Numbers of animals in captivity in Europe

[Nikola Chavkosk]

According to what I have researched in the last 3 years, from ISIS, EAZA breeding programes, SSP (for USA), studbooks (regional and international), Zootierliste, Wikipedia, some other research, I found and proposed the next demography for some captive animals in European zoos (and in USA, but I will not present the demography for USA captve animals right now, maybe in some other post). For African and Asian elephants, numbers in circuses are also shown, for other animals the numbers are just for zoos. All these animals live in aproximately 900 zoos/aquariums in Europe (both EAZA members, and non EAZA zoos).
This don't mean that the numbers are very accurate, but they represent some aproximately numbers for wich I estimated that are closest to the real numbers.

(Any corrections/additions are welcomed, please communicate your findings here to make corrections (and additions for new species))

African bush elephants: 360 (of wich 90 in circuses)
Asian elephants (from several subspecies, like Indian, Sri Lankan, Malayan, Sumatran, Borneo): 530 (of wich 160 in cicruses)

Southern white rhinoceros: 300
Black rhino (Eastern subspecies): 80 (in USA, 130)
Indian rhinoceros: 70

Nile hippopothamus: 250
Pygmy hippo: 160

Giraffes: 1,000 (Kordofan 70, Angolan 25, 170 hybrids, 2 massai, others Reticulated and Rotschild's, any correction please comment)
Okapi: 64 (96 in USA) (need to be increased)
Eastern bongo: 200
Dama gazelle: 200

Grevy's zebra: 260
Malayan tapir: 60
Brazilian tapir: 360

Western lowland gorilla:470
Orangutans: 360 (160 Bornean, 145 Sumatran, 55 hybrids) (in Asian zoos, 450 orangutans)
Chimpanzee: 1,200 (420 Western chimpanzees)
Bonobo: 100

Cotton-top tamarin: 1,000
Black howler monkey (white females): 170
Wooly monkey: 70 (many are hybrids)
White lipped tamarin: 420
Golden lion headed tamarin: 170 (In USA, 290)
Ring tailed lemur: 2,000

Cheetah: 520 (150 northern subspecies)
Sumatran tiger: 120
Amur tiger: 380
Malayan tiger: 15-20
Jaguar: 160
African lion: 1,800
Clouded leopard: 80
Leopards: 500 (Amur: 140, Persian: 130, no subspecies status: 100, remaining include Sri Lankan, Javan, African, several Indian)
Snow leopard: 240

Spotted hyena: 130
Brown hyena: 5-10
Stripped hyena: 90
African wild dog: 320
Manned wolf: 160

Red panda (Nepalese): 400

Spectacled bear: 50
Polar bear: 180 (excluding Russia)

Southern cassowary: 140
Toco toucan: 90
Marabou stork: 330
Saddle-billed stork: 45
Hyacinth macaw: 230
Citron-crested cockatoo: 100
Bali starling: 500
Great blue turaco: 20

Komodo dragon: 60
Emerald tree monitor: 100
African dwarf crocodile (no subspecies status): 240
Galapagos giant tortoise: 95
Fiji banded iguana: 80
Fiji short-crested iguana: 25
Utila spiny-tailed iguana: 60
King cobra: 50
Aruba island rattlesnake: 10-15

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

I like seeing them as small herds, prides or groups in sumarised numbers, and love their numbers to increase (especially for those with numbers under 100), as insurance populations against extinction in the wilderness.

 

[Mr. Zootycoon]

Only 90 spotted hyenas in Europe?
Quite small population for a species represented in around 40 zoos.
Same for the striped hyena, you say there are only 45 animals in European zoos,
but that is almost the number or zoos that keep them.
So do all zoos (with a very few exceptions) keep only one individual?

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

Only 90 spotted hyenas in Europe?
Quite small population for a species represented in around 40 zoos.
Same for the striped hyena, you say there are only 45 animals in European zoos,
but that is almost the number or zoos that keep them.
So do all zoos (with a very few exceptions) keep only one individual?

