Australia Zoo Sumatran Tiger Import
- Thread starter kelvin
- Start date
It's amazing that there are now 14 tigers at Australia Zoo. Bob Irwin doesn't know what he's missing...haha
This is an unbelievably important development - not only genetically for our Sumatran Tiger program but politically for all of our captive management programs for species originating in Indonesia.
Without knowing any of the details leading up to this stunning success I can only guess that full marks are due to Australia Zoo's negotiating team and , equally I would imagine, to the support that they must have had from ARAZPA.
Future generations of Aussie zoo lovers should be perpetually grateful for their efforts.
Congratulations!
Without knowing any of the details leading up to this stunning success I can only guess that full marks are due to Australia Zoo's negotiating team and , equally I would imagine, to the support that they must have had from ARAZPA.
Future generations of Aussie zoo lovers should be perpetually grateful for their efforts.
Congratulations!
Full marks to Australia Zoo for not only managing to access new Sumatran tiger genetic material, but also for keeping so many tigers.
We keep being told that zoos are phasing out some species to increase the places for those animals they DO keep. Over the years Taronga has got rid of leopards, pumas and jaguars, but they still only have two tigers (and, what's worse, only places for two.)
Whether you are breeding tigers or budgerigars, you are not fair dinkum about them if you only have capacity to accommodate one pair!
Also, (while I'm having a gripe,) it has been stated elsewhere on this forum that the Australian climate makes it preferable to concentrate on tropical bears, rather than "cold-country" bears such as Polars, Grizzlies etc. I see the sense in that and , reluctantly, I agree. So surely the climate is also unsuitable for Snow Leopards - we would be better off with tropical big cats. (Bring back Jags!)
We keep being told that zoos are phasing out some species to increase the places for those animals they DO keep. Over the years Taronga has got rid of leopards, pumas and jaguars, but they still only have two tigers (and, what's worse, only places for two.)
Whether you are breeding tigers or budgerigars, you are not fair dinkum about them if you only have capacity to accommodate one pair!
Also, (while I'm having a gripe,) it has been stated elsewhere on this forum that the Australian climate makes it preferable to concentrate on tropical bears, rather than "cold-country" bears such as Polars, Grizzlies etc. I see the sense in that and , reluctantly, I agree. So surely the climate is also unsuitable for Snow Leopards - we would be better off with tropical big cats. (Bring back Jags!)
ah ha! you know considering how often i get into arguments with touchy europeans that don't like me saying "temperate zoos should focus on temperate species", i have always wondered why the fact that australia keeps snow leopards is never thrown back in my face!
see i always say focus because i don't think zoos can't keep species out of their climate range effectively. its just that if you specialise in species that do fit their climate, the species generally benefit more, as does the conservation message (issues that appear more relevant to the locals) and the costs are less - no heating/cooling.
but there are lots of species that live in inbetween climates or can deal with extreme is short bursts. asian elephants in assam sometimes experience snowfall and now extinct syrian brown bears in israel no doubt used to feel the 40 degree heat in the summertime.
but elephants never experience really cold temperatures and not for long periods. and neither do polar bears deal with more than the freakish day here and there of truly hot weather (except in singapore!).
whilst polar bears were an extreme example and the climate probably played a significant part in the decision to phase this species out of australian zoos, i don't actually think it was the weather that saw us decide to phase out brown bears, pumas etc..
it was probably more that the regions they come from are not priorities to our zoos and that more zoos wanted sunbears than syrians.
but is the australian summer too much for snow leopards? certainly i don't think its fair to house them outdoors any further north than sydney. in fact even sydney may be too warm, on average. so too is probably perth.
so the question is - is their enough southern zoos to support a self sustaining population of snow leopards in australia and new zealand?
not unless zoos wanna keep a lot more than a single pair. so ara, i would have to say that probably, your right.
if suitability to climate is to be a priority for australian zoos then really jaguars are a better choice than snow leopards. because although some cities in australia and new zealand are quite suitable for snow leopards in my opinion, jaguars better fit in with the overall climate range of the region. crocodylus park as well as wellington zoo could keep jaguar. but it would be cruel to send snow leopards to darwin.
@Patrick: I wholeheartedly agree with your views on temperate, tropical and cold-weather species being the focus at zoos that fit their geographical terrain. Polar bears on the Gold Coast or in Singapore is a crazy notion, and you rightly point out that keeping snow leopards in many parts of Australia would also be a cruel and unusual punishment for the big cats.
The problem that occurs in Australia is that all of the major zoos then focus on sun bears at the expense of other bear species, and all of the major zoos equally focus on lions and tigers at the expense of other big cats. When I toured Australia in May and June I noticed the exact same species popping up in brand new SE Asian rainforest sections inside Taronga, Melbourne and Adelaide. Sun bears, sumatran tigers, gibbons, orangutans, etc...
If Taronga does go ahead and eventually open up an entire South American precinct then perhaps jaguars will be a new focus for the region...we can only hope.
The problem that occurs in Australia is that all of the major zoos then focus on sun bears at the expense of other bear species, and all of the major zoos equally focus on lions and tigers at the expense of other big cats. When I toured Australia in May and June I noticed the exact same species popping up in brand new SE Asian rainforest sections inside Taronga, Melbourne and Adelaide. Sun bears, sumatran tigers, gibbons, orangutans, etc...
If Taronga does go ahead and eventually open up an entire South American precinct then perhaps jaguars will be a new focus for the region...we can only hope.
