You named Walruses (Pacific and Atlantic) and Polar Bears as two species that have no concerted breeding efforts in the USA and Canada. Your initial post still says as much. This is not true and that is the point I was correcting you on.
I'm not sure what you expect New York to do. While I do miss seeing the Walruses there, the pool they were in is far too small for a breeding group of Walruses and, beyond that, there are not any Walruses available for them to get. US zoos cannot simply import Walruses from European or Asian facilities and they definitely cannot just grab some from the wild. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prevents all of this. The current number of Walruses in the United States (please see the stats earlier in this thread) is all we have to work with and these numbers are very small. I agree it's strange that the SeaWorlds hold so many given their more southern/subtropical climates, but they seem to be the only institutions in the US with the facilities to actually manage and breed these animals right now.
You make these sorts of posts a lot where you're disheartened that a zoo no longer keeps X, Y, or Z animal that you like, and then you accuse them of simply not caring, or being unmotivated, or otherwise just choosing not to work with cool animals anymore. This is, to an extent, true of zoos globally and we can have discussions about that and feel the way that we do, but you often make these comments about species that feasibly there is no way (or at least it would be extremely difficult) for the subject collections to obtain and manage. The reasons for such things are brought to your attention often, but you seem to continue to ignore it. I'm really not sure what you expect these places to do. You talk as though them obtaining Walruses (and Polar Bears, and elephants) is as easy as them just deciding to do it. There aren't any Walruses for them to keep.
~Thylo
I still am not aware of any captive breeding program for Atlantic walrus.
Anywhere.
Am I misinformed ? If so, I apologize .
Again I am amazed how Hong Kong, China and Abu Dhabi can obtain walrus.
Particularly Abu Dhabi’s ability to obtain them from a Canadian facility .A country whose climate is more suitable for a species that is also indigenous .
In recent dealings with Arabic - oil producing countries - I have learned it comes down to one thing : money.
If the Arab world wants something they have a simple formula: pay for it!
Da Vinci paintings, world boxing championships, walruses - we want it we buy it.
As I stated earlier it takes three things to make things happen : money, will and direction.
The words and can’t and won’t are often confused.
Can you do something but will you do it.
As a multi generation New Yorker who has been going to the facilities since a toddler I do bemoan the fact that more money is not spent on the facilities. The public and government apathy towards all five zoos and the aquarium.
The amount NYC spends on Cultural Affairs as compared to the return they get is abominable.
NO collective, objective civic pride.None.
And I live here.
I am willing to wager that 90% of the NYC population is unaware that there are zoos in Queens and Staten Island.
The last time something major was done in NYC was when the campaign - of which I worked - finally created a zoo for Queens in 1967 in the wake of the second world’s fair (1964/64)
Virtually nothing much has been done to it for it since - though I agree that a Nearctic zoogeographic theme -worked well in the end , though the transition to an “Americas “ zoo is woefully lacking in its Neo Tropical phase.
There is no signage at the nearest subway stop (111th street) to acknowledge the zoo’s existence or direct patrons . Nothing
Insofar as the former walrus facility at Coney Island -100% agree that it was inadequate . Why? When the planned Sea Cliffs did not know that they needed a larger facility when they designed - and built it? If, in fact, the intent was to house and breed walrus ?
I thought they had just loaned out the walrus while Sea Cliffs was being renovated. They did have walrus then.
As to elephants. NY could expand the land allocated for elephants in Wild Asia - perhaps at the expenses of other species - which could be moved to another area of the park as the Prezwalski horses were moved to Wild Asia.
In the 1980s the current Zoo Center was renovated for the very purpose of exhibiting elephant in a better facility
Why didn’t they do a better job of it then - knowing the special requirements for elephants
San Diego , Washington DC and even Baltimore (!) see able to have done so.
Ever money was spent , the facility was built.
As to Polar bear . The zoos once held them in three collections . K owing what they know of animal husbandry ,and difficulty in obtaining the species could they not have consolidated the specimens in and attempt to breed them?
Could they not have built a larger facility ?
Again: money, will and direction
Also New Yorkers are to blame. Attendance to ration of population is woefully low .
The percentage of New York City residents who are members of the WCS or SIZS I would wager is far less than that of suburbanites in proportion to the population.
Could the city spend $100,000,000 of its $134,000,000,000 budget on its zoos ?
Do they have the will to do so?
The attendance to provide the money for such projects is not there .
Public apathy .
I absolutely guarantee that , with the possible exception of the Bronx Zoo NONE the zoological facilities would have built today in the City of New York given the political and cultural climate .
Perhaps we might have had one of those glorified fish tanks they call aquaria and appear in malls across the country at South Street Seaport or Times Square - replacing Riokey’s Believe it or Not- but , the outer boroughs would be dead on arrival.
If tbe public ga e its political and financial and personal ( attendance) support New York could have facilities to support elephant , walrus and polar bear -a they did for over 199 years in some cases - but in tbe manner and facility they deserve
Trump golf course - now vying for casino space - is begging to have its 222 acres converted into a mega vertebrate breeding center for elephant and walrus - all it needs now is the Arab trillionaire to do so
