Zoo History Quiz

G

gerenuk

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
In 1981, Tom Foose and the AAZPA (now the AZA) created the first Species Survival Plans. What 13 species were first supported by these programs?

Prize for the most correct answer: a link to the plans for Zoo Atlanta's new reptile house

Quiz ends Friday, Oct. 25 at midnight.

Hints:
1. No North American species were included in the first SSPs.
 
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I have done no research on this but it is a fun topic so here are my GUESSES! I imagine there were at least a few native species to inaugurate the program, and I'm trying to think of some hot-topic species from the late seventies that would likely have been included (probably a well-rounded representation of charismatic species):

Black-footed Ferret
California Condor
Thick-billed Parrot
Desert Bighorn Sheep

Okapi
Southern White Rhinoceros
Arabian Oryx
Golden Lion Tamarin
Sumatran Tiger
Galapagos Tortoise
Queensland Koala
Toco Toucan
Bornean Orangutan

My choices are probably slanted toward the collection of the Zoological Society of San Diego, the only zoos I had visited by 1981 (except Santa Ana). It could be that some of these guesses were not widely held by enough of the other zoos to inaugurate programs in the beginning.
 
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The first Species Survival Plans as we all know were pilot projects that were all complete failures. The initial SSP's covered:

1. Unicorns
2. Sasquatches (the Iowa subspecies)
3. Jersey Devils (the Northern New Jersey subspecies)
4. Tribbles
5. Smurfs (orange subspecies)
6. Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal
7. The Original Thing On Donald Trump's Head (the current Thing is a reintroduction from a different population)
 
That's only seven. You missed a few

8. ROUS
9. Taun Taun (wild form)
10. Mokele Mbembe
11. Hungarian Horntail
12. Bunyip
13. Giant Gorilla (Skull Island subspecies)
 
Hmm... Somehow I thought there would be more responses. Maybe if I raise the stakes and add a prize - most correct answer gets a link to the plans for Zoo Atlanta's new reptile house!

@geomorph - you only have 2 correct. Its a interesting choice to add some native species, but the 1st native species wasn't added until 2 years later.
 
Okay fine,

Tiger, Golden Lion Tamarin, Arabian Oryx, Western Lowland Gorilla, Bali Mynah
 
I only got 2 guesses right? I will have to have my Zoochat license suspended! Of the 13 I guessed, I am going to guess that the two I got right are Southern White Rhinoceros and Arabian Oryx.
 
Przewalski's Horse and specifically the Siberian (Amur) Tiger, plus Golden Lion Tamarin and Arabian Oryx, Indian Rhinoceros, Asian Lion.
 
I'm being methodical. :D

To recap:
1. Siberian (Amur) tiger
2. Asian lion
3. golden lion tamarin
4. western lowland gorilla
5. Przewalski's horse
6. Indian rhinoceros
7. Arabian oryx
8. Bali mynah
9. Formosan sika deer
10. red kangaroo
11. keel-billed toucan
12. cheetah
13. bongo
 
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Alright, here it goes again.

From the first list:
1. golden lion tamarin
2. Arabian oryx
3. Siberian tiger
4. Asian lion
5. Indian rhinoceros
6. Przewalski's horse

Newly added
7. Hawaiian goose
8. Puerto Rican crested toad
9. Andean condor
 
Indian Rhinoceros
Okapi
Arabian Oryx
Komodo Dragon
Black Rhinoceros
Bongo
Siberian Tiger
Snow Leopard
Przewalski's Horse
Golden Lion Tamarin
Orangutan
Bonobo
Lowland Gorilla
 
1. White Rhino
2. Indian Rhino
3. Arabian Oryx
4. Scimitar Oryx
5. Golden Lion Tamarin
6. Bongo
7. Przewalski's Wild Horse
8. Lowland Gorilla
9. Black Rhino
10. Okapi
11. Orangutan
12. Siberian Tiger
13. Chimpanzee
 
Ooh, ooh, I know this. Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia. :)
 
@mstickmanp - 7 correct
@Blackduiker - 6 correct
@Ituri - 5 correct
@Virguna - you might be on to something about English history...
 
Okay, one final shot....

1. golden lion tamarin
2. Siberian tiger
3. Grevy's zebra
4. Asian wild horse
5. black rhinoceros
6. Indian rhinoceros
7. barasingha
8. gaur
9. Arabian oryx
10. scimitar-horned oryx
11. Humboldt penguin
12. white-naped crane
13. Bali mynah
 
This is harder than I thought it would be!

1. Ring-tailed Lemur
2. Indian Rhino
3. Arabian Oryx
4. Scimitar Oryx
5. Golden Lion Tamarin
6. Bali Mynah
7. Przewalski's Wild Horse
8. Andean Condor
9. Black Rhino
10. Congo Peafowl
11. Elephant
12. Siberian Tiger
13. Grevy's Zebra
 
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