animals in captivity and testament to a "run out of any ideas" concept in some zoo quarters. I feel there are better and more imaginative methods for accessing visitor interest in faunal and floral taxa exhibitted in zoos (this not just goes for mega fauna like tigers and elephants, but also for Schneider's skinks or Nelson alpine weta) and showing why biodiversity, conservation, education and environmental action matter in this day and age. ;)
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Well, it kind of is up to India and that particular state. Maybe they don't want to euthanase or sterilize all those wild tigers. If they do, then Twycross should be footing the cost, for the genetic pollution they have caused.

That's fantastic that an Indian zoo is coordinating a pure bengal breeding programme. That's exactly how it should be. Maybe they will ask EAZA to participate, mabye not, but it will be up to them to steward this as they see fit. I think the current lack of breeding generic tigers in the UK right now is wholly appropriate, and space will gradually become available for pure subspecies as older animals die out, eg Longleat. Be aware of how little space we really have, though. There aren't that many spare large cat enclosures going spare in this country. What bothers me more is the breeding of generic african lions. This hasn't stopped, and I don't understand what the difference is. The absence of subspecific EEPs for them? Remember many breeding programmes for low captive populations often take the decision to combine all the subspecific individuals and breed a generic population to maintain genetic diversity.

I think there is a definite distinction to be made between 'maintaining' and 'breeding' generic tigers. ALL captive tigers are of great conservation value, as they tell a story when put in the right context, which is why the IOW zoo is so progressive in this respect. But it is absolutely right that one of the UK zoos doing the most for tigers in India is also preventing their own animals from breeding.

The reality is that zoos here do their market research and build exhibits to make people visit them. The conservation needs of squirrel monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, butterflies, etc are not why walk-through exhibits for these animals are springing up all around the UK. There is little difference between this and a zoo keeping white tigers, apart from that there isn't a case for breeding from the tigers. If you tell a conservation story, you can make any exhibit into something meaningful. I agree with you, though, I'd LOVE to see zoo's with microlabs showing plankton or fungi or bacteria, or earthworm ecology, or exhibits for little-known reptiles or small mammals. They could be braver, but they aren't, for now, most of the time.
 
Well said Pertinax. I think we follow a similar school of thought really. I also agree that I do not understand the current policy of breeding generic lions, whilst most zoos are now fully aware of the creeping crisis waiting to happen in wild lion subspecies in Africa. It is high time breeding of generic lions was stopped in favour of establishing groups of pure-bred African lion subspecies. Zoos could even assist in rehousing African lions from reserves where these are termed "problem animals" for breeding. I can think of breeding programmes for West Africans, Somali-Sudan, Angolan and East African lion subspecies being started.

Same holds true for maintaining small populations of endangered species. Currently, the policy is not to incorporate individuals of endangered species confiscated in range countries into captive-breeding programmes (in order not to be seen to support the illegal wildlife trade). Most of the time these individuals can no longer be released to the wild and are left to rot in overcrowded rehabilitation centers.

If only zoos would invest in upgrading facilities and fund release and monitoring schemes in situ in exchange for new founders for endangered species breeding programmes. MoU's with country of origin that some offspring may be relocated to their country of origin eventually when reintroduction is a realistic option in sufficiently sized protected areas. What is the harm in that ...???

Perhaps we need a new breed of brave zoo directors and curators who are able to communicate these complex messages to the public and make a stand to fund in situ conservation programmes big time!?
 
South China Tiger

Not sure if this has been mentioned in this thread already but I visited this collection in around 2000 and it was still quite run-down then (although improving).

There were numerous hybrid tigers (many from the Aspinall collections) along with Tabby tigers and a single white.

The big draw for me though was that they were claiming to hold the only South China tiger outside China. While this animal was pretty certainly also a hybrid it did have some of the features of this sub-species....

Does anyone else remember this animal? I remember there was a sign with an 'explanation' as to how this tiger happened to be at the IOW zoo but I have forgotten it....
 
Re South China Tiger

I also visited in around 2004 and remember this tiger (I am sure it was a female). At the keepers talk I am fairly sure they said it was 1/8 South Chinese.

Unfortunately I do not rememder any more apart from it was housed on the right hand side of the zoo.
 
IOW zoo enclosures, etc

I hope these may be of interest (apols for bumping old thread, & for some low picture quality)! The enclosures are indeed based on photos from actual visited locations (Ranthambhore is more generic). The zoo now supports Kudremukh National Park via Global Tiger Patrol & Ullas Karanth, btw, as well as an agro-station in Madagascar to help locals farm in a more efficient & eco-friendly way.

