Toledo Zoo Toledo Zoo News 2021

evilmonkey239 said:
Did the koala leave? I went today and its enclosure had seemingly been converted back into an aviary, with all the signage gone too.
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Yep. They actually did leave, unfortunatly. Not sure where to, though. Actually, I'm gonna be doing more ZooTeen training, AKA my hands on training, so I can try to get answers for some more things if you guys want. :)
 
ThylacineAlive said:
That's a pretty good reason then, I wasn't aware of Toledo's repeated issues with keeping Masai.



While I do eco your frustration with the slow pace of the Masai phase-in and with the AZA for deciding to hybridize the other populations in the first place, the sad reality is that @Echobeast is correct in that there are far too few pure Masai and too slow of breeding to replace the generic giraffe population the way we would like to. The situation in America is quite different to that of Europe, where cross-breeds are still bred in many zoos meanwhile there are four pure giraffe programs, some of which are unable to grow and others suffering from overpopulation due to a lack of available holders. Sadly, I would be very surprised if we ever see American zoos import giraffes from overseas to initiate a new program. Apart from the sheer cost of importing a sustainable founding population, the US has their ever annoying importation laws when it comes to ruminants that would make such an endeavor insanely costly and difficult.

~Thylo
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I am well aware that the situation in the US / North America is different with the current Masai giraffe population at 131 individuals and the generic ("reticulated"/"Rothschild") is at 439 individuals. While you maintain and continue to breed your generics in considerable numbers you are never going to be able to effectively manage the North American captive giraffe as science based conservation breeding ex situ. The cited inability to change the importation laws relating to ruminants is actually a major "preventing" ex situ conservation breeding and it would be advisable and preferable that this gets sorted long term too.

If US/North American zoos can "indulge" in importing rhinos from African range states (which has happened over the last decade+ on a good many occasions), a similar endeavour for giraffe might not be that "deranged" thinking or seem unrealistic. Honestly, I do believe the best strategy would be to invest in setting up a second giraffe program for Angolan giraffe (in need and deserving of a captive program) in North America and a direct import of Masai giraffe from south-central Kenya and Tanzania and increase the number of founders. In doing so, you would spread the load and enable both zoo regions to run meaningful ex situ conservation breeding programs for both.


I think as far as Europe is concerned you are misinterpreting the realities on the ground. Breeding of crossbreeds (142 hybrid+47 unknown-25% in 2008) has since largely stopped and the long term target is complete phase out by preventing breeding and reducing the ageing population by natural attrition. The new species coordinator heavily curtailed breeding in the purebred species programs. Longterm only 3 programs will probably be effectively retained: reticulated (118-16% in 2008), Rothschild's (ssp. of northern giraffe: 310-41%) and Kordofan (ssp. of northern giraffe: 68-9% in 2008). Invariably, Angolan (southern giraffe) and Cape (southern giraffe) will disappear from European collections, much like Masai giraffe have already done.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
The cited inability to change the importation laws relating to ruminants is actually a major "preventing" ex situ conservation breeding and it would be advisable and preferable that this gets sorted long term too.
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You say this like the zoos have any say in the matter :p I think I can speak for just about all zoo nerds professional and otherwise when I say we all definitely agree with your statement.

Rhinos and giraffes are very different animals with very different transportation requirements. Indeed, some facilities have imported rhinos in recent years (SDZSP with their white rhino program, White Oak with their South-Central Black Rhinos), but this is but a small number of very financially secure zoos. With giraffes being so tall and fragile in comparison they aren't as easily moved. But again, the issue remains that the importation of rhinos is legal and the importation of giraffes is illegal (or at least nearly so) so I'm afraid I don't understand the criticism leveed at AZA zoos in this instance when there is literally nothing more they can do than what they are currently doing.

I am happy to hear that most zoos in Europe have ceased the breeding of hybrids and that the overbreeding of some taxa is being dealt with.

~Thylo
 
Esteemed @Thylo and other North American Zoochatters: I am not levelling any criticism at the door of zoos or breeding management where this relates to import/export issues. I sincerely think these are preventing conservation considerations ex situ from happening ..., which is incredulous and should be dealt with in national (federal) legislation.

NOTA BENE: I am full well aware of the complex giraffe transport issues given their stature (for lack of a better word).

I would say this whole debate and discourse would probably deserve a thread in its own right (as for now it is all over the Toledo Zoo News thread unintentionally).
 
* Pink is just a shot in the dark since I don't know if its private property or just woods but it is a huge area that doesn't look to be in use of anyone. But I would rather see the other areas used before an already nature habitat for animals used.

Sam, you get your wish...sort off: PowerPoint Presentation (toledozoo.org)
 

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I have a small update for you guys. So, I was in one of my meetings, and although it was confirmed that the tiger cubs currently don't have any names just yet? The two giraffes that came in recemtly do in fact have names. The male is Rocket, and the female is Ray, I believe. I think there might be some sort of voting thing going on with the tigers' names. Although unfortunatly, I can't remember what the name options were. My apologies on that! But, I can also confirm this, despite it not relating towards the giraffes and tigers. The zoo also recently got a new octopus ( I'm unsure of when they got it. I just know that it was recently ), and it's a female. On my next shift ( tomorrow ), I'll have to see if she has a name.
 
An Emperor Tamarin was born on May 7 at Toledo Zoo. The breeding pair (a male from Staten Island Zoo and a female imported from Europe) had experienced several infant losses since the first birth in June 2020 and this is their first surviving offspring. Note the article attached comes up with a pay wall after a few seconds: Toledo Zoo emperor tamarins have first baby after prior losses
 
Eyyyyy, just wanted to let you guys know that, just today, 3 new male 18 month old cheetah cubs from the Columbus Zoo were on display for the first time! Apparently the Toledo Zoo and the Columbus Zoo had swapped cheetahs. Unfortunatly, I never saw them while I was on Cheetah-Watch duty, but I was put on there. Also, just recently? 6 individual geckos were put into the 1st floor of the Tropics! Unfortunatly, I have forgotten what kind of geckos the 6 were, but they were the same ones that the Geico Gecko was based on.
 
