Highland Wildlife Park New arrivals at the HWP

So what was the deal with their old wolf pack being called 'Mackenzie River Wolves', if they were hybrids? They should have made that clear. I was appalled that they euthanased their wolf pack. I don't think any group dynamic is beyond repair or alternative intervention.
 
johnstoni said:
So what was the deal with their old wolf pack being called 'Mackenzie River Wolves', if they were hybrids? They should have made that clear. I was appalled that they euthanased their wolf pack. I don't think any group dynamic is beyond repair or alternative intervention.
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I believe that many/most Canadian timber wolves in this country are referred to as Mackenzie River type. I presume that this river is in Canada, but I am not sure what makes it a particular subspecies. Wolves do have a habit of being oversplit into various types, often on political lines (ie. Carpathian, Iberian and Scandinavian populations of Canis lupus lupus).

I agree that HWP should not have culled their hybrid pack on such tenuous reasons, however I do know how difficult it is to relocate unwanted wolves in the UK from personal experience. You might be shocked about how many zoos do cull unwanted stock.
 
I am not, in fact I realise it occurs when certain individuals are driven out or lose their status. What was senseless, in all it's eugenically disgusting glory, was for the park to euthanase a pack of wolves, only to replace them with.....a pack of wolves. I don't think the entire group were a lost cause, they just needed to change the dynamic and if certain individuals were impossible to rehouse, so be it, but that's not the same as doing away with the whole group.
 
tetrapod said:
I believe that many/most Canadian timber wolves in this country are referred to as Mackenzie River type. I presume that this river is in Canada, but I am not sure what makes it a particular subspecies. Wolves do have a habit of being oversplit into various types, often on political lines (ie. Carpathian, Iberian and Scandinavian populations of Canis lupus lupus).

I agree that HWP should not have culled their hybrid pack on such tenuous reasons, however I do know how difficult it is to relocate unwanted wolves in the UK from personal experience. You might be shocked about how many zoos do cull unwanted stock.
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Here's where we disagree fundamentally; European wolf species are far from over-split. There is a real distinction between both the Iberian and central European and Scandinavian wolf populations - both genetically and taxonomically - validating a subdivision into various subspecies.

Secondly, it is fundamental that zoos preserve a taxon closest to their wild counterparts. Hence, we should by all means abstain from holding known hybrids in conservation minded zoos. If not, we end up with undesirable situations like with generic lions, tigers, hippos et al.

Where I do agree with you is that we should adopt a conservative attitude and not over-hastily make management decisions on our hybrids without proper consultation of the relevant taxonomist and geneticist experts in the zoological family fields. An example being the various East-Asian gibbon species where NATURAL hybridisation does occur. However, even in these instances I would advocate a rigorous policy of separating the identified subspecies and - when in doubt - consult the relevant IUCN/WWF specialist groups for guidance before proceeding.

Illustrative of a sound policy decisions is the sterilising and neutering of hybrid orang utans when being transferred out of a designated breeding orang facility. I wish we could do similar with generic African lions, generic/hybrid Bengals and other tigers and any white mutation carnivore forms.

In all of the above proper ID-ing (preferably by micro-chipping) and record-keeping in all zoos party to any holding or transfer is pre-essential.
 
Thats all my photos of that day now on my flickr account ---

Flickr: Lesley4444's Photostream

It was great seeing the tiger cubs altho they were difficult to see in the thick bracken.. and it was nice to see the family together.. the male in with the female :)

Mercedes new enclosure looks HUGE!! i'm sure she will have hrs of fun splashing around in the big pool at the bottom :)

Couldn't see the wolves at all and as ususal the Lynx weren't around...nor the beavers... one day i will get a picture of those two..lol
 
the Lynx tend to lie in the heavy grass (unless its been trimmed!) at the far left hand side of the enclosure, its amazing how much they blend in!

they tend to venture out near closing time when the keepers tend to go past or throw a scatterfeed in

magnificent young pair they have now! cannot wait for them to start breeding...
 
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