Trends in European zoo collections in the 21st century

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lintworm said:
And then on to birds....

Well, I promised you all there would be a lot of similar posts about birdy trends in this thread at some point this year. Unfortunately for you, life has caught up with me and due to a combination of factors , I have a lot less time & energy to write and analyze for fun this year. This means it is unlikely there will ever be a continuation in as much details for our feathered friends. But as it has taken me quite a lot of time put together the bird dataset last year, it would be a waste not to write at least a tiny little bit.

So the summary is as follows (based on data up to June 2023): in the period 2000-2023 a total of 2240 bird species were kept in European zoos according to Zootierliste, that is roughly 2.5x the number mammal species kept in the same time period (which stands at 880).

full

@Rhino00 The exciting addition of the Brazilian merganser to the European zoo world happened after June 2023, as did the death of Europe's last dwarf cassowary, so these changes aren't included in the numbers

Of those 2240 species 1656-1727 species were most likely present in 2000, and 1499-1510 species were most likely present in 2023, so a decline of 157-228 species. That means there has been roughly a 8.8%-13.2% (mean 11%) decline in the number of bird species kept in those 23 years. The median zoochat expectation was a 13% decline, so not that far off, but likely slightly too pessimistic. This decline can in large part be attributed to a decline in the number of passerines kept, whose number of species kept declined by almost 25% from 536-574 to 409-416. For non-passerines there was only a slight decline from 1119-1152 to 1090-1094 species, so 2%-5.4%. A large number of passerine species was also kept at some point between 2000 and 2023, but not at the start of the century or end of the sampling period, that concerned some 227 species. For non-passerines, only 85 species were present at some point this century but not in 2000 or 2023.

There are a few reasons for the decline and the high volatility of bird holdings. Most important to note is that the majority of bird species kept this century was never very common in captivity, and often incredibly rare, limited to 1-3 holders this century. Small populations are per definition at a high risk of extinction and in many cases that did happen. Especially with passerines there are few rarities that remain rarely kept for a long time without disappearing. Only the few zoos that don't treat these rare birds as expendables and set up a breeding regime (often exchanging animals with private keepers), are able to keep rare passerines for decades. Burgers' Zoo is probably the prime example of this, having good success and often larger numbers of their rare species. Compare this with zoos like Plzen and Walsrode whose rarities often appear and disappear at high pace because they were often only kept in very small numbers. Both Plzen and Walsrode of-course also have their success stories but the number of species they go through is quite staggering if you add it all up and breeding success much more limited when you keep only small numbers of a species.

full

@Therabu Burgers' Zoo has multiple breeding pairs of painted bunting and breeds up to two dozen of them per year. Such numbers are needed to keep such small fragile species long term

An important reason for the decline is also the ban on imports of wild birds into the EU that came into effect in 2005. Before that is was very common to see new bird species being imported and being kept in a single/a few zoos for a short period, before disappearing again. With the ban in effect, a sizable number of new species consists of confiscated animals, which in most cases also means they die out within a few years. But the number of species entering zoos is smaller than before. A ban on wild imports also meant zoos couldn't treat birds as expandable items as much as they used to, because there is no infinite supply anymore. There are still far more bird species in private hands than in zoos and many zoos with large bird collections frequently exchange birds with private keepers. But an important source has been gone for nearly 20 years now and especially with passerines this shows.

It is also important to note that bird diversity has throughout the century been driven by some bird parks and 20-30 large zoos. This century has seen the closure of several bird parks (which haven't really been replaced elsewhere), but also the significant decline in the number of bird species kept in some zoos. Both Berlins have seen huge declines (roughly 50%) in species numbers as an example, but many other zoos too. This is not uniform, a zoo like Cologne (but also Plzen) has actually seen their bird collection grow this century. But if diversity is driven by a few places, the closure of a single random bird park can mean the loss of multiple species simultaneously. Imagine if Loro Parque would close, that would mean the loss of dozens of species at once. That is something that wouldn't really happen with mammals. This reliance on a few zoos has made bird species numbers far more susceptible to changes than e.g. mammals.

