Zoodyssee Zoodyssee news

This park based on european fauna started last year a five years master plan. In 2019 they opened :
- the Mediterranean Odissey with barbary apes, porcupines, pink flamingos (new specie) and a mediterranean garden,
- the first part of Mountain Odissey with a 7.000 square meters brown bears exhibit (returning after 20 years).

This year the park is opening :
- the second part of Mountain Odissey with a new 5.000 square meters walkthrought exhibit for Pyrenean chamois, a new 500 square meters marmots enclosure and a big aviary for vulturs and corvids (new species),
- a new Nordic Odissey for lynx, snowly owls, polar foxes and reindeers (new specie).
New red foxes and european badgers enxlosures are expected too.

Other new/refurbished areas will come in the next three years with an area on French Guyana as a highlight (I know, it's not really Europe !). Jaguars, tapirs and monkeys will arrive.

This park is really fine with an interesting breeding center for little bustards and european minks (last year four births) and very good exhibits for barbary apes, european bisons, wilcats, european otters and outdoors enclosures for turtles.
It is just one hour drive from la Vallée des singes.

If you come to this area do not hesitate !
 
I heard some good things about this little known gem of a collection.
If I am around or close by I would most certainly visit!!!
 
Zoodyssee has long since been working with endangered animals, including the famous local donkey, the Baudet-du-Poitou. At Hamerton we have been fortunate enough to have been involved with these wonderful animals for many years; our founding stock having been selected for us (by our colleagues in the French breed-society), from several breeders in Poitou-Charentes including Zoodyssee.
 
Andrew Swales said:
Zoodyssee has long since been working with endangered animals, including the famous local donkey, the Baudet-du-Poitou. At Hamerton we have been fortunate enough to have been involved with these wonderful animals for many years; our founding stock having been selected for us (by our colleagues in the French breed-society), from several breeders in Poitou-Charentes including Zoodyssee.
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You're right Andrew. The park has done a great job at the time with Poitou donkey. Some animals are still there but now it's not a priority.

Other breeding facilties in Zoodyssee are for : european pond turtles and little bustards.

This little-known park is surely one of the best in terms of conservation in France.
 
Andrew Swales said:
Zoodyssee has long since been working with endangered animals, including the famous local donkey, the Baudet-du-Poitou. At Hamerton we have been fortunate enough to have been involved with these wonderful animals for many years; our founding stock having been selected for us (by our colleagues in the French breed-society), from several breeders in Poitou-Charentes including Zoodyssee.
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I love Poitou donkeys.. I didn't realise you had them as well as the American Mammoth Donkeys. The only place I have seen Poitous is at Banham though.
 
Pertinax said:
I love Poitou donkeys.. I didn't realise you had them as well as the American Mammoth Donkeys. The only place I have seen Poitous is at Banham though.
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We have kept them since 2009, when the first ones came from France. Our stock has all been livre-A with full accreditation from the breed societies. Our breeding Jack came from the Île de Ré, and jennies from that local area, as most of the breed is still found in the area around Marans, Châtellerault, Niort and Poitiers. Two new females are due to arrive next week, having been in France during lock-down and mated by Jacks not related to our UK stock. Both have been scanned in-foal. The stud at Hamerton is one of the most important outside France.
 
Andrew Swales said:
We have kept them since 2009, when the first ones came from France. Our stock has all been livre-A with full accreditation from the breed societies. Our breeding Jack came from the Île de Ré, and jennies from that local area, as most of the breed is still found in the area around Marans, Châtellerault, Niort and Poitiers. Two new females are due to arrive next week, having been in France during lock-down and mated by Jacks not related to our UK stock. Both have been scanned in-foal. The stud at Hamerton is one of the most important outside France.
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What is the total population estimate for them now, in France and outside?
 
