To Zoo or Not to Zoo: What to Do About Husbandry-Challenged Species?

[TheMightyOrca]

This is a great question! I think a key reason for these failures is how many species were imported to multiple facilities around the same time, only for numbers across the wider gap to die out, often persisting in only a few key institutions, as happened with River dolphins and Sumatran rhinos. I think it would be better to import a few individuals to a single facility that is prepared to make a long-term investment in the species and is willing to coordinate with ex-situ programs to further research - and if that facility can succeed, the research can be extended elsewhere, versus importing the species to a dozen locations and hoping they can all figure things out.

Not to mention that when the animals get spread out, it means that each facility gets fewer animals. So when one animal dies (no matter the cause) the facility may be more likely to cut their losses and give up. Even if they want to continue displaying the species, getting more of them might be too difficult. If a place has 20 rhinos and one dies, well, they still have 19 rhinos. That's easier to deal with than a place losing one of two rhinos.

I agree with @vogelcommando that it could be helpful to use rescue animals to try and develop better captive care methods. (if nothing else, it would be beneficial for future rescue animals) I for one think that the pangolin would benefit greatly from zoo display and captive breeding, if zoos can figure out some more practical ways to keep them.

 

[Jurek7]

There are now many tropical zoos and zoo-like institutions which get rescued and confiscated animals. Husbandry of difficult species is now developed (or not) there. Animals which reach Western zoos are almost always from local collections. Tasmanian devils, pangolins, douc langurs and proboscis monkeys in Europe came from Australian, Taiwanese, Thai and Singaporean zoos, not from the wild. So there is little scope for zoos to really develop husbandry of these species, other than support and copy what is happening abroad.

For some others - yes, if zoos can get hands on them, they should definitely try to keep and breed new species. There is now so much known about wild animal husbandry, and zoos are so good in compiling and checking their successes. I am sure that shoebills, several hummingbird species or mantas will soon start regularly breeding. Like before success was made with elephants, okapis and many others.

 

[gentle lemur]

There are now many tropical zoos and zoo-like institutions which get rescued and confiscated animals. Husbandry of difficult species is now developed (or not) there. Animals which reach Western zoos are almost always from local collections. Tasmanian devils, pangolins, douc langurs and proboscis monkeys in Europe came from Australian, Taiwanese, Thai and Singaporean zoos, not from the wild. So there is little scope for zoos to really develop husbandry of these species, other than support and copy what is happening abroad.

The key word is support, which means financial support of course, but also training keepers and vets and promoting fieldwork - see for example my comments about the Javan Green Magpies earlier in this thread.

 

[Pertinax]

Three frigate birds squatting uncomfortably on the ground, they were quite obviously not in a aviary and unless they were rescued individuals, they had either been wing-clipped or pinioned. I don't know if anyone knows more about these specimens.

I remember them.... I think there may have been four. I seem to remember they were kept in the covered 'conservatory' enclosure which adjoined the Bird House, next to the circular concrete reptiliary. No idea how they acquired them though. This building housed various species at different times, including young gibbons and the baby Chimpanzee 'Elizabeth' at one stage.

 

[gentle lemur]

I remember them.....

Thank you. I may well have got the number wrong, but it's nice to have a memory confirmed when it's well over 50 years old. I didn't visit Bristol until 1971, so I don't remember that enclosure as I think the Bird House had been remodelled by then.
Incidentally in my Google search, I found this interesting page about James Fisher and 'News from the Zoos' WildFilmHistory - James Fisher presenting News from the Zoos next to a young giraffe born at Bristol Zoo

 

[Yeffi]

I would like to ask. What is the possibility of Asian trogons in captivity? I know some are already kept in captivity but there still more that aren't doing well. Is it the husbandry or sourcing this species that makes them rare in the captivity. What might be the best way to do to ensure that they will be doing well in captivity.

 

[joe99]

This is probably already been said but I think these should be the metrics today if I would want to try and establish an ex situ population
- Is it Practical? Pretty much rules out great whales, giant squids and great white sharks for the moment. things like space and special diets that just cannot be provided for whatever reason
-How many others wanna take part? No zoos an island, and for bigger animals in particular if you want to establish a captive breeding population and not need to keep sourcing from the wild you are gonna need work with potentially dozens of other zoos so getting as many onboard as you can would be a good idea
- What are the potential benefits of keeping them in captivity? (Conservation, Education , Research etc.. I think this is the biggest question to ask, because this is gonna be costing money, effort and often some animal lives as we understand their husbandry, so it would be important to justify the efforts. Is the species really rare and would captive breeding help it in any way? Could we learn a lot from having captive specimens, be that about the animal themselves or potentially wider such as medical.
-Ethical Sourcing? just making sure that the animals are caught and transported humanly, not fuel any sort of illegal trade and collection does not hurt the wild population too much. I do love the idea of mainly using rescues, but I imagine that's not practical for the most part, so just make sure its done ethically