San Diego Zoo Safari Park San Diego Zoo Safari Park News 2024

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Kudu21 said:
Now that I know that I can share this (it does not appear the Park intends to officially announce them)... I have another very exciting update from my visit to the Safari Park... A herd of 1.8 Nilgiri tahr (!!) has been introduced to the Asian Plains field exhibit! These unique and endangered Caprines are the only members of their species on public display anywhere in the world! I have a photo from my visit that will be posting in the gallery shortly!
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Here's the same comment I already wrote on your photo!

"Absolutely incredible news! I had seen these pop up on zootierliste and was waiting for someone to see them in person.

One of my biggest nemesis species and the final Tahr species I am missing! For years I thought I had seen them at SD Safari Park in the early 90s because I had a photo of an odd looking Tahr and remembered the monorail operator mentioning Nilgiri Tahr among the species sharing the Mountain Exhibit. And then I could never find an actual photo of one in my books to verify. Unfortunately I learned many years later this was instead a shaved down Himalayan Tahr.

Then I discovered my only chance to have seen San Diego Zoo's Nilgiri Tahr was actually from the Skyfari, which I never used to take being someone interested in the best photography angles.

They were even kept at Cape May County Park & Zoo, only 3-4 hour's drive away from where I grew up, but I never made the effort to go there since I thought I had already one. My first visit to Minnesota Zoo in 2006 was also a few years too late. (Anyone have any idea when they were held at Minnesota until?)

Then I tried multiple times through 3 different connections to visit Iron Mountain Ranch in Texas, but sadly was never able to gain access.

And now in full circle they're back at the Safari Park! The only question that remains is if I'll see them in California or India for the first time. I'm hoping/planning to visit the latter in the near future, where I could also knock out another Nilgiri nemesis- Nilgiri Langur, and then Nilgiri Marten or Malabar Spiny Dormouse (a wild family lifer!) if I'm really lucky."
 
EsserWarrior said:
That is something the TAG Steering Committee that the tahr would fall under to decide. They do not qualify for any sort of management, so they will need to be boosted in numbers and holders to even be considered an SSP-managed species.
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Which in itself for one of the 2 rarest thar species is a crying shame. Even on the Indian subcontinent there is no zoo exhibiting or breeding the Nilgiri species, not even in their Tamil Nadu or Kerala states (with some good zoos around) .... I wish that support from the AZA would go beyond their own rather restrictive boundaries, vision and focus for the future and areas of operation outside the regular new species ex situ conservation breeding programs.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Which in itself for one of the 2 rarest thar species is a crying shame. Even on the Indian subcontinent there is no zoo exhibiting or breeding the Nilgiri species, not even in their Tamil Nadu or Kerala states (with some good zoos around) .... I wish that support from the AZA would go beyond their own rather restrictive boundaries, vision and focus for the future and areas of operation outside the regular new species ex situ conservation breeding programs.
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They don't qualify because the population is in the single digits and at a single zoo. What benefit would an SSP be if that's the entire population? Institutions regularly work with non-SSP species, and it'll be up to San Diego Zoo Safari Park to decide whether or not they breed their tahr herd.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Which in itself for one of the 2 rarest thar species is a crying shame. Even on the Indian subcontinent there is no zoo exhibiting or breeding the Nilgiri species, not even in their Tamil Nadu or Kerala states (with some good zoos around) .... I wish that support from the AZA would go beyond their own rather restrictive boundaries, vision and focus for the future and areas of operation outside the regular new species ex situ conservation breeding programs.
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Neil chace said:
They don't qualify because the population is in the single digits and at a single zoo. What benefit would an SSP be if that's the entire population? Institutions regularly work with non-SSP species, and it'll be up to San Diego Zoo Safari Park to decide whether or not they breed their tahr herd.
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I’d ask “why not a consortium” but then I remembered that this is an Asian ungulate, and a caprid at that, we are talking about. It won’t be a draw for the average zoo guest, so I don’t even think a zoo would bother investing in an enclosure for a climber unless if it’s the well established rock climber western zoo associations seem to be obsessed with: Takins.
 