full

@lintworm Bird houses like the new one in Berlin are increasingly rare, whereas large aviaries become the norm

Whereas mammal holdings remained stable because losses in big zoos were counterweighted by the rise of smaller zoos and zoos in e.g. France, this hasn't hasn't happened with birds. There have nevertheless been some winners when it comes to birds. An obvious one are the herons & ibisses, but also birds-of-paradise are now more popular. In general there seems to be a trend towards "fancy" species and species that do well in large (walk-through) aviaries. It also helps tremendously if you get yourself an EEP. From scaly-sided merganser and white-winged wood duck to Sumatran laughing-thrush and green cardinal. Birds with an EEP are ones that gain new holders the fastest. Many zoos hold less bird species than mammals, but as there are far more birds to chose from, a criterion like EEP status becomes important at once.

This is a very short summary of what could have been 100 separate posts, but it was not meant to be.
Click to expand...
what is a green cardinal bird ?
 
lintworm said:
And then on to birds....

Well, I promised you all there would be a lot of similar posts about birdy trends in this thread at some point this year. Unfortunately for you, life has caught up with me and due to a combination of factors , I have a lot less time & energy to write and analyze for fun this year. This means it is unlikely there will ever be a continuation in as much details for our feathered friends. But as it has taken me quite a lot of time put together the bird dataset last year, it would be a waste not to write at least a tiny little bit.

So the summary is as follows (based on data up to June 2023): in the period 2000-2023 a total of 2240 bird species were kept in European zoos according to Zootierliste, that is roughly 2.5x the number mammal species kept in the same time period (which stands at 880).

full

@Rhino00 The exciting addition of the Brazilian merganser to the European zoo world happened after June 2023, as did the death of Europe's last dwarf cassowary, so these changes aren't included in the numbers

Of those 2240 species 1656-1727 species were most likely present in 2000, and 1499-1510 species were most likely present in 2023, so a decline of 157-228 species. That means there has been roughly a 8.8%-13.2% (mean 11%) decline in the number of bird species kept in those 23 years. The median zoochat expectation was a 13% decline, so not that far off, but likely slightly too pessimistic. This decline can in large part be attributed to a decline in the number of passerines kept, whose number of species kept declined by almost 25% from 536-574 to 409-416. For non-passerines there was only a slight decline from 1119-1152 to 1090-1094 species, so 2%-5.4%. A large number of passerine species was also kept at some point between 2000 and 2023, but not at the start of the century or end of the sampling period, that concerned some 227 species. For non-passerines, only 85 species were present at some point this century but not in 2000 or 2023.

There are a few reasons for the decline and the high volatility of bird holdings. Most important to note is that the majority of bird species kept this century was never very common in captivity, and often incredibly rare, limited to 1-3 holders this century. Small populations are per definition at a high risk of extinction and in many cases that did happen. Especially with passerines there are few rarities that remain rarely kept for a long time without disappearing. Only the few zoos that don't treat these rare birds as expendables and set up a breeding regime (often exchanging animals with private keepers), are able to keep rare passerines for decades. Burgers' Zoo is probably the prime example of this, having good success and often larger numbers of their rare species. Compare this with zoos like Plzen and Walsrode whose rarities often appear and disappear at high pace because they were often only kept in very small numbers. Both Plzen and Walsrode of-course also have their success stories but the number of species they go through is quite staggering if you add it all up and breeding success much more limited when you keep only small numbers of a species.

full

@Therabu Burgers' Zoo has multiple breeding pairs of painted bunting and breeds up to two dozen of them per year. Such numbers are needed to keep such small fragile species long term

An important reason for the decline is also the ban on imports of wild birds into the EU that came into effect in 2005. Before that is was very common to see new bird species being imported and being kept in a single/a few zoos for a short period, before disappearing again. With the ban in effect, a sizable number of new species consists of confiscated animals, which in most cases also means they die out within a few years. But the number of species entering zoos is smaller than before. A ban on wild imports also meant zoos couldn't treat birds as expandable items as much as they used to, because there is no infinite supply anymore. There are still far more bird species in private hands than in zoos and many zoos with large bird collections frequently exchange birds with private keepers. But an important source has been gone for nearly 20 years now and especially with passerines this shows.

