Bristol Zoo (Closed) Little Blue Penguins at Bristol

I suppose it is more or less realistic to suspect that Australian authorities are quite happy for the Koeln Zoo to become the satellite breeding institution in Europe with Bristol Zoo just a surplus holding facility. The aim is to increase the number of birds in captivity as an insurance against catastrophe.

Perhaps are esteemed Aussie brethren and gals can give us some insights into Australian little blue penguin management .... ;)
 
Apart for little blues, I believe the only other penguins in Australian zoos are three(?) rescued beach-wrecked Fiordland cresteds at Taronga; and the new gentoos and kings at the Melbourne Aquarium.

In NZ zoos the only species are little blues (at Auckland Zoo, Napier Marineland, and Antarctic Centre in Chch) and the kings and gentoos at Kelly Tarlton's.

I doubt little blues would breed successfully (certainly not over the long term) if housed along with larger penguin species. In the wild the only place they occur alongside other penguins is in NZ where they live in the same areas as yellow-eyed and Fiordland crested penguins. However they have very different behaviours. The two larger species breed in coastal forest under shrubs. The little blues breed and live in burrows; they normally spend all day at sea fishing and come back to shore at night, whereupon they head straight to their burrows. There would be very little interaction between the species even when nesting in the same areas of forest. In captivity (from what I've seen) little blues tend to just sit around on the land because they have no need to fish for food, which would thus bring them into constant contact with any larger and probably more-aggressive penguin species they may be housed with.
 
I remember a paper in IZY relating to little blues at Taronga I believe. They had assembled a nice colony of birds and kept them well away from other penguins. They maintain that they are want for stress and are best kept separate at all times. Besides their peculiar habitats and eco-lifestyle does not enable them to be housed with other penguins.

I must dig it up some time ... :D
 
If kept with any species blues are occasionally housed with terns, stilts and other non-threatening species.
 
We do indeed have two Little penguins at Bristol Zoo. Our previous female (the one survivor of the ten we imported from perth, which did not die of Aspergillosis by the way) left for Koln as they were male heavy in their group and we now have two males. The female spent very little time in the water but the males are in the pool for much of the day. We were told they had always been hand fed whilst they were in the water with the keeper on the waters edge but they now feed exclusively in the water. The Little penguins have absolutely no problems living with the African penguins. The two species feed together in the pool and spend time on the beaches together. the African penguins are currently nesting and allow the little penguins to come close to their nests. We have had no aggression between the species. The two males are obviously not in a breeding situation but I don't feel there would be issues between the species as the enclosure is big enough to sustain both.
Kate
 
The presentation on Zoolex for seal and penguin coasts is one of my favorite and it does look like a great habitat.
 
KateA said:
We do indeed have two Little penguins at Bristol Zoo.

Thanks for that Kate,and everyone else who confirmed this. I will keep a look out the next time I am down in Bristol! I've never seen this species before.:)
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top