I know this is a delicate issue and I was wondering what people on this site think about this issue. Who here thinks that zoos should work with private breeders in setting up breeding programmes or helping out with existing programmes. The way I look at it is for example private breeders generally have the ability to house several pairs,groups of species while zoos generally have the space for one and private breeders generally also have better breeding results with their captive breeding compared to zoos. With an ever increasing number of endangered species I think that the time has come to involve both sectors working more closely together. EEP programmes are plagued by limited space whhich means that they have to monitor the population more intently. There are hundreds of Fijan iguanas (breeding too) in private breeders hands and only a handfull of zoos with them. Same goes for parrots,game birds, softbills, Rodents,reptiles,invertebrates,primeates,mammals,fish,small carnivores etc and there is also some breeders housing animals such as clouded and snow leopards, chevroations,Tapirs and if memory serves me correctly Sable antelope and pygmy hippos
Private breeders
- Thread starter krusty
- Start date
Is this in the UK?, especially the sable antelope, i am surprised there are not more holders of the sable in the UK, just Marwell, with zoos like London, Paignton, Chester and Port Lympne going out of them in the recent past.
easytigger
Well-Known Member
I agree, its a delicate issue, but there are two types of private keepers, the ones who want to actively work towards the conservation of the species and have a long term aim, there aremany people like that and yes we should be forging closer links with them.
There are however people that think its cool to keep a tiger, lion or bear etc in their garden without any real interest in the species as a whole.
I guess there is also an issue with tracing the back grounds and bloodlines of animals kept in private hands before they are involved in recognised captive breeding programs, but this are only obsactles and there are ways round.
Even more of a delicate issue is the fact we should be working closer with the anti zoo brigade so that we can work with these third world and eastern european zoos to provide man power, experience, training, funding / fund raising and where possible new homes and better facilities for animals which may have a use in breeding programs.
There are however people that think its cool to keep a tiger, lion or bear etc in their garden without any real interest in the species as a whole.
I guess there is also an issue with tracing the back grounds and bloodlines of animals kept in private hands before they are involved in recognised captive breeding programs, but this are only obsactles and there are ways round.
Even more of a delicate issue is the fact we should be working closer with the anti zoo brigade so that we can work with these third world and eastern european zoos to provide man power, experience, training, funding / fund raising and where possible new homes and better facilities for animals which may have a use in breeding programs.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
The Leopards,Tapir and Pygmy Hippo are kept in private hands in the U.K so cannot see any reason for Sable Antelope been kept in private hands after all the only Gayal in the U.K are in a private collection.
Can you write more? Do you mean that zoos like Marwell or Port Lympne are private? Or somebody has big garden and keeps a tapir in a stockade and leopard in big cage?
This was discussed earlier on another thread. Private people are different. Some sell young to anybody for profit, or are idiots who think that monkey in house is nice. Others care for their animals better than any zoo. Reptile forums, for example, regularly bash zoos for their poor treatment of reptiles.
Maybe better ask this question. Would private breeders want to follow rules of breeding plan? For example, keep track record, give young only to other accredited institutions, exchange animals by recommendation of species coorinator? If yes, why not? But I guess rather few breeders would want it.
Maybe better ask this question. Would private breeders want to follow rules of breeding plan? For example, keep track record, give young only to other accredited institutions, exchange animals by recommendation of species coorinator? If yes, why not? But I guess rather few breeders would want it.
the reason I ask this is I am a private breeder of parrots and soon reptiles,amphibians,fish and rodents and when I finally get my house as many species as I can get. I have approached a couple of zoos on behalf of some of myfriends and myself (ive a biology degree and going for a ,masters in zoology and either genetics or micro so I was picked for the job) and they have showed interest, showed me ARKS,given me husbandry manuals and that is as far as it has gone so far. If zoos publicly ask us to get involved we will and we can work out some arrangement. I know the fact that we sell on or young is a bone of contentment but if some exchanges can be organised im sure that that can be rectified. For example horned parakeets. There are only a handfull in a zoological setting but hundred plus in private breeders hands. Thats a successfull breeding programme already up and running that can be organised into a potential captive release programme.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
As far as i`m concerned any collection that does not open its doors to the public is a private collection,i have been round a few of these and yes some of them are just very big back gardens with the animals in,others are very different.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
Bringing forth again if private breeders can sustain the essentials of making the particular animals happy and healthy, it can also provide again breeding partners to zoos.
Elephants in zimbabwe and south africa have been bred in ranches, and later they are realised back into the wild, yet there is some contreversy around this,
Elephants in zimbabwe and south africa have been bred in ranches, and later they are realised back into the wild, yet there is some contreversy around this,
I guess it's best you approach local zoo(s) about species you are interested - and good luck. I know zoos sometimes get birds and reptiles from private people, too.
Can you tell about more interesting ones? Without name of a person and location, if you feel he/she will not like this.
I heard there is a man in Netherlands who breeds hummingbirds, perhaps more than any zoo worldwide. And another Dutchman breeds such things like andean cocks-of-the-rock and capuchinbirds.
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
Well one place is in an industrial park,another is a converted farm barn with about 20 Nile Crocs in it,also know of somebody who has converted the garage into a place to keep his Crocs in his neighbours don`t know why he doesn`t put his car in the garage and the best or worst is a large garden shed with birds of prey in it.You would be very surprised sometimes what can be under you nose without realising it.
dragon(ele)nerd
Well-Known Member
There are also many private breeders in Asia, though the law isn't as strict over there in particular countris and so many hybrids have unfortunately been made.
An interesting topic, krusty, but in my country (Australia, bless her) just academic, because the only exotic species that private individuals like myself can keep are a limited range of birds and tropical fish. Everything else is a no-no!
Like you, I am a private breeder of parrots and I must say that it is a credit to Australian aviculture that so many species of exotic birds (mainly parrots, finches, some doves, a few species of pheasants and a very few waterfowl and softbills) are maintained here with, for most of them, NO new blood for over 50 years.
Good luck with your endeavours.
There is however one thing that I would like to challenge you on - you say that you would like to have, to quote you, "...as many species as I can get."
With all due respect, that's not the right approach. The private breeder who makes a difference would be the one who specialises, and in a limited number of species, not the person who tries to keep one or two of everything. That's where public zoos have gone wrong in the past. I know its tempting; I've fallen into that trap in the past myself to a degree; but the specialist is the person who counts in the end.
Like you, I am a private breeder of parrots and I must say that it is a credit to Australian aviculture that so many species of exotic birds (mainly parrots, finches, some doves, a few species of pheasants and a very few waterfowl and softbills) are maintained here with, for most of them, NO new blood for over 50 years.
Good luck with your endeavours.
There is however one thing that I would like to challenge you on - you say that you would like to have, to quote you, "...as many species as I can get."
With all due respect, that's not the right approach. The private breeder who makes a difference would be the one who specialises, and in a limited number of species, not the person who tries to keep one or two of everything. That's where public zoos have gone wrong in the past. I know its tempting; I've fallen into that trap in the past myself to a degree; but the specialist is the person who counts in the end.