Probably you are right, as I wrote corrections and additions are welcomed. I do not have acces to ISIS right now. Zootierliste list 42 zoos who keep stripped hyenas, and yes 40 who keep spotted hyenas. I will correct numbers What you think of aproximately real number of these animals kept in European zoos, I will wrote 130 for spotted, and 90 for stripped. I know that stripped and brown hyenas are very difficult to breed in captivity, to the point that I think in USA there aren't brown hyenas any more in captivity, and with only 5-10 left in European zoos. And yes, some of theese informations are little bit outdated, since I've gethered them in 2014.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I suspect it is closer to the truth to say the information provided is unreliable and incorrect. For instance, I suspect he has understated the number of Green Tree Monitor in Europe by a very significant magnitude.

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

I suspect it is closer to the truth to say the information provided is unreliable and incorrect. For instance, I suspect he has understated the number of Green Tree Monitor in Europe by a very significant magnitude.

I corrected the number. As I wrote, some informations are from 2014 or even 2013. In the last 3 years - as I wrote !!! - in the original post.

And you can not generalise for all animal numbers that are incorrect. Of corse that they are not accurate to individual (one). But I try to represent the numbers in aproximately the real numbers.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I corrected the number. As I wrote, some informations are from 2014 or even 2013. In the last 3 years - as I wrote !!! - in the original post.

Even in 2013 or 2014, both your original and revised figures for the Green Tree Monitor would have been significant understatements guessing at figures for a taxon based on how many holders are listed on ZTL is a shaky prospect at best! If you did indeed also use information from ISIS to compile your list, it is worth noting that the site was last accessible to the public in 2012, but that even then the demographic figures it contained were outdated (last having been updated in 2010) and incomplete due to patchy coverage of collections.

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

Even in 2013 or 2014, both your original and revised figures for the Green Tree Monitor would have been significant understatements guessing at figures for a taxon based on how many holders are listed on ZTL is a shaky prospect at best! If you did indeed also use information from ISIS to compile your list, it is worth noting that the site was last accessible to the public in 2012, but that even then the demographic figures it contained were outdated (last having been updated in 2010) and incomplete due to patchy coverage of collections.

Yeah, for ISIS, but I can't remmember from where I have actually record 70 or 100 Green tree monitors, in 2014 when I made my list in word. That time, I even don't knew about Zootierliste.

So can you help me, with some of your eventual findings and opinions on numbers, for every species. And please feel free to comment, criticise, as we mostly do ; but I would love to make some good list. So can you tell me first about your opinion and estimates of number of Green (Emerald) tree monitors?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I'd estimate there will be at *least* 500 individuals in Europe, considering how common they are in the pet trade, along with the number of small collections which are not listed on ZTL which may largely source their stock from this avenue.

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

I'd estimate there will be at *least* 500 individuals in Europe, considering how common they are in the pet trade, along with the number of small collections which are not listed on ZTL which may largely source their stock from this avenue.

Oh Lol , I wrote just for animals in zoos, and for elephants, also in circuses.

I would say that there are * 1000 * green tree monitors as pets, or in pet breeders. But I concentrate just on zoos, as most reliable conservation centres and responsible institutions.
In that way, for example, also the numbers of other animals will go very further, eg. for citron-crested cockatoos, I listed 100 in zoos, but as pets, probably there are more than 1,000 in all of Europe.

 

[Chlidonias]

I will correct numbers What you think of aproximately real number of these animals kept in European zoos, I will wrote 130 for spotted, and 90 for stripped.

if you are just pulling random numbers out of thin air then your list is entirely worthless because nothing on it can be trusted to be even nearly accurate.

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

number of populations of animals in zoos in Europe continued...

