Another baby chimp has been born at the zoo.
It's a girl!: Maryland Zoo welcomes newborn baby chimpanzee
It's a girl!: Maryland Zoo welcomes newborn baby chimpanzee
The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore Maryland Zoo News 2020
- Thread starter SharkFinatic
- Start date
The baby girl has been named ‘Violet’. The name was chosen with the help of the front-office staff of the Baltimore Ravens football team
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/02/18/baby-chimp-maryland-zoo-gets-name/
Yi Qi
Well-Known Member
A female Hammerkop has died, just days after building a nest with her mate.
Female African Bird At Maryland Zoo Dies Unexpectedly
Female African Bird At Maryland Zoo Dies Unexpectedly
A female Hammerkop has died, just days after building a nest with her mate.
Female African Bird At Maryland Zoo Dies Unexpectedly
This makes me pretty sad, they're my favorites in that aviary
2.2 (males Tuffy and Samson, females Anna and Felix). Samson is Felix's son
Elephantelephant
Well-Known Member
bulls: Tuffy- born 1983, Samson- born 19.3.2008, mother: Lil Felix, father: Willie
cows: Lil Felix- born 1983, Anna- 1975
Any chance that the zoo might re-breed their African elephants?
Elephantelephant
Well-Known Member
I don't know, but I think not. Lil Felix is already 37 years old and if she got pregnant this year, she would have a calf at 39 years old.(This rarely happens in African elephants in zoos.) In addition, Tuffy has no offspring yet.. In 2017, after a long effort, he mated with Lil Felix, but without success. I think the only option that still gives some hope is AI, but I also doubt it. Rather, after the death of Anna, the zoo might try to get young cows that Samson could breed. Anna is 45 years old cow. That should be their plan after her death. Lil Felix could become the matriarch of young cows.
They are still trying to breed Felix and would like her and Tuffy to share the same yard for natural breeding. But due to his history and his size compared to her, it's a long process.
There were plans to import 28 elephants from Zimbabwe. Pittsburgh sponsored the import permit and would have given three females each to Kansas City, Maryland, Memphis, and six to Elephant Conservation Center in Virginia. Pitt would keep the rest at their off-site facility in Somerset Co. Every zoo eventually dropped out of the permit, so MD Zoo currently has no plans for more elephants at the moment.
That really is too bad.
I would sincerely hope they all reconsider! If you look at African reserves where elephant numbers are unsustainably high, it is either culling or translocation (where the latter is a far costlier exercise and would entail either up-country moving or trans-national). I say ... to the Dark Netherworlds with these so-called Animal Lib "fluffies" with zilch cluesnor any concept vision of the realities on the ground in elephant country in Africa where "untouched" and pristine wilderness -also - no longer exist and people kill, maim and poison wildlife and notably elephants too. As it is a myth that no longer exists we have to deal with human-wildlife conflicts all the time and chose the best available options. So, please Pittsburgh Zoo et al re-apply that permit, it makes sense and it will be saving African savannah elephant from a sterile cull. All the above and the value of ex situ captive breeding and assurance colonies can be the rationale for that new import.
It wasnt the zoos pulling out, there was pressure from a certain zoological organization that put the kibosh on it. Pittsburgh was still going to push forward with it, possibly opening another location, but had to cancel due to the CITES conference basically deciding that elephants should not be exported from Zimbabwe and Botswana unless its extraordinary circumstances.
OK, but in CITES it was pressure groups liaised with the anti zoo movement that promulgated the elephant export bans and thus more or less confronted range states like Botswana and Zimbabwe to cull / kill wild elephants in areas where they are absolutely depleting the range (and where the reality on the ground is that elephants can no longer migrate between all areas and in all hours as mankind is preventing them from moving with all kinds of obstacles like ranch fences, small holder farms on former natural migration routes).
I really do fail to see how that is supposed to conserve elephants in the wild. First and foremost there has always been an exemption for captive-breeding purposes and ex situ conservation management, so it is an absolute no-brainer what some pressure groups have enabled CITES COP18 to become. I find that document typical of a cohorte of our kind that is in denial on wildlife management and actual conservation of species.
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How old is Tuffy? Is he too old to breed? And will Samson stay at the zoo forever since he is now 11 years old?
Tuffy is approximately 37, as he is wild-born. So he isn't '"too old to breed", my guess is Tuffy is either sterile or inexperienced. As for Samson, he is only 11, young bulls can leave their herd anywhere from ages 8 or so to 14. And with that, the Maryland Zoo only has 4 elephants, I'm sure they are not in any rush to ship one-off, it's doesn't look like they don't have enough room for him. Samson will most likely either move in the relatively near future, likely to a bachelor herd, either that or the Maryland Zoo obtains more females, and Samson is used as the breeding bull due to Tuffy's incompetence.
Sampson is owned outright by MD Zoo and they will not depart with him. The zoo will try to acquire some breeding females to start a new herd. Part of the expansion created two bull quarters, one on other end of the building and cow holding in between.
Jungle Man
Well-Known Member
Trumpeter Swans born at the zoo:
This is the fifth clutch laid by the pair at the zoo.
Here is the complete article:
Three new trumpeter swans hatch at The Maryland Zoo
This is the fifth clutch laid by the pair at the zoo.
Here is the complete article:
Three new trumpeter swans hatch at The Maryland Zoo