Klipspringers in Europe

Klipspringers in Europe
21-07-2008

With Rotterdam and Valencia bringing in klipspringers to their collections, whare are these animals coming from?
Do Frankfurt still keep a large breeding stock?
What other zoos keep them?

They do make an excellent mixed exhibit species along with pancake tortoise and hyrax, as Rotterdam are doing in what looks like an excellent enclosure.

21-07-2008

I think Frankfurt keeps them no more. Year ago, their former exhibit was occupied by Takin.

22-07-2008

Frankfurt still has KLippspringers, one male near the Takin exhibit ( the takin live in the formely aoudad exhibit ), one single male in the giraffe house together with the giraffes and a pair in an own exhbit in the giraffe house, the formely gerenuk exhbit.

Unfortunately they are to old to breed and all other klippspringers in europe ( Amsterdam, Stuttgart,Berlin)came from Frankfurt and belong the Zoo.

Two or three years ago, the Zoo tried to import Klippspringers from eritea, but it failed and as it looks like now, the klippspringers will die out at frankfurt and in europe.

The founder population of the european animals is very small, so all of them are highly inbred.

I wonder about the plans of some european zoos to keep klippsringers, the only way to keep them is, to import them, but this is very difficult.

I think, the Us-Zoos have the same problem with the klippspringers.

I put some Klippspringer pictures in the Frankfurt Gallery.

23-07-2008

the male in Artis went to Valencia, so i think artis only has a female left (because i haven't heared anything about a new arrival there).

Where rotterdam will get their klipspringers is one big mistery to me. The educational-sign with the species description is already present at the enclosure so i think they must be pretty sure that they will get some animals.

24-07-2008

But why Artis has sent the male to Valencia and left the female alone ? I think, the female is not to old to breed, so I think, it would be the best, to send the female back to Frankfurt. The population is highly inbred, so its not worse to try to get offspring from her with one of the three males at Frankfurt.

I will be in Frankfurt in two weeks, I ask for their plans with the klippspringers.

25-07-2008

I'm not sure what artis has planned for this species. Perhaps they are quitting with klipspringers? If so, it could be a possibility that the female is destined to go to blijdorp.
I do hope there will be some succesful measure to "save" the european population. It's such an amazing, extrordinary looking species.

25-07-2008

The only way to save the species in europe is to import them. I could imagine, that valencia willt ry to import them, they have a special interest in small antelopes, so they will get some yellow backed duikers from the usa within the next years.

25-07-2008

Do not despair ...!

I am convinced that the predestined import of Frankfurt klipspringers from the wild ex Eritrea (or Sudan-Ethiopia-Somalia) may go through anyway. Several holders in Europe within the Antelope TAG have indicated their interest in the species.

Just am not sure yet if the species is on the recommended TAG list. Importing wild klipspringers will be a benefit as the subspecies is from a documented source and provides a means to set up a MOU for ex situ conservation breeding.

Just imagine how big the wildlife trade is in Somalia, and one can discern what non-confiscated wildlife resides in unsuitable enclosures. We have a duty to improve those conditions and relocate some of the antelopes to safety of western zoos (while not forgetting local captive-breeding or release schemes ... as we need our feet also on the ground in these countries).

__________________
Conservar es construir futuro
(© 2007 Espacios Naturales, Mexico por Salvemos el berrendo)

25-07-2008

now thats good news!
Do you know anything about a timeframe on that import? And could you tell what other zoos are interested in keeping klipspringers?

26-07-2008

Sounds good, I ask someone at the Frankfurt Zoo for details next month.

11-08-2008

I know now more about the klipsprinegr situation in europe.
Artis send his male to Valencia, because it was not interested in the female.
Artis got a new male from Berlin, after the female died there.
Unfortunately, the male died in Amsterdam shortly after his arrival, so the female was alone again.
Frankfurt send one of his three males then to Artis. Unfortunately, the female died shortly after the arrival of the Frankfurt male.

Rotterdam wants to keep this species and tries to import them from southafrica. But these animals are another subspecies. Its very hard to import klippspringers, several attempts failed. Frankfurt will send now a male to Rotterdam, so they can make first experiences in keeping klippspringers.

There are only 7 klippspringers left in europe :
2.1 Frankfurt
1.0 Artis
1.0 Valencia
1.1 Stuttgart

Artis is still interested in klippspringers too, so they will keep the male.