International
Zoo News Vol. 50/8 (No. 329) December
2003
CONTENTS
IN
MEMORIAM – Gerard van Dam
FEATURE
ARTICLES
Husbandry of Dholes at Farshid Mehrdadfar, Justin
Chuven,
San Diego Wild Animal Park Kelly Casavant, and Karen Barnes
Vocalizations of Juvenile Cheetahs Angela S. Stoeger-Horwath
during Feeding at Schönbrunn Zoo and Harald M. Schwammer
Heidelberg – a Zoo Reborn John Tuson
Kerbert and the Japanese Giant A.C. van Bruggen
Salamander: Early Scientific
Achievements
in the Amsterdam Aquarium
A Note on the Births of Bearded Saki Daniela Fichtner Gomes and
and Woolly Monkey in Brazilian Zoos Júlio César Bicca-Marques
Book
Reviews
Conservation
International
Zoo News
Index
to Contributors, Vol. 50
Index to
Books Reviewed, Vol. 50
Subject
Index, Vol. 50
* * *
IN
MEMORIAM
Gerard
van Dam, 1927–2003
[Gerard van Dam took over the
fledgling International Zoo News from its founder, Bent Jørgensen, in
1954, and thereafter ran it with great success until 1973. Below, Bent
Jørgensen shares some early memories of Gerard van Dam.]
Some months after the publication of
the first issue of International Zoo News in 1951, I received a letter
from Wageningen in the Netherlands that surprised me. IZN was intended as
a magazine for zoos, and it had never occurred to me that there could be other
people than myself who – without working in a zoo – had a deep fascination with
zoo life. Nobody had told me about zoo enthusiasts!
The letter was from Gerard van Dam,
a young man who (as far as I remember) worked with public relations but, like
me, had zoos as his only hobby. He was well known in Dutch zoological gardens
and had learned about IZN during a visit to Rotterdam Zoo. He told me
that he had for some time thought of creating something similar to IZN,
and now he wanted to know whether he could be of any assistance to me. He was
immediately made correspondent to IZN, and from issue No. 11 in December
1951 many news items and articles were signed `G.Th.v.D.'
In the spring of 1952 I was invited
to stay with the van Dam family for a week. Gerard had talked several Dutch
zoos into sponsoring a large part of my expenses, and every morning we left to
visit one or two zoos. Everywhere we were cordially welcomed by the zoo directors,
and it was apparent that Gerard van Dam was highly regarded as a guest. So we
had a long meeting with Dr Sunier in his large office in Amsterdam, were shown
around in Arnhem by Reinier van Hoof, had coffee with the animal dealer van
Dijk in Tilburg, and ate lunch with several staff members in Rotterdam. And in
trains and buses Gerard and I talked and talked about zoos and zoo animals. The
evenings were spent in the cosy home of the van Dams. This was a time when
there were severe housing problems everywhere in Europe, but Gerard and his
wife had found a solution to their problem. They had bought an old train waggon
and converted it into a small house.
When Gerard learned that I planned a
Danish edition of IZN, he decided to do the same in Dutch, so early in
1952 International–Dierentuin–Nieuws appeared. Gerard's Dutch edition
was much more professional than both my international and Danish editions, and
was an omen of what would come. Late in 1952 I had to give up as publisher of IZN.
The deficit had grown too big for an 18-year-old boy. Soon, Gerard wrote me
that he would like to try his luck with a new launch of International Zoo
News. Would I give him my blessing? Of course I would, and in January 1954
the first issue of his IZN was published – a magazine much closer to
today's version than the rather primitive issues that I had published.
In his first editorial Gerard van
Dam wrote that he hoped to create a magazine which would `be a medium valued by
all zoo directors' and which could `strengthen the ties between zoos in all
parts of the world.' And this is what he did indeed create.
Bent
Jørgensen
[IZN's 25th anniversary issue in
1976 included an article by Gerard van Dam entitled `Has my ideal been
realised?' As copies of this issue have long been unobtainable, we reprint this
article below, both as a tribute to Gerard van Dam and as a small contribution
to zoo history.]
`May this paper prove to be a medium
valued by all directors of zoological gardens which will strengthen the ties
between zoos in all parts of the world: my ideal will then be realised.'
These were my first words in the
new-look IZN which was issued in January 1954, after I had taken over
the paper from my good friend Bent Jørgensen. The first IZN from Holland
now looks rather poor: only 10 pages, with two photographs, a cover picture,
and news from only 15 different zoos.
From my childhood – about six years
of age – I lived in the small Dutch town of Rhenen, where the still existing
Ouwehand Zoo attracted my full attention. Since that time in 1933, I spent
every spare minute of my life in that zoo which was still in its developing
stage. As a little boy, I am told, I had the correct feeling for handling
animals; and until the age of 18 I had `worked' as a freelance in all
departments of this zoo, and I gained a lot of experience in everything which
went on on both sides of the bars.
Growing up, I spread my wings; I got
in touch with other zoos and zoo people, inside Holland and later on, when the
Second World War was over, throughout the world. I collected zoo guides and
postcards, corresponded with zoo directors, asked them for recent news, and
visited zoos in and around Holland.
Some time in 1950 I had close
contacts with numerous zoo directors in Western Europe; and from talks with
them I learned that there was hardly any communication on an international
scale between the zoos. This hurt my feelings as a Public Relations Officer,
for which job I was now well trained. So I started looking for ways to improve
this situation, the more so since I pretty well understood that only by
cooperation on an international scale could the zoos in future survive and
overcome all the wildlife conservation problems which threatened.
On a lucky day in 1951 I
accidentally found in a zoo's library a copy of Bent Jørgensen's International
Zoo News; from that moment I clearly realised that such an information
bulletin could serve as a unique communication medium. I got in touch with Bent
Jørgensen, became one of his closest co-workers, and during one week in 1952 we
both visited 12 Dutch zoos and laid a perfect foundation for the future of International
Zoo News, our mutual baby.
When the Danish IZN got into
financial trouble, I took over the whole business; and with the moral and
financial assistance of the zoos in Manchester, England, and Rotterdam,
Holland, I started the new IZN from the Dutch Zoo-Centrum.
I recall with gratitude the fine
co-workers from the very beginning such as Marvin L. Jones, U.S.A., Marcel
Langer from Switzerland, Bent Jørgensen from Denmark, Sigrid Hettwich from
Berlin; and later on Pierre Brouard from France, Geoffrey Schomberg from
England, Bebbo (P.L.) Florio from Italy, and Ken Kawata from Japan. Without
their enthusiastic assistance it would never have been possible now to
celebrate the 25th anniversary of International Zoo News.
For many consecutive years the `old'
IZN published the annual zoo attendance lists and the number of animals,
divided into species, on exhibit in the world's zoos. These pages formed unique
items in those times, because this information could not be gathered from any
other source.
Rather sensational was the article,
published in IZN in July 1954, on the USSR's leading zoo, the Moscow Zoo
Park; in fact that report was the first sign of life from Russia after World
War II, and readers much appreciated this rare information.
Zoo animal exchange on an
international level started around 1954. The Manchester Zoo, England, wrote me
in a letter: `The value of IZN has just been demonstrated by a letter
recently received from Rotterdam Zoo, who say that they read in the September
number that we have three female polar bears in our zoo and that, as they have
three males, they would like to exchange one of their males for one of our
females.' Result: the polar bears were exchanged between Manchester and
Rotterdam. Since then hundreds of animals have been moved by means of my
mediation.
In January 1956 Zoo-Centrum
published a very special publication called List of the Zoological Gardens
of the World, containing 531 addresses of zoos all over the world. As far
as I know this was the most up-to-date list ever published, and it brought me a
lot of enthusiastic reactions from every corner of the globe. This publication
was important in increasing the popularity of IZN.
Another uncommon source of
information at that time (1956) was a series of diets for captive wild animals,
as developed and used at the Philadelphia Zoo, U.S.A. These articles were made
possible by my good friend H.L. Ratcliffe, who gave his kind permission to
print them in IZN. Some months later Dr Hans Wackernagel wrote a
worthwhile article on the new feeding system at the Basle Zoo, Switzerland.
Looking back on those old days I
remember the annual conference of the International Union of Directors of
Zoological Gardens, held in 1956 in Chicago. The president, Mr Walter Van den
Bergh of Antwerp Zoo, Belgium, paid special attention to my proposal to find a
way to cooperate closely with the Zoo Union. Most members liked my work and my
paper, but they decided that it was impossible for an `outsider' to act on
behalf of the Zoo Union in an official capacity. Since then I have made
numerous attempts to achieve some kind of cooperation with this Union and with
other national zoo associations, but, alas, I cannot say I was very successful.
I believe it is useful to mention
that the editing of IZN, and all work connected with it, had to be done
in my spare time, purely as a hobby. I have done this work for twenty years:
every free minute of my life I spent on my paper, writing thousands of letters
to all parts of the world, to collect news items, to hunt after special
articles, to gather zoo guides and to do the enormous administration. I have
given the best twenty years of my life to this interesting project, and only a
very severe illness was able to stop me, at the end of 1973.
International Zoo News grew satisfactorily: in 1954 the
volume numbered 56 pages, in 1959 ran to 196 pages and in 1973 three hundred
pages. Building up a real contact organ is most difficult in the first five
years; later on you have formed such a great number of contacts that the news
and articles flow in automatically.
A great deal of my time was spent on
correspondence with friends; I remember that I have had weeks on which more
than one hundred letters were sent out. Especially in the first ten years, many
zoo directors contacted me with specific questions on such things as feeding,
diet advice, animal exchange, animal housing, and so on.
IZN was a hobby of mine; the logical (?)
consequence was that I sent hundreds of copies free of charge to zoos which
could not pay, for whatever reason. Personal requests from zoo keepers, zoo
veterinarians, students, private collectors and so on were always answered by
sending free copies, year after year. So now and then this method caused
financial problems because the incoming subscriptions and the advertising fees
did not cover all expenses. Fortunately numerous zoo directors understood this
and have done me the great favour of sending additional money.
From the beginning my ideal had been
to publish an important contact magazine in which all zoo directors throughout
the world gave their news and advice and told of their problems and their
plans: a magazine so closely concerned with each zoo director as to be
indispensable.
I have always believed in one
international zoo paper serving all zoo people in the world. Mutual contacts
and mutual exchange of relevant information must be promoted. Every zoo man
needs this kind of guidance. Moreover experience has shown that only a careful
exchange of animals will guarantee a zoo's stock. Natural resources are drying
up; civilization and human expansion are going on. Where will the world's fauna
live? Only the zoo with the utmost sense of responsibility can save the rest of
the world's animal kingdom. Modern methods will assist zoo people; one of the
necessary instruments is an intensive mutual contact with colleagues with equal
interests.
International Zoo News has been, and still is, an
excellent tool! Only when a great percentage of zoo directors use this tool in
all its aspects will my ideal finally be realised.
Gerard
van Dam (1976)
* * *
HUSBANDRY
OF DHOLES AT SAN DIEGO WILD ANIMAL PARK
BY
FARSHID MEHRDADFAR, JUSTIN CHUVEN, KELLY CASAVANT, AND KAREN BARNES
Introduction
Dholes (Cuon alpinus) belong
to the family Canidae, though finer classification is in dispute (Kleiman,
1967; Fox, 1971; Clutton-Brock, 1976). They are the only members of the genus Cuon.
Their range includes central and east Asia, from China (Manchuria) in the
north to India and the Malay Peninsula in the south. They are also found on the
islands of Sumatra and Java, but are absent in Borneo, Sri Lanka, and Japan
(Johnsingh, 1985). They are adapted to a wide variety of climates and habitats
including steppes, scrub, dense forests, and mountainous alpine regions. Due to
their secretive nature and the remoteness of their habitats, dholes are seldom
studied. They are referred to by a variety of common names including
Asian/Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, and red dog.
Cuon alpinus is included under Appendix II of
CITES, and listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN. As of 3 January 2003, ISIS listed
the international captive population of the species as 73.58.4.
Dholes vary in color, typically
having a reddish-brown coat with a whitish belly and chest. They have a bushy,
partially black tail. Their legs are stout and their ear tips are rounded. One
feature which distinguishes them from other canids is the presence of six
molars in their lower jaw instead of seven. This gives them a shorter muzzle,
and hence a stronger bite (Alderton, 1994). Females differ from other canids by
having twelve to fourteen teats instead of the usual ten. They can weigh from
28 to 44 lbs [approx. 12–20 kg]. Their life-span in captivity is 10 to 16 years
(Alderton, 1994).
Dholes have a complex social system
much like that of the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). Since they live
in such a wide variety of habitats, their prey is diverse. They have been known
to hunt musk ox, ibex, mountain sheep, various deer species, rodents, rabbits
and even turtles in some parts of their range (Cohen, 1977). They are primarily
diurnal and crepuscular, but are occasionally active during the night.
They have a complex vocal repertoire
that serves many organizational and social functions (Johnsingh, 1982). Their
vocalizations include a unique whistling sound, whines, yelps, yaps and growls.
Dholes are seasonal breeders across most of their range, with the exception of
southern regions, where they may breed at any time of the year (Bueler, 1973).
Typically, only
one female in the pack bears young each season.
Dholes are kept in
several zoos in Europe and Asia, but the group at San Diego Wild Animal Park is
the only one in the United States. Since their arrival, interest in this
species has been expressed by the Canid Taxon Advisory Group and by other
American institutions. In this paper we present the husbandry routines which
have been successfully established at the park.