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PossumRoach said:
I’d ask “why not a consortium” but then I remembered that this is an Asian ungulate, and a caprid at that, we are talking about. It won’t be d raw for the average zoo guest, so I don’t even think a zoo would bother investing in an enclosure for a climber unless if it’s the well established rock climber western zoo associations seem to be obsessed with: Takins.
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Consortiums can happen, and I would hope that if SDZSP exhibits breeding success that they might send some of the offspring off to other institutions. However, you did hit the nail on the head that Asian ungulates unfortunately aren't a group of animals that many zoos seem interested in at the moment, and while takin are awesome (and a personal favorite of mine), it'd be nice if some of the other fascinating caprids also had more institutional interest.
 
I agree it's a shame there isn't more interest in Asian ungulates. I question if the general public is fully aware how many ungulates are native to Asian in the first place. That said, I think a consortium would become most necessary if there were three or more holders. One zoo can make its own decisions hopefully for the better, and two could communicate with one another without a formal system. I'm hopeful the fact this is a new program is a sign there will be some more dedication towards it.
 
 
A couple of updates.

The male greater kudu from the Central Africa field exhibit has been moved to the old giant eland exhibit in African Woods, where he is now on display with the Soemmerring’s gazelle herd.

A new young male generic giraffe has arrived and is on display with the rest of the herd in the East Africa field exhibit. The Park’s young male “Upendi” has left for an undisclosed facility.

The last of the sitatunga have been removed from the African Forest field exhibit. The Park has now officially phased out this species.
 
A couple of updates from the Park today!

-The two female greater kudu have also now moved from the Central Africa field exhibit to the old giant eland exhibit in African Woods to join the male on exhibit with the Soemmerring’s gazelles.

-A pair of European white stork chicks has hatched and can be seen with their parents in their nest in the old secretarybird exhibit in African Woods.

-An impala calf was born recently and can be seen with the rest of the herd in the East Africa field exhibit.

-Another Cape buffalo calf was also born recently and can be seen in the South Africa field exhibit with its older siblings and the rest of the herd.

-A second greater one-horned rhinoceros calf has been born and is on display with the rest of the crash in the Asian Plains field exhibit! This calf is a male and was born to dam “Tanaya” and sire “Capone”/“Maza”.
 
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Kudu21 said:
A couple of updates from the Park today!

-The two female greater kudu have also now moved from the Central Africa field exhibit to the old giant eland exhibit in African Woods to join the male on exhibit with the Soemmerring’s gazelles.

-A pair of European white stork chicks has hatched and can be seen with their parents in their nest in the old secretarybird exhibit in African Woods.

-An impala calf was born recently and can be seen with the rest of the herd in the East Africa field exhibit.

-Another Cape buffalo calf was also born recently and can be seen in the South Africa field exhibit with its older siblings and the rest of the herd.

-A second greater one-horned rhinoceros calf has been born and is on display with the rest of the crash in the Asian Plains field exhibit! This calf is a male and was born to dam “Tanaya” and sire “Capone”/“Maza”.
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Something that I apparently missed but just saw on a local photographer’s Instagram —a pair of common dwarf mongooses has moved into the old mongoose/meerkat exhibit behind the current best-eared fox exhibit adjacent to Mombasa Lagoon.
 
Kudu21 said:
Something that I apparently missed but just saw on a local photographer’s Instagram —a pair of common dwarf mongooses has moved into the old mongoose/meerkat exhibit behind the current best-eared fox exhibit adjacent to Mombasa Lagoon.
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**Bat**-eared foxes :confused:

Anyways :p According to the photography Facebook group, a roan antelope calf has been born and can be seen with the herd in the East Africa field exhibit! The breeding bull has been pulled from the herd, and he can now be seen in the Grevy’s zebra/bachelor hoofstock exhibit above the Africa Tram pathway.

A second pair of European white stork chicks have hatched in a separate nest in the former secretarybird exhibit in African Woods.

And yet another Cape buffalo calf has been born and is visible with the herd in the South Africa field exhibit.
 
Kudu21 said:
And yet another Cape buffalo calf has been born and is visible with the herd in the South Africa field exhibit.
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Not gonna lie, it seems as though every single time that you visit the safari park, (which you do very frequently) there is literally always a new cape buffalo calf! They must have found an infinite cape buffalo calf glitch or something. :p
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
Not gonna lie, it seems as though every single time that you visit the safari park, (which you do very frequently) there is literally always a new cape buffalo calf! They must have found an infinite cape buffalo calf glitch or something. :p
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Not a visit this time — all updates from the photography Facebook group! But that’s what happens when you give a bull access to 14 open cows for over a year! They’re likely to see quite a few more Cape buffalo calves before the calving season is over.
 
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