Africa Alive! Wild Asses in UK.
- Thread starter Pertinax
- Start date
The Woburn photo shows two sign boards, one above the other, for the two species. I can't tell if the paddock behind is an enclosure or drive-thru reserve. I'm pretty sure they breed Grevy zebra already. Like you I'm presuming the Asses will be males to start with- possibly, as you suggested, from Marwell?
Marwell need to produce some filly foals with this species. They seem to have had mostly colts since they've been keepng them.
Whereas I understand the policy when no holdings are available within the EEP for young stallions. Lets be creative thinkers .....! Zoo Beauval and some other zoos - I cannot find which ones - are involved in a project for Somali wild ass in Djibouti. Now would it not be something to let the spare stallions go in situ?
It would certainly be a better idea than allowing any of these beautiful animals to end up as Lion food.
But surely its in situations like this that Safari Parks could have an increasingly valuable role to play. With their extensive space, they have room to take surplus male stock of even endangered species- which also makes for a more varied display for their visitors too.
BekesBergen Safari Park has even started up a batchelor Gorilla group with 4 surplus males from Apenheul. I would be happy to see other Safari Parks in Europe and Uk follow suit. Woburn perhaps- maybe we will see them with Gorilla males too, at some stage.
Returning to the Asses, I'd rather see some batchelor groups built up first in captivity, as a reservoir and then yes, later on perhaps, other males released in the wild. Are there any batchelor groups already? (I know Suffolk have two males but I believe want a female too..)
But surely its in situations like this that Safari Parks could have an increasingly valuable role to play. With their extensive space, they have room to take surplus male stock of even endangered species- which also makes for a more varied display for their visitors too.
BekesBergen Safari Park has even started up a batchelor Gorilla group with 4 surplus males from Apenheul. I would be happy to see other Safari Parks in Europe and Uk follow suit. Woburn perhaps- maybe we will see them with Gorilla males too, at some stage.
Returning to the Asses, I'd rather see some batchelor groups built up first in captivity, as a reservoir and then yes, later on perhaps, other males released in the wild. Are there any batchelor groups already? (I know Suffolk have two males but I believe want a female too..)
Suffolk Wildlife Park is the former name for Africa Alive isn't it.
They now have a breeding pair.
They now have a breeding pair.
Hadley,
I think they are still young animals. Asses need 3-4 years to mature before they start breeding, so there is still a while yet to go.
I will have to get back to you on this. Their origins are probably Marwell, but it is also likely a female has been sourced from the continent to increase the UK breeding pool.
I think they are still young animals. Asses need 3-4 years to mature before they start breeding, so there is still a while yet to go.
I will have to get back to you on this. Their origins are probably Marwell, but it is also likely a female has been sourced from the continent to increase the UK breeding pool.
Apparently, the 2nd male has gone as part of an exchange deal with another zoo.
According to Marwell's 2006 animal inventory (just published on their website), 2 Somali wild ass foals were born in 2006, one male and one female. They had 4.3 at the end of last year.
With gentle_lemur's observation of two likely pregnancies this year it would seem as though Marwell are having a lot of breeding success with this species.
With gentle_lemur's observation of two likely pregnancies this year it would seem as though Marwell are having a lot of breeding success with this species.
Yep,
That is why I said that Marwell will likely sent its last 2 stallion foals to Woburn to set up a bachelor herd. They need to create space for some new calves in 2008. I sincerely hope that this time they will have more luck sex wise with the offspring (2 females yes).
That is why I said that Marwell will likely sent its last 2 stallion foals to Woburn to set up a bachelor herd. They need to create space for some new calves in 2008. I sincerely hope that this time they will have more luck sex wise with the offspring (2 females yes).
Sorry to go off topic, but I've just read that inventory. And then I read it again. So, in one year, a particularly warm year at that, Marwell lost 10 of its 12 Scimitar-horned Oryx infants, all 10 Greater Kudu infants, 5 of its 8 Sitatunga infants, half it's Dama Gazelle infants (plus three adults), 3 giraffes, 11 Peccaries, 2 Babirusa, half it's 25 infant Mara, 7 adult primates, 10 wallabies, 7 Conures, 9 Cranes, half its eider and all its pochard ducklings, 7 penguins and three out of four penguin chicks...........the list goes on.
Maybe I'm being naive, but isn't that rather a lot of animal deaths for a single year, even for a zoo the size of Marwell? Is culling what's behind the neonatal ungulate deaths? If so then why keep mixed groups?
Writhedhornbill
Well-Known Member
One of Marwells babirusa Tim was moved to Chester, but he was so old, that he died after a matter of months.
Do you knwo when this was? Their inventory for 2006 lists no babirusa as leaving the collection but that 2 animals died, and 2 arrived. I don't know whether the new arrivals replaced the dead animals, or if the 2 new ones died shortly after they were brought to the park.
I still can't work out what is going on there....is it possible even that they allow more common species to breed and then feed the young to the carnivores? I know it seems far fetched, and the press in the UK have recently scandalised similar practice on the continent, with no apparent evidence of this in British zoos, but I can't see how a zoo like Marwell can lose so many young animals, or allow them to be born if unwanted.
I still can't work out what is going on there....is it possible even that they allow more common species to breed and then feed the young to the carnivores? I know it seems far fetched, and the press in the UK have recently scandalised similar practice on the continent, with no apparent evidence of this in British zoos, but I can't see how a zoo like Marwell can lose so many young animals, or allow them to be born if unwanted.
