Trends in European zoo collections in the 21st century
- Thread starter lintworm
- Start date
That's fascinating. Despite the significant success of this species in Europe, none of them are currently kept in South Africa, much to my dismay. Afrotheria is one of, if not, my favorite clade.
Honestly, still not sure how to feel about this, because when I see in that article camera trap pictures of interfluvialis, it looks nothing like the ones I've seen in any of the Czech collections...
Currently, there is also research being conducted by the University of Helsinki with the help of scientists from some other countries, that might also shed more light on it, we'll see.
Interesting, I haven't seen the Ostrava ones well enough to make any comment. What I noted in southern tree hyrax is that the captive animals look very differently from wild southern tree hyraxes (darker less shaggy coat in the captive ones) I have seen in Eastern Africa, except for animals near the Aberdares in Kenya where I have seen animals that look like the Czech ones. There seems to be quite a bit of variation between coat patterns within the species and wouldn't be surprised if that is common in the others too.
I find it interesting from a biogeographical point of view that this interfluvialis is squeezed east and west by western tree hyraxes. Could well be that we haven't heard the last of it.
Number of zoos kept (current and former during the holding period):
A 1 zoo
B 2-5 zoos
C 6-10 zoos
D >10 zoos
Time period kept:
1 < 1 year
2 1-5 years
3 6-10 years
4 11-20 years
5 > 20 years
* Species successfully bred
♱ Dead end (in case of species gained)
↑ Species gaining popularity (in case of species gained)
A 1 zoo
B 2-5 zoos
C 6-10 zoos
D >10 zoos
Time period kept:
1 < 1 year
2 1-5 years
3 6-10 years
4 11-20 years
5 > 20 years
* Species successfully bred
♱ Dead end (in case of species gained)
↑ Species gaining popularity (in case of species gained)
ELEPHANTS - PROBOSCIDEA
3 species in 1 family
3 species kept this century (100%)
A small order with some of the most popular zoo animals. While their big size and intelligence makes them a challenge to house, most large zoos do everything possible to continue keeping elephants.
Elephants - Elephantidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 3
# Species kept currently: 2 (-1)
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: 1
This century saw some big changes when it comes to the management of elephants in zoo. In the past it was not uncommon to see both African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the same enclosure, but this has all but disappeared. In addition the understanding on elephant breeding and social structure has increased so much that Asian elephant breeding is currently being limited as placing young bulls is a problem. That would have been unthinkable 25 years ago when every single elephant birth was a big achievement. This has led to the creation of an (increasing) number of bull groups across the continent and an increasing number of zoos are moving towards housing family groups with a single matriarchal line as the basis. It will take some time though before that shift is complete though given their are plenty of older wild caught females left. Overall the number of zoos with Asian elephants has slightly declined, but these were for the most part zoos with only a few wild caught females. The number of zoos breeding Asian elephants has greatly expanded.
@Therabu While most zoos keep (and breed) the mainland subspecies of Asian elephants Zoo/Aquarium de Madrid keeps a small breeding group of Sumatran elephants
African savanna elephant breeding has lagged behind that of their more commonly kept Asian family member and the limited number of breeding bulls is an issue here. But in recent years the amount of calves has increased and it seems entirely possible now that there will be a stable African savanna elephant population in European zoos that doesn’t rely on imports from Africa. That population will likely be smaller than what is currently held though. In fact the number of holders has already slightly decreased since 2000, with roughly 20 zoos that held 1-2 African elephants in a non-breeding situation ceasing to keep elephants altogether or retaining their Asian elephants only. But over 10 zoos have newly started with African elephants, of which a few have also bred.
Europe doesn’t gravitate as much towards multi hectare enclosures for elephants like the US does, but zoos with space are moving in that direction. Many space limited zoos still want elephants, but their new enclosures are more often complex environments with lots of structure and a large variety of enrichment and feeding stations. Whether elephants remain as widespread as they are now will to a large extent depend on whether the latter form of elephant exhibitry will endure, which currently seems likely.
@vogelcommando Elephant calves are a much more common sight these days
Species lost
African forest elephant - Loxodonta cyclotis D5
African forest elephants weren’t recognized as a separate species during the time they were held in Europe, but a surprisingly large number of individuals were held in European zoos throughout the 20th century, without any breeding. Zoos generally just had a single forest elephant with multiple savanna elephants or Asian elephants. The final individual “Coco” lived until 2002 and was the only African forest elephant in Europe this century. He spent most of his time in Paris Zoo de Vincennes, where he lived from 1963 until 2002. In 2002 he was relocated to the Reserva Natural Castillo De Las Guardas near Seville where he died the same year.
