Zoo "Confessions"

Great Argus said:
In the case of white tigers at least, they are severely inbred and very prone to defects and health issues because of it. Becomes more of an ethics issue, regardless of their draw to visitors.
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I agree that the white tiger suffers from inbreeding and health issues. So do several breeds of dogs. I don't agree with deliberately breeding severely animals with health issues. I agree with trying to save animals in the wild and would prefer zoos to keep species that can be bred and released into the wild.
 
birdsandbats said:
Did you take a look at the paper? It suggests that even these animals are impure, despite what was previously thought.

Also even if this paper's findings were ignored this claim would not be true.
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Sorry, i guess you can't trust everything you see, I thought it was different but i guess not,
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FBBird said:
Worth reflecting that the Bronx was a prime mover in Bison propagation in the early days. American Bison are not the only Bovid species with an element of hybridity….
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I'm a big fan of the bison, so I'm well aware of how important the Bronx Zoo has been for the species. The bison might've gone extinct if the Bronx hadn't been an early propagator of them; Certainly many populations of bison wouldn't exist today as we know them without the zoos support.

The bison not being "purebred" is of no concern to myself, my avatar is a Przewalski's Horse - Another species that was saved by zoos and private individuals, but was hybridized in the process. (Although the P-Horse and now even the bison have been proven to have historically crossbred with their close relatives, even prior to being taken into captivity.)

The bison turning out to be "impure" on a species wide basis is just a huge deal in the bison world. For literally the last twenty years, bison conservation has been driven by "purity". Supposedly "pure" herds were favored for greater propagation and reintroduction into new areas over "impure" herds. Nearly half a million bison exist in the modern day, but before this study came out, in the eyes of conservationists, only the twenty odd thousand supposed "pure" bison mattered.

No more, now every herd is on an even playing field. A better thing for the species on a whole, since "pure" herds have genetics that "impure" herds lack and vice versa. Since every bison alive carries a tiny bit of cattle DNA in their blood, that means that bison can now be exchanged between herds freely. Allowing for greater and better genetic diversity, which is always key to a healthy species and assuring it's continued existence.
 
I assume they'll be a cap on how much cattle DNA a bison can have to be seriously considered for conservation purposes
 
Pretty controversial, but I never really found elephants and great apes that interesting. I love and appreciate all animals to a certain extent (including them), but their exhibits will always be the ones I skip first.
 
My confession: These days when visiting zoos I spend far more time catching Pokémon than looking at real animals… (zoos are great places to play Pokémon Go).

I also probably spend more time in the zoo cafe drinking coffee than looking at animals too…
 
I have no interest in most of the African large mammal species. Lions, Elephants, Giraffes- paired with simians which I've never actually cared much for.
 
When I went to the Zoo Magdeburg I forgot to take a look at the Marbled polecat. I wanted to see the species for years and just on the way back I realised what I did...
 
My confession is that I love Columbus’s Adventure Cove. It’s such a quirky theme that I enjoy quite a lot. I know a lot of people hate it but I’m a sucker for innovative theming.
 
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