hey patrick
the rhino who went off to the us a few years back was actually kwanzaa. he was the first calf born at wpz and went to fossil rim wildlife sanctuary in texas. the other male who left australia was of the michaeli sub species if i remember rightly and went to howletts wild animal park over here in the uk.
as for congo buffallo, i cant remembe if they are listed in arazp's long term collection planning manual as a 'phase out' species, of which there are over 40. i had access to this document in the past, revealing among other things, an ambition for sumatran rhino at australia zoo, black rhino at monarto and duiker at taronga.
regarding isis figures, i sometimes find these disturbing. in terms of small population size, lack of births and low numbers of pure subspecies, as well as lone animals. it particularly angers me when these trends involve endangered or threatened species. a number of species that spring to mind-banteng cattle are one. western plains is one of the few institutions to hold this species. its herd is derived from animals sourced from the coburg peninsula in cape york back in the 1980s. the feral population there is larger than the wild population in java, yet its genes are just as pure and i think the long term conservation status of this attractive species of forest cattle would benefit from a more secure captive population. as for malayan tapir, i know this species, being asian and endangered is viewed as a priority. but eye problems are a source of worry for arazpa.
babirusa were a quarantine issue-aqis doesnt like pigs apparently. the world zoo population of this species is really low and a number of issues currently hinder its captive propogation. for the meantime, i think they should be kept in zoos in the regions where they already are-america and europe-if taronga obtains some and breeds them considerable funds would have to be expended to import more unrelated stock-funds better spent on other species already present in the region. collared peccary-vulnerable in the wild but a 'phase out' in australasia are just as interesting, although less bizarre and would fit in great with our amazon rainforest or pantanal wetlands.
what about a flooded forest exhibition where a visitor operated button periodically lowers or increases the water depth in the tank, or an asian riverine habitat simulating the tidal zone? i think this would be a great way of involving zoo visitors and engaging them with the adaptions wildlife have made for to cope with one of the worlds most dynamic eco-systems.
as for the asian wetlands exhibit-sarus crane would also be great, giant asian pond turtle, chinese alligators and philipine crocodile, philipine sailfin lizard.
a few more species i would like to see in australian zoos as safety-net populatons are fijian parrot/fruit dove species curently viewed as being conservation dependent and secondary populations of new zealand birds, reptiles and invertbrate. that, of course is in addition to our own species. interestingly, the recovery plan for land birds endemic to the threatened christmas island eco-system indicates that in the future a captive breeding program based in australian zoos will play a major part in the preservation of some of these species.
was giving a bit of thought to zoo exhibit priorities lately, especially after reviewing the thoughts of a leading american zoo authority who commented on and congratulated australias zoos on concentrating and promoting so heavily native species. we do have remarkable fauna, and in the past our quarantine laws may have meant our australian sections could have been born out of neccessity (difficulty in obtaining exotic species). in the past australians did seem to suffer a bit of a cultural cringe-everyone knew about orangutans and tigers but very little about bilbies and wombat. i think aussie zoos are doing a good job to reverse this and shift the focus from exotic mega-vertebrates to our own remarkable species.
i like the way taronga has its wollemi exhibit and much-maligned backyard to bush (more on this later), monarto its mallee, weribee and melbourne their own grassland exhibits, and then perth has its native species propogation facility. plus dedicated wildlife parks and bio parks in the case of alice springs, brisbane forest and territory wildlife park throughout the country. scotland has its own highland wildlife park and arizona in the u.s its desert park-but how many countries can boast to have such a comprehensive range of institutions whose sole or major focus is on indigenous wildlife AND still open to the general public?
even more of this stuff would be great and from the taronga masterplan i can see that wollemi and b2b are just the cornerstone of their renewed focus on our natural heritage. future plans will see amazonia transformed into a kakadu billabong and the whole eastern flank of taronga will reveal itself through a carefully staggered redevelopment as a series of native biomes as the visitor gradulally descends the slope-towards papua new guinea below the elephant temple.
i cant wait for this...