@colobus Coco Europe's last African forest elephant
Progress
8/22 orders completed
16/106 families completed
36 species present in 2000
49 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
SEA COWS - SIRENIA
4 species across 2 families
1 species kept this century (25%)
A small family of fully aquatic, but not so small, mammals. They have always been rare in captivity and dugongs (Dugongidae) have never been kept in Europe.
Manatees - Trichechidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 1
# Species kept currently: 1
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
This family consists of three species, all of which have been kept in the 20th century, but for African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis) and Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) this was mostly limited to single animals that often did not live long. Only a single species has been successfully bred and a population was established.
@devilfish kept elsewhere, but not in Europe, the Amazonian manatee
Species gaining popularity
Caribbean manatee - Trichechus manatus
Breeding this species was long best done in bathtubs, preferably cosy ones. For most of the 20th century Caribbean manatees were great rarities and it was only when Artis, Amsterdam, (bred manatees 1977-1997) and the Tiergarten Nuremberg (bred manatees 1981-2009) started breeding manatees in tiny enclosures that the population started to grow. Given their size, expensive diet and expensive husbandry, zoos weren’t very enthusiastic about this species and by the start of this century only Burgers’ Zoo and Tierpark Berlin were found as additional holders. In the early 2000s this changed, partly with additional imports from Guyana, and by now there are 10 European zoos with manatees and multiple zoos are planning to acquire them in the (near) future. That is good news because the population is growing steadily with 6 zoos currently breeding them (out of 8 with a potential breeding pair/group) and there is a surplus of males. Nuremberg is not one of those anymore since the manatees moved to a large new enclosure in 2011. It makes you wonder whether conception was sometimes accidental in their former tiny pool. Given the controversy of keeping cetaceans in captivity, manatees are a good alternative as large aquatic mammals, but as they are “less” intelligent and slower, less prone to controversy. Until now only the Caribbean subspecies has been kept in Europe, but Bioparc Fuengirola in Spain apparently wants to import manatees from Florida, which are a different subspecies. It sounds wiser if they would just take on some spare manatees from Beauval.
@Therabu Maybe not a mermaid, but still pretty, note all the hairs which helps them to recreate their surroundings
Progress
9/22 orders completed
17/106 families completed
37 species present in 2000
50 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
4 species across 2 families
1 species kept this century (25%)
A small family of fully aquatic, but not so small, mammals. They have always been rare in captivity and dugongs (Dugongidae) have never been kept in Europe.
Manatees - Trichechidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 1
# Species kept currently: 1
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
This family consists of three species, all of which have been kept in the 20th century, but for African manatees (Trichechus senegalensis) and Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) this was mostly limited to single animals that often did not live long. Only a single species has been successfully bred and a population was established.
@devilfish kept elsewhere, but not in Europe, the Amazonian manatee
Species gaining popularity
Caribbean manatee - Trichechus manatus
Breeding this species was long best done in bathtubs, preferably cosy ones. For most of the 20th century Caribbean manatees were great rarities and it was only when Artis, Amsterdam, (bred manatees 1977-1997) and the Tiergarten Nuremberg (bred manatees 1981-2009) started breeding manatees in tiny enclosures that the population started to grow. Given their size, expensive diet and expensive husbandry, zoos weren’t very enthusiastic about this species and by the start of this century only Burgers’ Zoo and Tierpark Berlin were found as additional holders. In the early 2000s this changed, partly with additional imports from Guyana, and by now there are 10 European zoos with manatees and multiple zoos are planning to acquire them in the (near) future. That is good news because the population is growing steadily with 6 zoos currently breeding them (out of 8 with a potential breeding pair/group) and there is a surplus of males. Nuremberg is not one of those anymore since the manatees moved to a large new enclosure in 2011. It makes you wonder whether conception was sometimes accidental in their former tiny pool. Given the controversy of keeping cetaceans in captivity, manatees are a good alternative as large aquatic mammals, but as they are “less” intelligent and slower, less prone to controversy. Until now only the Caribbean subspecies has been kept in Europe, but Bioparc Fuengirola in Spain apparently wants to import manatees from Florida, which are a different subspecies. It sounds wiser if they would just take on some spare manatees from Beauval.
@Therabu Maybe not a mermaid, but still pretty, note all the hairs which helps them to recreate their surroundings
Progress
9/22 orders completed
17/106 families completed
37 species present in 2000
50 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
Having heard Benin tree hyrax east of the Volta in Ghana, they really sound strikingly different from the sylvestris Western tree hyraxes you hear in every forest west of the Volta. Much more like a creaking door mixed with a bark than agonising shouts. Other subspecies east of Benin tree hyrax range also sound very different from both sylvestris Western tree hyrax and Benin tree hyrax so like you I'd be surprised if more splits weren't on the way. A shame about the current lack of interest in genetic studies on hyraxes.