Collection and housing
Our collection consists
of 3.2 dholes. The animals were shipped from Moscow Zoo, and following
quarantine at San Diego Zoo, were received by the Wild Animal Park in May and
June 2001.
The dholes are kept in
an off-exhibit area, located in coastal chaparral habitat which is home to a
variety of native species including mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus),
coyotes (Canis latrans), and various birds. Temperatures vary
year-round, ranging from occasional freezes to over 100°F [38°C]. They are housed in
six long, narrow pens, built side by side in an area removed from other captive
animals. The pens measure 40 feet by 70 [12.2 ´ 21 m] and are surrounded by chain-link fence topped with in-rigging.
The pens have a grass substrate with shade trees and bushes. In each pen, there
is a molded plastic house, 4 feet by 4 feet by 6 feet high [1.2 ´ 1.2 ´ 1.8 m], placed on a cement pad; the house is bedded with hay during the
winter months. A shade structure consisting of four metal poles with a
corrugated metal top is situated above each plastic house.
Around the perimeter
there is a second chain-link barrier to prevent contact between the dholes and
native wildlife. A covered alley runs along one end of the pens. There is a
gate in each common fence line. These gates, as well as the front alley, can be
used to shift animals between pens.
Dholes have an affinity
for water. Each pen is provided with a 50-gallon [190-liter] rugged plastic
tub, which is filled with fresh water each day. The water tub provides great
enrichment for the animals year-round. They often walk through it in order to
cool their feet, and sometimes lie down and soak for a few minutes.
In May 2002, two dholes
were paired for breeding. They have the use of two pens, each with multiple
options for denning. The remaining three animals are housed in individual pens,
but have visual, olfactory, and tactile access through the chain-link fence.
One pen has been left empty between the pair and the other three animals. The
fence line between the pair and the empty pen has been covered with plywood,
with the exception of one section where a `window' was left. This gives the
pair visual contact with the other dholes, but also allows them the option to
seek privacy.
One of the pair's two
pens has a small catch-pen in the back. Access to this can be controlled from
an adjacent alley. Each pen has a molded plastic house; in each is an extra
large vari-kennel. Each kennel is angled to provide privacy and is pushed
toward the back of the house to provide a `porch' on the front portion of the
cement pad. Hay is packed around the sides, behind and above the kennel to
provide insulation. The female has shown a strong preference for one of the
houses. The pair also has a plastic `dog loo' and two lean-tos (one provided
with a nest box).
Husbandry
When the dholes first
arrived, they were very flighty in the presence of keepers and ran up and down
the fence line jumping off the fence. To address this, a small group of three
keepers was chosen to care for them. With consistent care, the dholes have
calmed significantly. They are playful with the keepers at times, and are never
really aggressive. We are always impressed with their swiftness and agility as
they move between and over items in their pens. Since there is no aggression
toward keepers, we are able to service the pens without the need to shift the
animals elsewhere. This is very beneficial for collecting fecal and urine
samples to support research goals.
Each animal is fed two
to three pounds [900–1350 g] of Natural Balance Carnivore diet (5% fat) five
days per week. One day per week, they each receive a rabbit. One day per week
is a light feed day; on this day, they receive a bone, and a small amount of
meat. For enrichment purposes, they also receive a bone on one of their regular
meat days.
The dholes are usually
hand-fed through a chain-link or crate door barrier. Their food is distributed
over two feedings, which allows us more time to work with them and gives us the
opportunity to administer bi-daily medication when prescribed. We have offered
a variety of food items for enrichment, training, and medication purposes.
Dholes are finicky eaters, but we have had some success with beef heart, bone
marrow, lamb, and Natural Balance carnivore diet (15% fat).
To properly care for
this species, it was evident that an operant conditioning program would be
needed. On average, an animal receives ten to fifteen minutes of husbandry
training four to five days per week. Our primary focus has been crate training.
In order to make the process as comfortable and stress-free for the animals as
possible, we have designed a squeeze crate specialized for dholes (see Appendix
A). We also include other behaviors which may facilitate management goals, such
as `stand' to observe their feet and `scale' to obtain weights. Additional
behaviors, such as `sit' and `down', have been included to provide variety
during training sessions.
We have found our dholes
to be a challenge to train; they are not necessarily food-motivated, and
interest in doing behaviors is inconsistent. However, we have made progress and
continue to work with this fascinating species. The operant conditioning
program is labor-intensive but has proven to be instrumental in the well-being
of this species.
Conclusion
The dholes have adapted
to the described system of management. Basic husbandry routines have been
established to help meet the research and breeding goals for which this species
was brought to our facility. Consistent care, specialized husbandry tools and a
willingness to explore creative options have been key factors in learning how
best to care for this species. Further study will allow us to refine our
husbandry techniques, to facilitate research goals and to develop successful
protocols for breeding this species.
Appendix A: Specialized Squeeze Crate
The crate is made of
aluminum and has features to facilitate training and husbandry procedures. It
measures 60 by 22 by 28 inches [1520 ´ 560 ´ 710 mm] (external dimensions) and
has one panel that can be manually pushed on rollers to decrease the width
inside the crate. A quick-release ratchet system along the top aids the squeeze
process by preventing an animal from pushing back against the keeper's efforts.
Opposite the movable panel is a wall made of perforated aluminum; half-inch
[13-mm] diameter holes in this wall allow for syringe access and for viewing of
the animal. At the base of the perforated wall, there are small doors that span
the length of the wall, allowing access to different parts of the animal's
body. Each door is three inches [75 mm] tall, and slides along half of the
crate. At each end of the crate, there are double doors that slide vertically;
one is made of clear Plexiglas and the other of solid aluminum. Each door fits
into a plastic runner, which aids smooth and quiet closure of the doors. The
top of the crate has four small, hinged doors that provide access to the animal
from above. These doors provide the opportunity to administer topical
medications such as Frontline® flea and tick preventative.
Acknowledgements
We wish to thank Paula
Augustus and Rebekah Whelpley for commenting on the manuscript. We are grateful
to the management of the Zoological Society of San Diego for supporting a
labor-intensive approach to meeting the husbandry needs of this species. Please
feel free to contact us for further information on this article.
References
Alderton, D. (1994): Foxes,
Wolves and Wild Dogs of the World. Blandford, London.
Bueler, L.E. (1973): Wild Dogs
of the World. Stein and Day, New York.
Clutton-Brock, J., Corbet, G.B.,
and Hills, M. (1976): A review of the family Canidae, with a classification by
numerical methods. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Zoology
29: 117–199.
Cohen, J.A. (1977) A review of the
biology of the dhole or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus Pallas). Animal
Regulation Studies 1: 141–158.
Fox, M.W. (1984): The Whistling
Hunters: Field Studies of the Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus). State
University of New York Press, Albany.
Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1982)
Reproductive and social behaviour of the dhole, Cuon alpinus (Canidae). Journal
of Zoology (London) 198: 443–463.
Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1985):
Distribution and status of dhole (Cuon alpinus Pallas, 1811) in South
Asia. Mammalia 49 (2): 203–208.
Kleiman, D.G. (1967): Some aspects
of social behavior in the Canidae. American Zoologist 7: 365–372.
Farshid Mehrdadfar,
Justin Chuven, Kelly Casavant and Karen Barnes, San Diego Wild Animal Park,
15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California 92027, U.S.A. (E-mail: Fmehrdadfar@sandiegozoo.org,
klbarnes@sandiegozoo.org, CRESWapKeeper@sandiegozoo.org.)
*
* *
VOCALIZATIONS OF JUVENILE CHEETAHS DURING FEEDING AT SCHÖNBRUNN ZOO
BY ANGELA S. STOEGER-HORWATH AND HARALD M. SCHWAMMER
Introduction
All cat species use
sound communication at close, medium and long distances.
Cheetahs (Acinonyx
jubatus) have a very complex vocal communication system uttering various
sounds, yet the complete acoustic repertoire has not been analyzed and
information about the acoustic structure is rare. Most vocalizations in felids
are generated by oscillations of the vocal folds during exhalation (Peters,
1991); but there are a few vocalizations which regularly include inhalatory
sound production. Hissing is a sound which can probably be performed without
laryngeal sound generation (Peters, 1991). Also, as a vocalization, purring is
peculiar in that it can be produced continuously during both phases of
respiration.
Many of the cheetah's
calls are unlike the sounds of other cats, particularly the two discrete cries,
`chirping' and `churring', which are often given alternately and repeatedly, at
varying intensity. The chirp, which sounds like a high-intensity call of a
bird, is the usual call given by females to summon hidden or lost cubs, by
greeting or courting adults and by cubs around a kill. The intensity of the
call reflects the degree of excitement.
`Churring' is a growling
sound and, like the chirp, is used on many occasions.
In anger or fright,
cheetahs `growl', `snarl', `hiss' and `cough'. When forced to surrender its
prey to another predator, a cheetah may hiss and sometimes moan loudly.
`Bleating' is a sound of
distress: for example, a female circling a lion who had stolen her kill uttered
a `growling bleat' (Peters, 1991).
Contended and friendly
cheetahs purr like huge housecats, especially while greeting or licking each
other.
Cubs squabbling make a
whirring sound (possibly equivalent to growling in other cats), which may rise
to a squeak at peak intensity and subsides to a rasp.
A sound like `nyam,
nyam, nyam' is associated with eating; and other calls heard between mother and
cubs include `ihn, ihn, ihn', which like chirping is used to summon young. A
sharp `prr, prr', elicits close following when the mother is moving. A short,
low-pitched sound makes the cubs stay still.
Table 1 shows a preliminary overview of the calls uttered by cheetahs.
Table 1. Acoustic calls
of the cheetah – a preliminary overview (modified from Peters, 1991).
Behavioural context Call type
Courting, greeting,
summoning young, chirping (or
yelping)
cubs around a kill churring
Anger, fright growling
snarling
moaning
hissing
spitting
Distress bleating
coughing
Content and friendly purring
Maternal and juvenile whirring
nyam nyam
Mother calling cubs ihn ihn
`Follow me' prr prr
Schönbrunn Zoo, Vienna,
Austria, has a long tradition in keeping cheetahs, and the birth of four (2.2)
cubs on 31 May 2001 was the second breeding success, after 1999. Husbandry
seems to be the key factor for a good breeding performance in felids, especially
in cheetahs (Caro, 1993; van Oorschot, 1998). The basic scientific information
(Lee, 1992; Lindburg, 1982; Manton, 1970, 1971; Marker and O'Brien, 1989;
Marker-Kraus and Kraus, 1991) needs to be increased and the complex social
behaviour still needs further investigation. Vocalization is a broad potential
source of information about the mental state of animals. This information may
provide an accurate estimate of animal behaviour and of the most favourable
conditions for holding and breeding them in captivity. Cheetahs are a highly
communicative species and vocalization seems to be an important communication
channel. For that reason, the bioacoustic working group at Schönbrunn decided
to start a research project on cheetah vocalization. The preliminary results
presented here give a first impression of the very interesting acoustic
structures of the different calls.
Material and Method
At Schönbrunn Zoo, five
cheetahs, the mother Mona and her 14-month-old young, were recorded during
their routine feeding in August 2002. The cheetahs were fed with freshly killed
rabbits which were offered one by one through the bars, where the cheetahs
could grab and seize the rabbits.
Recordings were made
with a Sony Stereo Cassette-Corder WM-D6C, the condenser microphone AKG SE 300B
and the condenser capsule CK 93. The recording distance was approximately one
metre. The recorded sounds were analysed using the sound analysis program STx
from the Acoustic Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Science. The
calls were recorded using the sample rate of 48 kHz and saved as WAVE files.
The spectrographic examinations were analyzed using basic acoustic parameters,
the fundamental frequency, the dominant frequency, the number of harmonics, the
duration of the call as well the kind of modulation.
Results
Four different call
types could be recorded during the feeding procedure: `chirping', `churring',
`cheeping' and `yelping'. The vocalization, for the most part, occurred from
the moment the cheetahs first saw the keeper with the rabbits until all of them
had started to feed, when vocalizing stopped. As all the cheetahs were
vocalizing at the same time, it was unfortunately impossible to assign the
calls to the individual animals. For that reason, no individual differences were
taken into consideration. But one can maintain that most of the calls were
uttered by the four young cheetahs, because Mona (the mother) was easily
recognized and she usually started feeding first.
`Chirping' (n = 85)
The `chirp' is, to the
human ear, a bird-like sound. Like most of the recorded calls, the chirps are
very short in duration, with a mean of 0.2 seconds (min = 0.1 sec; max = 0.61
sec). The chirps are modulated, rising in a mean of 0.04 seconds to the maximum
frequency and descending again after reaching the top. The fundamental
frequency corresponds always with the dominant frequency, starting around 2200
Hz and ascending to a mean of 3000 Hz (min = 2600 Hz; max = 3600 Hz). The call
shows a harmonic structure where the harmonics may reach into the ultra-sound
range. Figure 1 gives an example of a chirp.
`Churring' (n = 13)
`Churring' is a cooing
sound which may last up to two seconds. The call can be modulated with several stresses
as shown in Figure 2. The churring of our cheetahs shows an acoustic structure
with up to five plainly recognizable upper harmonics at the stresses. The
fundamental frequency and the first upper harmonic are the most dominant
frequencies, at approximately 500 Hz and 1000 Hz. By looking at the acoustic
structure, one can clearly see that churring consists of short, repeated single
pulses lasting between 0.02 and 0.04 seconds. During the feeding procedure, the
churring and the chirping were uttered alternately.
