In fact, the PKBSI (Indonesian zoo association) president is director Jansen Manansang from Taman Safari. He is a visionary guy and plays a pivotal role in most CBSG/ISIS planning exercises! Tempu dulu will eventually prevail in Indonesian wildlife conservation.
Hate to break the news, but Jansan Manansang is far from the enlightened conservationist he might want us to think he is. It is fact that Taman Safari has "warehoused" dozens of Sumatran tigers in substandard off-exhibit enclosures for years. Australian, European and American zoo associations have all tried to convince him to send some animals--important new genetic material for the small Sumatran tiger populations in those regions--but he has held out, proposing large sums of money as the starting point of any conversation about transfer. In the meantime, the lack of new founders has essentially condemned the North American population to "phase out" status; EEP and ARAZPA populations are likely to follow.....
The orang situation in his park is equally dubious.
Back to the topic..is the polar bear enclosure at the Singapore Zoo as bad as it looks on the youtube clips? It looks quite ugly, with the weird unnatural looking rock formation and the bear back and forth along the back wall of the exhibit.
Yeah pretty much. It is a remnant from the 80s. At least the pool is decent, barely though. Zoo officials are not gonna do a major upgrade as the bears will be phased out... eventually. The polar bear pair consists of a mother (30 years old) and son (16).
Originally it was planned that the male would be moved to a temperate facility once the female dies, but the Zoo's animal welfare and ethics committee reversed the idea. While the reversal is controversial, the members of the committee are not zoo staff but respectable figures from local nature, animal welfare and conservation circles.
Good point Jelle. The female is too old to breed, so moving her serves no captive breeding purpose. The young male is not being moved to provide companionship for the old female. The Zoo's director did say in passing that depending on when the female dies, they may consider moving the male. If he is too old to contribute to breeding by then, a move would serve no conservation purpose.
Very few zoos are willing to take in an adult male bear. The Zoo had put up the male for transfer to the international studbook holder (Rostock Zoo) in mid 2007, but apparently there were no takers.
When i went there to visit my cousins my uncle said that singapore is a zoo that aquires animals and exports them to other zoos. Unlike some other zoos that i know of.
Sorry but that is a the stupidest thing i have ever heard, ALL zoos import and export species, Interstate, and some even do it Globally! some do it less than other.
A zoo that doesnt would either be over run or have no species at all!
Thanks for the re write.Theres no need to get angry,
You just need to read over your posts and check for clarity, it would stop many misunderstandings on the forum.
Singapore Zoo has the resources to do such activities and good on them, Adelaide Zoo has also done this, Holding the Gorillas from Taronga to Europe and also a Siamang from Singapore to Orana.
I'm sorry but maybe i didn't make myself clear that i actually meant that Singapore zoo is a massive pitstop. I know that zoos export globally but some zoos are a massive interchange. If you know what i mean, which you probably don't so i'm just gonna stop trying.
By the way you can keep bagging me if you what.
The young male will be the last polar bear at the Zoo. After he dies or gets exported, no more polar bears will be imported.
Don't all zoos acquire some animals and export other animals? Do you mean to say Singapore is sort of a trading centre for zoos?
Singapore has a (presently dormant) breeding program for Malayan Tigers. The White Tigers are siblings like you said, and even if they weren't, there is no intention to breed them as they have no conservation value. Omar has tried mating with his sisters, but the females have been planted with contraceptives.
Singapore, while not a massive interchange, does move some small primates and reptile species quite frequently. Certain species of marmosets and tamarins were held in the zoo for short periods but were never on display and exported within a few months. My guess is that it was a pit-stop or quarantine stop.
It's a shame about the polar bears they had a great exhibit. I don't mean to be rude but isn't the white tiger gene only recessive in Bengal subspecies? If not so then White Malayan tigers would be amazing if they were bred.