Regardless, this is a fascinating and really instructive thread as usual, it will be interesting to see what the global trends in species diversity are in Euro zoos!
Being nocturnal these calls could well be more important than pelage differences. When reading about tree hyraxes this week, which is what one does in a spare moment, I read that eastern tree hyrax (not in Europe) also have clear regional differences in their calls and even within the same forest multiple calls can occur, though that might also be related to behaviour...
AARDVARKS - TUBULIDENTATA
1 species in 1 family
1 species kept this century (100%)
With only one surviving member this is the smallest mammal order and the only one that has been present in its entirety in Europe the whole century. But that just means we have always had aardvarks in zoos the past 23 years
.
Aardvarks - Orycteropodidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 1
# Species kept currently: 1
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
While this is a tiny order, Europeans are lucky that an increasing number of zoos is displaying aardvarks, so they have a better chance to see these unique creatures than ever before.
Species gaining popularity
Aardvark - Orycteropus afer
For most of the 20th century aardvarks were a rarity in zoos, not only were they hard to feed with a termite/ant specialised diet, but breeding also proved to be an issue with high infant mortality, often due to crushing by the mother/father (which makes you wonder how they survive in the first place). This slowly started to change in the 1990s when Burgers’ Zoo cracked the nut of aardvark breeding after moving them from the nocturnal house to the newly built Bush. In a period of just over 20 years 30 young were born there and the vast majority were successfully raised by the mother. When other zoos, most notably Zoo Prague and Zoo Frankfurt, were also starting to get successful in breeding aardvark in the nineties, the basis for an European population was laid. Additional imports of wild-caught individuals from Tanzania around 2008-2010 to multiple European zoos were a big genetic boost to the population. The original European animals came from Southern Africa, mostly (if not all) from Namibia, but given the lack of apparent differences the two lineages are now mixed. When the first aardvark studbook was published in 1996 there were only 20 aardvark in Europe (7 of those were born in Burgers’ Zoo) across 8 zoos, but 3 zoos only kept a single male. Nowadays there are roughly 60 aardvark in Europe across 28 different zoos, which includes multiple zoos that only acquired aardvark very recently.
@Rhino00 An aardvark enjoying the outdoor life
Progress
10/22 orders completed
18/106 families completed
38 species present in 2000
51 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
1 species in 1 family
1 species kept this century (100%)
With only one surviving member this is the smallest mammal order and the only one that has been present in its entirety in Europe the whole century. But that just means we have always had aardvarks in zoos the past 23 years
.Aardvarks - Orycteropodidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 1
# Species kept currently: 1
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
While this is a tiny order, Europeans are lucky that an increasing number of zoos is displaying aardvarks, so they have a better chance to see these unique creatures than ever before.
Species gaining popularity
Aardvark - Orycteropus afer
For most of the 20th century aardvarks were a rarity in zoos, not only were they hard to feed with a termite/ant specialised diet, but breeding also proved to be an issue with high infant mortality, often due to crushing by the mother/father (which makes you wonder how they survive in the first place). This slowly started to change in the 1990s when Burgers’ Zoo cracked the nut of aardvark breeding after moving them from the nocturnal house to the newly built Bush. In a period of just over 20 years 30 young were born there and the vast majority were successfully raised by the mother. When other zoos, most notably Zoo Prague and Zoo Frankfurt, were also starting to get successful in breeding aardvark in the nineties, the basis for an European population was laid. Additional imports of wild-caught individuals from Tanzania around 2008-2010 to multiple European zoos were a big genetic boost to the population. The original European animals came from Southern Africa, mostly (if not all) from Namibia, but given the lack of apparent differences the two lineages are now mixed. When the first aardvark studbook was published in 1996 there were only 20 aardvark in Europe (7 of those were born in Burgers’ Zoo) across 8 zoos, but 3 zoos only kept a single male. Nowadays there are roughly 60 aardvark in Europe across 28 different zoos, which includes multiple zoos that only acquired aardvark very recently.
@Rhino00 An aardvark enjoying the outdoor life
Progress
10/22 orders completed
18/106 families completed
38 species present in 2000
51 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
I assume what is being talked about here is that in a small space the young aardvark would often be stepped on?
Not really stepped on, but more like rolled on when sleeping in their den. Aardvarks are somewhat clumsy, so it used to happen fairly often that baby aardvark ended up under their sleeping parents. Separating mother + calf from the father seems to have been one major step in reducing infant mortality, but mothers can do this too...