`Cheeping' (n = 18)
Hearing the `cheeping'
call reminded us of a vocalizing cricket. The duration of this call is very
short, around 0.1 seconds. Usually, it was uttered by our cheetahs two to three
times in a row. Figure 3 shows two cheeping calls, 0.09 and 0.1 seconds in
duration, with an interval in between of 0.07 seconds. The dominant frequency
is around 2000 Hz. As with the churring, single pulses can be seen. But it
seems to be characteristic that one cheeping call consists of three pulses,
each pulse taking around 0.03 seconds. Nevertheless, it cannot be totally
excluded that the cheeping call is a modulated short version of the churring.
`Yelping' (n = 25)
The `yelp' is a
high-pitched call that sounds similar to a little dog's bark. Again, the
duration of the call is very short – less than one second in the mean. The
frequency lines increase to the end of the call for at least 300 Hz in the
fundamental frequency. The structure of the call shows several harmonics. When
the intensity of the call is very high, the harmonics may reach 6 kHz. Figure 4
shows a very intense yelp followed by a chirp.
Number of occurrences of each call
During the feeding
procedure, the calls were used to differing extents. The chirp was the most
frequently uttered call with 
60%, followed by the
yelp with 18%, the cheep with 13% and churring with just 9%.
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
Time
Figure 1. `Chirp'. FFT: 1024; TD: 10.66
ms; FD: 46.87 Hz; overlap: 75%; window: Hanning.
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
Time
Figure 2. `Churr'. FFT: 2048; TD: 21.33
ms; FD: 23.43 Hz; overlap: 75%; window: Hanning.
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
Time
Figure 3. `Cheep'. FFT: 1024; TD: 10.66
ms; FD: 46.87 Hz; overlap: 75%; window: Hanning.
F
r
e
q
u
e
n
c
y
Time
Figure 4. `Yelp'. FFT: 2048; TD: 21.33
ms; FD: 23.43 Hz; overlap: 75%; window: Hanning.
Discussion
Until today, the
cheetah's acoustic communication system is, in the main, still unknown. No
detailed descriptions about the acoustic structure of the different calls could
be found in the literature. Peters (1991) described 14 different calls, but
without giving details about their acoustic structure. For that reason the
results of our first project produced one call (the `cheep') that had apparently
not been mentioned before. Whether that call had simply not been taken into
consideration by Peters, or whether the authors differ in their interpretation
or definition of the calls, needs to be further investigated.
According to Peters,
churring and chirping are used by cheetahs on many occasions, as, for example,
by cubs around a kill. This statement seems to correspond with our findings, as
the recordings were made during the feeding procedure. The rabbits were offered
one by one through the bars, where the cheetahs could seize them. This
procedure imitates the situation around a kill, were the young typically
compete for the food. The occurrence of churring and chirping was therefore
expected, while yelping and cheeping could be recorded in addition. All types
of vocalization were expressions of excitement combined with competition for
food. As soon as a cheetah got hold of a rabbit, it stopped vocalizing and
started to devour the prey.
The bioacoustic working group
at Schönbrunn are planning to do further studies of the vocal communication of
the cheetah. The most interesting calls are always associated with
communication between a mother and her cubs. In the case of successful
breeding, recording equipment will be placed within the nest-box, to ensure the
documentation of all communications between the mother and her cubs from the
first day on.
Acoustic recordings of
cheetahs living in the zoo will enable us to gain a better insight into the
species' complex acoustic communication system, as it is not easy to follow
these shy cats in the wild, especially females with cubs. Increased knowledge
about the usage and meaning of different calls could give further important
information on the husbandry requirements of this highly communicative felid
species.
References
Caro, T.M. (1993): Behavioural
solutions to breeding cheetahs in captivity: insights from the wild. Zoo
Biology 12: 19–30.
Lee, A.R. (1992): Management
Guidelines for the Welfare of Zoo Animals: Cheetah. Federation of
Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland, London.
Lindburg, D.G. (1982): Behaviour
problems in captive reproduction. Zoonooz 55 (11): 4–7.
Manton, V.J.A. (1970): Breeding
cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) at Whipsnade Park. International Zoo
Yearbook 10: 85–86.
Manton, V.J.A. (1971): A further
report on breeding cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) at Whipsnade Park. International
Zoo Yearbook 11: 125–126.
Marker, L., and O'Brien, S.J.
(1989): Captive breeding of the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) in North
American zoos (1871–1986) . Zoo Biology 8: 3–16.
Marker-Kraus, L., and Kraus, D.
(1991): The status of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). Draft report to
IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group.
Peters, G. (1991): Vocal
communication. In Great Cats: Majestic Creatures of the Wild (eds. J.
Seidensticker and S. Lumpkin), pp. 76–77. Rodale Press, Emmaus, Pennsylvania.
van Oorschot, W. (1998): Management
Guidelines for Mother-reared Cheetahs in Captivity. Wassenaar Wildlife
Breeding Centre, the Netherlands.
Volodina, E.V. (2000): Vocal
repertoire of the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (Carnivora, Felidae) in
captivity: sound structures and their potential for estimating the state of
adult animals. Zoologicheskii-Zhurnal 79 (7): 833–843.
Angela S.
Stoeger-Horwath and Harald M. Schwammer, Schönbrunn Zoo, Maxingstrasse 13b,
1130 Vienna, Austria (E-mail: angelahorwath@hotmail.com, hschwammer@zoovienna.at).
*
* *
HEIDELBERG – A ZOO REBORN
BY JOHN TUSON
I first visited Heidelberg
Zoo some ten years ago. At that time it was a distinctly underwhelming
place, with many buildings which had no place in a modern European zoo: the
elephant house and the great ape house stood out as being particularly poor.
Only a strong bird collection seemed to be at all worthwhile.
Heidelberg's status as
one of western Germany's least impressive zoos was emphasised by its position
at the bottom of the heap in Stern magazine's `Grosser Zoo Test' in 2000
– only the truly execrable collections at Lübeck and Mönchengladbach –
described as `small zoos' and thus judged in a different category – achieved
lower scores. Perhaps more reliably, in the same year a report by Mike Grayson
in Zoo! (the journal of the British-based Independent Zoo Enthusiasts
Society, and normally a place in which to find enthusiastic comments about even
the most unexceptional collections) decried the state of the collection,
concluding `it will take a generous injection of imagination, as well as
capital, to bring this place up to the standard of many other German city
zoos.' But ironically, by the time Heidelberg was on the receiving end of those
two attacks it had already started to make huge improvements, with a new
management team in place and a new philosophy guiding its development. Today it
is a zoo almost reborn. There are still big improvements to be made –
that horrible elephant house remains for the time being, and one or two
enclosures could still do with some drastic overhauling – but Heidelberg is
well on its way to excellence.
Heidelberg's zoo was
founded in 1932, its location the site of the former city graveyard, and opened
to the public in 1934. Only the entrance building and the restaurant survive
from this period; indeed, the zoo was just about the only place in Heidelberg
to be bombed during the Second World War (the placement of an anti-aircraft gun
in the zoo grounds explains this bad fortune). Development of the zoo in the
post-war years was slow, until a spate of building was kicked off by the
construction of a sea lion pool in 1973. This was followed by a house for
African ungulates (1977), a cat house (1979), a bear enclosure (1981), a bird
area (1985), a great ape house (1988) and a walk-through aviary for seabirds
(1991). At that point, development of the zoo ceased as all available money was
put aside to build an aquarium. But the aquarium never arrived, and despite
receiving about 400,000 visitors a year, the zoo began to take on a rather
sorry appearance. Several of the newer enclosures were inadequate: the cat
house was cramped and unimaginative; the ape house, in which moats seemed to
take up more space than the animals, was one of Germany's worst; the string of
aviaries failed to do justice to the birds within. Older buildings, too, were
poor, and overall Heidelberg had a surprisingly shabby look, contrasting
sharply with the beautiful city around it.
In 1998, long-standing
director Dr Dieter Poley retired. His interest in birds had meant that
Heidelberg had built up a wonderful avian collection, but in all other respects
the zoo he passed on was every bit as poor as the Stern magazine verdict
would later suggest. No more than a few hours from any number of world-class
zoos – Frankfurt, Cologne, Stuttgart and others are all within easy driving
distance – Heidelberg was a peripheral place, doing few of the things
which any modern zoo worth its salt should be doing: there was no education
department, there was little involvement in conservation programmes, the
collection of animals on display would have done little to inspire anyone with
the wonder of the natural world. Little news emanated from the place (news from
Heidelberg has never, as far as I can ascertain, appeared in IZN, for
example), and, with the exception of that bird collection, the few seasoned zoo
visitors who made the trip found little about which to get excited. It was at
this point that the zoo turned to Dr Klaus Wünnemann to take on the challenge
of its improvement. Wünnemann, a vet who had previously worked at Carl
Hagenbecks Tierpark and, for six years, as curator of mammals at Magdeburg Zoo,
has, I think, succeeded in turning the zoo around. No longer is it an
embarrassment, but rather an example of how a failing zoo can be made to
work. It is a lesson which has come too late for the city of Glasgow, which in
2003 lost its zoo, but which could well be heeded by many other European cities
as they contemplate zoological establishments in need of improvement.
Partly, the zoo's
rebirth has come about because a good team has been established: in addition to
Dr Wünnemann, Sandra Reichler has come in as curator and Dr Arnd Löwenberg as
the zoo's first education officer. Good keepers, too, have played their part,
and while there is still progress to be made in this area there are
keepers who are doing all they can to improve the zoo for visitors and animals,
keenly embracing the new philosophy of the place. That philosophy places a
vastly improved zoo at its centre, a zoo which is, above all, a good place to
visit, and, if you are an animal, a good place in which to live: the slums are
going, the husbandry is improving. But it is also a philosophy which looks
beyond the zoo's boundaries, enthusiastically participating in EEPs and playing
an integral part in the establishment of WAPCA – an in situ conservation
programme focused on the primates of Ghana (see below). Whereas before this was
a zoo which seemed to have been sleeping for far too many years, now it is a
zoo which is alive and vital, an exciting place for which the possibilities
seem tremendous.
It is the bird
collection – or a part of it – to which Heidelberg's visitors are first
introduced after they have passed through the zoo's entrance. One of Dr Poley's
most notable and most impressive monuments is a walk-through aviary for waders
and seabirds, the Kustenpanorama (`coastal panorama'). A wave machine
offers a feeling of constant movement, the landscape is well done, and the
birds on display – black-winged stilts, stone curlews, oystercatchers,
redshanks, lapwings, and two non-Europeans, the Inca tern and the very rarely
displayed grey gull (Larus modestus) of South America – look tremendous.
This is a great exhibit, and one which the current zoo management were
fortunate to inherit. The zoo's masterplan sees the Kustenpanorama becoming
part of a group of exhibits focusing on Nature Tourism (one of five areas into
which the zoo will gradually develop); a Yellowstone Park display is starting
to take shape nearby, with a lake, a periodically spouting geyser, and plans
for a large aviary for bald eagles.
While there are various
aviaries dotted throughout the zoo, the bulk of the Heidelberg bird collection
is displayed in a string of 25 cages (a number which will be reduced when the
elephant enclosure is expanded in the near future). There is certainly little
which is remarkable about the aviaries in themselves – they are uniform in
shape and size, and they could certainly do with more height. But they are well
planted, and geographically organised (it seems to make so much more sense to
have birds housed together which might be seen together in the wild), and as a
consequence this is an excellent corner of the zoo. The species which stand out
as being most notable include black-billed turaco (Tauraco schuetti),
crested coua (Coua cristata) and brush turkey (Alectura lathami)
– none of which is common in zoos. Elsewhere, in conjunction with the EAZA
Hornbill TAG, several large aviaries have been devoted to Sunda wrinkled
hornbills (Aceros corrugatus) in order to facilitate free choice of
mates; a large flock of Caribbean flamingos brighten up an attractive lake;
and, in a thoughtful touch, a kea aviary has its floor raised so that these
predominantly ground-dwelling parrots can be viewed more easily.
While the Heidelberg
masterplan calls for the development of a series of themed areas (`Life in
front of our doors', `Habitat water' and so on), today's visitor is presented
with a rather more random selection of exhibits – some old, some old but
refurbished, and some new. There is something reminiscent of some of the better
zoos in the former East Germany about much of Heidelberg: enclosures which were
once pretty awful (for both visitors and animals) have been broken up,
rebuilt and reinvented. This is particularly true of the various enclosures for
small cats: visitors in the past were confronted with several strings of
uninspiring, uniform cages in which were contained a collection of some size
(in 1998 there were a total of 30 individuals of seven small cat species). That
collection has now been reduced: only 21 individuals, of five species, remain,
and with just one very old ocelot left that number will shortly be reduced
still further. As a result, it has been possible to combine enclosures, extend
their parameters, soften their barriers. This works to particularly good effect
with a large and attractive enclosure for Asian golden cats (a species for
which Heidelberg runs the EEP); here, visitor viewing is through gaps in the
bamboo which surrounds the cats' area, with the enclosure as a whole merging into
the surroundings, rather than clashing harshly with them as it did prior to its
redevelopment.
On a much larger scale,
in 2002 Heidelberg's Sumatran tigers moved into a splendid outdoor enclosure,
far vaster than the original space with which their predecessors were endowed
when the house was first opened in 1979. This too merges into its setting, with
viewing from specified stations rather than from the entirety of the
enclosure's perimeter. Planting will, eventually, conceal the fence, except in
those areas where viewing is invited; meanwhile, the tigers are able to
appreciate an undulating area with abundant natural planting, viewing platforms
and plentiful water. The zoo's lions and Siberian lynxes remain in their
original accommodation – fine, but not as wonderful as that which is devoted to
the tigers.
