Species once commonly seen in (most) zoos. in UK

[dean]

The ban on the import of wild caught birds on the back of the bird flu panic a few years ago has, possibly, resulted in keeping of more common and reliable bird species. Also a zoo visitor doesn't mind if they see the same animals at every zoo they visit. Not every one has a discerning zoo eye.

In some respects to my miond, it has gone back to the stamp collecting idea of old zoos, but with a subtle twist, if zoo A has a species Zoo B must have it too, etc,etc, the difference now is they have breeding groups of stamps rather than individual ones.

 

[Parrotsandrew]

the Black-footed to use their old name (now known as the African)

Not by me!!

 

[Pertinax]

. It has now been filled in again to build a paddock (that looks roughly the same size as the Bison one) for Indian Rhinos.

Is there any fresh movement on this enclosure for Indian Rhino?

 

[Nanook]

Not by me!!

Nor by me also!!

 

[Nanook]

Thanks Zoogiraffe!

Good point regarding the Penguins Nanook, why is it become that so many penguins are Humbolt? Are they easier to upkeep than other species ?

It is because the Humboldt`s are regarded by most zoos as the best one to keep due to its endangered (in the wild) status and the fact that it is readily bred in zoos and widely available to them. It is the most commonly seen penguin species in UK zoos today.

 

[vogelcommando]

Softbills in general and esp. Laughing thrushes ! In earlier days every zoo or birdpark - no matter how small had one or several kinds of them, the most commonly being the White-crested. Now-a-days one or 2 species which are of conservation intrest are kept by a small group of zoos but other species are almost or complete disappeared !
Also Tanagers - in earlier days found regulary in different species in the larger zoos, have almost disappeared with the exeption of the relative easy to breed Brazilian tanager.

 

[vogelcommando]

With reptiles only the formerly genus Cordylus ( Girdled lizards ) sping to my mind. Species like the Sungazer, Armadillo lizard and Warren's Girdled lizards were commonly kept in a lot of zoos, now-a-days hardly a single can be found anymore

 

[Parrotsandrew]

Is there any fresh movement on this enclosure for Indian Rhino?

I'm afraid I do not know as I have not been since February - I must go as I invested in a season ticket!

 

[crested seriema]

Riber had a nice group of Collared Peccaries, even a young one which had to be handreared, went just before it closed, the young one lived with Guanaco and Soays.Dudley had both Collared and White Lipped Peccaries at one time, in most Zoos in the 1970s and 1980s the most popular antelope in Zoos were Blackbuck , nice herds at London and Dublin Zoos, even a mixed herd with Spotted Deer at Battersea Park near the Lake not in the Chidrens Zoo!

 

[Nanook]

Riber had a nice group of Collared Peccaries, even a young one which had to be handreared, went just before it closed, the young one lived with Guanaco and Soays.Dudley had both Collared and White Lipped Peccaries at one time, in most Zoos in the 1970s and 1980s the most popular antelope in Zoos were Blackbuck , nice herds at London and Dublin Zoos, even a mixed herd with Spotted Deer at Battersea Park near the Lake not in the Chidrens Zoo!

Yes, Blackbuck is another one, since the 70s & 80s there have been very few in zoos, though very recently I have noticed a few cropping up here and there once more, they are a nice antelope. I wonder if we might see Thompson`s Gazelles return one day too!?

 

[Nanook]

With reptiles only the formerly genus Cordylus ( Girdled lizards ) sping to my mind. Species like the Sungazer, Armadillo lizard and Warren's Girdled lizards were commonly kept in a lot of zoos, now-a-days hardly a single can be found anymore

True, the Plated Lizard is another. Tanagers - yes very few these days, what about Zosterops (white-eyes) too. Also to some extent the Turacos are not displayed in so many varieties as once before.

 

[AthleticBinturong]

Dudley is the only collection in the UK with the species now, sad to say - they received some of the Cotswold stock in 2009. Much of the Cotswold stock was dispersed a year later between Fota and Tayto in the Republic of Ireland, before the last animals died in 2011.