YouTube - Tiger Island series 2 trailer, Isle of Wight Zoo

YouTube - Isle of Wight Zoo - 'Kanha' Enclosure

YouTube - Isle of Wight Zoo - 'Ranthambore' & 'Pench' Enclosures
 
Rajiv (formerley known as Rambo) moved into Pench late july 2008 and he now alternates between Pench & Ranthambhore (the pool enclosure) on a daily basis with Diamond & Aysha who were formerly just in Ranthambhore. Rajiv is the ex-circus tiger (siberian/bengal mix) rescued via a very small sanctuary in Florida - he seems to love his new home and has been on a steep learning curve with lots of new stuff to take in (and the pool was a big surprise when he first went in)!
 
Reading this forum brings to mind the way newquay zoo only exhibits retiring generic african lions, almost spares. from watching "Tiger island" on the tv i think some of the tiger enclosures are amazing and the lion and jaguar enclosures are Okay. i wholly agree with the non breeding of cross subspecies so long as there are still puresubspecies left available. after all mixed animals are better than no animals, ie if there were no pure bengals left to breed from, then i'd be quite happy to breeding from mixed bengals. :)
 
The Jag enclosures are being revamped at the moment incidentally. It will also mean that the 2 girl jags will be able to swap enclosures each day. The revamped lion enclosure seems to work very well, there is certainly huge enrichment potential built in (including the land rover glimpsed in my video). The ultimate aim with the tigers is to have 5 new enclosures, all linked, so they can swap around where appropriate. At the moment there is space for all the cats to go out each day, and most in the older enclosures get to move around for variety. The 'phase 2' tiger enclosure (now phase 4 I guess) was started but put on hold due to lack of funds / prudence in the current economic climate. The ultimate long-term aim is to breed tigers again, but a conscious decision was taken a few years ago to bring the zoo to a higher standard and act as a sanctuary on the big cat side in the meantime. The zoo is however breeding smaller species such as Madagascan Jumping Rats, various Lemurs, Frogs etc. :)-
 
the lemur collection is alot beter now, what species do they have currently

why arent they keeping the two jaguars together?
 
Lemur species are Ringtail, Mongoose, Black & White Ruffed, Black, White-fronted Brown and Pygmy Mouse / Dwarf [?] (just arrived in quarantine so not quite sure). All except the Ringtails (for the moment) will be bred to my knowledge, hopefully.

There were plans to integrate the 2 jags but the thought is they are probably too old now and it might do more harm than good. Both are rescue cats from difficult backgrounds, and Tequila is still very rough around the edges although she's a lovely playful cat most of the time.
 
that sounds about right, why have they stopped breeding ringtails?

i always thought the jaguars lived together, thanks for that!

when are the next two tiger enclosures due to be built?
 
With the ringtails it's basically a case of not wanting to upset the good group dynamic they have at the moment - I guess in time they'll start breeding again, but for now I think they want to consolidate the group after a few social changes in recent years.

New Tiger enclosures - the zoo has to raise the money before embarking, especially in the current economic climate, but the management do want to crack on and not leave it indefinitely. The foundations have been dug for the biggest development with a planned conference room, but there are drainage problems which complicated matters. Meanwhile the lemur enclosures are being improved with new wire roofs to let them climb with more freedom, and a petting zoo area is being added.
 
Panthera Puss said:
Lemur species are Ringtail, Mongoose, Black & White Ruffed, Black, White-fronted Brown and Pygmy Mouse / Dwarf [?] (just arrived in quarantine so not quite sure). All except the Ringtails (for the moment) will be bred to my knowledge, hopefully.

There were plans to integrate the 2 jags but the thought is they are probably too old now and it might do more harm than good. Both are rescue cats from difficult backgrounds, and Tequila is still very rough around the edges although she's a lovely playful cat most of the time.
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Good news about the mouse/dwarf lemurs; I only know of Marwell and Blackpool keeping any of the really tiny lemurs, so I'm pleased that IOW have got some. But I know Jack Corney's daughter is a lemur fanatic, so it's not too surprising that the collection is growing.
 
where will the petting zoo be? its great to see the zoo finally getting a grip and improving from the slum it used to be...
 
Sand Cat said:
Good news about the mouse/dwarf lemurs; I only know of Marwell and Blackpool keeping any of the really tiny lemurs, so I'm pleased that IOW have got some. But I know Jack Corney's daughter is a lemur fanatic, so it's not too surprising that the collection is growing.
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sorry to but in, Bristol also house nouse lemurs (according to their website) :)
 
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