Just as the new tiger
enclosure represents a massive improvement of the cat house, so too do the
changes to the ape house signify a welcome upgrading of that facility. For many
years the
Alongside the trio of
great ape species can be seen several smaller primates: an active group of
entellus langurs, golden-lion tamarins, Geoffroy's tamarins, squirrel monkeys
(these last two adding some mammalian interest to the zoo's bird area), belted
ruffed lemurs (Varecia variegata subcincta) and, possibly the most
notable species at the zoo, Roloway monkeys (Cercopithecus diana roloway).
The Roloways are kept in
two groups and, since arriving from
The mixing of species is
very much a motif of the new Heidelberg Zoo. For a long while the zoo's very
first exhibit, encountered even before one has paid to enter, has been of
Syrian brown bears and corsac foxes, the latter happily avoiding their
cage-mates in a pleasing but not over-large open enclosure. Elsewhere, one of
the zoo's most aesthetically attractive displays combines red pandas with the
rarely-seen Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak), along with several trees
and much bamboo; in 2003, another infrequently-seen species, the Indian grey
mongoose (Herpestes edwardsi) arrived from Sharjah and successfully took
up residence alongside the zoo's group of rhesus monkeys (this in a rather
barren pit-type enclosure which, it must be said, remains one of the zoo's
least attractive areas). For the future, there is talk of combining Malayan
tapirs with golden cats, while the redeveloped elephant enclosure will also
provide a home for Indian deer. Such mixing of species is surely to be
welcomed, if it benefits the animals concerned (or if, at least, it does them
no harm), for the resulting `display' can be so much more appealing – and
educational – to the general public.
A rather more
conventional mixing of species is to be found in one of the zoo's better old
exhibits, an African `savannah' in which can be seen small herds of blesbok,
greater kudu and Damara zebra, along with marabou storks and pelicans. Amongst
the other mammal exhibits which pre-date the current management are those for
Patagonian sea lions and common seals, Malayan tapirs, gayal (one of only four
such herds on display in
On a smaller scale than
the proposed new elephant accommodation, there have been a number of new exhibits
opened to the public since 1998. Some solidly constructed owl aviaries, a
display of bees, and a walk-through aviary for ibises (and others) have all
added to the zoo. Equally, a number of developments not directly related to the
animal collection have appeared: a bio-gas plant means that the zoo produces
all its own power, a string of play areas bring with them an ecological theme,
a zoo shop has opened. In fact,
On the animal front, in
addition to the improvements to the accommodation for the apes and elephants,
the medium-term future will also see a new house for various island-dwelling
animals, including giant tortoises and Madagascan couas. The older enclosures
in the zoo will continue to see improved enrichment, while one old bear pit –
currently home to porcupines and raccoons (one of the zoo's more puzzling
animal combinations) – will be retained as an example of zoo history, enabling
visitors to see the changes which have taken place in wild animal husbandry.
Heidelberg is still a
long way from being a great zoo, but after many years as a bad zoo it is
now firmly establishing itself amongst the ranks of those collections, perhaps
unique to Germany, which are neither large nor small but which bring with them
scientific credibility and which provide a wonderful resource for the local
community. It may never be a
Bibliography
Gless,
F., and Handlogten, G. (2000): Der grosse Zootest. Stern 31: 47–64.
Grayson,
M. (2000): Heidelberg Zoo. Zoo! 15: 14–17.
John Tuson,
*
* *
KERBERT AND THE JAPANESE
GIANT SALAMANDER: EARLY SCIENTIFIC ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE
BY A.C. VAN BRUGGEN
Scientific research has
always been one of the basic tenets of `Artis', the
Kerbert (1849–1927;
obituaries Sunier, 1927, and Weber, 1928, both unfortunately without lists of
publications) started his career in 1885 in
One of the greatest
initial difficulties was the water temperature, which in the large tanks connected
to the circulation system could not be regulated at all. Enormous fluctuations
throughout the year following ambient outside temperatures caused many deaths
among the inhabitants. Keeping a specimen alive for over twelve months was
considered an achievement of note. Heating and cooling systems were only
installed much later. Also, transport of live specimens in tubs by rail left a
lot to be desired – most consignments counted only a few survivors, which
influenced the selection of species to be shown. Species such as thornback ray
(Raja clavata, almost six years), sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus,
almost five years, but one of seven arriving from Russia in 1883 survived until
1953, thereby setting a record for the species), sea bass (Dicentrarchus
labrax, over two years), brown scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus, two
years), cuckoo wrasse (Labrus mixtus, two years), flatfish (three to
five years depending on species), wels or European catfish (Silurus glanis,
three years), local species of the carp family (one to six years depending on
species), pike (Esox lucius, over six years), European eel (Anguilla
anguilla, five years), and conger eel (Conger conger, five years),
proved to be hardy. In addition, of necessity studies on various fish parasites
were conducted (e.g. Kerbert, 1884).
Recently I acquired a
curious little illustrated pamphlet in French (Kerbert, 1906) dated
The results of keeping
delicate species of fish were considerable.
The greatest achievement
(now and for ever?) of the
Two more giant
salamanders received in 1893 proved to be a pair who produced their first
(unfertilised) eggs on
Kerbert died in harness
on
Acknowledgements
My thanks are due to
various colleagues for valuable assistance in composing this illustrated essay:
Mesdames Henriette Plantenga and Charlotte Vermeulen (Artis), and Drs M.S.
Hoogmoed, M.J.P. van Oijen and
References
Bussy, L.P. le Cosquino de (1904): Eerste
ontwikkelingsstadiën van Megalobatrachus maximus Schlegel. Ph.D.
Thesis,
Hoogmoed, M.S. (1978): An annotated
review of the salamander types described in the Fauna Japonica. Zool. Meded.
Kawata, K. (2001): Zoological
gardens of
Kerbert, C. (1884): Chromatophagus
parasiticus, nov. gen et nov. spec. Ein Beitrag zur Parasitologie. Ned. Tijdschr. Dierk.
5: 44–58.
Kerbert,
C. (1888): Het aquarium en zijne bewoners, beschreven en toegelicht. Bijdr.
Dierk. Feest-nummer uitgegeven bij gelegenheid van het 50-jarig bestaan
van het Genootschap: 1–98 (N.B. all papers in this special issue are paged
separately).
Kerbert,
C. (1904): Zur Fortpflanzung von Megalobatrachus maximus Schlegel (Cryptobranchus
japonicus v.d. Hoeven). Zool. Anz. 27: 305–320.
Kerbert, C. (1906): L'aquarium de
la Société Royale de Zoologie `Natura Artis Magistra' Amsterdam. 15 pp., Amsterdam.
Kerbert,
C. (1913): Mitteilungen über Zaglossus. Bijdr. Dierk. 19:
167–184.
Kerbert,
C. (1922): Over dracht, geboorte, puberteit en levensduur van Hippopotamus
amphibius L. Bijdr. Dierk. 22: 185–191.
Kruimel,
J.H. (1916): Onderzoekingen over de veeren bij hoenderachtige vogels. Ph.D. Thesis,
Kuwabara, K., Suzuki, N.,
Wakabayashi, F., Ashikaga, H., Inoue, T., and Kobara, J. (1989): Breeding the
Japanese giant salamander Andrias japonicus at
Lange, D. de (1906): De
kiembladvorming van Megalobatrachus maximus (Schlegel). Ph.D. Thesis, University of Amsterdam, 196 pp.
Lange,
D. de (1916): Studien zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des Japanischen
Riesensalamanders (Megalobatrachus maximus Schlegel). Onderz. Zool. Lab.
Rijksuniv.
Portielje,
A.F.J., and Abramsz, S. [1922]: Het Artisboek, Vol. 2. 304 pp., Zutphen.
Rooy,
P.C. de (1907): Die Entwicklung des Herzes, des Blutes und der grossen Gefässe
bei Megalobatrachus maximus Schlegel. Jen. Zeitschr. Naturwiss.
42: 309–346.
Smit,
P. (1988): Artis, een Amsterdamse tuin. 392 pp., Amsterdam.
Sunier,
A.L.J. (1927). C. Kerbert†. Zeitschr. Säugetierk. 2: 197.
Weber,
M. (1928). In memoriam Dr. Coenraad Kerbert. Vakbl. Biol. 9: 26–30.
Dr A.C. van Bruggen,
National Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, The
Netherlands (E-mail: acvanbruggen@hetnet.nl).
*
* *
A NOTE ON THE BIRTHS OF BEARDED SAKI AND WOOLLY MONKEY IN BRAZILIAN ZOOS
BY DANIELA FICHTNER GOMES AND JÚLIO CÉSAR BICCA-MARQUES
Bearded sakis (genus Chiropotes)
and woolly monkeys (genus Lagothrix) are
In this report, we
present data on the birth of C. satanas and L. lagotricha in
captivity in
Two institutions located
in the State of
Eleven (3.5.3) births of
L. lagotricha were recorded from 1988 to 1996 (Parque Zoológico
Municipal Quinzinho de Barros/SP, n = 8, and Zoológico Hotel Tropical
Manaus/AM, n = 3). These births were distributed throughout the year (February,
n = 1; April, n = 3; May, n = 1; June, n = 1; August, n = 1; September, n = 1;
October, n = 1; November, n = 1; December, n = 1). A grouping of these birth
records per semester (April–September and October–March) failed to detect
differences in their distribution along the year (χ2 = 0.818, d.f. = 1, NS). Therefore,
woolly monkeys did not show a birth season in captivity in
Acknowledgements
We thank the personnel
from the zoos who replied to the questionnaire, and the Pontifícia Universidade
Católica do
References
Ayres, J.M. (1981): Observações
sobre a ecologia e o comportamento dos cuxiús (Chiropotes albinasus e Chiropotes
satanas, Cebidae: Primates). CNPq/INPA/FUA,
Di Bitetti, M.S., and Janson, C.H.
(2000): When will the stork arrive? Patterns of birth seasonality in
neotropical primates. American Journal of Primatology 50: 109–130.
Hick, U. (1968): Erstmalig
gelungene Zucht eines Bartsakis [Vater: Rotrückensaki, Chiropotes chiropotes
(Humboldt, 1811), Mutter: Weissnasensaki, Chiropotes albinasus (Geoffroy
et Deville, 1848)] im Kölner Zoo. Freunde des Kölner Zoo 11 (2): 35–41.
Kinzey, W.G. (1997a): Synopsis of
New World primates: Chiropotes. In
Kinzey, W.G. (1997b): Synopsis of
New World primates: Lagothrix. In
Malacco, A.F., and Fernandes,
M.E.B. (1989): Captive colony of brown bearded sakis in
Nishimura, A., Wilches, A.V., and
Estrada, C. (1992): Mating behaviors of woolly monkeys, Lagothrix lagotricha,
at La Macarena, Colombia (III): Reproductive parameters viewed from a longterm
study. Field Studies of
Rylands, A.B., Schneider, H.,
Langguth, A., Mittermeier, R.A.,
van Roosmalen, M.G.M., Mittermeier,
R.A., and Milton, K. (1981): The bearded sakis, genus Chiropotes. In Ecology
and Behavior of Neotropical Primates, Vol. 1 (eds. A.F. Coimbra-Filho and
R.A. Mittermeier), pp. 419–441. Academia Brasileira de Ciências,
Daniela Fichtner Gomes
and Júlio César Bicca-Marques, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia
Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 6681 Pd. 12A, Porto Alegre,
RS, 90619–900, Brazil (E-mail: jcbicca@pucrs.br).
*
* *
BOOK REVIEWS
SAVAGES AND BEASTS: THE BIRTH
OF THE MODERN ZOO by Nigel Rothfels.
Carl Hagenbeck
(1844–1913) has been the subject of more biographies than any other single
person associated with zoological gardens, and every book, it seems, published
within the last century discussing the development of zoos, devotes at least a
paragraph or two, if not a chapter or more, to the `King of Zoos' (Bernard
Heuvelmans) and the `King of Animal Dealers' (James Fisher). So it was a brave
student indeed who a decade ago chose to write a Ph.D. dissertation on
Hagenbeck and the creation of his new zoological park in
Does Nigel Rothfels
really have anything new to say on all that? Surprisingly, he does. His title, Savages
and Beasts, gives a first hint of what he argues was a vital yet largely
overlooked influence on the design of Hagenbeck's zoo opened in what was then a
suburb but now a ward of Hamburg in 1907: his thirty-year tradition of staging
ethnographic performances by visiting troupes of indigenous peoples from exotic
countries and colonies. It was in 1874 that Hagenbeck first engaged Lapps –
Nigel Rothfels insists on the politically correct term Sami – from Norway to
accompany a herd of reindeer he had acquired, bringing with them traditional
clothing, tents, weapons and other gear. A glut in the wild-animal market and
an overstock of specimens for sale (although not of reindeer, apparently) had
brought Hagenbeck's business – he was always first and foremost an animal
dealer – close to bankruptcy. New ideas to save the company were obviously
welcome, and Heinrich Leutemann, a friend and Hagenbeck's first biographer, was
credited by Hagenbeck for suggesting that a show of performing Lapps amongst
the reindeer marked for later sale, doing whatever Lapps do (or were assumed to
do), could prove to be a money-maker. Which it was. Until his death almost four
decades later, Carl Hagenbeck alone would stage over 50
anthropological-zoological exhibitions, as he preferred to call his shows, and
brothers and competitors hundreds more. These spectacles, enormously popular
throughout
In a recent book review
(of Robert Dallek's biography of John F. Kennedy) for the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, the historian Hans-Peter Schwarz reiterated the four
golden rules of a biographer. First of all, be diligent, read everything you
can get your hands on with reference to your subject. Secondly, don't believe
anything your subject ever said or wrote; very likely he was a compulsive liar,
so question everything. Thirdly, narrate your story well, keep your reader
interested from the first page to the last. Nigel Rothfels, whether he was
aware of them or not, certainly heeded these first three rules. Access to the
Hagenbeck archives was limited, so at times he quotes secondary sources where
original records might have been preferable, but who would want to blame him
for that? He plainly took the second rule to heart: convinced that too many zoo
historians have crowned Hagenbeck with a halo, he rarely misses an opportunity to
cut him down to size. And he is a very good writer. It is Schwarz's fourth
golden rule of the biographer that Nigel Rothfels would have done well to
respect more: explain things, but don't moralize.
