FunkyGibbon
Well-Known Member
Zurich and Bern, which are both fantastic. The rest of the week was spent with friends. I wrote up the three zoos in my European Travels thread.
Sun Bears In European Zoos?
- Thread starter agnmeln
- Start date
Cleveland’s female sun bear Scruffy moved to Akron last year to replace Keesha the sloth bear who moved to Miami. Akron’s Muffin died in 2015 after being behind the scenes for six years. She retired after her skin cancer diagnosis and her glaucoma was getting worse.
All information such as this to help me plan my next batch of trips once Europe is complete this Summer is very much welcome
!
All information such as this to help me plan my next batch of trips once Europe is complete this Summer is very much welcome
Scruffy is 32 years old meaning she is of a very mature age (to put it nicely). Should the old girl still be around in the second half of next year, I would expect her to get Muffin’s retirement apartment in the bear building in Grizzly Ridge. Akron is prepping for a major expansion and renovation. Pride of Africa will be added for Memorial Day weekend 2019 opening. Tiger Valley, Scruffy ‘s current home, will then be renovated for 2020 opening. It is not known yet whether the sun/sloth bear exhibit will remain a bear exhibit or be repurposed. The zoo is still working on Wild Asia plans.
Thank you for the update. I am now thinking to plan my visit to Basel and Zagreb at the end of June, so hopefully I will get to see both of these old ladies when it is warmer!
Frodo is the (sterile) male sun bear. He will be leaving soon to go to Munster. I believe the plan is to bring in a male from Edinburgh to replace him, and then in turn a female from Usti will go to Edinburgh to join the remaining male there.
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Well, my name is beccasunbear!
I haven’t heard anything further about him moving to Münster since January. Guess it is just a matter of time now.
PicanBird
Well-Known Member
So you are the sunbear expert on Zoochat?! Nice to meet you!
But does that mean the sunbears will get a fertile couple anywhere soon or did I read that wrong
Yes, the male from Edinburgh is assumedly fertile so he will be brought in to breed with the two females currently at the zoo. Frodo will be moved in with a female who I guess isn't a breeding priority...
SabineB
Well-Known Member
It would be news to me that someone actually tested Somnang or Rotana for fertility.
And Josefine in Münster can not be a breeding not-priority. With regards to her genetic profile she is way less present in the current European population of sun bears than Bunga and Bola in Burgers. Btw. if they want to try breeding with those two ladies, try with Johannes, Frodos father first. At least this way you would have a decent chance of knowing whose issue it is, if there will be no cubs.
Josefine is a proven breeding female. So the person who is currently coordinating the sun bears in Europe is either - again - not up to the job or once again very ill informed. Plus the sun bear population in Europe does not allow any preferences with respect to priority breeding. Why not bring Frodo to Berlin either in exchange wit his father or have Myanmar travel to Münster. He is not a happy lonely bear in Usti as he has shown when Babu was born. And if Usti wants to keep Myanmar, send Somnang or Rotana to Münster and have them try it out with Josi.
There are 4 proven male breeders and 5 proven female breeders in all over Europe. 1 male (Chica) at a minimum and 2 females (Bali and Tina) are too old to breed any longer and 1 of each are stuck with non breeding partners. Josefine (Münster) is one and Johannes (in Berlin) is the other. There is one other pair that could theoretically produce cubs again (they did in 2009) but lives in the worst enclosure in Europe (inside and out) and time is running out on the male. I am talking about Teddy and Anabell in Madrid.
Sorry for being so brash on this issue, it bugs the living hell out of me, how bad this studbook has been and apparently is still run.
I believe that part of the tests at Burgers' was also a test at Edinburgh to see if the boys are fertile, and if I'm correct then they both are.
I've PM'd you on the topic.
IZW has recently done fertility tests in Burgers' and if the news here is true, then both females were still fertile. I assume that the males in Edinburgh have also been tested at some point though... The EEP coordinator seems to have finally started working again last year, hopefully it is not too late.
SabineB
Well-Known Member
Don't get me wrong, those two need to go places, regardless of their breeding capacities. Two possible males with no females makes no sense whatsoever. And if whoever gets to Burgers is successful all the better.
It makes no sense whatsoever to leave Josefine with a sterile bear. Which is my main issue. Or leaving Johannes in Berlin out of the shoveling around.
I think you dm'd Becca who is not me ;-)
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In a news item by Burgers' Zoo they mentioned that these transfers (Edinburgh and Munster) would be the start of a larger number of transfers between European zoos, with the goal to create as many fertile couples as possible, so we will find out soon enough what that means in practice.
SabineB
Well-Known Member
well there is a new eep coordinator, and it really could not get worse ...
I’d say more ‘obsessive’ than ‘expert’! Bears are literally my life. Nice to meet you, too!
I haven’t received any message about this, but I would very much love to
if there is any furthers news available!I haven’t personally heard of any tests confirming the fertility of Somnang, Rotana, Babu, but I’m sure not everything is reported.
On the moves, well, they are certainly not the choices that I would have made personally, but it is a start at least.