Article: My Days Herding Leopards
San Diego Zoo San Diego Zoo News 2017
- Thread starter Coelacanth18
- Start date
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Just a quick random question:
How many Bird of Paradise species are on and off show at San Diego? I've seen some fairly unbelievable numbers elsewhere on the internet.
How many Bird of Paradise species are on and off show at San Diego? I've seen some fairly unbelievable numbers elsewhere on the internet.
I remember seeing raggiana, and I missed superb but it is on exhibit. The website also lists magnificent but I don't recall that one. There are a fair number of raggiana behind the scenes at the zoo- I saw 5 or 6 in a two second pass by their aviary (it can be seen on a bus route). The website says magnificent and superb are behind the scenes at the bird breeding center at the park, as well.
Leopard Sharks from the Californian Coast and Asian Leopards at AFRICA Rocks??!! Hmh, there were/are exhibits at San Diego Zoo much more correctly refering zoogeographical zones....
I for myself would have prefered a new penguin habitat within the Childrens Zoo area.
While it is fully certain that it will indeed be Amur Leopards in Africa Rocks,I do find it interesting that the Africa Rocks website seemingly intentionally blurs the species. It mentions them being of the African species at one point ("This African cat tends to be solitary..."),and the title itself just gives it the generic name leopard,but it also mentions them being a "classic of the African woodland." I wonder who they think they're trying to fool.
Where is official confirmation that's it's Amur? Is that what your hypothesis is, or a fact stated by the zoo?
Sorry,that is meant to say almost fully certain. Only one or two facilities in the U.S. have African Leopards last I'd checked,one in Louisiana with one leopard,and the Maryland zoo with two,meaning they'd have to had imported new leopards from elsewhere to make African Leopards a reality. As much as the optimist in me really wants it to be so,I'm fairly sure it's not going to happen.
Thank you for the clarification. Fingers crossed the zoo does import a pure bred African leopard, would be a real treat to see.
FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Thanks. I saw their website but I also found a quote by literally some guy saying they have nineteen species in total, so I just wondered.
They have held 19 species over their 100 year existence, but never at one time.
Mila, the elephant has died. It was announced on the photographer's Facebook page.
Jenn Beening
Jenn Beening
So devastating
. I feel terrible for Mary. To think a year ago San Diego had 7 elephants, now there down to 4.
Link to Photographers page?
Elephants up for grabs include San Antonio (Once Lucky bites the dust), Santa Barbra and Fresno's Asians will soon be in the market for new homes. Africans are much more scarce. In fact, I cant think of any available.
GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
Fresno's Asians are a high possibility.
Substituting a subspecies is not as serious as substituting an entire species. Who are they trying to fool? They don't have to try; do you think the general public has a clue as to how an Amur leopard differs from an African leopard? When I was a docent, there were several times I was at the lion exhibit and adults would tell their children "look at the tigers." And jaguars are invariably identified as cheetahs. You think some tourist off the street will say oh yes the fur is several millimeters too thick for the African race, it must be the Amur race? Not only will they not know, honestly they won't care even if a ZooChatter is standing there to correct them. BTW The Living Desert has done this for many years with no problem.