New collections and stocking a zoo from scratch*

[Shirokuma]

With the recent discussion of Yorkshire Wildlife Park's collection plan I started to wonder how do zoos starting from scratch or a limited stock basis get animals?

I don't mean where do the animals in zoos come from but specifically how do new collections establish themselves and acquire animals?

Sorry if this has been covered before.

 

[fitz]

Stocking a Zoo

Its really not all that different than a pet shop looking for animals to sell. You have your master plan, contacts in the zoo field, zoo associations, and other professional contacts that you get in touch with and try to logistically get what you need.

Surplus lists are available from most zoos for other zoo professionals, so it is just like anything else... networking..

 

[zoogiraffe]

In many respects Yorkshire Wildlife park is not a good example to us as all the senior staff,within the collection are already well known within EAZA and BIAZA,and have a very good reputation for working with the many of the species they already keep,so a collection would be more likely to send then animals than if I had set up a collection and was looking at getting something like African Hunting Dogs or Amur Tigers.
In many ways a collection must normally prove themselves with the more common species like say a Ring-tailed Lemur,before another collection will trust them with something like say a Crowned Lemur.

 

[gerenuk]

There are still animal dealers too. International Animal Exchange, in the US, still moves around hundreds of animals a year. A Costa Rica safari park used IAE to stock its facility in 2007 when it first opened.

 

[Javan Rhino]

It really depends on the place. Some places are started by people who have experience and have broken off from other institutions to be their own park - as zoogiraffe has said these are respected amongst EAZA and BIAZA zoos, and the management at these zoos knows that they're a safe bet to send their animals to.

Other places are rescue centres that open up to get a bit of extra cash to help with the costs of keeping several iguanas and large boas etc.

There are also plenty of species available in the pet trade - if you have space, money and a DWA it isn't unfeasible to start from scratch by buying your stock from these places (obviously making sure that the animals are available through ethical means if possible). I have a collection plan that could start a zoo, and I know where I could get every species on it privately if I had the money, time and space to pursue it at this moment.

 

[Shirokuma]

There are also plenty of species available in the pet trade - if you have space, money and a DWA it isn't unfeasible to start from scratch by buying your stock from these places (obviously making sure that the animals are available through ethical means if possible). I have a collection plan that could start a zoo, and I know where I could get every species on it privately if I had the money, time and space to pursue it at this moment.

What kind of species are available in the UK?

 

[Javan Rhino]

What kind of species are available in the UK?

A great deal of reptiles that you would and wouldn't expect (including many venomous snakes including cobras, vipers and others). There seems to be at least 3 or 4 species of crocodilians that are available [West African dwarf, dwarf caimans, Chinese alligator and spectacled caiman]. Then there is a good diversity of other snakes, lizards and chelonians.

Bird wise, if you know where to look you can get macaws, toucans and some very nice species of smaller bird [including a species I really want, but the price isn't cheap] the Bali starling.

Mammal wise, I have seen websites offering a variety of exotic mammals including tenrecs, African pygmy hedgehogs, genets, meerkats, tamarins, armadillos, sloths, coati, a variety of foxes and small cats and I'm sure there's more.

It all just depends on what is available at the time in shops and off private breeders that make a living out of breeding for the private exotics trade.

 

[Brum]

the Bali starling

Wow, that's sort of shocked me!
I wouldn't have expected that to be in the hands of private breeders. Do you happen to know the price at all, I'm guessing it's got to be close to or above four figures?

 

[Javan Rhino]

Wow, that's sort of shocked me!
I wouldn't have expected that to be in the hands of private breeders. Do you happen to know the price at all, I'm guessing it's got to be close to or above four figures?

I can't recall I'm sorry, but I think it could have been 4 figures - not sure if that was for a pair or an individual

 

[Brum]

Oh well, thanks for the info anyway! Going to spend some time googling it, I want to see how cheap I can get critically endangered animals for...

 

[Pacarana]

A great deal of reptiles that you would and wouldn't expect (including many venomous snakes including cobras, vipers and others). There seems to be at least 3 or 4 species of crocodilians that are available [West African dwarf, dwarf caimans, Chinese alligator and spectacled caiman]. Then there is a good diversity of other snakes, lizards and chelonians.

Bird wise, if you know where to look you can get macaws, toucans and some very nice species of smaller bird [including a species I really want, but the price isn't cheap] the Bali starling.

Mammal wise, I have seen websites offering a variety of exotic mammals including tenrecs, African pygmy hedgehogs, genets, meerkats, tamarins, armadillos, sloths, coati, a variety of foxes and small cats and I'm sure there's more.

