Oklahoma City Zoo Oklahoma City Zoo News 2024

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Well then. I'm not in Oklahoma anymore, so that opportunity is well and truly missed. Eh, it is what it is. Thanks for the info, everyone.
 
Too me it's crazy, that they are down to 5 species of canid. When I worked out that way they had over a dozen species...and that was downgraded from the previous 10 years!
 
King of Komodo Dragons said:
5 Volcan Alcedo Galapagos Giant Tortoises have hatched!, these are Max's first offspring and the Oklahoma City Zoo is the only AZA zoo breeding the volcan alcedo species.

We’ve got some GIANT news! | We’ve got some GIANT news! We are ecstatic to share that we recently welcomed five Volcán Alcedo giant tortoise hatchlings to our OKC Zoo animal... | By Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical GardenFacebook
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I was just about to post this monumental news myself!

Another link is here from the local newspaper:
https://kfor.com/news/local/okc-zoo...EXXoEAp-uhg9unAD_s_aem_-RhHkfZsxHnW44Vu27RXrQ


PERSPECTIVE:
The species Volcán Alcedo Galapagos tortoise Chelonoidis vandenburghi has few representatives in US zoos and there is a heavy skew - as elsewhere with the Galapagos tortoises - to big males and few females survived into the 2020's....! The species is currently listed as VULNERABLE and INCREASING (2018 assessment from 2015 data set). In the 2018 assessment the population was estimated at 6,200 individuals (from a population originally thought to container 38,000 individuals). A 2021 total count and status survey in the Galapagos island of Isabela produced a revised estimate of possibly almost 15,000 individuals...!


STATUS IN USA:
Between 1910-1965 as known from the current data 15.5 wild-caught individuals were imported from the Galapagos islands, of which currently just 6.5 wild individuals remain. Oklahoma City Zoo maintains the only extant breeding group of the species outside the Galapagos Islands/Ecuador. The OKC Zoo group was set up around 2015-16 specifically to focus on the Volcán Alcedo species C. vandenburghi for breeding..

To give you a perspective on the US zoos with the species C. vandenburghi:
El Paso: 1.0
Fresno: 1.0
Moorpark (College): 1.0
OKC 1.3.5 (0.0.5 captive-born),
San Diego Zoo: 1.1 (they do not focus on breeding ... (?#@!?) this species here.

Private breeders maintain the other 2 (1.1) known Volcán Alcedo Galapagos tortoises. It is possible there are more about various other private breeders.


OKC Zoo did breed Galapagos tortoises in the early 1990's, however the majority have been hybrids of various species (). Haphazardly, a few pure-breds were produced during these years, but few have survived till the present.

The above is not counting the few captive-born pure-breds, but I will list them here:
Pittsburgh (Allenwood): 1.0
Sioux Falls: 1.0
Wildlife World Zoo: 0.1

Another 1.0 captive born individual is kept in private hands.


As one who has studied these giant tortoises for most of my adolescent and adult life, it is so important that we preserve the genetics of the Galapagos giant tortoise that found their way out of the country. Most have been exported almost a century ago and zoological institutions hardly manage to breed their pure-bred stock very effectively. So, it is phenomenal to learn that finally the few tortoises of the C. vandenburghi present in US zoos have finally started to breed and produce healthy offspring.

All Volcán Alcedo tortoises produced in the past in the US were more or less accidental hatchlings that happen to be a result of breeding between Galapagos tortoise of this species. Most of the time zoos maintained various species and if mating occured most of the time tortoises from various islands or same island different species bred and produced hybrid offspring. The latter remains a big issue in US zoos as well as in the private sector. Only breeding from the pure-bred founders and with their own species makes ex situ conservation breeding sense. So, well done Oklahoma City Zoo.


Sure, I am so happy and in celebratory mood about this phenomenal breeding/hatching event.
As 1.2 of the group are still in their breeding prime, it bodes well for the future!
 
Great! OKC is a very nice facility in a lot of ways, and I'm glad to see its popularity growing. It's to be expected, though, with the city's population climbing. More people in the area naturally will mean more zoo visitors. I definitely want to make a second trip there myself, as soon as I can.
 
Well, that's good news. Hopefully Mohan gets along with the females and everything works out.

I like how the second article specifies that one of the females is the oldest Indian rhino in human care in North America. You know, as opposed to the wild Indian rhinos in North America. ;)
 
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