It is also important to note that bird diversity has throughout the century been driven by some bird parks and 20-30 large zoos. This century has seen the closure of several bird parks (which haven't really been replaced elsewhere), but also the significant decline in the number of bird species kept in some zoos. Both Berlins have seen huge declines (roughly 50%) in species numbers as an example, but many other zoos too. This is not uniform, a zoo like Cologne (but also Plzen) has actually seen their bird collection grow this century. But if diversity is driven by a few places, the closure of a single random bird park can mean the loss of multiple species simultaneously. Imagine if Loro Parque would close, that would mean the loss of dozens of species at once. That is something that wouldn't really happen with mammals. This reliance on a few zoos has made bird species numbers far more susceptible to changes than e.g. mammals.

full

@lintworm Bird houses like the new one in Berlin are increasingly rare, whereas large aviaries become the norm

Whereas mammal holdings remained stable because losses in big zoos were counterweighted by the rise of smaller zoos and zoos in e.g. France, this hasn't hasn't happened with birds. There have nevertheless been some winners when it comes to birds. An obvious one are the herons & ibisses, but also birds-of-paradise are now more popular. In general there seems to be a trend towards "fancy" species and species that do well in large (walk-through) aviaries. It also helps tremendously if you get yourself an EEP. From scaly-sided merganser and white-winged wood duck to Sumatran laughing-thrush and green cardinal. Birds with an EEP are ones that gain new holders the fastest. Many zoos hold less bird species than mammals, but as there are far more birds to chose from, a criterion like EEP status becomes important at once.

This is a very short summary of what could have been 100 separate posts, but it was not meant to be.
Click to expand...
I can't wait for the full description of this 2d part of the topic.
 
lintworm said:
And then on to birds....

Well, I promised you all there would be a lot of similar posts about birdy trends in this thread at some point this year. Unfortunately for you, life has caught up with me and due to a combination of factors , I have a lot less time & energy to write and analyze for fun this year. This means it is unlikely there will ever be a continuation in as much details for our feathered friends. But as it has taken me quite a lot of time put together the bird dataset last year, it would be a waste not to write at least a tiny little bit.

So the summary is as follows (based on data up to June 2023): in the period 2000-2023 a total of 2240 bird species were kept in European zoos according to Zootierliste, that is roughly 2.5x the number mammal species kept in the same time period (which stands at 880).

full

@Rhino00 The exciting addition of the Brazilian merganser to the European zoo world happened after June 2023, as did the death of Europe's last dwarf cassowary, so these changes aren't included in the numbers

Of those 2240 species 1656-1727 species were most likely present in 2000, and 1499-1510 species were most likely present in 2023, so a decline of 157-228 species. That means there has been roughly a 8.8%-13.2% (mean 11%) decline in the number of bird species kept in those 23 years. The median zoochat expectation was a 13% decline, so not that far off, but likely slightly too pessimistic. This decline can in large part be attributed to a decline in the number of passerines kept, whose number of species kept declined by almost 25% from 536-574 to 409-416. For non-passerines there was only a slight decline from 1119-1152 to 1090-1094 species, so 2%-5.4%. A large number of passerine species was also kept at some point between 2000 and 2023, but not at the start of the century or end of the sampling period, that concerned some 227 species. For non-passerines, only 85 species were present at some point this century but not in 2000 or 2023.

There are a few reasons for the decline and the high volatility of bird holdings. Most important to note is that the majority of bird species kept this century was never very common in captivity, and often incredibly rare, limited to 1-3 holders this century. Small populations are per definition at a high risk of extinction and in many cases that did happen. Especially with passerines there are few rarities that remain rarely kept for a long time without disappearing. Only the few zoos that don't treat these rare birds as expendables and set up a breeding regime (often exchanging animals with private keepers), are able to keep rare passerines for decades. Burgers' Zoo is probably the prime example of this, having good success and often larger numbers of their rare species. Compare this with zoos like Plzen and Walsrode whose rarities often appear and disappear at high pace because they were often only kept in very small numbers. Both Plzen and Walsrode of-course also have their success stories but the number of species they go through is quite staggering if you add it all up and breeding success much more limited when you keep only small numbers of a species.