Tyrannosaurus-PicoPico said:
Eyyyyy, just wanted to let you guys know that, just today, 3 new male 18 month old cheetah cubs from the Columbus Zoo were on display for the first time! Apparently the Toledo Zoo and the Columbus Zoo had swapped cheetahs. Unfortunatly, I never saw them while I was on Cheetah-Watch duty, but I was put on there. Also, just recently? 6 individual geckos were put into the 1st floor of the Tropics! Unfortunatly, I have forgotten what kind of geckos the 6 were, but they were the same ones that the Geico Gecko was based on.
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Any idea which cheetahs they are? Also, do you know the names of the three that went to Columbus? I've only heard their names in videos and have no idea how to spell them LOL
 
TinoPup said:
Any idea which cheetahs they are? Also, do you know the names of the three that went to Columbus? I've only heard their names in videos and have no idea how to spell them LOL
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I unfortunatly have forgotten the names for the 18 month olds, and the 3 that were sent to the Columbus Zoo. All I know is that the Columbus Zoo needed to have some older cheetahs so that way they could breed, so Toledo and Columbus did a small trade since Toledo's were all male but mature enough for breeding. On my next shift, which is on the 21st, I'll have to see if I can find out the names of them all! But for now, although not a cheetah, I do have this cool water snake that I managed to get a picture of during my first shift at the sturgeon tank. :)
 

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Tyrannosaurus-PicoPico said:
I unfortunatly have forgotten the names for the 18 month olds, and the 3 that were sent to the Columbus Zoo. All I know is that the Columbus Zoo needed to have some older cheetahs so that way they could breed, so Toledo and Columbus did a small trade since Toledo's were all male but mature enough for breeding. On my next shift, which is on the 21st, I'll have to see if I can find out the names of them all! But for now, although not a cheetah, I do have this cool water snake that I managed to get a picture of during my first shift at the sturgeon tank. :)
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Thanks :) I'm guessing they were from the litter born at the Wilds October 2019, but I don't have names or sexes for that litter. The three that were at Toledo were Jafari, Kanu, and Maholy; I'm probably spelling all of those incorrectly.
 
Hello. I’m not a regular member in this chat, but I visited the Toledo Zoo today and they have the huge African savanna yard split into three sections. The first section looks like it’s only for dama gazelle, the second is for watusi, giraffe, nyala, kudu, and ostriches, and the third is for the reindeer, camels, and yaks. What’s up with that? They expanding the brown bear area, rhino area, adding new animals? The way they have the African savanna divided now seems to somewhat ruin the exhibit. I also noticed that the African savanna exhibit no longer has zebras, wildebeest, or warthogs I don’t think.
 
MIZOOenthusiast070128 said:
Hello. I’m not a regular member in this chat, but I visited the Toledo Zoo today and they have the huge African savanna yard split into three sections. The first section looks like it’s only for dama gazelle, the second is for watusi, giraffe, nyala, kudu, and ostriches, and the third is for the reindeer, camels, and yaks. What’s up with that? They expanding the brown bear area, rhino area, adding new animals? The way they have the African savanna divided now seems to somewhat ruin the exhibit. I also noticed that the African savanna exhibit no longer has zebras, wildebeest, or warthogs I don’t think.
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Do you have any pictures? Geez, it seems as if Africa! is getting worse and worse sightline-wise. First with that unsightly ropes course, and now this. Oy...
 
StoppableSan said:
Do you have any pictures? Geez, it seems as if Africa! is getting worse and worse sightline-wise. First with that unsightly ropes course, and now this. Oy...
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I didn’t take pictures, but the savanna yard is divided by terrible looking cheap fencing, it almost looked like brown picketed fencing if I emended right.
 
So, I have some news for you guys today.

Emerson has offically attempted to escape ( and succeeded ) twice in one week. Once on Saturday, and once on Monday. And today, as I was working with him alongside somebody else, we literally had to keep him from escaping 3 times this week. What he has been doing is that he figured out that he can break down and knock over the wooden poles that basically are a fence for him. And he managed to put his arms on the gate thats on the left side of the enclosure to see if he could try to break the lock and bust the gate open. Luckily, he didn't escape today, but I did get to answer some questions while trying to push the gate so that the overgrown toddler himself wouldn't do anything to it. Such as how old he was and how much he weighed. 450 LBS. But, he eventually gave up after a few tries that lasted for 30 minutes after he got some lettuce from a keeper. Moral of the story? Emerson is an overgrown toddler and you cannot tell me otherwise. Lmao.
 
Tyrannosaurus-PicoPico said:
So, I have some news for you guys today.

Emerson has offically attempted to escape ( and succeeded ) twice in one week. Once on Saturday, and once on Monday. And today, as I was working with him alongside somebody else, we literally had to keep him from escaping 3 times this week. What he has been doing is that he figured out that he can break down and knock over the wooden poles that basically are a fence for him. And he managed to put his arms on the gate thats on the left side of the enclosure to see if he could try to break the lock and bust the gate open. Luckily, he didn't escape today, but I did get to answer some questions while trying to push the gate so that the overgrown toddler himself wouldn't do anything to it. Such as how old he was and how much he weighed. 450 LBS. But, he eventually gave up after a few tries that lasted for 30 minutes after he got some lettuce from a keeper. Moral of the story? Emerson is an overgrown toddler and you cannot tell me otherwise. Lmao.
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What kind of animals is Emerson?
 
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