Those unfamiliar with
the true character of ethnographic shows nowadays seem to have the impression
that `savages' from faraway places were dragged to
Making up, apparently,
for all the past biographers who have piled too much praise upon Hagenbeck, Dr Rothfels
takes him to task for his animal business as well. The animal trade as
Hagenbeck knew and ran it is unthinkable today, and again, it was controversial
enough in his time. In his own memoirs Hagenbeck reprinted another cartoon
headed `Hagenbeck's coming!' showing a cage-wagon driven by animal trappers in
the middle of the jungle, away from which all animals flee in panic. Nigel
Rothfels writes that Hagenbeck tended to downplay the character of his new zoo
as an entrepôt for his animal trade, emphasizing the `Noah's ark' character he
would have preferred to give his `invention', but when one reads the old Tierpark
guide-books, one notes in fact that Hagenbeck actually used his dealership as a
selling point for visitors to come again: who knows what interesting animal
will be here next time you come?! Considering the losses animal transports
suffered, not to mention animals killed in the process of capturing others,
it's legitimate to ask if an animal dealer can really sell himself as a
modern-age Noah. But then, must all farmers be condemned as being cruel to
animals by nature, as they always know too well what will happen to their lambs
and calves come winter? The animal-rights people think they have the answer,
but to judge the zoo community of a century ago by the moral standards of today
is, again, hardly historical. Suggesting that Hagenbeck may not have been quite
the animal lover he claimed to be even by the standards of his own time, Nigel
Rothfels quotes him (on page 185) from his autobiography, writing about a
walrus hunt, that `the largest bull. . . fortunately killed, had a
weight of approximately 3,000 kilograms' (emphasis added). He then scolds
Hagenbeck for having been `explicitly pleased that the largest bull in the herd
had ``fortunately'' been killed. . .' Thankfully, he is very meticulous in
giving his sources. He always quotes from the first German edition of
Hagenbeck's memoirs published in 1908, not the abridged English translation
(although oddly he always gives the wrong publisher and place of publication
for that edition). Now when comparing what Hagenbeck really wrote in the
passage quoted, it becomes obvious that Nigel Rothfels, who I know does have a
good command of German, is not yet quite fluent: Hagenbeck wrote that the
walrus was `glücklich erlegt', that is, successfully hunted. If
he had wanted to say that the poor walrus was `fortunately' killed, he would
have written `glücklicherweise erlegt'. But he didn't.
Nigel Rothfels' critical
look at an important historical figure is certainly refreshing, although it's
unfortunate that he lets his own moral standards occasionally get in the way of
his scholarship. He has written a genuinely important book for anyone
interested in zoos, his perspective is new and convincing, and he has also
heeded what many would consider the fifth golden rule of biography: keep it
short. What's important for his thesis he has kept to 200 pages of narrative;
the rest are his useful endnotes. The book is also nicely illustrated, largely
with pictures that make a point. Although two excellent books on Carl Hagenbeck
and the Hagenbeck firm respectively were issued in Germany in 1998, the year of
the company's sesquicentenary [reviewed in IZN 46 (2), 102–105], Savages
and Beasts deserves a German edition. The book's few kinks can surely be
ironed out in translation – and, hopefully, in a second English edition as
well. Strictly speaking, it is not a biography, it's a history of Hagenbeck's Tierpark
in the making. One learns little of Carl Hagenbeck as a man, a human being;
it's what he represents that concerns the author. The picture that emerges of
Carl Hagenbeck, nevertheless, even through the critical pen of Nigel Rothfels,
is the fascinating figure of the man who did, more than any other single
personality, give birth to the modern zoo.
Herman Reichenbach
DE TUIN VAN HET LEVEN:
Fortunately Antwerp Zoo
and its outstation Planckendael near Mechelen are well-documented; at least six
books have appeared since World War II on this venerable institution. These
vary from modest tomes by local newspaper reporters to prestigious treatises
published on anniversary occasions (one even in three editions: Dutch, French,
and English). The book reviewed here does not belong to either category –
although indeed modest in size (24 ´ 17 cm), it is
well-produced and lavishly illustrated with old documents and excellent quality
photos, mainly in colour. The layout is thoroughly modern, the text tastefully
interspersed with `boxes’ on a soft background colour: these highlight and
illustrate various subjects in more detail than the main text. The
authors/editors are staff members of Antwerp Zoo and are thoroughly familiar
with their subject.
There is a good deal of
history with some nostalgic photography and also details on the two species
that have gained
Nevertheless, a few
words of criticism should conclude this review. Most of the illustrations have
been captioned satisfactorily; however, there are at least 15 full-page colour
photos or colour spreads (including stunning pictures of sitatunga, feeding an
elephant seal, etc.) that have no explanation. An index to personal and animal
names would have been appreciated, but might have expanded the book too much.
Personally I would have liked to find a list of directors (1843 to date); also,
the name of Prof. Agatha Gijzen, who as the first university-trained zoologist
attached to the staff (1947–1974) initiated scientific research in the zoo, is
sorely missed.
To conclude, the book
(for the time being only available in Dutch) is great value for money and
provides valuable documentation on these two important zoological
establishments.
A.C. van Bruggen
THE
Famous, and not so
famous, people and animals are presented, including such well-known primates as
Bushman, Sinbad, Cy DeVry, Marlin Perkins, and Lester Fisher. Many others are
also included. Among the new television shows in the early 1950s was Zoo
Parade – live from the Lincoln Park Zoo. Many other accomplishments are
included. It is an informative and factually useful book (despite some minor
discrepancies), as well as a quality picture book. In addition to being a
history of one particular zoo, it is a reflection of American zoo history. It
is the story of a major collection in a city that has fostered important
cultural museums.
Supplementing the
informative text are many black-and-white illustrations (mostly photographs) as
well as a handful in color. There are also sidebars on interesting topics, a
section on Bushman the gorilla, a bibliography, reference sources, and index.
The photographs, which are numerous and have good captions, are a treat all by
themselves. In addition, Mark Rosenthal incorporates personal information and
insights obtained from oral interviews with the `old timers'. This is a
tremendous contribution on one of our finest and oldest American zoos. It is a
solid addition to the expanding list of institutional zoo histories. But we
still need more of them, particularly if they are as informative and well done
as this one.
TORTOISE by Peter Young.
Reaktion Books (
Tortoise is one of the first
four books (the others are Crow, Ant and Cockroach) in a
new series (`Animal') which will, in the publishers' words, `explore the
historical significance and impact on human cultures of a wide range of
animals, from insects and birds to sea creatures.' Future subjects already in
preparation are wolf, bear, horse, spider, dog, snake, oyster, falcon, parrot,
rat, whale and hare. On the evidence of Tortoise there seems no reason
why this series should not run and run: there must be hundreds of animals whose
impact on culture in the widest sense – mythology and religion, scientific
thought, food, trade, craft and industry, art, literature, everyday life – has
been sufficiently influential to provide material for one of these neat,
pocket-sized volumes.
Each animal will no
doubt provide a different range of appropriate topics. In Tortoise,
Peter Young casts his net extremely wide. In the first chapter alone, there are
quotations from, among others, Livy, Pliny, Darwin, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain
and Gilbert White, and illustrations which include four Tanzanian stamps
featuring the pancake tortoise, beautiful (and beautifully accurate) depictions
of tortoises by Edward Lear and the 17th-century artist Albert van der
Eeckhout, a 1930-ish American strip cartoon, and several photos of live
animals, including the best I can remember ever seeing of a saddle-backed
Galápagos subspecies, and one of the famous Jonathan, a Seychelles (or more
probably Aldabran) giant tortoise often claimed to have been on St Helena since
the time of Napoleon's enforced residence. Regrettably, the claim is false, as
Mr Young points out. However, since Jonathan may have been about 50 years old
when he arrived on the island in 1882, he is a serious contender in any
chelonian longevity contest. There seem to be a number of well-authenticated
150- or 160-year-olds, but as they were all wild-caught their precise ages are
unknown. It may be the end of the present century before a fully-documented,
zoo-hatched tortoise passes the 150-year mark. Size records are easier to
verify (though even if you have suitable scales it's not that easy
manoeuvring a large Geochelone nigra onto them); the champion here is
apparently Goliath, at the Life Fellowship Bird Sanctuary,
It would be easy to go
on quoting snippets from this engaging book. Peter Young seems to have read
everything, and has uncovered tortoise lore in the most unlikely places. In
English literature, he ranges from Swift and Gibbon to Terry Pratchett and J.K.
Rowling. Through history, the tortoise as a symbol has represented many
different attributes – not just the obvious longevity, but indestructibility,
persistence, modesty, good luck, or on the other hand cowardice, obstinacy,
boastfulness, cunning, bad luck. . . Tortoises, it seems, can be
whatever you want them to be. They have famously raced against a hare and
Achilles. In modern times, they have been used to advertise beer, polish,
stoves, chocolate and electricity.
When it comes to real,
rather than symbolic, tortoises, mankind's influence has largely been a
destructive one. The ancient Greeks made their shells into lyres, the Chinese
used them to foretell the future (and in the process, says Young, wiped out an
entire species, though he doesn't say which). A chapter entitled Exploitation
tells the grim story. When European ships began to sail the world, from the
late 15th century on, tortoises became a popular convenience food – you could
load them into the hold, and they'd stay alive and fresh until you needed them.
Long after Westerners
had stopped eating tortoises, they were still being exploited on a massive
scale for the pet trade. Most British people of my generation will remember
seeing young tortoises, mostly Testudo graeca from
Peter Young is clearly a
tortoise-lover, and writes knowledgeably about the growing efforts to conserve
these animals, both in and ex situ. But really, his whole book
does its bit towards tortoise conservation, by raising the reader's awareness
of the major part which tortoises have always played in human life. And Tortoise
is not merely a fascinating and informative read – it's a visual delight as
well, with illustrations showing the use the artists of three millennia have
made of tortoises to produce images as curious, comical or beautiful as the
animals themselves.
Nicholas Gould
ZOOTIERHALTUNG – TIERE IN MENSCHLICHER OBHUT: GRUNDLAGEN,
7th ed., ed. by Lothar Dittrich. Harri Deutsch,
Before reunification,
education in
Zookeepers in
Herman Reichenbach
*
* *
CONSERVATION
In situ study of Komodo dragons
Because of its size, the
Komodo dragon has been a scientific curiosity for decades. Even so, continuous,
long-term examinations of dragon biology have not been completed. Understanding
the biology of this species is important for two reasons. First, like all other
island-dwelling species, the dragon population is susceptible to catastrophic
loss from natural events. Second, dragons have not reproduced well in
captivity, and thus plans to have a self-sustaining captive population have not
been realized.
In 2000, the Zoological
Society of San Diego began negotiations with the Indonesian government to
conduct the long-term studies necessary to understand the biology of the Komodo
dragon. It was determined that four to five years of continuous field studies
would be needed to answer key biological questions. In 2002, the Komodo study
became one of the Society's Millennium Postdoctoral Fellowship projects with
the hiring of Dr Tim Jessop, who would live in
The two key aims of this
project were to implement broad-scale studies to investigate the biology of the
terrestrial fauna and flora in
During 2002, research activities
included general wildlife and habitat monitoring of fauna and flora on
A major effort in 2002 was
to determine the location of Komodo dragon nesting sites as an index of the
annual female reproductive rate. An intensive survey of all the major valleys
within
Some of the preliminary
information from this study revealed that the dragon population inhabiting Gili
Motang, a small island in the south-eastern part of the national park,
exhibited differences in its population structure. Most noticeably, juvenile
and large adult dragons were not captured, suggesting that these size classes
were absent or very scarce. Further research will be conducted in 2003 to
determine if this unusual population signature is a result of human activities
interfering with food availability on this island, or if it is a result of
natural variation in body size between the different island dragon populations.
Abridged from John A. Phillips in CRES Report (Fall 2003)
A valuable tool in conservation management
VORTEX is a simulation
programme that provides realistic ideas of how an animal population will
develop, given that assumptions made in the different scenarios are valid. It
is a valuable tool to assess the relative impact of different factors, such as
hunting, change of death rate, or loss of habitat, on a population, allowing us
to model the development of a population over time under certain circumstances.
