Gotcha!
So we are breeding "in case" are we? Thats convenient isnt it!
I'm sorry, I was simply referring to the conservation status of polar bears, and am not making any comment over any breeding program, if one exists. You seemed to be taking the strategy of global warming deniers, who see any slight improvement as signs that all is well.
Which has the better breeding success?
Howletts, by far.
No, we go from not breeding animals that dont need to be bred, to concentrating on those that do need to be bred, simple really.
It is simple, and I agree. However nothing is that simple, and there is a lot of work behind running a proper breeding program. But I have a couple of problems with your attitude, which is extremely simplistic. Firstly you cast a wide net, without apparent thought. You claim "wallabies" shouldn't be kept, without recognising that "wallabies" encompasses a large Family of animals, including some of the most endangered species on earth.
Secondly why shouldn't zoos in Britain exhibit a common species of wallaby, if that is all that is available to them. Surely it is important for zoo visitors to gain some understanding of macropods and marsupials in general?
But not every zoo can be a Jersey, and there are other ways of furthering conservation. For instance I visited Drusillas(sp?) ten years ago. This is a small zoo that has no pretensions, aiming their marketing squarely at the child market. No great programs for endangered species here. But as I walked around there was a definite effort to educate me about conservation. Further there were several donation collection points for various conservation programs around the world. That zoo was doing a lot for conservation, without claiming any involvement in conservation breeding.
If a subordinate Wolf breeds then its a classic example of that group being totally UNnatural, the worst possible situation for a Wolf pack. I emailed Whipsnade about the Wolf, and recieved no reply, this is commonplace here, likewise my questions about Dudley went unanswered and others have said the same too, if its a question they would sooner avoid, they do!
Once again you are wrong. Subordinate males frequently breed in social groups, in almost all species. In fact canines are particularly adapted to achieve this, with litters able to have multiple fathers.
But I am sorry you did not receive a reply. Maybe they are avoiding it. Or maybe they are tired of trying to reply to people with an agenda to pursue, who are unwilling to take reasonable answers at face value.
Rhubarb! What rubbish, the reason we SEE dogs that have health issues is that we keep them as PETS! In the wild these animals wouldnt survive, like that Wolf, his jaw is so undershot it would have difficulty eating properly and may suffer as a result, more so, dominance situations would leave it helpless, in an artifical environment, prospective animals that may cause problems are removed, this Wolf will breed on if it is indeed the alpha, and its genetic problems will surface at some point. Less of the ignorance please, if you did know anything about Wolf pack hierarchy your ignorance would not be demonstrated here.
Again you display your ignorance with an insult. GENETIC faults and diseases appear so often in pedigree dogs because the genetic pool from which they are bred is so limited. And the pool is constantly reduced by an insistence that the next generation only be bred from a small pool of "Champions" selected on a very limited set of artificial criteria.
As for your wolf, it is entirely up to the managers of that captive group as to which animal breeds and which doesn't. I would hope if they are breeding from that wolf, there is a very good reason. Of course nobody would release an animal like that. But if it's progeny were released, any wild offspring that did express that fault would quickly die. That is natural selection at work.
As for my expertise with wolves, I have been managing a group of dingos for the last 10 years.
The problem I have with your posts is that you have no clear knowledge of what I have seen and KNOW to go on, what are your thoughts on constantly breeding white Tigers? Conservation? NO WAY! MONEY!! Its strange to read that Craig Busch breeds "mutants" and "freaks" yet when I mention the breeding of animals for colour, its largely ignored, why is that? Are white Tigers here, different to there? White Wallabies too, not mentioned, see my anger and frustration at people who support these places and see no wrong doing?
My opinion of white tigers and white wallabies is much the same as my opinion of white rabbits and white poodles. They have no place in the modern zoo. White tigers in western zoos in particular are highly inbred, and also are often hybrids between different subspecies.
Having said that I note a recent thread on a professional zoo list discussing this issue, in which it was claimed that white Bengal tigers are far more common in the wild in India that previously thought (much as black leopards are very common in South-east Asia) and that it is legitimate to include them in breeding programs in Indian zoos. I don't know enough about it to comment, but it does demonstrate the importance of keeping an open mind on these issues.
Michael
