Realistic Ethiopian Highlands Zoo section

[OkapiJohn]

They are and it's great to know there is a place where Jacana can be bred. For now it's a south American species but it could be replaced with a more threatened more relevant species someday, who knows.

Exactly the knowledge and the conditions required to breed jacanidae are being obtained and can later be applied to other species in the future.

 

[StellarChaser]

Some of the most commonly encountered animals are warthog, spotted hyena and hooded vulture. While none are anywhere near to restricted to Ethiopia, they are typical of the landscape (and the relationship Ethiopians have with animals, just google the hyena man).

Would African Wild Dogs and Cheetahs appear in the highlands of Ethiopia?

 

[lintworm]

Would African Wild Dogs and Cheetahs appear in the highlands of Ethiopia?

Cheetah I don't think so, but there is a small population of African wild dogs in the Harenna forest (southern slope of Bale, where the Ethiopian wolves are), which occur up to 2400 metres in a rather atypical forest habitat.

 

[MOG2012]

You are completely right!! It was a downturn to see a south American bird in there, but exactly as you said, sometimes you have to work with what you have. Unfortunately, African jacanas (the closest option available in captivity) are also not doing that great in zoo collections. But those wattled jacanas in Masoala are really thriving, I saw a lot of chicks last September when I visited.

You could make a thread about the Galapagos though

 

[OkapiJohn]

You could make a thread about the Galapagos though

It would be interesting indeed. But apart from the tortoises, there aren't really any endemics from the Galapagos in zoos. A more interesting approach is a "Humboldt current" exhibit, displaying coastal fauna all the way from Patagonia to the Galapagos. You would have SA sea lions, Inca terns, Humboldt penguins, some South American passerines (as replacements to the Darwin finches), the Galapagos tortoises, and some Caribbean iguana species. But not much more if you exclude any Andean terrestrial fauna.

 

[StellarChaser]

Cheetah I don't think so, but there is a small population of African wild dogs in the Harenna forest (southern slope of Bale, where the Ethiopian wolves are), which occur up to 2400 metres in a rather atypical forest habitat.

What about Blue Monkey and Mantled Guereza, if I don't remember wrong they do occur in montane forests with 3000m elevation

 

[lintworm]

What about Blue Monkey and Mantled Guereza, if I don't remember wrong they do occur in montane forests with 3000m elevation

Mantled guereza reach the highest altitudes, I have seen them well over 3000 metres altitude in juniper-hagenia woodland. I have seen blue monkey up to 2500 metres in Kenya, in Western Ethiopia they apparently occur up to 2000 metres, but those are a different type of forests (with guereza though, but none of the large endemic mammals).

 

[Mr Gharial]

One species I haven't seen mentioned at all is the Grivet (Chlorocebus aethiops), which, although not exclusively restricted to the Ethiopian highland, doesn't occur much outside of it:
Chlorocebus aethiops (Grivet Monkey)


And, although I don't know if they occur in the highlands or not, the Beisa oryx and Grevy's zebra also occur in the area:
Oryx beisa (Beisa Oryx)
Equus grevyi (Grevy's Zebra)


I can't find them in Ethiopia in iNaturalist, but the Neumann's grass rat does occur there according to the IUCN, and could make for a nice smaller mammal addition:
Arvicanthis neumanni (Neumann’s Arvicanthis) (They're not held as much as other species, but Chester zoo has a very large group of them according to ZTL)

 

[OkapiJohn]

One species I haven't seen mentioned at all is the Grivet (Chlorocebus aethiops), which, although not exclusively restricted to the Ethiopian highland, doesn't occur much outside of it:
Chlorocebus aethiops (Grivet Monkey)


And, although I don't know if they occur in the highlands or not, the Beisa oryx and Grevy's zebra also occur in the area:
Oryx beisa (Beisa Oryx)
Equus grevyi (Grevy's Zebra)


I can't find them in Ethiopia in iNaturalist, but the Neumann's grass rat does occur there according to the IUCN, and could make for a nice smaller mammal addition:
Arvicanthis neumanni (Neumann’s Arvicanthis) (They're not held as much as other species, but Chester zoo has a very large group of them according to ZTL)

Thank you for the insights! Very nice. I have also thought about the grivet before.

 

[Zoovolunteer]

One thought for Ethiopian birds - Red-Billed Chough has an endemic subspecies in Ethiopia. I doubt that is present in collections but the nominate subspecies is kept and bred in Europe and I believe in the wild has a similar range to Geladas. There are also Lammergeier vultures in the mountains as well as several other vulture species, and I would think wintering European birds of many species at least pass through the region regularly.