The simulations incorporate basic data, e.g. birth, death and dispersal rates,
inbreeding and carrying capacity of the habitat. These data have to be entered
first, and that is actually the most difficult part of the process – many of
these data are not available for most species, and have to be entered as a
`best guess' estimate. VORTEX's greatest value lies in enabling comparison of
different scenarios: it provides us with arguments to use when prioritising
potential conservation activities – arguments that are based on complex
analyses of hard core data and best estimates.
CBSG Europe recently
hosted a workshop at Copenhagen Zoo introducing a Windows version of the
programme, as VORTEX was developed by CBSG more than a decade ago as a
DOS-based programme. The workshop was attended by participants from
Abridged from Bengt Holst in EAZA News No. 44 (October–December
2003)
Massive breeding effort to save toad
Zoos from all over the
HerpDigest (www.herpdigest.org),
*
* *
INTERNATIONAL ZOO NEWS
The zoo is being forced
to lend out its beloved African elephants Dolly and Anna, victims of budget
cuts that claimed 20 jobs and are forcing the removal of about 400 reptiles,
amphibians and birds. The loss of the elephants will be the most visible sign
of the zoo's struggle to stay afloat after a $700,000 reduction in state aid,
compounded by a sagging economy and a year of terrible weather. In total, the
changes are expected to save the zoo more than $1 million. The 20 job cuts will
bring employment down to about 150 people.
Zoo officials hope the
two elephants can be bred and then return to
The cuts come within
weeks of the opening of the zoo's new $7 million Polar Bear Watch exhibit, which
features a tundra buggy from which visitors can view the bears. The
57-foot-long [17-m], 12-foot-high [3.6-m], 25-ton, climate-controlled
observation vehicle is the type used to observe animals in the wild. `There's a
certain irony associated with that,' comments Billie Grieb, president of the
zoo. `There's some money that's been given to us that can only be used for
capital projects. We're in the position of having the money to build but being
very pinched in terms of having the money to operate.'
Abridged from
In recent years, the zoo
has had a period of consolidation, and fewer new species have joined the
collection. While, on occasion, we still obtain carefully selected new species,
much of our efforts have been put towards establishing healthy and breeding
populations of our existing stock. A high priority in the selection process has
been given to those species whose wild populations are facing the threat of
extinction, particularly where there are established captive-breeding
programmes. In addition, wherever possible and relevant, we try to work with
groups of related animals, particularly where there are close parallels between
them in their captive management. With limited resources, it is vital that zoos
use their resources to the best advantage, and one direction in which we feel
this can be achieved is in specialization.
An advantage of such
specialization is that it gives us the chance to exhibit to visitors a number
of related taxa, which have evolved in response to similar stimuli. Thus,
Belfast Zoo visitors are able to see interesting ranges of related animals,
with the opportunity to contrast and compare the slight differences in their
adaptations. One such area of specialization has been our collection of
monkeys, and our larger species are now represented by a wonderful collection
of African and Asian leaf-eating monkeys, also known as colobines. They are a
fascinating group of animals, a key feature of their biology being their
ability to eat and digest large amounts of cellulose, and their wild diets are
predominantly composed of leaves, unripe fruit and seeds. These animals have
several features found in no other primates, including a sacculated, or
chambered, stomach which supports colonies of bacteria, and specialized teeth.
These specializations
have made them a difficult group of animals to maintain in captivity in the
long term. The provision of a suitable diet is perhaps the single most
important facet of their captive management. Large areas of the zoo have been
planted with shrubs, and these not only provide an attractive and natural
backdrop to many of the animal enclosures, but also provide a valuable source
of leaves and branches for our colobus monkeys and langurs, who are offered
large amounts of leaves and branches on a daily basis.
Our first
black-and-white colobus monkeys arrived here in the early 1970s, and we have
been breeding this species ever since. The large breeding group of Kikuyu
colobus, which currently numbers an impressive 18 animals, featuring a number
of different generations, bears testament to the success we have had for many
years. More recently, breeding groups of three langur species, François's,
purple-faced and Javan brown, have been established in the zoo. Though their
management is similar to that of the colobus, their captive requirements are
slightly different, and our acquisition of breeding animals did not start until
we had gained experience with a number of male Javan browns in 1993.
We have successfully
bred all three species of langur during 2003. Of particular interest are the
four babies born to our group of François's langurs. While three of the infants
are being parent-reared, the fourth baby was rejected by his mother and has
been hand-reared by zoo personnel. This is the second time we have achieved
this, the process being difficult, delicate and extremely time-consuming.
It is rather sad that
colobines are generally poorly represented in zoos, as a number of species are
critically endangered in the wild and it is highly likely that captive breeding
will become an even more important part of their conservation. Our tremendous
recent success with the species we hold is an encouraging start for us to
further develop our expertise in this area.
Abridged from Mark Challis in Zoo Crack No. 56 (Summer 2003)
On 23 and 25 March two
wreathed hornbills (Aceros undulatus) hatched at the zoo. After 14 days,
there was an obvious size difference and feeding competition was observed
between the chicks, which led staff to pull the second, smaller chick for
hand-rearing. To avoid imprinting on humans, the chick was raised in a
simulated nest cavity in an isolated room and fed using a puppet. Staff
mimicked the adult hornbills' vocalizations and beak-tapping at feeding times.
On 22 June, the first
chick and the adult female emerged from the nest cavity on exhibit. The
puppet-reared chick began showing signs of restlessness soon after, and was
moved to an introduction cage attached to the adults' enclosure on 28 June.
Three days later, it was introduced to its natal group and the adults
immediately began feeding it. Both chicks are currently thriving on exhibit
with their parents. It is hoped that this puppet-rearing technique and
subsequent socializations will ensure success when this hornbill is eventually
paired and produces young of its own.
Additionally, the zoo's
pair of silvery-cheeked hornbills (Bycanistes brevis) produced two
chicks and raised them to fledging. The chicks hatched on 21 and 23 May, and
the female and chicks emerged from the nest on 11 August.
Communiqué (American Zoo and Aquarium Association), October 2003
De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife
More than five years
have gone by since our last report to IZN and many changes have taken
place. A major one was the sale of all our mini-antelopes – suni (Neotragus
moschatus) and blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola bicolor) – to
enable us to specialise in the two species we are known for and allow us to
expand on enclosures previously used by the antelope. This is mainly through a
generous donation from Miami Metrozoo,
The last two years have
been very good as far as our cheetah population goes. In 2002 we had 34 (26.8)
cubs, of whom three died at under one month old. This year we had 48 (32.16),
of whom 3.4 were king cheetahs. This was the most kings we have produced for a
few years, as we now have a number of non-related king gene carriers.
Unfortunately we again lost three cubs. One problem no one seems to be able to
explain is the large imbalance of males to females born.
A new project started
under de Wildt was the National Cheetah Management Programme. We poached the
head of the government's problem animal control section, Deon Cilliers, to
manage this very important programme, based on Laurie Marker's Cheetah
Conservation Fund in
Conditions for releasing
cheetahs are very strict and for most landowners not financially viable. An
experiment, with the blessing of the Limpopo Department of Nature Conservation
and with the help of Howard Buffett, owner of Jubatus Reserve, was the fencing
off of a thousand hectares of natural bush in the Waterberg area, about 150
kilometres due north of Pretoria. This was normal game fence which was then
electrified to make it cheetah-proof (although the biggest culprits for making
holes under the fence, which cheetahs then use, are wart hogs). An ecologist
calculated the carrying capacity for the land in prey species, and we then
stocked the area with impala, waterbuck, kudu and zebra. The next calculation
was how many cheetah could survive on that amount of prey for two years without
us having to top up prey species. The figure was one and a half cheetahs! We
put in two bonded males, one wild-born, the other captive, as both would eat
from the same carcass. A full-time student was appointed to follow the animals
for the two years. This time is almost up, and it looks as if we got our
figures pretty well spot on. Although two males are not a conservation project,
the next step is to enlarge the area by 500 hectares and introduce a female.
The data we get from this project will possibly allow game farmers to keep
cheetahs on smaller areas than previously legislated, thus allowing us more
places to relocate wild-caught cheetahs. There are many implications in this
for the future, when a studbook will have to be kept and wild cheetahs possibly
exchanged in years to come.
Our wild dogs (Lycaon
pictus) continually give problems! We have 90 dogs at the moment and
although we try to contracept, it doesn't always work. One contracepted female
had 14 pups, and a classic remark by one of my colleagues was, `You're lucky
you contracepted her, she might otherwise have had a large litter!' The
dogs have all been DNA-tested in
We now have our own
ambassador cheetah, Byron, who recently returned from Annie Beckhelling of
Cheetah Outreach. Annie specifically trains cheetahs to be used in school
programmes and Byron is her newest graduate. He is taking a bit of time to
settle down – surrounded as he is with other cheetahs, especially cubs, he now
realises he is not the only cheetah in the world. Marilyn Dean, his handler,
has faith that he will accept other cheetahs and be a true ambassador. School
tours now have their own route and still manage to see all the animals as
previously, but without having to cover a long distance in the hot sun. Adult
tours remain fully booked throughout the year.
A new addition is the de
Wildt Cheetah Lodge. A small piece of land next door to us (14 ha) came on the
market and on it was an old two-storey farmhouse. Much time and money later the
farmhouse has been transformed into a gracious lodge, where we can accommodate
up to 18 people. It is very convenient for overseas visitors, as it is only an
hour from
Alan Strachan, Curator, De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust,
Seventeen Livingstone's
fruit bats are now living in Jersey Zoo's new bat flight tunnel, which has been
designed with their needs in mind. The tunnel allows the bats, among the world's
largest species, space to stretch their wings and develop their flying skills.
`Working with rare and endangered species we are constantly learning about
their needs,' explains Dominic Wormell, Deputy Head of Mammals. `We realised
that unlike the smaller Rodrigues fruit bats, who can fly, twist and turn in
smaller enclosures, this was impossible for large bats, like the Livingstone's,
who need much more space to fly.'
But the tunnel is no glossy
exhibit or monument to the architect's skill. Zoo staff hit on the idea of
using an ordinary agricultural polythene to solve the problem. Relatively
inexpensive and easy to erect, the poly-tunnel has the advantage that it can be
altered and expanded as staff learn more about the needs of the bats. `Inside
the tunnel,' Dominic explains, `the ground has been carved away to allow extra
depth for the bats to swoop from their perches. This ``flight path'' will be
grassed and the edges have been planted with species from the bats' home in the
The new enclosure isn't
open to the public just yet, as the bats need time to settle in and scientists
are studying their behaviour as they get acclimatised to their new
surroundings; but it is hoped that the new tunnel will be on view to the public
next year.
On the Edge No. 95 (Autumn 2003)
It was decided that an
old beaver enclosure would be converted into a new spacious enclosure for
oriental small-clawed otters. As these otters, unlike their European
counterparts, live in groups of up to 20 individuals in the wild, the enclosure
was designed to hold a large number of animals (up to 15). The layout of the
site, on a slope, remained the same as before, including natural bedrock,
plants and pools. A team of specialists from different departments created the
new enclosure with several objectives: to improve the welfare facilities for
this species; to allow the animals to express their normal and natural
behaviours; to replicate their natural habitat in the wild; to increase the
land mass for a larger group of animals; and to deliver a project that uses
natural materials which are green, sustainable and aesthetically pleasing.
The animals were
provided with four dens supporting their natural life-style of nesting in rocky
crevices or burrows in the ground. (They do not make these burrows themselves,
but utilize those that other animals have previously made.) The otters use all
four dens at various times. The entrances to the dens – hidden from the view of
the public to provide privacy – are made from one-metre-long pipes; these lead
to metre-square sleeping areas which are 0.5 m deep, heated, insulated and
ventilated. The floor of the sleeping dens is lined with artificial turf. Hay
is provided for nesting. Cable conduit has been installed into the dens for the
provision of video cameras which will allow visitors an unobtrusive peek
inside.
Water is continuously
flowing through a series of waterfalls and pools from the top of the enclosure
to the bottom, and is then recycled via underground channels back to the top.
The stream connecting the pools was made to be fast-flowing, which helps build
strength and adds excitement for the animals. It also means that food is washed
up into the rocks on the shore, requiring the animals to search for it as they
would in the wild. They also forage among plants for invertebrates. Otters have
been known to suffer from kidney stones when kept in water that is too cold –
they tend not to drink enough, so that their kidneys are not flushed out
properly. With this in mind, one of the pools in the enclosure is heated by
solar energy.
Plantings of bamboo and
ferns complement the flowing stream; the otters bite leaves off the bamboo for
use as nesting material. Trees, such as willows, were also chosen to reflect a
wet area, and some interesting willow species were used. Poplar, willow, and
elder trees existing on the site were retained, and offer autumn colour, while
winter interest is provided by the evergreen temple cedar (Cryptomeria
japonica).
Metal doors in the
ground allow keepers access into the underground dens for cleaning and
replacing hay. On two sides of the exhibit a double gate allows keepers access
while protecting against otter escapes. To manage the large group of animals
easily, an off-exhibit corral system was designed, into which the otters are
occasionally encouraged with food. To enter the corral they must pass through a
perspex tube, which is removable and can be used to catch specific animals for
examination or transfer. The otters are brought into the corral only for
feeding (this conditions them to passing through the tube), but remain in the outdoor
exhibit at all other times.
Abridged and adapted
from a presentation compiled by Monika Fiby in the ZooLex Gallery at www.zoolex.org.
[Visitors to the website will find many more technical details and numerous
colour photos of this exhibit – Ed.]