Fota dosnt have peccary only warty pigs

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Fota dosnt have peccary only warty pigs

Something which does not actually alter the fact that this is one of the locations the Cotswold animals were sent to

 

[Bele]

For another thread on guenons I found my copy of the Zoo Federation (now BIAZA) Mammal Inventory for 31st December 1986 ( only reporting members and excluding quite a few non-members zoos ) and note that -

Hog deer were in 5 collections , blackbuck in 10 , Barbary sheep in 8 , mouflon in 5 , American bison in 8 , Hamadryas baboon in 6 , patas monkey in 6 , South American sea-lion in 7 , collared peccary in 10 , puma in 8 , caracal in 12 , jungle cat in 8 , leopard cat in 9 , non Sumatran or Amur tigers in 14 , leopards of no sub-species in 16 , Asian black bears in 6 . It is likely that these then common species were also held in quite a few more collections .

Ring-tailed lemurs were then held in 19 and meercats in only 11 collections .

Lots of species are listed that are no longer in the UK . At London Zoo you could see short-nosed and long-nosed echidnas , Tasmanian devils , springhaas ( also in 2 others ) , many species of small rodent , small-toothed and masked palm civets . Bristol had rufous rat-kangaroo , Philippine tarsier and pichi armadillo in its Nocturnal House ( now Bug House ) . Twycross had a pair of Doria's tree kangaroo along with many rare primates . Chester had talapoin monkeys . Blackpool had springbok . Kilverstone had lots of species not found elsewhere .

 

[Nanook]

For another thread on guenons I found my copy of the Zoo Federation (now BIAZA) Mammal Inventory for 31st December 1986 ( only reporting members and excluding quite a few non-members zoos ) and note that -

Hog deer were in 5 collections , blackbuck in 10 , Barbary sheep in 8 , mouflon in 5 , American bison in 8 , Hamadryas baboon in 6 , patas monkey in 6 , South American sea-lion in 7 , collared peccary in 10 , puma in 8 , caracal in 12 , jungle cat in 8 , leopard cat in 9 , non Sumatran or Amur tigers in 14 , leopards of no sub-species in 16 , Asian black bears in 6 . It is likely that these then common species were also held in quite a few more collections .

Ring-tailed lemurs were then held in 19 and meercats in only 11 collections .

Lots of species are listed that are no longer in the UK . At London Zoo you could see short-nosed and long-nosed echidnas , Tasmanian devils , springhaas ( also in 2 others ) , many species of small rodent , small-toothed and masked palm civets . Bristol had rufous rat-kangaroo , Philippine tarsier and pichi armadillo in its Nocturnal House ( now Bug House ) . Twycross had a pair of Doria's tree kangaroo along with many rare primates . Chester had talapoin monkeys . Blackpool had springbok . Kilverstone had lots of species not found elsewhere .

An excellent list, it illustrates the situation very well. Hog Deer, plus most other non-native deer species, were very common, but most are long gone now. Barbary Sheep is another classic species which have gone from mass popularity to hardly any these days.
Another factor is that most of the commoner species seen many years ago were good, prolific breeders, therefore surplus animals were readily available and the "zoo market" was quickly flooded but those species, Pumas and Dingos, various bears, and the hoofstock you mention Bele, etc...etc...

 

[Nanook]

For another thread on guenons I found my copy of the Zoo Federation (now BIAZA) Mammal Inventory for 31st December 1986 ( only reporting members and excluding quite a few non-members zoos ) and note that -

Hog deer were in 5 collections , blackbuck in 10 , Barbary sheep in 8 , mouflon in 5 , American bison in 8 , Hamadryas baboon in 6 , patas monkey in 6 , South American sea-lion in 7 , collared peccary in 10 , puma in 8 , caracal in 12 , jungle cat in 8 , leopard cat in 9 , non Sumatran or Amur tigers in 14 , leopards of no sub-species in 16 , Asian black bears in 6 . It is likely that these then common species were also held in quite a few more collections .

Ring-tailed lemurs were then held in 19 and meercats in only 11 collections .

Lots of species are listed that are no longer in the UK . At London Zoo you could see short-nosed and long-nosed echidnas , Tasmanian devils , springhaas ( also in 2 others ) , many species of small rodent , small-toothed and masked palm civets . Bristol had rufous rat-kangaroo , Philippine tarsier and pichi armadillo in its Nocturnal House ( now Bug House ) . Twycross had a pair of Doria's tree kangaroo along with many rare primates . Chester had talapoin monkeys . Blackpool had springbok . Kilverstone had lots of species not found elsewhere .

Another point is that in 1986 there would still have been a large proportion
of some of those smaller mammal species mentioned living in private collections too, with some trade between those collections and the main zoos taking place. Jungle Cats and Leopard cats are two good examples of that.