South Lakes Wild Animal Park South lakes news

RTB1987 said:
This is the 'South Lakes news' thread after all so if this was a newborn then i see no problem with putting it in this thread.
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There is no problem. :)

If anything is inaccurate or out of date someone will let you know. So if you think something is of interest, do post it. Some people don't get on with discussion boards, is all. Me, I like to discuss. :D
 
yorik said:
As far as I am aware there has been no sightings or recording of wild South China Tigers for a very long time now so the comment that sumatran Tigers are the rarest sub species in the wild is an acurate statement based upon knowledge available.
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Ahhh, my mistake. I always assumed that it was total populations rather than just in the wild, thanks for shedding light :).

This isn't an argumentative point, just curiosity, but would it not only be true when it is officially listed as 'Extinct in the wild'? As it is, the South China tigers are still listed as 'critically endangered,' PROBABLY extinct in the wild. Like I say, I see your point in that it is unlikely any survive in the wild, but a small chance is mentioned on the official report, and whilst this stands and the official listing is critically endangered, should the Sumatran not be considered second most endangered, and PROBABLY the most endangered in the wild? (And it mentions that its historic range was never fully explorered, so there is a minute chance there are survivors there).

Panthera tigris ssp. amoyensis (South China Tiger)

(Also, out of interest, it states that reintroduction projects have started. Of course, the process takes time, however I think it is unfair to say there that there will be no attempts to release them in the forseeable future).

Anyway, like I say I'm not trying to continue an arguement - I am asking out of curiosity and interest :).
 
Javan Rhino said:
Ahhh, my mistake. I always assumed that it was total populations rather than just in the wild, thanks for shedding light :).

This isn't an argumentative point, just curiosity, but would it not only be true when it is officially listed as 'Extinct in the wild'? As it is, the South China tigers are still listed as 'critically endangered,' PROBABLY extinct in the wild. Like I say, I see your point in that it is unlikely any survive in the wild, but a small chance is mentioned on the official report, and whilst this stands and the official listing is critically endangered, should the Sumatran not be considered second most endangered, and PROBABLY the most endangered in the wild? (And it mentions that its historic range was never fully explorered, so there is a minute chance there are survivors there).

(Also, out of interest, it states that reintroduction projects have started. Of course, the process takes time, however I think it is unfair to say there that there will be no attempts to release them in the forseeable future).

Anyway, like I say I'm not trying to continue an arguement - I am asking out of curiosity and interest :).
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You raise an interesting point actually. Because the amur leopard is said to be the rarest big cat in the 'World' yet there's nearly three hundred of them in captivity and less than one hundred South China Tigers in existence, and because of the lack of effort gone into the SC Tiger sub species, outside of Chinese zoos i think it would be safe to assume that most zoos aswell as most conservationists, have just given up on this sub species. But like you mentioned earlier it's been a succesful year for SC Tigers, many healthy cubs have been born, and the rewilding project is actually preparing to relocate two of their young males to a site in China within the next few months. So there may be hope for them yet in the wild and captivity..

Rare Tigers Raised in Africa to be "Rewilded" in China - NatGeo News Watch

Back on topic i'm glad little Kadi's doing well, and hope to visit South Lakes next month.
 
What is the long-term planning in terms of numbers and subspecies. Another rothschildi herd or perhaps another group of reticulata?
 
Apparently 0:3 pure female's of the sub-species listed in Jordon's post (above) have been sourced as mates for the current male that they are holding with there current batchelor group. The other batchelors are being moved elsewhere
 
Modifications to the giraffe house are being carried out to accomodate 3 female Peralta Giraffes who will be arriving later this week (weather permitting), to join the resident male Peralta, Dayo. It is the first time the park has had female giraffes. There will be 7 giraffes for a time untill the male rothschilds are moved to new homes.
 
Following on from this, the zoo's Facebook page also has these two quotes from David Gill:

"Walda is due to go to Fota in Ireland in February, Beau to Knowsley in April and I am awaiting the final decisions of the European Breeding Programme for Tibor, I would love him to stay , I have had him for nearly 10 years and he is part of my family ! David"

and

"Peralta is the type we work with in Niger, West Africa. when we started there were no more than 50 left. The latest census of 2010 showed 250 animals now in our protected area. we have wanted Peraltas for years and finally after a long wait they became available to us via my wonderful partner in the project Pierre Gay, who owns Zoo de Doue La Fontaine, in the Loire Valley, France. so the one year olds will all arrive next week. Baby peraltas are on our wish list !! David"
 
It should probably be pointed out, as it has elsewhere, that all 'G. c. peralta' in Europe are almost certainly not peralta, but antiquorum (Kordofan Giraffe rather than Nigerian). So unless the animals are coming from outside Europe, they're likely not true peralta. Still very interesting though!
 
From what has been said on their Fb page, they will be coming from Zoo de Doue La Fontaine in France. They are one year olds.

ISIS says they hold 2.5.0 Nigerians and 4 in the Nigerian Giraffe <<<Group>>> section. Not sure what that means. Could someone explain.
 
It means the ISIS record is a bit shaky! The 'Group' bit is mostly used for colonial animals or large groups where you can't feasibly sex them. I doubt this is the case for giraffes, so it may be an input error or it may be that the zoo has mistakenly listed unsexed animals (such as newborns) under group.

As is often the case when animal populations are re-identified, it will take some time before everywhere accepts it and changes over (as with Berlin and their 'Indochinese' Tigers, which as with all others in Europe, are now classified as Malayan since the subpecies was split).
 
I've wondered about this with Knowsley and their Kafue flats lechwe.

They list 1.0.0 Kafe flats lechwe and then 54 in the Kafue flats lechwe group bit. Whats the point in listing the 1 male?
 
Interesting that South Lakes is not listed there as having a pure male- either 'peralta' or 'antiquorum' but presumably they genuinely have one but the ISIS listing is inaccurate/out of date/wrong. (It only lists them with 2.0 in another subsection of Giraffe.)
 
From the photo I have seen of their male, Dayo, he doesn't look like other Peralta Giraffe pics I have seen. He seems not as light coloured as I was expecting. The pics of Peralta's in the wild that I have seen, they have been almost white.
 
lechweoryx said:
I've wondered about this with Knowsley and their Kafue flats lechwe.

They list 1.0.0 Kafe flats lechwe and then 54 in the Kafue flats lechwe group bit. Whats the point in listing the 1 male?
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A relic from a time when the group was sexed, possibly. Or else they have one adult male they are certain about, but don't want to bother sexing youngster. Or it's a balls-up again!
 
lechweoryx said:
From the photo I have seen of their male, Dayo, he doesn't look like other Peralta Giraffe pics I have seen. He seems not as light coloured as I was expecting. The pics of Peralta's in the wild that I have seen, they have been almost white.
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Does he look more like a Kordofan, by any chance? :D


Here's the reference, just to show I've not imagined it!

Hassanin, A., A. Ropiquet, A. L. Gourmand, B. Chardonnet and J. Rigoulet (2007). Mitochondrial DNA variability in Giraffa camelopardalis: consequences for taxonomy, phylogeography and conservation of giraffes in West and central Africa. C. R. Biologies 330: 265–274.


It is only one study that I'm aware of, so possibly not the end of the story just yet.
 
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