Harderwijk Dolphinarium (
A Pacific walrus (Odobenus
rosmarus divergens) was born on
EAZA News No. 44 (October–December 2003)
The elephant facility
has undergone a £0.5 million extension to cope with the thunder of tiny feet,
and to give visitors a spectacular new viewing platform. It also affords the
elephants even more space, making it one of the largest exhibits in
Nick Ellerton in EAZA News No. 44 (October–December 2003)
For the first time ever,
golden takins (Budorcas taxicolor bedfordi) can now be seen in a
European zoo. Liberec Zoo and Beijing Zoo,
A new pavilion with an
outside enclosure was constructed for the animals with help and consultation
from skilled employees of Beijing Zoo. The takins were transported to
On
Another great success
was the birth of a female blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur szechuanensis) on
25 June, the first blue sheep ever born in a Czech zoo. The parents are female
Lin, born in June 2000 in
Abridged from Josef Janecek in EAZA News No. 44 (October–December
2003)
Keepers from the zoo's
reptile house and Dr Wolfgang Wüster (
Keepers noticed a
difference in scale pattern and coloration, and the new species was confirmed
by Dr Wüster's DNA studies. The Nubian is differentiated from the red spitting
cobra by its throat and neck pattern and overall body colour. N. pallida
normally has a single, broad dark band across the throat, which encircles the
body and crosses the neck; the rest of the body is uniformly dark red. N.
nubiae has two bands across the neck, a distinct light throat area before
the main throat band, and practically all specimens feature a small dark spot
on each side of the throat. The rest of the body is dark brown.
The new cobras at the
zoo recently produced a clutch of ten eggs, all of which hatched successfully
on
Terry March, Team Leader
of Reptiles at London Zoo, says, `Working very closely with the animals here in
the reptile house, we noticed subtle differences when the animals arrived, and collaborating
with Dr Wüster has led to a new species of cobra being identified. To then see
the snakes successfully breed makes it even more significant, as there is so
little known about the species and much to learn.'
London Zoo website (www.londonzoo.com)
Loro Parque,
Some new and very
interesting species have recently enriched our collection, the most important
one probably being three (1.2) red shining parrots (Prosopeia tabuensis)
from
Through an exchange of
birds with an Austrian breeder, we were once more able to add a new species to
the collection, consisting of three orange-breasted emerald lorikeets (Neopsittacus
pullicauda alpinus). Thus, the Foundation's collection currently comprises
347 parrot species and subspecies.
In the meantime, our
three young pileated parrots (Pionopsitta pileata), who hatched together
with other individuals of their genus in a flocking aviary in our La Vera
breeding centre, have fledged. This was the first time that this species has
been bred with several individuals sharing one aviary.
After the foster-rearing
of the first clutch of our short-tailed parrots (Graydidascalus brachyurus)
by a pair of noble macaws, the female laid a second clutch whose two chicks
were not removed for foster-rearing and are currently developing very well. The
first clutch, however, had to be transferred into the Baby Station shortly
after the young parrots got their first feathers, because the macaws started
plucking them.
A new pair of mountain
parakeets (Bolborhynchus aurifrons robertsi) also raised one chick this
year, which has already fledged. The Finsch's conures (Aratinga finschi)
started breeding late this year; at present, two pairs are raising three young
each.
In spring, we received a
new male Pesquet's parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) from
Abridged from the report
for September compiled by Matthias Reinschmidt, Curator, Loro Parque
Everyone knows that
koalas feed almost exclusively on the foliage of eucalypts. But this is where
the simple part of the story ends. There are over 700 species of eucalypt and
koalas feed on approximately 50 of these. Koalas from the north feed on
different species from those of the south. They also have their favourites
within these species.
Inevitably the browse
trees die and need replacing. Over three days in June this year, a team of volunteers
from Friends of the Zoos planted and protected over a thousand new seedlings,
mostly red, swamp and blue gum. Koalas eat about 500 grams of leaves a day,
which provide them with enough food and moisture; they rarely drink water. All
koalas spend at least 19 to 20 hours of the day resting or sleeping, which
significantly reduces their metabolic requirements. With so little time spent
in active pursuits, these wonderful, unique Australians would have no idea how
time-consuming and labour-intensive it is to provide their nourishment.
Abridged from Fran Pfeiffer in Zoo News Vol. 23, No. 3 (September
2003)
In November, a dozen
(6.6)
Planners from the zoo
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had hoped to complete the project a year
ago, but with money hard to come by, it was delayed. The zoo has raised about
$1.35 million of the $3 million needed to build the off-exhibit breeding
facility and pre-release flight pen, an on-site veterinary clinic and a condor
exhibit at the zoo. Tony Vecchio, the zoo's director, says raising the
remaining money will be tough, but he's confident it will come.
Zoo officials don't know
where condors raised in
Abridged and adapted from Seattle Times (
Riverbanks Zoological Park,
Births and hatchings
during the period April to September 2003 were as follows: 2 Siberian tiger, 4
wart hog, 1 parma wallaby, 2 Bali mynah, 1 blue-winged leafbird, 2 curl-crested
aracari, 3 king penguin, 1 spectacled owl, 3 superb starling, 2 toco toucan, 5
troupial, 13 African spurred tortoise, 1 bog turtle, 2 loggerhead sea turtle, 1
pancake tortoise, 1 radiated tortoise, 4 flat leaf-tailed gecko, 5 giant
leaf-tailed gecko, 2 Henkel's leaf-tailed gecko, 3 lined leaf-tailed gecko, 2
spiny leaf-tailed gecko, 3 yellow-throated gecko, 10 eastern diamondback
rattlesnake, 5 eyelash palm pit viper, 1 green tree python.
The following were
acquired during the same period: 1 acouchi, 1 De Brazza's monkey, 1 Diana
monkey, 1 golden lion tamarin, 1 parma wallaby, 1 pygmy marmoset, 1 blue-winged
leafbird, 1 boat-billed heron, 1 fairy bluebird, 1 Indian pygmy goose, 1
magnificent ground pigeon, 1 robin chat, 1 Burmese black tortoise, 3 Chinese
broad-headed turtle, 2 loggerhead turtle, 1 eastern coral snake, 2 king cobra,
4 ocellated mountain viper.
Susan Reno, Registrar
San Antonio Zoo, Texas, U.S.A.
Named after Sir
Frederick John Jackson, a naturalist and English diplomat,
With the wild population
decreasing, San Antonio Zoo is taking an active role in working with this rare
species. We received our first breeding pair in 1966 and celebrated a birth in
1968. Since that time, 44 hartebeest calves have been successfully born here,
including two this summer.
Currently,
Abridged from Janet Valadez in Wild Times (October 2003)
San Diego Zoo, California, U.S.A.
The zoo's long history
with Galápagos tortoises (Geochelone nigra) began in 1928, when a large
group arrived here to establish a captive-breeding program. They were brought
by Dr Charles H. Townsend of the New York Zoological Society, who went to the
islands to collect as many tortoises as possible in an effort to save the
species from extinction. Expeditions to the Galápagos were the predominant way
of acquiring tortoises at the time, and this era was dubbed the `rescue phase'.
On the islands, the tortoises were under pressure from human consumption, the
oil trade, and introduced feral predators. Generation after generation, these
reptiles had survived other pressures such as essential freshwater sources
drying up and fires destroying already limited vegetation. But introduced
predators were proving to be the final straw that was about to break the
tortoises' backs.
San Diego Zoo housed the
treasures from the 1928 Townsend Expedition, as did eight other zoological institutions
in the
San Diego Zoo was not
the first institution to report success in breeding Galápagos tortoises, but 30
years after their arrival we were the fourth to report a successful hatch. The
late Charles Shaw, curator of reptiles at the time, reported that after an
eight-month incubation period, five tortoises hatched on
The history of
There are currently 20
Galápagos tortoises at the zoo, including representatives from six locations in
the archipelago. All but two of the subspecies are isolated populations on
different islands or volcanoes, separated by geographic barriers of lava and water.
The location best represented in our herd, with 4.2 animals, is
Another part of our herd
is made up of the subspecies native to three volcanoes on the northern half of
The sixth and final
subspecies at the zoo is the
There are many ways in
which
Abridged from Thomas C. Owens in Zoonooz Vol. 76, No. 10 (October
2003)
Wilhelma Zoo,
The great hornbill (Buceros
bicornis) has always been an extremely popular exhibit bird in European
collections. But in marked contrast to the large number of holders, breeding
successes have been achieved in only a few institutions to date (
For many years, a pair
of great hornbills has been housed in a combined indoor/outdoor compartment of
our large bird aviary. Dimensions are 400 ´ 600 ´ 250 cm (indoors) and 550 ´ 700 ´ 400 cm (outdoors). The
outdoor aviary is heavily planted, while the indoor aviary is furnished with
wooden perches and a nest-box of 80 ´ 72 ´ 90 cm with a 23-cm entrance hole
on the front side. The female arrived from a small collection near
The female and her new
partner got along with each other extremely well from the day they were
introduced. The female entered the nest-box just a few months later, on
Despite this
long-awaited and encouraging success, many more efforts are necessary to
establish a self-sustaining EEP population of this charismatic bird.
Gunther Schleussner in EAZA News No. 44 (October–December 2003)
News in brief
A Bolivian gray titi
monkey (Callicebus donacophilus) was born on 28 March at Dallas Zoo,
Communiqué (American Zoo and Aquarium Association), October 2003
*
* * * *
The oldest Indian rhino
at Tierpark Berlin-Friedrichsfelde died on
Dr Bernhard Blaszkiewitz
*
* * * *
*
* * * *
A nine-strong troop of
hamadryas baboons have joined four white rhinos and six giraffes in the African
paddock at South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Dalton-in-Furness, U.K. It is thought
to be the first time this combination of species has been placed in a mixed
exhibit in any zoo.
*
* * * *
Two (1.1) red panda cubs
were born at
Communiqué (American Zoo and Aquarium Association), October 2003
*
* *
Index to Contributors, International Zoo News Volume 50 (2003)
Abelló, M.T., see Velasco, M.
Adams, John, 1, 61–62
Azúa, John, 7, 434
Bahir, Mohommed, 5, 304
Baier, Jeff, see Kenny,
David E.
Balzer, Jörg, see Hammer, Sven
Banks, Chris, 2, 101–102; 4,
251–252
Bar-David, Shirli, see Handrus,
Elliot
Barnes, Karen, see
Mehrdadfar, Farshid
Ben-David, Na'ama Y., 7,
408–417
Bicca-Marques, Júlio César, see
Gomes, Daniela Fichtner
Bidaux, Stéphanie, see
Delord, Françoise
Bilbaut,
Marianne, 3, 182–183
Bircher,
Sue, 5, 309–310
Blaszkiewitz,
Bernhard, 1, 64; 4, 255; 8, 509–510
Bolton, Duncan, 4, 247–248
Bolton, Duncan, & Carlsen, Frands,
4, 233–234
Boyen, Elke, see King, Tony
Brandstätter, Frank, 7, 418–422
Britt,
Adam, Welch, Charlie, & Katz, Andrea, 1, 47–48
Brueggen, John, 4, 234–235
Bruins, Eugene, 4, 246
Carlsen, Frands, see
Carroll, J. Bryan, Gage, Melanie,
Hurst, Louise, & Maddison, Neil, 1, 21–26
Casavant, Kelly, see
Mehrdadfar, Farshid
Challis, Mark, 4, 246–247; 8,
498–499
Chitty, John, 7, 444
Chuven, Justin, see
Mehrdadfar, Farshid
Cimino, Ray, 5, 306–308
Corder, John, 5, 306
Craig, Jamie, & Reed, Clare, 1,
16–20
Creak, Miranda, 7, 446–447
Cuadrado, Mariano, 2, 121
da Cunha, Margarida Barão, Ruivo, Eric
Bairrão, & Matias, Sónia, 4, 250–251
Damen, Marc, 1, 53–55
de Azevedo, Cristiano Schetini, Lima,
Michele Badaró, Faggioli, Ângela Bernadete, & Menegazzi, Cristiane
Speziali, 1, 27–37
de Wit, Pierre, 1, 58–59
Delord, Françoise, & Bidaux,
Stéphanie, 1, 57–58
Dematteo, Karen, 3, 183–184
Diaz, Maria Pilar, 4, 231
Dunce, Ilze, 1, 62–63
Durrant, Barbara S., see
Lindburg, Donald G.
