Zoo Miami Zoo Miami News 2023

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King of Komodo Dragons said:
Updates from my visit:
  • New signage is in the south america aviary, the previously mentioned quails are indeed Gambel's Quails, the new list is changed to Blue Ground Dove, Silver-Beaked Tanager, Blue-Grey Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Mourning Dove, Troupial, Gambel's Quail, Hilarie's Sideneck Turtle, and Common Cuban Slider(Trachemys decussata) have been added aswell(and a unsigned mystery small bird with a black head and orange neck was also there but the only photo i got was blurry)
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The mystery bird in the south america aviary appears to be a Cuban Grassquit, which would also be a new species to the zoo, hope I can get a better photo of it next time
 
For those interested in the giant eland saga, I finally got some clarification on the situation after some conflicting information was surfacing after the male arrived. The male currently at Miami is the last of the original bachelor males from the San Diego Zoo and had been moved to the Zoo several years before all of the remaining males at the Safari Park were castrated and sent to the Zoo. This means that he is still intact and Miami is breeding their four females. The hoofstock curator at Miami and his father before him have worked with the species since they first arrived in the 1980s.
 
Kudu21 said:
For those interested in the giant eland saga, I finally got some clarification on the situation after some conflicting information was surfacing after the male arrived. The male currently at Miami is the last of the original bachelor males from the San Diego Zoo and had been moved to the Zoo several years before all of the remaining males at the Safari Park were castrated and sent to the Zoo. This means that he is still intact and Miami is breeding their four females. The hoofstock curator at Miami and his father before him have worked with the species since they first arrived in the 1980s.
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That is amazing news! In that case I really hope we hear of some Giant Eland calfs soon!
 
Kudu21 said:
For those interested in the giant eland saga, I finally got some clarification on the situation after some conflicting information was surfacing after the male arrived. The male currently at Miami is the last of the original bachelor males from the San Diego Zoo and had been moved to the Zoo several years before all of the remaining males at the Safari Park were castrated and sent to the Zoo. This means that he is still intact and Miami is breeding their four females. The hoofstock curator at Miami and his father before him have worked with the species since they first arrived in the 1980s.
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Where do they go from here towards the future?
 
Zorro said:
Where do they go from here towards the future?
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Nowhere, likely. Miami’s curator’s commitment to the species is just delaying the inevitable. The owners have been unwavering in their refusal to do away with the paywall they’ve placed the animals behind and to cooperate with the facilities wanting to work with the species and the breeding recommendations that have been developed. The founder base for the population was small and it is now suffering from inbreeding depression. They also have a very specialized diet that has proven difficult to maintain for many facilities.
 
Kudu21 said:
Nowhere, likely. Miami’s curator’s commitment to the species is just delaying the inevitable. The owners have been unwavering in their refusal to do away with the paywall they’ve placed the animals behind and to cooperate with the facilities wanting to work with the species and the breeding recommendations that have been developed. The founder base for the population was small and it is now suffering from inbreeding depression. They also have a very specialized diet that has proven difficult to maintain for many facilities.
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So there's some in private hands?. Can any be imported?
 
Great Argus said:
This part is news to me, I wouldn't have expected that as most of their relatives do pretty well in captivity. Is it nutrition based or just picky eaters?
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It was surprising to everyone when they were all initially poor-doers. It is nutrition-based. They seem prone to a lot of the same dietary diseases that crop up in black and sumatran rhinoceroses in human-care. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park planted multiple browse farms of one specific species of wattle just to feed the giant eland.
 
Zorro said:
So there's some in private hands?. Can any be imported?
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As @TinoPup has said, the entire population is owned by a private entity — the International Animal Exchange (IAE). The only on display animals are the 0.2 at their facility (African Safari Wildlife Park in Sandusky, Ohio) and the 1.4 at Zoo Miami. The rest of the population, ~ 40 individuals are all housed privately, split between two facilities.

It is nearly impossible to import bovids into the United States due to all of the restrictions in place to protect the cattle industry. It is prohibitively expensive and the paperwork and legal hoops to jump through are mountains high. In the case of the giant eland, the only other captive individuals are those in the UAE, which are descendants of the American stock. There are some more intensively managed wild populations of eastern giant eland in their native range, but importing wild animals from politically unstable countries isn’t going to happen.
 
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Berani the male Sumatran tiger sadly had to be euthanized following multiple health issues, including cancer of the spleen. Based on their post ("we will soon be announcing something much more uplifting that will only add to this magnificent cat's legacy"), it sounds like he left behind some new cubs:

Zoo Miami on Instagram: "It is with profound sadness that Zoo Miami announces the passing of “Berani,” the 15 ½ year old Sumatran tiger. As detailed in a previous release, Berani had been very lethargic and had lost his appetite over the last several days. In order to diagnose what may be the reasons for those issues, he was immobilized and brought to the zoo’s Animal Hospital on Tuesday for a series of examinations and tests. Initial indications were that he was severely anemic and dehydrated. A series of procedures including radiographs, ultrasounds, blood and urine collection, and an endoscopy, were performed. Those procedures revealed an enlarged spleen as well as abnormalities of the kidneys. Late yesterday afternoon, test results revealed the heartbreaking news that Berani was suffering from cancer of the spleen. Sadly, due to his advanced age and an extremely poor prognosis for any improvement, the very difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize him to provide him the dignity in death that he displayed throughout his life. Berani was born at the San Francisco Zoo in March of 2008 and came to Zoo Miami via the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama in 2013 as part of a Species Survival Plan (SSP) recommendation. He was paired with a female named “Leeloo” and successfully sired a male cub named, “Satu” in 2015 along with a female cub named, “Ndari” in 2021. In addition, as we sadly announce his passing, we will soon be announcing something much more uplifting that will only add to this magnificent cat’s legacy. There are believed to be less than 500 Sumatran tigers left in the wild where they are found in forested areas on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Their biggest threats are habitat loss to palm oil plantations and poaching. They are the smallest subspecies of tiger with males reaching up to 300 pounds and females closer to 200 pounds. Zoo Miami is one of the very few zoos in the world that has had success reproducing this critically endangered species. Zoo Miami has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Sumatran tiger conservation in Indonesia as part of its commitment to ensure their survival for future generations. : Ron Magill"
 
In very exciting news, the zoo announced on their Instagram account that a male giant eland born this past Saturday (November 18th) can now be seen on habitat with the rest of his herd as we speak.

In addition, the zoo also announced in the same post that both a male and female nyala born on the 10th, and 7th of November respectively, are also now on habitat with their own family herd.
 
Austin the Sengi said:
In very exciting news, the zoo announced on their Instagram account that a male giant eland born this past Saturday (November 18th) can now be seen on habitat with the rest of his herd as we speak.

In addition, the zoo also announced in the same post that both a male and female nyala born on the 10th, and 7th of November respectively, are also now on habitat with their own family herd.
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Amazing news, Giant Eland are holding on by a thread, not to mention a new male that can hopefully breed in the future.
 
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