Pertinax said:
What is the total population estimate for them now, in France and outside?
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A World-wide figure of 450 was published for 2005, but I am not sure how much this has increased since.
The following is taken from SIRE the French register:
68 baudets en activité en 2017
284 ânesses Baudet du Poitou saillies en 2017
120 naissances en 2017.
These are full pedigree animals, so in 2017 - 68 pure breeding males were used, and 120 births resulted from 284 jennies mated. Worldwide figures. From memory the only viable numbers outside France are in Belgium, Switzerland and the UK with a sprinkling elsewhere. My guess that there are a couple of hundred animals in total outside France, and the majority of the breed still in the area described. This represents a major success story as only 38 females and 6 males existed when the rescue programme was started. France has 16 native donkey breeds and many are still very local in distribution. Some like the Grand-Noir-du-Berry are much rarer than the Poitou is now.
The Poitou phenotype is very dominant, and cross-breds are common especially in the UK (where there is often ignorance of the French registration requirements) and often passed off as pure-breds. The French registration process requires every animal to be blood-tested by one approved French laboratory and its full pedigree known. It is very thorough, even cumbersome, but has contributed to the rescue of this ancient breed. Unless an animal has been through this process and has full French registration papers, it is not a Poitou Donkey, even though it might look like one. Only a restricted number of males are approved for breeding each year, and those have to be physically inspected by senior board members of the breed society at a limited number of shows in Poitou-Charentes region each season.
 
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Andrew Swales said:
A World-wide figure of 450 was published for 2005, but I am not sure how much this has increased since.
The following is taken from SIRE the French register:
68 baudets en activité en 2017
284 ânesses Baudet du Poitou saillies en 2017
120 naissances en 2017.
These are full pedigree animals, so in 2017 - 68 pure breeding males were used, and 120 births resulted from 284 jennies mated. Worldwide figures. From memory the only viable numbers outside France are in Belgium, Switzerland and the UK with a sprinkling elsewhere. My guess that there are a couple of hundred animals in total outside France, and the majority of the breed still in the area described. This represents a major success story as only 38 females and 6 males existed when the rescue programme was started. France has 16 native donkey breeds and many are still very local in distribution. Some like the Grand-Noir-du-Berry are much rarer than the Poitou is now.
The Poitou phenotype is very dominant, and cross-breds are common especially in the UK (where there is often ignorance of the French registration requirements) and often passed off as pure-breds. The French registration process requires every animal to be blood-tested by one approved French laboratory and its full pedigree known. It is very thorough, even cumbersome, but has contributed to the rescue of this ancient breed. Unless an animal has been through this process and has full French registration papers, it is not a Poitou Donkey, even though it might look like one. Only a restricted number of males are approved for breeding each year, and those have to be physically inspected by senior board members of the breed society at a limited number of shows in Poitou-Charentes region each season.
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Great information, thankyou. And how many in your own stud with the arrival of the two new females?
 
Pertinax said:
Great information, thank you. And how many in your own stud with the arrival of the two new females?
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We lost the original Zoodyssee jenny earlier in the year, in-foal unfortunately, so 2020 is the first year we have had no foals at Hamerton. When the 2 new females arrive, we will have 1.5 - with 3 jennies scanned in-foal for 2021. I would need to check the files, but we have bred between 30 and 40 since the stud was founded; some years 4 foals, some less. Foals have gone back to France, and to Holland, Ireland and all over the UK. You can see that the French figures show considerably less than half mated females carry to term - but does not show how many attempts were made over a season. This is conception rate is pretty general for donkeys, and our overall record is considerably better than this. Records for Poitous go back probably further than any other domesticated animal, and historically there has always been much myth and superstition surrounding their breeding. This was fueled by their importance to the economy in the production of the Poitevine mule, so crucial for agricultural and military uses for over 300 years. The Poitou region produced upwards of 30,000 mules annually.
 
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Andrew Swales said:
We lost the original Zoodyssee jenny earlier in the year, in-foal unfortunately, so 2020 is the first year we have had no foals at Hamerton. When the 2 new females arrive, we will have 1.5 - with 3 jennies scanned in-foal for 2021. I would need to check the files, but we have bred between 30 and 40 since the stud was founded; some years 4 foals, some less. Foals have gone back to France, and to Holland, Ireland and all over the UK. You can see that the French figures show considerably less than half mated females carry to term - but does not show how many attempts were made over a season. This is conception rate is pretty general for donkeys, and our overall record is considerably better than this. Records for Poitous go back probably further than any other domesticated animal, and historically there has always been much myth and superstition surrounding their breeding. This was fueled by their importance to the economy in the production of the Poitevine mule, so crucial for agricultural and military uses for over 300 years. The Poitou region produced upwards of 30,000 mules annually.
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Now I know you have Poitou donkeys its an added incentive for me to try and visit sometime!
 
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