full

@Therabu Burgers' Zoo has multiple breeding pairs of painted bunting and breeds up to two dozen of them per year. Such numbers are needed to keep such small fragile species long term

An important reason for the decline is also the ban on imports of wild birds into the EU that came into effect in 2005. Before that is was very common to see new bird species being imported and being kept in a single/a few zoos for a short period, before disappearing again. With the ban in effect, a sizable number of new species consists of confiscated animals, which in most cases also means they die out within a few years. But the number of species entering zoos is smaller than before. A ban on wild imports also meant zoos couldn't treat birds as expandable items as much as they used to, because there is no infinite supply anymore. There are still far more bird species in private hands than in zoos and many zoos with large bird collections frequently exchange birds with private keepers. But an important source has been gone for nearly 20 years now and especially with passerines this shows.

It is also important to note that bird diversity has throughout the century been driven by some bird parks and 20-30 large zoos. This century has seen the closure of several bird parks (which haven't really been replaced elsewhere), but also the significant decline in the number of bird species kept in some zoos. Both Berlins have seen huge declines (roughly 50%) in species numbers as an example, but many other zoos too. This is not uniform, a zoo like Cologne (but also Plzen) has actually seen their bird collection grow this century. But if diversity is driven by a few places, the closure of a single random bird park can mean the loss of multiple species simultaneously. Imagine if Loro Parque would close, that would mean the loss of dozens of species at once. That is something that wouldn't really happen with mammals. This reliance on a few zoos has made bird species numbers far more susceptible to changes than e.g. mammals.

full

@lintworm Bird houses like the new one in Berlin are increasingly rare, whereas large aviaries become the norm

Whereas mammal holdings remained stable because losses in big zoos were counterweighted by the rise of smaller zoos and zoos in e.g. France, this hasn't hasn't happened with birds. There have nevertheless been some winners when it comes to birds. An obvious one are the herons & ibisses, but also birds-of-paradise are now more popular. In general there seems to be a trend towards "fancy" species and species that do well in large (walk-through) aviaries. It also helps tremendously if you get yourself an EEP. From scaly-sided merganser and white-winged wood duck to Sumatran laughing-thrush and green cardinal. Birds with an EEP are ones that gain new holders the fastest. Many zoos hold less bird species than mammals, but as there are far more birds to chose from, a criterion like EEP status becomes important at once.

This is a very short summary of what could have been 100 separate posts, but it was not meant to be.
Click to expand...
Has Europe had any notable new bird species in this time frame? I know in the United States there have been some species to grow at remarkable rates so far this century: scaly-sided mergansers first entered US zoos in 2010, and are now found at 17 AZA zoos, blue-bellied rollers first entered in 1996 and have since skyrocketed to 44 zoos (!), crested coua first appeared in 2003 and are now in 30 zoos. Does Europe have any examples of birds with similar trends to these?
 
lintworm said:
In general there seems to be a trend towards "fancy" species and species that do well in large (walk-through) aviaries.
Click to expand...
This is something I have thought about a lot as well, and seems like the general trend forward here as well. I'm not sure I completely agree with it as a route though as I feel large aviaries can sometimes have trouble making the value of individual species feel special, as many will simply notice a couple showy birds and move on. It does help to have individual aviaries to allow for some focus at times.
 
Neil chace said:
Has Europe had any notable new bird species in this time frame? I know in the United States there have been some species to grow at remarkable rates so far this century: scaly-sided mergansers first entered US zoos in 2010, and are now found at 17 AZA zoos, blue-bellied rollers first entered in 1996 and have since skyrocketed to 44 zoos (!), crested coua first appeared in 2003 and are now in 30 zoos. Does Europe have any examples of birds with similar trends to these?
Click to expand...

