Two amazon river dolphins to Korea
- Thread starter jwer
- Start date
Great analysis indeed, and good to hear that the animal in Peru is still alive 
The only thing that I'm not sure of is the fact if there are (or would be) enough zoo's willing to take these animals on. The only facility at the moment that in my opinion is good enough for these animals is Duisburg, and to be brutally honest, I find it "decent". The only reason it looks pretty good is because It's by far the best exhibit for large fresh water mammals that I've seen (and i doubt any other in Europe would be just as good or better, perhaps Nurnberg?).
As far as I know, there are now enough manatee's in Europe for other zoos to take them on, but there still are very few zoos willing to build such an exhibit and pay for their care. Vincennes now has, and what I've seen from that exhibit, it's decent for a manatee, but would be relatively small for such an agile creature as an Inia.
An exhibit about 4/5 times Duisburg's Rio Negro with a group of Inia's would be my dream exhibit though. Toss in a few manatees and giant otters (in seperate exhibits or not) and you could put me there for a week and I would not get bored.
The only thing that I'm not sure of is the fact if there are (or would be) enough zoo's willing to take these animals on. The only facility at the moment that in my opinion is good enough for these animals is Duisburg, and to be brutally honest, I find it "decent". The only reason it looks pretty good is because It's by far the best exhibit for large fresh water mammals that I've seen (and i doubt any other in Europe would be just as good or better, perhaps Nurnberg?).
As far as I know, there are now enough manatee's in Europe for other zoos to take them on, but there still are very few zoos willing to build such an exhibit and pay for their care. Vincennes now has, and what I've seen from that exhibit, it's decent for a manatee, but would be relatively small for such an agile creature as an Inia.
An exhibit about 4/5 times Duisburg's Rio Negro with a group of Inia's would be my dream exhibit though. Toss in a few manatees and giant otters (in seperate exhibits or not) and you could put me there for a week and I would not get bored.
Dallas world Aquarium is one, Duisburg has a facility, with investment in Valencia, that's three. With maybe a few more facilities, we could create a breeding programme! I'm sure a few places would be very willing to take part in this, Dolphins are a star species and would bring a lot of attention to facilities willing to take them on! Perhaps Singapore River Safari?
Where and when have inias/botos been kept together with manatees (Amazonian or West Indian) , and for how long? Just because Amazonian manatees and river dolphins occur in the same habitat doesn't automatically mean that they will go along well when kept together. In fact, I'd assume that the manatees (no matter what species) would be chronically stressed and maybe injured by the ever inquisitive dolphins. Same goes for Giant otters and manatees.
The ex-situ population of West Indian manatees in European Zoos is anything but stable or increasing; any participating new institution and conditions supporting breeding are greatly welcomed.
The city of Duisburg has financial problems, and this also directly afflicts the zoo. Additionally, the modern public mindset in regard to cetacea husbandry in Germany is very different from the one of a Dr. Gewalt acquiring wild dolphins in the 1970s. Back then, even Indus river dolphins were caught and kept in Europe. These days, Duisburg has to justify the husbandry of their bottlenose dolphins on an almost daily basis.
While I agree that the inia is for many reasons a suitable species for husbandry in a modern zoo/aquarium, the previous difficulty to establish it as a zoo species, the expensive husbandry requirements and the general anti-cetacea husbandry attitude in many modern societies make it less likely for most institutions to acquire any.
Last edited: