San Diego Zoo Remaining Hoof-Stock Species

Not just the bearded pigs, but the bush pigs too! And they were the only public zoo outside of Africa that I know of that had them! Instead now they have at least 4 different enclosures that have Red River Hogs. Why they couldn't have kept one enclosure for the extremely rare-in-captivity bush pigs is beyond me.

Part of the reason I'm so adamant about this is that I never took a picture of the bush pigs while they had them. Back in the day they were always considered the same species as red river hogs, so I never bothered seeking them out when I used to go to the zoo because I already had great pictures of red river hogs.

I did get pictures of that "giant forest hog"/ dark bush pig that the zoo had one of for a few years...so maybe that counts as a bush pig...no one seems to know for sure.
 
It seems to me that a lot of the animal changes at the San Diego Zoo seem to bring them into compliance with AZA TAG phase-out recommendations.
 
Otter Lord said:
If I could steer the topic in a new direction, could we discuss the reasons for why SDZ's collection is deminishing? .
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Zoo's long-time "collector" curators (especially James Dolan) retired/left; SDZS management has become focused far more on financial bottom line; lack of availability of wild-caught animals (USFWS, CITES, AZA restrictions)
 
Not just san diego, but what do these phase-outs mean for the future of diversity in zoo collections? It just really worries me to think and not just in regards to hoofstock but other groups as well
 
Birdman7487 said:
Not just san diego, but what do these phase-outs mean for the future of diversity in zoo collections? It just really worries me to think and not just in regards to hoofstock but other groups as well
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I know what you mean. Maybe this is from growing up visiting the San Diego Zoo, but I have noticed how identical collections seem to be getting. I went to a few zoos on a cross country trip this summer and I felt their were less animals that set certain zoo animal collections apart.

Believe it or not, but the collection I was most impressed with was probably the Rosamond Gifford Zoo because they had markhor, White-lipped deer, patas monkies, and Sand Cats.
 
it is a very good zoo and believe me it is getting much better. I am looking forward most to when out elephants our going to their new home along the wildlife trails. Believ it or not that area where our hoofstock is kept held mostly north american species at one time. What do you have to do to become a curator anyway? That is one of my goals in life. And yes if i become one i will try to bring back certain animals that are or have been phased out
 
What the "phase-outs" are intended to provide is a sustainable collection of animals for the AZA in the future. Space vacated by the species being phased out is supposed to be dedicated to a program species. These ultra-diverse collections are a by-product of the old days where could easily obtain more animals from the wild. This is not the case anymore. This is sad to us ZooChatters because like a collector curator, many of us are collectors, collecting sightings of rare animals, but it is important to keep species at a high enough population to continue to be sustainable without importing new blood from the wild, because that is becoming impossible.
 
Ituri said:
What the "phase-outs" are intended to provide is a sustainable collection of animals for the AZA in the future. Space vacated by the species being phased out is supposed to be dedicated to a program species. These ultra-diverse collections are a by-product of the old days where could easily obtain more animals from the wild. This is not the case anymore. This is sad to us ZooChatters because like a collector curator, many of us are collectors, collecting sightings of rare animals, but it is important to keep species at a high enough population to continue to be sustainable without importing new blood from the wild, because that is becoming impossible.
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Well said, unfortunately it means rare animals only in one zoo's collection is not sustainable. If Zoos could develop their own system of collecting, perhaps with cooperative efforts of other international zoos, governments, and preserves, some animals could remain in some zoo's prestigious collections.
 
Giant Eland,

Are you sure about the Amur Leopards? I'd have to look for photos from that time period, but the leopards in the enclosure next to the North Chinese Leopards were Persian Leopards, not Amur Leopards. They had a breeding pair who had cubs in 1993. The female (Tayma) was on exhibit until at least 2006/2007. Her mate died several years earlier.

Attached is a photo of Tayma in 2006
 
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I never recall of the Zoo having Amur Leopards. They were always Persian and North China Leopard.
 
polar bear said:
Giant Eland,

Are you sure about the Amur Leopards? I'd have to look for photos from that time period, but the leopards in the enclosure next to the North Chinese Leopards were Persian Leopards, not Amur Leopards. They had a breeding pair who had cubs in 1993. The female (Tayma) was on exhibit until at least 2006/2007. Her mate died several years earlier.