SLOTHS & ANTEATERS - PILOSA
17 species across 4 families
4 species kept this century (24%)
Another small mammal order which contains 2 sloth and 2 anteater families, of which 1 each are represented in European zoos. This is 1 of the 2 orders of the xenarthrans and they are to South America what the afrotheria are to Africa: An old lineage that is mostly limited to the continent of origin. Variation was a lot bigger until all of the largest species went extinct around 10.000-12.000 years ago, guess who we have to thank for that. What remains are a few families with mostly smaller species that look very different from some of the giants that lived in South America until recently.
Two-toed sloths - Choloelopidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 2
# Species kept currently: 2
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
Both members of this family are represented in Europe, with one being increasingly rare and the other becoming ever more common.
Species gaining popularity
Linneaus’s two-toed sloth - Choloepus didactylus
These unique animals have become ubiquitous in European zoos by now. Once they were a staple of nocturnal houses but they are just as inactive by day, so it doesn't really matter if you put them in a diurnal exhibit. As they are easy to mix with small primates or birds and can even be kept on ropes above a visitor area there are plenty of opportunities for zoos to add a sloth in any space. This is attractive for many zoos as sloths have made it into popular culture as dolls and are a popular motive on baby clothing now. Granted this is mostly the more photogenic three-toed sloth (Brachypodidae), but one toe less doesn’t seem to matter to the general public.
@ro6ca66 Even tropical houses aren't safe from free-ranging sloths
Species losing popularity
Hoffman’s two-toed sloth - Choloepus hoffmanni
The Hoffman’s two-toed sloth was always rare and is limited to a handful of animals with only a potential breeding pair in Newquay. While always rare it is not unlikely that we have reached a dead end and this species will disappear in the coming decades. But giving the longevity of this species that is likely many years off. It used to be slightly more widespread at the start of the century, mostly some singletons that died of old age, and these animals were not always properly identified and kept as regular Linneaus’s two-toed sloths.
@gentle lemur Sometimes it is surprising that these Hoffman's two-toed sloths weren't identified correctly
Progress
10/22 orders completed
19/106 families completed
40 species present in 2000
53 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
17 species across 4 families
4 species kept this century (24%)
Another small mammal order which contains 2 sloth and 2 anteater families, of which 1 each are represented in European zoos. This is 1 of the 2 orders of the xenarthrans and they are to South America what the afrotheria are to Africa: An old lineage that is mostly limited to the continent of origin. Variation was a lot bigger until all of the largest species went extinct around 10.000-12.000 years ago, guess who we have to thank for that. What remains are a few families with mostly smaller species that look very different from some of the giants that lived in South America until recently.
Two-toed sloths - Choloelopidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 2
# Species kept currently: 2
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
Both members of this family are represented in Europe, with one being increasingly rare and the other becoming ever more common.
Species gaining popularity
Linneaus’s two-toed sloth - Choloepus didactylus
These unique animals have become ubiquitous in European zoos by now. Once they were a staple of nocturnal houses but they are just as inactive by day, so it doesn't really matter if you put them in a diurnal exhibit. As they are easy to mix with small primates or birds and can even be kept on ropes above a visitor area there are plenty of opportunities for zoos to add a sloth in any space. This is attractive for many zoos as sloths have made it into popular culture as dolls and are a popular motive on baby clothing now. Granted this is mostly the more photogenic three-toed sloth (Brachypodidae), but one toe less doesn’t seem to matter to the general public.
@ro6ca66 Even tropical houses aren't safe from free-ranging sloths
Species losing popularity
Hoffman’s two-toed sloth - Choloepus hoffmanni
The Hoffman’s two-toed sloth was always rare and is limited to a handful of animals with only a potential breeding pair in Newquay. While always rare it is not unlikely that we have reached a dead end and this species will disappear in the coming decades. But giving the longevity of this species that is likely many years off. It used to be slightly more widespread at the start of the century, mostly some singletons that died of old age, and these animals were not always properly identified and kept as regular Linneaus’s two-toed sloths.
@gentle lemur Sometimes it is surprising that these Hoffman's two-toed sloths weren't identified correctly
Progress
10/22 orders completed
19/106 families completed
40 species present in 2000
53 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
If you would like to be pendantic, the three-toed and two-toed sloths have the same number of toes [three], but two-toed sloths do only have two fingers - where the three-toed have three.
It is wild to me that Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth is considered a rarity in Europe - in North America that species is actually the more common of the two.