Asiatic lions: 130

Fossa: 60

Blue-eyed black lemur: 35
Black lemur: 140
Alaoatran gentle lemur: 80
White-belted ruffed lemur: 50
Red-fronted lemur: 60
Red-bellied lemur: 110
Aye-aye: 18 (in USA 24, in Japan 10)
Greater bamboo lemur: 15-20
Crowned sifaka: 15-20
Pygmy slow loris: 100

Secretary bird: 70

 

[DDcorvus]

What do you use as a source for your numbers as they seem quite random and the ones I know of are incorrect (by example there are 19 Aye-Aye's in Europe not 18). Also some of the others seem too low (Asian lions and Alaotrain gentle lemurs by example) or too high (blue-eyed black lemur).

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

What do you use as a source for your numbers as they seem quite random and the ones I know of are incorrect (by example there are 19 Aye-Aye's in Europe not 18). Also some of the others seem too low (Asian lions and Alaotrain gentle lemurs by example) or too high (blue-eyed black lemur).

Yeah, as I wrote corrections are welcomed. Not 18 but 19 Aye-ayes, that is yet near the accurate number.

I use EAZA yearbooks or tags for certant species, that last one dated from 2008, also I take into mind the number of holders from ZooTierliste, and regional or international studbooks who list all animals. Also some other journals like Zooaquaria from EAZA (wich are published each year season - four times a year). And before 2012, I also visited ISIS. And one research about elephants in captivity (from 1999).

About Blue-eyed lemur, actually there were 30 individuals in Europe 2008, according to EAZA Prosimian tag you can see here http://eaza.portal.isis.org/activities/cp/yearbook20072008/22_Prosimian_TAG.pdf

 

[DDcorvus]

Yeah, as I wrote corrections are welcomed. Not 18 but 19 Aye-ayes, that is yet near the accurate number.

I use EAZA yearbooks or tags for certant species, that last one dated from 2008, also I take into mind the number of holders from ZooTierliste, and regional or international studbooks who list all animals. Also some other journals like Zooaquaria from EAZA (wich are published each year season - four times a year). And before 2012, I also visited ISIS. And one research about elephants in captivity (from 1999).

About Blue-eyed lemur, actually there were 30 individuals in Europe 2008, according to EAZA Prosimian tag you can see here http://eaza.portal.isis.org/activities/cp/yearbook20072008/22_Prosimian_TAG.pdf

Then your sources are quite dated and so my question is why do you want to make a topic with population size guesses, because in the end you are just guessing.

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

Then your sources are quite dated and so my question is why do you want to make a topic with population size guesses, because in the end you are just guessing.

Well it is better that having none. If I could I would make accurate estimation, but that's not possible for person like me. An enthusiastic who don't work in any zoo or zoo association.

I'd liked to see the gethered numers of animals, because I feel better when I will see aproximately how much animals are kept from particular species, as insurance population.

Plus I already mention in the first post that the numbers are not very accurate but close estimation.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Plus I already mention in the first post that the numbers are not very accurate but close estimation.

Except that when you readily admit you are merely guessing from data which is sometimes out-of-date by close to a decade, you have no grounds to say they *are* close estimates.

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

Except that when you readily admit you are merely guessing from data which is sometimes out-of-date by close to a decade, you have no grounds to say they *are* close estimates.

It depends for wich species. For Aye-ayes, I just made mistake for one wrong estimated-prescribed individual, so not for all TeaLovingDave, guessing what is your proffesion, and knowing that you love to drink tea and think on small carnivores ....

 

[Batto]

(...) guessing what is your proffesion, and knowing that you love to drink tea and think on small carnivores ....

...so how is that helping the discussion? Or your self-proclaimed goal to learn more about zoos and your discussion partners? Have you already forgotten what you were told today?

 

[Nikola Chavkosk]

...so how is that helping the discussion? Or your self-proclaimed goal to learn more about zoos and your discussion partners? Have you already forgotten what you were told today?

No I don't forget. But I am just curious. But I will not ask anymore, ok yes maybe via private messages.