is it as much a case of 'dumping' unwanted animals or is this the role Mogo is opting to play as part of the regional zoo community? as much asTaronga and Melbourne are sledged, they are one of the few zoos with the money behind them to keep regional breeding program ticking along by way of importing new animals and new bloodlines. in the last couple of years, between them 3 new snow leopards have been imported, red pandas, several sumatran tigers and numerous primates, as well as elephants of course.
just as was discussed on the thread about displaying jaguars, every member of the ARAZPA community has their own role to play. in the case of Omaha and Prafula the ex-Taronga leopards, being sent to Mogo did result eventually in two new bloodlines for the region and two new cubs. had Mogo not been willing to participate, this species might have fizzled down to critically low numbers.
there are certain perks to helping big zoos. sure you do get their older animals, but you also get access to animals, a big and fundamental plus. you also get to play a more significant role in ex-situ breeding programs, establish professional dialogue and who knows, maybe in the future play an even bigger role in programs.