Attached is a photo of Tayma in 2006
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Ooops sorry my bad. Only posting for a few days and already a mistake haha. Honestly I had written down two different leopard subspecies on the map to fit into the space of the exhibit and I wasn't able to read my own writing so I just guessed with the first subspecies that popped into my head. Not the most scientific solution I admit. Sorry bout that guys.
 
No problem Giant Eland. You had such a comprehensive list, that I was thinking that there may have been leopards in an exhibit somewhere other than in cat canyon which I forgot about. The SD Zoo has a few off the beaten track exhibits that many visitors miss.
 
Otter, you are right about Rosamond Gifford Zoo. I went there last summer and was very impressed by what they had. White Lipped Deer, Bighorn Sheep, Guanaco to name a few.
 
This is true. There is a nice Manchurian crane exhibit surrounded by bamboo past the Lesser flamingos near the raptors that no one knows about.
 
Otter Lord said:
This is true. There is a nice Manchurian crane exhibit surrounded by bamboo past the Lesser flamingos near the raptors that no one knows about.
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That exhibit was a nice suprize! Do you know what species live in the off exhibt cage right next to the cranes? Where there is a line saying "Do Not Enter".
 
can anyone please give me a updated list of hoofstock at sdz? thks much appreciated ill be going to the zoo in 2 wks cant wait so excited.
 
jusko88 said:
can anyone please give me a updated list of hoofstock at sdz? thks much appreciated ill be going to the zoo in 2 wks cant wait so excited.
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What I saw...

Remaining Horn and Hoof Mesa
•Grevy's Zebra
•Speke's Gazelle
•Lesser Kudu
•Southern Gerenuk
•Arabian Oryx
•Bontebok
•Dik-Dik
•Addra Gazelle
•Steenbok

Elephant Odyssey
•If you count elephant's then both African and Asian
•Guanaco
•Baird's Tapir
•Dromedary Camel
•Pronghorn
•Domestic hoofstock

Polar Bear Plunge
•Reindeer

African Rocks
•Klipspriger
•Warthog
•Collared Peccary

Panda Canyon
•Takin
•Lowland Anoa
•Babirusa
•Warty Pig

Lost Forest
•Black Duiker
•Okapi
•River and Pygmy Hippo
•African Forest Buffalo
•Red River Hog
•Malayan Tapir
•Yellow-backed Duiker

Urban Jungle
•Grant's Zebra
•Masai Giraffe
•Soemmerring's Gazelle
•Red River Hog

Non-Under Construction Outback
•Royal Antelope
•Bactrian Camel
•And either Grant's, Thompson's, or another type of gazelle species

I didn't go to the Children's Zoo, so I don't have a list from there.
 
JBZBongo said:
What I saw...

Remaining Horn and Hoof Mesa
•Grevy's Zebra
•Speke's Gazelle
•Lesser Kudu
•Southern Gerenuk
•Arabian Oryx
•Bontebok
•Dik-Dik
•Addra Gazelle
•Steenbok

Elephant Odyssey
•If you count elephant's then both African and Asian
•Guanaco
•Baird's Tapir
•Dromedary Camel
•Pronghorn
•Domestic hoofstock

Polar Bear Plunge
•Reindeer

African Rocks
•Klipspriger
•Warthog
•Collared Peccary

Panda Canyon
•Takin
•Lowland Anoa
•Babirusa
•Warty Pig

Lost Forest
•Black Duiker
•Okapi
•River and Pygmy Hippo
•African Forest Buffalo
•Red River Hog
•Malayan Tapir
•Yellow-backed Duiker

Urban Jungle
•Grant's Zebra
•Masai Giraffe
•Soemmerring's Gazelle
•Red River Hog

Non-Under Construction Outback
•Royal Antelope
•Bactrian Camel
•And either Grant's, Thompson's, or another type of gazelle species

I didn't go to the Children's Zoo, so I don't have a list from there.
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Just a couple clarifications:

The peccaries in "Africa Rocks" (sigh...I really hate that name) should be Chacoan peccaries, not collared. Also as of last November there were also Central Chinese Goral in that area too, are they gone?

Second, the gazelles next to the camels are Cuvier's gazelles.
 
I feel like san diego zoo just tries to get as many animals as they can which causes them to put some species in exhibits that are mislabeled. (Like in the outback Royal antelope, Bactrian camel, and more African gazelle)
 
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