I have been doing a bit of snooping around for information on captive breeding programmes for small carnivores, and found this very interesting article from 1993 (I cannot find it separately, but it is on pages 1 and 2 of the main journal)
http://www.smallcarnivoreconservation.org/sccwiki/images/7/73/Number_9.PDF
Having read through this with a great deal of interest, it left me wondering how much has actually happened with a great deal of the animals mentioned.
- Mustelids seem to be doing pretty well; there seem to be a great number of European mink being kept and presumably bred on the continent
- Marbled polecats have a small toe-hold in a few select European countries (mainly Russia, Britain and Germany)
- Wolverines seem to be increasing their zoo range and population in Europe, most recently with successful breeding at the Cotswold Wildlife Park- as a related matter, how are wolverines doing in American zoos?
- However, despite these successes with existing species, I can find no sign of progress with either the Mexican tayra or the Javan yellow-throated marten with just the more common subspecies certainly in European collections
- The viverrids are probably having the worst time; only the Owston's palm civet seems to have a sustainable captive breeding programme currently
-I can find no indication of large-spotted civets being managed in American zoos, although chances are a few are probably dotted around in Southeast Asia
- The Malabar civet has declined even more drastically, and now may well be already extinct
- There seem to have been no advances in the keeping of either aquatic genets or otter civets (the former is understandable, since its entire native range appears to be in a war-zone)
- However, there have been recent successes in the captive keeping and breeding of Palawan binturongs in Europe
- Mongooses and Eupleridae (the latter group probably wasn't recognised at this time) also seem to be having a rough time; the Liberian mongoose at Toronto Zoo when the article was written has since died and any efforts to bring them back have failed (although even then other specimens were not readily available)
- Narrow-striped mongooses seem to now have a good breeding population in Europe, with the first captive-bred pair coming to Durrell in 2002-2003
- Other Euplerids also seem to be have either a large and well-managed (fossa) or small (ring-tailed vontsira, fanaloka) captive presence in both Europe and America
- Some procyonids (common raccoon and ring-tailed coati) have a large captive population, although the former seems to be disappearing from many British zoos.
- Do any American members know if there has been progress with captive breeding programmes for the Caribbean island raccoons or the Cozumel Island coati?
- A single mountain coati is now in captivity at a facility in Colombia- hopefully this will be the start of a successful breeding programme
- None of the rarer forms of kinkajou seem to have become established in captivity, and here in Europe the crab-eating raccoon and ringtail are literally hanging on by a thread
- Do any of our Mexican zoochatters know if the planned captive keeping and breeding programmes for olingos went ahead at all?
-Interestingly, the actual article forgets the otters, so I will briefly sum up what has mostly been happening with those as well; giant otters are now seemingly the new 'thing' in zoos, with great-looking enclosures with breeding groups sprouting up all over the place both in Europe and America
- Smooth-coated otters have recently gained a small breeding colony in Britain, courtesy of the actions of Belfast and the RSCC
- Hairy-nosed otters have had singletons in captive collections in Southeast Asia but seemingly very little interest by any western collections; the same can be said for the Southern river otter which vies with the hairy-nosed otter for the title of 'rarest otter species'
- Despite their threatened existance in the wild, Oriental small-clawed and Eurasian otters seem to be here to stay in captive collections (out of interest, how many Eurasian otters remain in American zoos?)
- Although now down to one collection in Europe, the sea otter seems to have recovered sufficiently in large areas of the Pacific with a good number in American collections (I think?)
Of course, a lot changes in nearly 20 years. The taxonomy of some species is changing near-constantly (Cozumel coatis are now regarded as the same as the mainland white-nosed, Malagasy carnivores are now in a group of their own and recent genetic studies seem to indicate the Javan yellow-throated marten may be a distinct species), the Malabar civet is possibly extinct and several new carnivores have been discovered like the Durrell's vontisra and Vietnam ferret-badger.
Having done a lot of research, I have found that not only a good number of the species listed above, but several other species not previously considered are in need of serious help; the falanouc, Hose's civet, pygmy spotted skunk, Colombian weasel, Sulawesi and golden palm civets, brown-tailed and broad-striped vontsira, the crested, Johnston's and Bourlon's genets, banded linsang, both the African linsangs and brown mongooses are all either already threatened or declining rapidly in the wild and have information regarding their captive care.
So, what zoos are best for small carnivore conservation? Two of the real good-uns, the RSCC (with fanaloka, smooth-coated otters and ring-tailed mongooses among the highlights) and Wassenaar Zoo in the Netherlands (with breeding banded linsangs, banded palm civets and otter civets) have since closed. So, does anywhere at all have a really memorable collection of threatened small carnivores left, and have good links with wild conservation (I know several British collections work closely with the carnivore centre at Cuc Phuong and the Owston's civets).
As an added aside, I am looking for the history of some species of small carnivore in captivity- I already have details on the banded linsang, but if anyone knows info on otter civets or marbled polecats, it would be much appreciated.
