UK mammal first breedings: appeal for help

robmv

robmv

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I am currently working on a research project to identify the first breeding of mammal species (and, where possible, subspecies) in captivity in the British Isles. We have checked all of the obvious sources (and many less obvious ones) and are left with some species that have definitely been bred in recent years, yet we have been unable to identify the exact location and/or date for the first success (i.e. the offspring survived for 30 days).

Can anyone provide any information on the following taxa (plus a reference if possible):

Long-nosed Potoroo Potorous tridactylus
Red-bellied Lemur Eulemur rubriventer
Red-fronted Lemur Eulemur rufus
Sanford's Lemur Eulemur sanfordi (Hamerton or Suffolk WP?)
Western Grey Bamboo Lemur Hapalemur occidentalis (Banham? Has the Eastern species - H. griseus - ever reproduced in this country)
Red Ruffed Lemur Varecia rubra
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur Varecia variegata (London produced a hybrid in 1972, but it is difficult identify the first pure breeding)
Black-tailed Marmoset Callithrix melanura
Golden Lion Tamarin Leontopithecus rosalia (Shavington?)
Cherry-crowned Mangabey Cercocebus torquatus
Grivet Chlorocebus aethiops
Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus
Pallas' Cat Felis manul (Howletts?)
Serval Leptailurus serval
Amur Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus
Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae
Bat-eared Fox Otocyon megalotis
Corsac Fox Vulpes corsac (Hamerton?)
Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus (were London's the first?)
South African Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus
Onager Equus hemionus onager
Lesser Malay Chevrotain Tragulus javanicus
Kirk's Dik-dik Madoqua kirkii (Colchester?)
Gemsbok Oryx gazella
Azara's Agouti Dasyprocta azarae (Shaldon?)
 
These are just guesses but might point you in the right direction.

Cherry Crowned Mangabey - Belle Vue , Manchester? (they certainly kept them in the 1960/70's)

Liontailed Macaque. London? (old 'Bond' postcards show a pair with young)
if not, then Belle Vue, Manchester bred one in the 1960/70's as did Flamingo Park, Malton.
 
Thanks for the pointers Pertinax. These are a couple of species that have proved difficult to research ...

The International Zoo Yearbooks don't list any births of Cherry-crowned Mangabeys in the 1960s and 1970s; I found this surprising as I thought they were fairly common in British zoos around this time. (There are lots of Sooty Mangabey births listed.)

Flower makes no mention of Lion-tailed Macaques breeding at London up to 1929, but the Bond postcards were still around at this time so it's possible they bred shortly afterwards. The gap between 1929 and 1960 (when the International Zoo Yearbooks started listing births) is a bit of grey area for London - at some point I would like to get hold of a full set of annual reports and work my way through them.
 
Ruffed Lemurs - Jersy received pairs of Red Ruffed and Black and White Ruffed Lemurs on loan from San Diego Zoo on 19th April 1982 . I am fairly certain these were the first pure pairs - the original London breeding was from one of each , then from mother and son .

Both pairs bred at Jersey in 1984 - Reds 3.1(1.0) , B & W 2.1(1.1) . This is from Dodo Journals , no date of the births is given . There is probably some more information in the Newsletters .
 
Bele said:
Ruffed Lemurs - Jersy received pairs of Red Ruffed and Black and White Ruffed Lemurs on loan from San Diego Zoo on 19th April 1982 . I am fairly certain these were the first pure pairs - the original London breeding was from one of each , then from mother and son .

Both pairs bred at Jersey in 1984 - Reds 3.1(1.0) , B & W 2.1(1.1) . This is from Dodo Journals , no date of the births is given . There is probably some more information in the Newsletters .
Click to expand...

Fantastic! I don't suppose you have the the year/edition and the page number for the Dodo reference do you?
 
Bele said:
Ruffed Lemurs - Jersy received pairs of Red Ruffed and Black and White Ruffed Lemurs on loan from San Diego Zoo on 19th April 1982 . I am fairly certain these were the first pure pairs - the original London breeding was from one of each , then from mother and son .

Both pairs bred at Jersey in 1984 - Reds 3.1(1.0) , B & W 2.1(1.1) .
Click to expand...