There are some 180 bird species currently kept in Europe that weren't present in 2000. That includes some species still extremely rare, but a few have spread quite a bit. Notable was the import of a number of Malagasy bird species by Walsrode (and to a lesser extent Zurich) at the start of the century, some of which like Malagasy sacred ibis are now spreading. Even species like scaly-sided merganser and Sumatran laughingthrush are new for this century. Other notable new species are wild budgerigars, African pygmy falcon, Palawan hornbill, red-bellied fruit dove, blue coua, horned screamer & maleo. The species that has possibly seen most growth is the Darwin's/lesser rhea, a species that was quite rare at the start of the century, but now has close to 60 holders. It also appears 2000 lacked any cock-of-the rocks, with both species now present, this century also saw the arrival of 3 new bird-of-paradise species, screaming piha and many other interesting birds.
 
A pity that we will read no detailed review!

Birds, however, unlike large mammals, are mostly kept in private hands. So even if, hypothetically, Loro Parque would close, all the parrots would remain in Europe and possibly re-appear in some zoo afterwards.
 
The summary sounds somehow similar to the mammals. A few people are responsible for the largest part of the biodiversity. By chance @lintworm , do you have worked out the feathered dead ends? And if so, may you provide the list? It seems much more complicated than the mammals, because of the private breeders...
 
remar said:
The summary sounds somehow similar to the mammals. A few people are responsible for the largest part of the biodiversity. By chance @lintworm , do you have worked out the feathered dead ends? And if so, may you provide the list? It seems much more complicated than the mammals, because of the private breeders...
Click to expand...

The difference is much more pronounced with birds compared to mammals. Some years ago I compilated the number of unique mammals / birds per European zoo based on Zootierliste. For mammals, the max. was 6 species:

uniquemammals-png.440800

(Parc Animalier d'Auvergne was since shown to be a ZTL error)

With birds there are much much more species kept in a single zoo:
uniquebirds-png.440915

These graphs are based on 2020 data, so are already outdated, but give quite a good overview of just how many birds are very rarely kept.

I do happen to have a list of dead ends, but as you say it is much harder to say for sure, as for several animals on the list new ones were imported/confiscated recently already (and some have died), this list is likely also incomplete, as one could make a case for quite some other species, so treat it as an indication.

Northern cassowary
Horned guan
Northern helmeted currassow
Giant coua
Channel-billed cuckoo
Black-bellied sandgrouse
Brown-capped emerald dove
Hooded crane
James flamingo
Black oystercatcher
Three-banded plover
Red-wattled lapwing
Red-legged kittiwake
Adelie penguin
Bank cormorant
Barred eagle-owl
Pitta-like ground roller
Black-browed barbet
Black-legged seriema
Greater kestrel
Kaka
Maroon shining parrot
Citrine lorikeet
Long-tailed broadbill
Long-wattled umbrellabird
Purple-throated fruitcrow
Little friarbird
Racquet-tailed treepie
Oriole warbler
Red-fronted laughingthrush
White-throated laughingthrush
Chinese babax
Streaked laughingthrush
Miombo blue-eared glossy starling
Red-billed oxpecker
Japanese thrush
Eye-browed thrush
Zanzibar red bishop
Rufous-tailed weaver
Chestnut weaver
Lazuli bunting
Orinoco saltator
Burnished-buff tanager
Silver-throated tanager

So treat this list as a general indication. For some like the kaka and ground-roller we can be quite confident they will really be the last, but in other cases it is possible they will make a reappearance.
 
Am I the only one that rather have the birds in their own thread? We’re already at page 45. Just my 2 cents…

I just realize / read that we probably won’t end up with another 45 pages, so it’s a bit less of an issue but still.

Shame you’re not writing another “book”, but I can imagine the time it takes.

I also missed or forgotten the passing of Berlins last trumpet manucode :(
 
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2024 in review

It has been a year since all the profiles were completed, but European zoo collections have continued changing. Some of those changes already happened before some profiles were published, but only became public knowledge afterwards. But I thought it would be fun to see what has changed, focusing on species that have disappeared, appeared or made a reappearance. This list is based on Zootierliste only, though I did check a few things with the IUCN Red List ZIMS tool. It is completely possible I missed some stuff though.