Actually Linnaeus's is far more common in North America (see here: https://www.zoochat.com/community/threads/anteaters-armadillos-and-sloths-in-north-america.486411/), with ~165 holders compared to ~35 for Hoffmann's. I was going to point out the discrepancy too, though; despite not being as common as Linnaeus's, we do have a sizable breeding population of Hoffmann's here.
Huh. I guess I've somehow lopsidedly seen way more Hoffmann's. I guess they're concentrated mostly in the Midwest.
I am quite surprised that both sloths are more common in the US compared to Europe, despite there being significantly less zoos on your side of the pond. I thought sloths were commonplace here, but they are even more so in the US.
The US was also the source for multiple of the Hoffman's two-toed sloths we have had in Europe this century.
Anteaters- Myrmecophagidae
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 2
# Species kept currently: 2
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
While silky anteaters (Cyclopedidae) are absent in Europe, 2 out of 3 members of the other anteater family are present and they are more widespread than ever.
@Therabu An increasingly familiar sight in Europe: the southern tamandua
Species gaining popularity
Giant anteater - Myrmecophaga tridactyla
This used to be a rather uncommon species of which breeding wasn’t too common. Well nowadays the nut has been cracked, over 3/4 of the current holders only started keeping this species this century, while only two holders from 2000 (London Zoo & Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich) stopped keeping the species. With over 80 current holders giant anteaters have become just as common as Californian sea lions. Back in 2003 I was just as happy to see my first anteater in Duisburg as I was to see a beluga. 1 year later Artis in Amsterdam was very proud to become the only anteater holder in the Netherlands. How times have changed…
@Therabu A common pattern these days
Southern tamandua - Tamandua tetradactyla
In the shadow of its larger cousin the southern tamandua is also becoming a more common sight these days. This species is gaining popularity in mixed species exhibits and rainforest halls in particular. This century the rather distinctive subspecies nigra has also made an appearance, though by now it is limited to breeding in Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Riga. There is likely no future for the subspecies nigra, but for the species as a whole there certainly is. It is still much less seen compared to their giant cousins, but far from a rarity these days.
@Zooish With hardly any black the subspecies nigra has made an appereance in Europe this century
Progress
11/22 orders completed
20/106 families completed
42 species present in 2000
55 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
# Species kept 1-1-2000: 2
# Species kept currently: 2
# Species gained: -
# Species lost: -
While silky anteaters (Cyclopedidae) are absent in Europe, 2 out of 3 members of the other anteater family are present and they are more widespread than ever.
@Therabu An increasingly familiar sight in Europe: the southern tamandua
Species gaining popularity
Giant anteater - Myrmecophaga tridactyla
This used to be a rather uncommon species of which breeding wasn’t too common. Well nowadays the nut has been cracked, over 3/4 of the current holders only started keeping this species this century, while only two holders from 2000 (London Zoo & Tierpark Hellabrunn in Munich) stopped keeping the species. With over 80 current holders giant anteaters have become just as common as Californian sea lions. Back in 2003 I was just as happy to see my first anteater in Duisburg as I was to see a beluga. 1 year later Artis in Amsterdam was very proud to become the only anteater holder in the Netherlands. How times have changed…
@Therabu A common pattern these days
Southern tamandua - Tamandua tetradactyla
In the shadow of its larger cousin the southern tamandua is also becoming a more common sight these days. This species is gaining popularity in mixed species exhibits and rainforest halls in particular. This century the rather distinctive subspecies nigra has also made an appearance, though by now it is limited to breeding in Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Riga. There is likely no future for the subspecies nigra, but for the species as a whole there certainly is. It is still much less seen compared to their giant cousins, but far from a rarity these days.
@Zooish With hardly any black the subspecies nigra has made an appereance in Europe this century
Progress
11/22 orders completed
20/106 families completed
42 species present in 2000
55 species present in 2023
30 species gained since 2000
17 species lost since 2000
It's funny how time is changing with a breeding stop nowadays.
Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Really thought-provoking thread, @lintworm , thank you for this! It fascinates me that Giant Anteaters were considered a rarity, having grown up seeing them at London. It gives me hope that delightful species considered rarities now will one day become commonplace!
Asides from the few remaining T. t. nigra (Unstriped) which you mention, London's tamandua are T. t. tetradactyla (Nominate), imported from Brazil in 2013 and 2015. Are they the only subspecies-pure individuals in Europe asides from the Unstripeds?
Asides from the few remaining T. t. nigra (Unstriped) which you mention, London's tamandua are T. t. tetradactyla (Nominate), imported from Brazil in 2013 and 2015. Are they the only subspecies-pure individuals in Europe asides from the Unstripeds?