I have seen this mix in quite a few zoos in Germany
Worst Mixed-Species Combinations?
- Thread starter Emanuel Theodorus
- Start date
The madrid Zoo Aquarium also had this visit, as of my last visit in 2016... it may not be so hazardous if the muntjacs don't mate.
So do Rosamond Gifford and Franklin Park Zoo's. I've always viewed red panda/muntjac as a generally low-risk mix. Surprising to hear it lead to some deaths.
Aardwolf
Well-Known Member
Anteater and capybara has led to deaths before, as have white rhino and ostrich, and both of those are fairly common mixes. Sometimes, you just have the wrong individuals in the wrong circumstances.
La Cucaracha
Well-Known Member
Zebras/equids x anything smaller than them
I've seen a couple different news stories about zoo giraffes being gored by antelopes, including San Diego.
San Diego Safari Park's baby giraffe Kumi euthanized after being gored
I remember as a child the Denver Zoo had goats mixed with a tortoise in the petting kraal, and I'm not so sure now about that mix.
I've seen a couple different news stories about zoo giraffes being gored by antelopes, including San Diego.
San Diego Safari Park's baby giraffe Kumi euthanized after being gored
I remember as a child the Denver Zoo had goats mixed with a tortoise in the petting kraal, and I'm not so sure now about that mix.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
Beauval (France) has kept successfully Grévy Zebras and Springboks (among many other hoofed mammals) in a 2-ha plain for nearly 20 years.
And both species bred regularly.
Finally (2019) they phased out the Springboks (not really bad news because of the low conservation concern of this species), but planned to import a herd of Thomson Gazelles ; nevertheless the project didn't realize, for reasons I don't know.
I add that all the animals had many paddocks and individual boxes in the night quarters, that proved to be practical to isolate newborns and characterial individuals (rutting zebras for example).
La Cucaracha
Well-Known Member
Where did Beauval plan to import the Thomsons from?
There are lots of YouTube videos of wild zebras harassing, injuring, or killing herbivores of other species. But to be fair, they are generally plains zebra.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
According to the information I had heard, Beauval planned to import the Gazelle from German zoos.
DartFrog
Member
I’m no expert on care in ursids but on paper this seems flat out foolish.
Zebra mixes are a tricky one, as there are a lot of examples of zebra mixes that have been both successful and disastrous. Here's a few things I could say about zebra mixes though:
- It heavily depends on the individuals. Just like all mixes, just because it worked in one zoo doesn't mean it'll work everywhere. It depends a lot on the temperament of all the individuals involved, especially the zebras as they tend to be the aggressors.
- Females tend to play nicer than males. This isn't to say that males can't be mixed, or to say that females can always be mixed, but as a general rule of thumb a mix including a same-sex herd of female zebras is the most likely to mix successfully.
- Mountain Zebras tend to play nicer than either Plains Zebras or Grevy's Zebras. The AZA has specifically encouraged zoos to avoid mixes with Grevy's Zebras, and instead use Mountain Zebras in any mixed species exhibits.
- Choosing appropriate other species is key to a successful zebra mix. Mixing zebras with greater kudu, a relatively mild-tempered species, similar size to the zebras, and not very flighty, is much more likely to be a successful choice for a zebra mixed exhibit than, say, springbok, who are much smaller and tend to be fractious, or sable antelope, a species that, although similar size to zebras, tend to be another aggressive species.
- Space matters. A safari park with a twelve-acre savanna is less likely to have difficulties mixing zebras than a city zoo with a half-acre exhibit. This isn't fail safe, and the wrong individuals would make an unsuccessful mix in either (or the right individuals can make a successful mix in either), but as a general rule of thumb more space makes for better mixes.
Overall, however, I personally would be very cautious with zebra mixes if I was in charge of a zoo. I would be okay with the idea of mixing hartmann's mountain zebras with a same size or larger species that tends to be non-aggressive (e.g. greater kudu, nyala, white rhinos, ostrich), but that's about it. Other than that, I'd leave the zebras in their own exhibit and choose mixes with a higher success rate.
- It heavily depends on the individuals. Just like all mixes, just because it worked in one zoo doesn't mean it'll work everywhere. It depends a lot on the temperament of all the individuals involved, especially the zebras as they tend to be the aggressors.
- Females tend to play nicer than males. This isn't to say that males can't be mixed, or to say that females can always be mixed, but as a general rule of thumb a mix including a same-sex herd of female zebras is the most likely to mix successfully.
- Mountain Zebras tend to play nicer than either Plains Zebras or Grevy's Zebras. The AZA has specifically encouraged zoos to avoid mixes with Grevy's Zebras, and instead use Mountain Zebras in any mixed species exhibits.
- Choosing appropriate other species is key to a successful zebra mix. Mixing zebras with greater kudu, a relatively mild-tempered species, similar size to the zebras, and not very flighty, is much more likely to be a successful choice for a zebra mixed exhibit than, say, springbok, who are much smaller and tend to be fractious, or sable antelope, a species that, although similar size to zebras, tend to be another aggressive species.
- Space matters. A safari park with a twelve-acre savanna is less likely to have difficulties mixing zebras than a city zoo with a half-acre exhibit. This isn't fail safe, and the wrong individuals would make an unsuccessful mix in either (or the right individuals can make a successful mix in either), but as a general rule of thumb more space makes for better mixes.
Overall, however, I personally would be very cautious with zebra mixes if I was in charge of a zoo. I would be okay with the idea of mixing hartmann's mountain zebras with a same size or larger species that tends to be non-aggressive (e.g. greater kudu, nyala, white rhinos, ostrich), but that's about it. Other than that, I'd leave the zebras in their own exhibit and choose mixes with a higher success rate.
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
In Australia that is the literal most common mix ever. Every zoo with an Australian section mixes those 2 species without failure. You even get to feed them 90% of the time, although emus kinda hurt
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
In a remote past (1960's) Thoiry mixed Brown, Polar and Asiatic Black Bears. It ended tragically with the intoxication of nearly all the animals by poison bait thrown in the pit by a malevolent visitor. Curiously the only survivors were 3 female cubs, hybrids of Brown and Polar Bears. They lived in the zoo for many decades, up to the 2000's at least, first in the pit, then in a larger enclosure in the Safari zone.
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
I can’t say for sure, but I would highly doubt that
Sounds like a silly idea, they’d kill each other
It's more nuanced than that, I have heard of exotic pet rescues which keep the two as a bonded pair because they were raised together from kittens, there was at least one zoo which kept a fox and a raccoon pair for the same reason. This is less likely to be seen in an AZA zoo which raises the animals with their parents away from other species in their formative period.
I think these are pets but the same principle applies, early socialization can make a lot of mammals get along that wouldn't under normal circumstance
I think these are pets but the same principle applies, early socialization can make a lot of mammals get along that wouldn't under normal circumstance
I know (or misremember) the Wellington Zoo has/had this setup, for example.It's more nuanced than that, I have heard of exotic pet rescues which keep the two as a bonded pair because they were raised together from kittens, there was at least one zoo which kept a fox and a raccoon pair for the same reason. This is less likely to be seen in an AZA zoo which raises the animals with their parents away from other species in their formative period.
I think these are pets but the same principle applies, early socialization can make a lot of mammals get along that wouldn't under normal circumstance
No, they had adjoining enclosures - Caracals on one side, Servals on the other.
Ok, misremembered then. Thanks