Species gained

Red-tailed bush squirrel - Paraxerus palliatus
A squirrel species that hadn't been kept yet in Europe this century. A pair was imported from Africa by Hamerton Zoo Park and this pair already bred this year. Other animals that were simultaneously imported include brown hyenas, Smith's bush squirrels and black-backed jackals, the first 2 have also already bred.

Asian brush-tailed porcupine - Atherurus macrourus
Faunapark Flakkee, a small zoo in the Netherlands with a love for obscure species received 1.2 of these porcupines in 2024. This is one of those unexpected additions that happen from time to time.

Oldfield deermouse - Peromyscus polyonotus
This small North-American rodent had been kept at a few British and German zoos in the recent past and was still around in the pet trade. This species made its reappearance on the zoo level at Reaseheath College Zoo, where it is kept behind the scenes.

Cheesman's gerbil - Gerbillus cheesmani
A gerbil that was kept before in Plzen until 2011, as well as in 2 German collections. It made a reappearance in an obscure Czech zoo called Minizoo Blondies in Zermanice.

Southern African mastomys - Mastomys coucha
Another murine to reappear in Czechia is this mastomys of which Zoo Hodonin acquired two animals back in 2023. It was previously last held in another Czech zoo, Teplice, until 2020.

full

@Maguari The largest new mammal of the year is a rather small porcupine


Species lost

Red-tailed squirrel - Sciurus granatensis
This squirrel was rarely kept throughout the century and the final animals were held in the now closed Eekhoorn Experience in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands. Given that this species is still around in private hands, it wouldn't be surprising if it made a reappearance in the near future.

Lesser bamboo rat - Cannomys badius
Last year it was still mentioned to be kept in Budapest and Plzen, but the Budapest holding actually ceased in 2022. The final animal in Plzen also passed away in 2023. This species has never been held long anywhere, so its disappearance is no huge surprise and it could pop up again.

Cape fox - Vulpes chama
Plzen's final Cape fox passed away early 2024 meaning this species is now gone from European zoos. Their former enclosure now holds southern springhare,

Hartebeest - Alcelaphus busephalus
It was long expected, but this year it finally happened: Europe's final hartebeest passed away in Wroclaw. Given the trouble importing hoofstock from Africa or the Middle East he could well have been Europe's last hartebeest for a long long time. That is a pity as it is a unique looking antelope that would complement many savanna exhibits.

Slender-horned gazelle - Gazella leptoceros
Just like with the hartebeest, it was less of a question if, but rather when the final slender-horned gazelle in Planckendael would pass away. This had always been a rare species in Europe but after the collapse of the Planckendael breeding group the passing of the final animal in 2024 was no surprise anymore. Unless the US population will significantly grow in the future, we are unlikely to see this species again.

Bearded pig - Sus barbatus
After 30 years the curtain fell for the bearded pig in Europe. Due to disinterest the breeding groups in Berlin and London stagnated and for years only a single male in Berlin remained, he also passed away in 2024, marking the end of a species, whose return to Europe is highly unlikely.

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@twilighter One of the final pictures of what is possibly the most prominent loss of 2024


Species gaining popularity

This is not going to be some extensive list and it is hard to add/remove species from this category after only a single year. But here is a (non-exhaustive) list of stuff I found worth highlighting:

- The import, with quick breeding results, of 3.3 southern springhares by Zoo Berlin means a dwindling population has a chance to grow again. With Tierpark Berlin and Zoo Plzen 2 new holders could already be added based on that import.
- Brown hyena also have a mini-revival with new animals imported to Dvur Kralove and Hamerton, with the latter having the female arrive pregnant. This means not all is lost for these hyenas. A southern aardwolf breeding in Dvur Kralove also showed there are still some possibilities, even though 2 of the 6 originally imported animals already died.
- Black-and-rufous sengi are continuing their victory tour, 7 zoos started with this species in 2024 and 5 zoos started with successfully breeding them this year. Currently 19 zoos keep this species in Europe, but that number will likely grow further the coming years.
- The number of holders for southern tree hyrax has also jumped from 3 to 7 this year, with Randers, Gyor, Bratislava and Zamosc starting with this species. Zoo Frankfurt also became the first zoo outside of Czechia to breed this species in 2023.
- Not yet gaining popularity, but the recent decision to not phase-out gaur was an important one. It has already let to Zoo Berlin reacquiring a bull. The only calf to be born this year was in Zlin, so things need to move quickly in France and Whipsnade to revive the small gaur population.