Essay over
http://www.smallcarnivoreconservation.org/sccwiki/images/7/73/Number_9.PDF
Having read through this with a great deal of interest, it left me wondering how much has actually happened with a great deal of the animals mentioned.
- Mustelids seem to be doing pretty well; there seem to be a great number of European mink being kept and presumably bred on the continent
- Marbled polecats have a small toe-hold in a few select European countries (mainly Russia, Britain and Germany)
- Wolverines seem to be increasing their zoo range and population in Europe, most recently with successful breeding at the Cotswold Wildlife Park- as a related matter, how are wolverines doing in American zoos?
- However, despite these successes with existing species, I can find no sign of progress with either the Mexican tayra or the Javan yellow-throated marten with just the more common subspecies certainly in European collections
- The viverrids are probably having the worst time; only the Owston's palm civet seems to have a sustainable captive breeding programme currently
-I can find no indication of large-spotted civets being managed in American zoos, although chances are a few are probably dotted around in Southeast Asia
- The Malabar civet has declined even more drastically, and now may well be already extinct
- There seem to have been no advances in the keeping of either aquatic genets or otter civets (the former is understandable, since its entire native range appears to be in a war-zone)
- However, there have been recent successes in the captive keeping and breeding of Palawan binturongs in Europe
- Mongooses and Eupleridae (the latter group probably wasn't recognised at this time) also seem to be having a rough time; the Liberian mongoose at Toronto Zoo when the article was written has since died and any efforts to bring them back have failed (although even then other specimens were not readily available)
- Narrow-striped mongooses seem to now have a good breeding population in Europe, with the first captive-bred pair coming to Durrell in 2002-2003
- Other Euplerids also seem to be have either a large and well-managed (fossa) or small (ring-tailed vontsira, fanaloka) captive presence in both Europe and America
- Some procyonids (common raccoon and ring-tailed coati) have a large captive population, although the former seems to be disappearing from many British zoos.
- Do any American members know if there has been progress with captive breeding programmes for the Caribbean island raccoons or the Cozumel Island coati?
- A single mountain coati is now in captivity at a facility in Colombia- hopefully this will be the start of a successful breeding programme
- None of the rarer forms of kinkajou seem to have become established in captivity, and here in Europe the crab-eating raccoon and ringtail are literally hanging on by a thread
- Do any of our Mexican zoochatters know if the planned captive keeping and breeding programmes for olingos went ahead at all?
-Interestingly, the actual article forgets the otters, so I will briefly sum up what has mostly been happening with those as well; giant otters are now seemingly the new 'thing' in zoos, with great-looking enclosures with breeding groups sprouting up all over the place both in Europe and America
- Smooth-coated otters have recently gained a small breeding colony in Britain, courtesy of the actions of Belfast and the RSCC
- Hairy-nosed otters have had singletons in captive collections in Southeast Asia but seemingly very little interest by any western collections; the same can be said for the Southern river otter which vies with the hairy-nosed otter for the title of 'rarest otter species'
- Despite their threatened existance in the wild, Oriental small-clawed and Eurasian otters seem to be here to stay in captive collections (out of interest, how many Eurasian otters remain in American zoos?)
- Although now down to one collection in Europe, the sea otter seems to have recovered sufficiently in large areas of the Pacific with a good number in American collections (I think?)
Of course, a lot changes in nearly 20 years. The taxonomy of some species is changing near-constantly (Cozumel coatis are now regarded as the same as the mainland white-nosed, Malagasy carnivores are now in a group of their own and recent genetic studies seem to indicate the Javan yellow-throated marten may be a distinct species), the Malabar civet is possibly extinct and several new carnivores have been discovered like the Durrell's vontisra and Vietnam ferret-badger.
Having done a lot of research, I have found that not only a good number of the species listed above, but several other species not previously considered are in need of serious help; the falanouc, Hose's civet, pygmy spotted skunk, Colombian weasel, Sulawesi and golden palm civets, brown-tailed and broad-striped vontsira, the crested, Johnston's and Bourlon's genets, banded linsang, both the African linsangs and brown mongooses are all either already threatened or declining rapidly in the wild and have information regarding their captive care.
So, what zoos are best for small carnivore conservation? Two of the real good-uns, the RSCC (with fanaloka, smooth-coated otters and ring-tailed mongooses among the highlights) and Wassenaar Zoo in the Netherlands (with breeding banded linsangs, banded palm civets and otter civets) have since closed. So, does anywhere at all have a really memorable collection of threatened small carnivores left, and have good links with wild conservation (I know several British collections work closely with the carnivore centre at Cuc Phuong and the Owston's civets).
As an added aside, I am looking for the history of some species of small carnivore in captivity- I already have details on the banded linsang, but if anyone knows info on otter civets or marbled polecats, it would be much appreciated.
Essay over
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..). I wish EU policy could change and with the Madagascan zoos and authorities progress towards conservation usage of these confiscees can be made (now they remain a genetic / functional dead end road ... a waste for an endangered native species).