I was going to suggest Jersey too as I think they were the first in the UK to get 'pure' species of both Red and B/W. They did have some hybrids prior to that as well but replaced them.
 
robmv said:
The International Zoo Yearbooks don't list any births of Cherry-crowned Mangabeys in the 1960s and 1970s; I found this surprising as I thought they were fairly common in British zoos around this time. Flower makes no mention of Lion-tailed Macaques breeding at London up to 1929, but the Bond postcards were still around at this time so it's possible they bred shortly afterwards. The gap between 1929 and 1960 (when the International Zoo Yearbooks started listing births) is a bit of grey area for London - at some point I would like to get hold of a full set of annual reports and work my way through them.
Click to expand...

Cherry- crowned Mangabey. I don't know if Belle Vue actually bred them but they certainly kept them. It was the very last place I saw them at, until much more recently at Colchester & now Paignton. I imagine they must have bred somewhere else in the UK before the recent importation to Colchester.
 
Pertinax said:
I seem to remember the related pair produced some offspring that had a gene defect resulting in total baldness?
Click to expand...

I was shown one of these 'bald lemurs' in an off-show indoor cage within the Sobell , think I have a photo of it somewhere .

I think the hybrid Ruffeds at Jersey originated from Basel .

I have not seen the Studbooks for Ruffed Lemurs , but imagine there were not many founders .

I remember seeing Cherry-crowned Mangabeys in several collections years ago , including Poole Park Zoo , but cannot recall any offspring .

'Dodo' number 21 , 1984 , page 142 , Animal Inventory , records the lemur births .
 
If Gemsbok were not bred before the 1970's then the first birth would have been at Marwell , who imported the first wild-caught group . If this is the case I could find the approximate date from old Marwell newsletters .
 
Bele said:
I think the hybrid Ruffeds at Jersey originated from Basel .

I remember seeing Cherry-crowned Mangabeys in several collections years ago , including Poole Park Zoo , but cannot recall any offspring .
Click to expand...

1. You are right yet again;) I remember now.

2. I can't remember other Zoos which had CC Managabeys apart from Belle Vue. Don't remember seeing them at Poole Park though they did have a big male Liontailed Macaque at one stage, also Monas.
 
Lion -tailed Macaque - the 1981 International Sudbook , published by Woodland park Zoological gardens , studbbok keeper Laurence Gledhill , has the following in the UK section.

First births recorded - male Hagar number 1182 , born 1972 at Malton , father unknown , mother Flo . He moved to Chester , Thrigby , Chester , finally Regents Park where he died in 1986 . Also listed are a male , number 1188 , born Chilworth 1965 , and female , number 1189 , born Chilworth 1964 . This pair went to Dublin in 1975 . Chilworth I think was the Chipperfield organisation . Rather confusing .

No Manchester animals are listed in this studbook .

No births are recorded for Regents park but a long list of animals received between 1903 and 1954 from India , some at a young age . A male received 1939 lived until 1953 , most did not live very long .
 
Pertinax said:
1. You are right yet again;) I remember now.

2. I can't remember other Zoos which had CC Managabeys apart from Belle Vue. Don't remember seeing them at Poole Park though they did have a big male Liontailed Macaque at one stage, also Monas.
Click to expand...

Chester kept cherry-crowned mangabeys between 1960 and 1977 but as far as I know they did not breed.
 
Thanks for all the feedback - I'm glad it's stoked so much discussion!
 
Bele said:
Chilworth I think was the Chipperfield organisation.
Click to expand...

Any mention of Chilworth in studbooks usually refers to the Chipperfield's farm near Southampton which was used for training and winter housing for the circus stock.
 
bongorob said:
Chester kept cherry-crowned mangabeys between 1960 and 1977 but as far as I know they did not breed.
Click to expand...

I know they had Sooty Mangabeys- which did breed (some later went to ZSL), but I don't remember Cherry Crowned. However, I am sure you are correct as you know your Chester stock Rob!;)
 
robmv;285239 Long-nosed Potoroo [I said:
Potorous tridactylus[/I]
South African Fur Seal Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus
Click to expand...

I recall Blackpool Zoo had potoroo off show and may have bred them when I work there in 1976.

I don't think South African fur seals have bred in the UK - maybe at Coombe Martin when they had them. They have bred in South Africa - Port Elizabeth comes to mind.

I know quite a number were imported into Europe some years ago when it became more difficult to obtain California sea lions from the USA due to the 1972 Marine Mammal Protection Act. But they seem to have fallen out of fashion, fur seals generally aren't as easy to train as sea lions and tend to more aggressive and less intelligent. IMHO.


Not sure who is keeping them now in UK. West Midlands and the Cornish Seal Sanctuary I think.

Bristol has bred South American fur seal, however.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top