It all just depends on what is available at the time in shops and off private breeders that make a living out of breeding for the private exotics trade.

I have noticed the UK as having amazing reptile and small mammal collections available to private hands but not really any bigger animals that are commonly for sale in the US.

Maybe they can buy themselves a White Rhino Pair. A quick search found this out for me -

Kens Exotics - White Rhinoceros

 

[stubeanz]

Oh well, thanks for the info anyway! Going to spend some time googling it, I want to see how cheap I can get critically endangered animals for...

I have seen them sell from £1000-1250 a pair. There are plenty of species in the uk kept privately that aren't commonly kept at uk zoos such as raccoon dogs, corsac foxes, tamandua and various armadillo species.

 

[Brum]

I have seen them sell from £1000-1250 a pair. There are plenty of species in the uk kept privately that aren't commonly kept at uk zoos such as raccoon dogs, corsac foxes, tamandua and various armadillo species.

That's a hell of a price for a pair of critically endangered birds!
My new question is this, why aren't more zoos exhibiting unusual small mammals if they're easy to obtain?

 

[mazfc]

I think its to do with how accredited zoos obtain their animals. Zoos no longer pay for animals, and endangered species movements are managed by the breeding programme, where animals of known bloodlines are moved to the best place for breeding.

 

[stubeanz]

That's a hell of a price for a pair of critically endangered birds!
My new question is this, why aren't more zoos exhibiting unusual small mammals if they're easy to obtain?

Exotics are very expensive, when you get into primates and small cats the price can rise alot higher!
I would hazard a guess that some zoos starting up do get animals privately and pay but even large zoos will still work with good private keepers by loan agreements and breeding loans including zsl and Bristol.

 

[Brum]

I think its to do with how accredited zoos obtain their animals. Zoos no longer pay for animals, and endangered species movements are managed by the breeding programme, where animals of known bloodlines are moved to the best place for breeding.

From what I've found out from different sites and also on here, private breeders can grow to be quite respected in zoological circles.

I would hazard a guess that some zoos starting up do get animals privately and pay but even large zoos will still work with good private keepers by loan agreements and breeding loans including zsl and Bristol.

Any ideas what species are being loaned out to the private sector? I'm extremely interested to know what's in private hands in the UK, pretty certain it won't compare to some of the crazy stuff in the US though.

 

[Shirokuma]

Here is a rough and randomly assembled list of animals I have seen as being in private hands or found as available on the internet in the last few days (not including reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates).

Mammals

• Red deer, Fallow deer, Reindeer
• Wild boar
• Llama, Alpaca, Guanaco, Bactrian camel
• Bison
• Prarie marmot, Richardson's ground squirrel, Degu, Chinchilla, North American porcupine, Chipmunk
• Meerkat
• Coati
• Genet
• Various callitrichids, squirrel monkey, Capuchins, Ring tailed lemur
• African pygmy hedgehog
• Raccoon
• Skunk
• Virginia opossum, Brush-tailed possum, Bennet's wallaby
• Raccoon dog, Arctic fox, Corsac fox, Fennec fox, Silver fox, Bat eared fox
• Leopard cat, Caracal, Serval, Ocelot
• Asian small-clawed otter
• Kinkajou
• Two toed sloth
• Binturong
• Sugar glider
• Tamandua
• Six banded armadillo

Birds

• Guinea fowl
• Peafowl - both species
• Several species of pheasant
• Several species of parrot
• Numerous passerines
• Grouse, capercaillie
• Hawks and eagles, caracara, owls
• Wildfowl of several species
• Ground hornbill
• Kookaburra
• Emu
• Rhea
• Ostrich

 

[Mr T]

My new question is this, why aren't more zoos exhibiting unusual small mammals if they're easy to obtain?

Unusual small mammals may be fascinating to a zoo enthusiast but to general zoo goers they are probably not particularly interesting and would not please the punters.

If private keepers are keeping and breeding these species successfully then there is possibly no need for them to be in a zoo. As well small animals do not require large exhibits and this demand can be met by a private keeper whereas zoos have large plots of land which can accommodate larger animals.

 

[stubeanz]

From what I've found out from different sites and also on here, private breeders can grow to be quite respected in zoological circles.



Any ideas what species are being loaned out to the private sector? I'm extremely interested to know what's in private hands in the UK, pretty certain it won't compare to some of the crazy stuff in the US though.

There is plenty of stuff kept privately including big cats but these are only kept by a handful of people under the DWA act and so are controlled with good legislation and ethics unlike some American states attitude to exotics.

There are stud book animals kept privately and just from people I know of the snow leopard, silvery marmosets and mongoose lemur they keep are all studbook animals.