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@Ding Lingwei black-and-rufous sengi are hot in Europe, they are not unlikely to come to a zoo near you in the future (as long as you live in Europe)


Species losing popularity / dead ends

Not much has changed here, compared to last year. A non-exhaustive list of noteworthy species:

- Most of the dead ends still seem alive with the final Matschie's tree kangaroo, Panay cloudrunner, mountain anoa and others clinging on.
- Golden-bellied mangabey are a species we might lose rather quickly. It might be a while before the final animals die, but the phase-out decision has led to a full breeding stop and a population that is clearly getting smaller.
- Tammar wallaby are also down to 2 small potential breeding groups, so this is a species likely to be gone within a decade too, though it will remain around in private hands. Many kangaroos are winners this century, but not this one.
- An import of 1.1 Asian golden cat from Asia by Tierpark Berlin means the European population isn't completely dead yet, but the state is still dire.

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@WhistlingKite24 The speed at which Tammar wallaby are disappearing from Europe is extremely high


What does 2025 hold

Predicting what exactly will happen in terms of collection changes is always difficult. But from a species hunter perspective we can look out for the appearance of the golden snub-nosed monkey in at least Pairi Daiza and Zooparc de Beauval. To see such a unique species appear, is quite extraordinary, but whether the lease agreement is to be celebrated is another question. What other species will appear or disappear is something we will just have to find out. Who knows what is already kept somewhere behind the scenes, but not communicated yet...

2024 was a year in which the number of rodents grew again, but as was expected the number of hoofstock species kept shrunk a little. Overall the net change is -1, so still no change compared to 2000 when it comes to mammals, but the average mammal is getting smaller. I haven't done the exercise for birds, but with quite some species being newly kept, especially in Walsrode, I wouldn't be surprised if overall bird species numbers have remained rather stable last year.

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@Ding Lingwei After all these years, finally coming back to Europe
 
cerperal said:
The female has already left as she didn't get on with the male. Berlin intends to acquire another female, luckily, which will hopefully lead to successful breeding
Click to expand...

The female is now in Heidelberg paired up with a young male, the Berlin male is now paired up with 2 females which arrived from Wuppertal. From a genetics point of view that is probably the best possible situation ;).
 
lintworm said:
Cheesman's gerbil - Gerbillus cheesmani
A gerbil that was kept before in Plzen until 2011, as well as in 2 German collections. It made a reappearance in an obscure Czech zoo called Minizoo Blondies in Zermanice.
Click to expand...

I have forgotten to update Zootierliste but Reaseheath are also holding a number of Cheesman's gerbils, but alas they are also kept behind the scenes like the Oldfield's deer mice. To Zoochatters, getting behind the scenes at the collection is very hit and miss as I tried on numerous occasions over 2 years however, someone on forum got behind the scenes in a simple email request.
 
lintworm said:
Lesser bamboo rat - Cannomys badius
Last year it was still mentioned to be kept in Budapest and Plzen, but the Budapest holding actually ceased in 2022. The final animal in Plzen also passed away in 2023. This species has never been held long anywhere, so its disappearance is no huge surprise and it could pop up again.
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Obviously not a zoo but they are still present in private hands as Czech zoos were offered few months ago a big group of them and also Rhizomys sumatrensis from the Netherlands, as they are not allowed to be kept there in private hands anymore (obviously, such vicious creatures are a danger to society :rolleyes::D)
 
Cape fox, bearded pig, slender-horned gazelle and hartebeest are all really big losses. I'm happy I got to see all these at least once before they went 'extinct' in Europe.

I missed the lesser bamboo rats in Plzen (they can also be no-shows behind the scenes!) but they're still kept in Singapore Zoo, a place I'm sure I'll visit in the next 3 years. So there is still hope I'll get a second chance at that one.
 
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