Edwards, John, 1, 38
Ellerton, Nick, 8, 503
Ellis, Malcolm, 1, 45
Faggioli, Ângela Bernadete, see
de Azevedo, Cristiano Schetini
Fainstein, Vladimir, &
Miljutina, Tatjana, 2, 123–124
Fejk, Petr, 2, 122–123
Fiby,
Monika, 8, 502
Freiheit,
Clayton F., 2, 119–120
Furnweger,
Karen, 3, 178
Gage,
Melanie, see Carroll, J. Bryan
Gamba, Marco, Giacoma, Cristina, &
Zaborra, Cesare Avesani, 6, 376
Gardiner,
Linda, 3, 174–175
Gerlach,
Justin, 1, 45–46
Gerritsen,
Marga, 1, 62
Giacoma, Cristina, see Gamba,
Marco
Gilbert, Tania, see Woodfine,
Tim
Gippoliti, Spartaco, 2, 102,
112–114
Gomes, Daniela Fichtner, &
Bicca-Marques, Júlio César, 8, 487–488
Gould,
Nicholas, 1, 2–3; 2, 70–71, 107; 3, 37, 171–173, 186; 4,
198, 227–228; 5, 264, 298–301; 6, 351–352; 7, 392–394; 8,
493–494
Guldenschuh,
Gerry, 7, 438–441
Haeffner,
Rick, 7, 435
Hammer,
Sven, Jensen, Simon, Balzer, Jörg, & Sandow, Dieter, 3, 156–159; see
also Jensen, Simon Bruslund
Handrus, Elliot, Saltz,
David, & Bar-David, Shirli, 3, 142–146
Hannocks, Chris, 2, 122
Hayes, Tracey, 7, 442–443
Heckel, Jens-Ove, see
Lernould, Jean-Marc
Hilsberg, Sabine, 6, 369–370
Hogg, Carolyn, 7, 447
Holst, Bengt, 8, 497
Holtorf, Cornelius, & Van
Reybrouck, David, 4, 207–215
Hurst, Louise, see Carroll,
J. Bryan
Janecek, Josef, 8, 503–504
Jensen, Simon Bruslund, &
Hammer, Catrin, 5, 305–306; see also Hammer, Sven
Jensen, Simon Bruslund,
& Hammer, Sven, 5, 276–279
Johann, Achim, 2, 114–116; 6,
360–362
Jones,
Marvin L., 2, 105
Jørgensen,
Bent, 8, 458
Katz, Andrea, see Britt,
Adam
Kawata, Ken, 5, 262, 265–275
Keeling, C.H., 1, 38–39; 3,
170
Kenny, David E., Baier, Jeff, &
Knightly, Felicia, 7, 435–436
King, Cathy, 4,
253–254
King, Tony, Boyen, Elke, &
Muilerman, Sander, 5, 288–297
Kisling, Vernon, 6, 355; 7,
426; 8, 492–493
Klenova, Anna V., see Volodin, Ilya A.
Knightly, Felicia, see
Kenny, David E.
Knowles, John, 6, 374–375
Lange, Jürgen, 7, 390–392
Lernould, Jean-Marc, Heckel,
Jens-Ove, & Wirth, Roland, 6, 357–358
Lima, Michele Badaró, see
de Azevedo, Cristiano Schetini
Lindburg, Donald G., Durrant, Barbara
S., Penny, Carmi, & McKeever, Michael, 5, 312–314
Lukas, Kristen E., see
McCarthy, Sean T.
McCaffree, Ken, see Mehrdadfar,
Farshid
McCarthy, Sean T., Lukas, Kristen E.,
Sironen, Alan L., & Winkler, David, 7, 396–406
McKeever, Michael, see
Lindburg, Donald G.
Maddison, Neil, see Carroll,
J. Bryan
Marcordes, Bernd, see Rinke,
Dieter
Martin, Esmond, see Vigne,
Lucy
Maschka, Rhonda, 6, 377–378
Matias, Sónia, see da Cunha,
Margarida Barão
Menegazzi, Cristiane Speziali, see
de Azevedo, Cristiano Schetini
Mehrdadfar, Farshid, Chuven,
Justin, Casavant, Kelly, & Barnes, Karen, 8, 462–466
Mehrdadfar, Farshid,
Shuler, Joe, & McCaffree, Ken, 4, 216–221
Miljutina, Tatjana, see
Fainstein, Vladimir
Miller, Brian J., see
Miller, R. Eric, & Parker,
Patricia, 1, 46–47
Muilerman, Sander, see
King, Tony
Müller,
Martina, see Rinke, Dieter
Nagase,
Ken, 3, 182
Nakazawa, A., see Yamaguchi,
K.
Namaisawa, H., see
Yamaguchi, K.
Nikitina, Alla, see Orlov, Konstantin
O'Lear, Matt, 5, 311–312
Orlov, Konstantin, & Nikitina,
Alla, 6, 372–373
Otsuka, K., see Yamaguchi,
K.
Owen, Raymond, 4, 225–226
Owens, Thomas C., 8, 507–509
Parker, Patricia, see
Miller, R. Eric
Pé, Frank, 5, 280–286
Penny, Carmi, see Lindburg,
Donald G.
Pfeiffer, Fran, 8, 505
Pfistermüller,
Phillips, John A., 8,
496–497
Pratalongo, Fernando Angulo, 5,
302
Ray, John, 4, 255
Reed, Clare, see Craig,
Jamie
Rees, Paul A., 2, 86–90; 4,
200–206
Reichenbach,
Herman, 1, 40–41; 2, 72–85; 4, 228–229, 241–243; 6,
352–354; 8, 489–491, 495
Reinschmidt,
Matthias, 1, 59–60; 2, 121–122; 3, 178–179; 4, 250;
5, 308–309; 6, 373–374; 7, 443–444; 8, 504–505
Reno,
Susan, 3, 183; 4, 253; 8, 506
Rietkerk,
Frank, 6, 367
Rinke,
Dieter, 2, 125
Rinke,
Dieter, Müller, Martina, & Marcordes, Bernd, 4, 243–245
Robstad,
Gunn Holen, 6, 371–372
Romano,
Guillaume, & Vermeer, Jan, 3, 138–141
Rookmaaker,
Kees, 1, 50
Ruivo,
Eric Bairrão, see da Cunha, Margarida Barão
Sagawa,
Y., see Yamaguchi, K.
Saltz, David, see Handrus, Elliot
Salzberg,
Allen, 2, 90
Sandow,
Dieter, see Hammer, Sven
Schleussner,
Gunther, 8, 509
Schmidt,
Harald, 3, 183
Schwammer,
Harald M., see Stoeger-Horwath, Angela S.
Shuler, Joe, see Mehrdadfar,
Farshid
Sironen, Alan L., see
McCarthy, Sean T.
Stoeger-Horwath,
Angela S., & Schwammer, Harald M., 6, 330–336; 8, 468–474
Strachan, Alan, 8, 499–501
Strehlow, Harro, 7, 428–433
Sturrock,
Sweeney, Roger, 1, 43–45; 4,
232
Tan, Chia, 4, 230–231
Tan, Vincent, 6, 379–381
Terkel, Amelia, 1, 64
Tofts, Russell, 5, 297
Tropeano, Anthony, 4, 248
Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale, 2,
97–100
Tuson, John, 1, 4–14; 2,
92–96, 105–107; 3, 148–155; 4, 222–224, 225; 6, 326–328; 8,
475–480
Underwood, Geoff, 5, 314
Valadez, Janet, 8, 506–507
van
Bruggen, A.C., 2, 103–105; 6, 347–350, 355–356; 7, 427; 8,
481–486, 492
van
Dam, Gerard, 8, 459–460
van
den Broek, Peggy, see Veenhuizen, Rolf
van
der Zanden, Rogier, see van Herk, Robert
van
Herk, Robert, and van der Zanden, Rogier, 1, 57
Van Reybrouck, David, see
Holtorf, Cornelius
van
Vliet, Erik, 7, 423–425
Veenhuizen,
Rolf, & van den Broek, Peggy, 3, 175–176
Velasco, M., & Abelló, M.T., 6,
343–346
Vercammen, Paul, 7, 426
Vermeer, Jan, see Romano, Guillaume
Vigne, Lucy, & Martin, Esmond, 6,
338–342
Visser, Gerard, 2, 123
Volodin, Ilya A., Volodina, Elena V.,
& Klenova, Anna V., 3, 160–167
Volodina, Elena V., see Volodin, Ilya
A.
Walker, Sally, 3, 134–137
Ward, Cathy, 3, 180–181
Weigl, Richard, 1, 39
Welch, Charlie, see Britt,
Adam
Whitbread, Sam, 4, 225
Wilkinson, Roger, 6, 368–369
Winkler, David, see
McCarthy, Sean T.
Wirth, Roland, see Lernould,
Jean-Marc
Woodfine, Tim, & Gilbert,
Tania, 6, 358–359
Wortman, John, 7, 433
Yamaguchi, K., Nakazawa, A.,
Namaisawa, H., Sagawa, Y., & Otsuka, K., 5, 315
Yokota, Osamu, 2, 124–125
Zaborra, Cesare Avesani, see
Gamba, Marco
Zingg, Robert, 7, 448
Zobrist, Ann, 4, 248–249
Zucconi, Dave, 2, 102
Index to Books Reviewed, International Zoo News Volume 50 (2003)
Altmann, Jeanne: Baboon Mothers
and Infants. 2, 107.
Cocks, Leif: Orangutans and
their
Coops, T.: Het Bos van Blaauw.
Gooilust en het Corversbos. Biografie van een 's-Gravelandse Buitenplaats. 6,
355–356.
Daszkiewicz, Piotr, &
Aikhenbaum, Jean: Aurochs, le Retour . . . d'une Supercherie Nazie. 6,
352–354.
Fisher, Clemency Thorne (ed.): A
Passion for Natural History: the Life and Legacy of the 13th Earl of
Gray, Randall L.: Desert
Lizards: Captive Husbandry and Propagation. 5, 301.
Hahn, Daniel: The Tower
Menagerie. 5, 298–299.
Jahn,
Ilse, & Schmitt, Michael: Darwin & Co. – eine Geschichte der
Biologie in Portraits. 1, 40–41.
Jones, Marvin L. (ed. Mark
Rosenthal and Ken Kawata): A Conversation with Marvin Jones. 5,
299–301.
Kawata, Ken:
Keeling, C.H.: Skyscrapers and
Sealions. 4, 228–229.
Kiefer, M.: Chasing the Panda:
How an Unlikely Pair of Adventurers Won the Race to Capture the Mythical `White
Bear'. 7, 427.
Olney, P.J.S., Fisken, Fiona A.,
& Morris, Catherine (eds.): International Zoo Yearbook 38. 6, 351–352.
Larson,
Peggy P.: Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, A Scrapbook. 2, 105.
Martel,
Yann: Life of Pi. 2, 105–107.
Rieck,
Werner, Hallmann, Gerhard, & Bischoff, Wolfgang: Die Geschichte der
Herpetologie und Terrarienkunde im deutschsprachigen Raum. 1, 40–41.
Scheier, Joan: The
Sunquist, Mel & Fiona: Wild
Cats of the World. 4, 227–228.
Sunquist, Fiona & Mel: Tiger
Moon: Tracking the Great Cats in
Weniger, Gerd-Christian (ed.): Archäologie
und Biologie des Auerochsen/Archaeology and Biology of the Aurochs. 6,
352–354.
Wrigley, Robert E.: Polar
Bear Encounters at Churchill. 3, 173.
Young, Peter: Tortoise. 8,
493–494.
Subject Index, International Zoo News Volume 50 (2003)
[Primary references to
species and genera are under scientific names, with cross-references from
common English names. The name of a single species is normally given in the
singular, even where the reference is to a number of individuals of that
species: thus, e.g., `Cercopithecus neglectus, mixed exhibit with
gorilla, Melbourne Zoo' does not imply that the exhibit contains only a single
gorilla; but `Hornbills, captive breeding' will refer to an item about more
than one species of hornbill. The terms `Zoological Gardens' and `
Aceros undulatus, breeding,
Acinonyx jubatus,
behavioural and reproductive study,
blood transfusion, National
breeding and conservation, De Wildt
Cheetah and Wildlife Trust, 8, 499–501
breeding, Breeding Centre for
Endangered Arabian Wildlife, 4, 247
breeding by artificial
insemination, Columbus Zoo, 7, 441–442
cubs, chronobiological study,
Schönbrunn Zoo, 6, 330–336
cubs, vocalization study,
Schönbrunn Zoo, 8, 468–474
Adelaide Zoo,
Ailuropoda melanoleuca,
computer software for mate
selection,
early collectors from wild, book
review, 7, 427
mating, San Diego Zoo, 5,
312–314
reproductive research,
Schönbrunn Zoo, 6, 378–379
training, Zoo Atlanta, 7,
449–450
Ailurus fulgens, breeding,
Al Wabra Wildlife Conservation,
breeding, birds of paradise, 5,
276–279
breeding, flame bowerbird, 5,
305
breeding, sand cat, 5,
305–306
DNA sexing, birds of paradise and
bowerbirds, 3, 156–159
Somali wild ass, 5,
305
Alcelaphus buselaphus jacksoni, breeding, San Antonio
Zoo, 8, 506–507
Alces alces, wasting syndrome
complex, 1, 65
Alouatta caraya, breeding (including
twins),
Alpenzoo,
Amazon,
Amazon World,
Amazona guildingii, conservation, in
and ex situ,
Amblonyx cinereus, new exhibit, Edinburgh
Zoo, 8, 502
Amersfoort Zoo, the
Ammotragus lervia, behavioural study, 2,
127
Amphibians, management, European
zoos, 1, 49
aquarium, history, 8,
481–486
breeding, Japanese giant
salamander, 8, 483–484
herring, 8, 483
parthenogenesis, Burmese python, 4,
246
Andrias japonicus, breeding, Amsterdam
Zoo, 8, 483–484
Anole, green, see Anolis
carolinensis
Anolis carolinensis, nutrient composition, 1,
65–66
Antelope, sable, see Hippotragus
Antelopes,
aggression control, 1, 68
fever study, Lichtenburg Game
Breeding Centre, 4, 235
Sahelo-Saharan,
conservation, 6, 358–359
Anthracoceros a. albirostris, breeding, Vogelpark
Heppenheim, 4, 255
Aoudad, see Ammotragus lervia
breeding (including twins), black
howler monkey, 6, 367
tool use, bonobo, 2, 128
Apistogramma spp., research in
aquaria, 5, 317
Aptenodytes patagonicus,
breeding without artificial
incubation, Cincinnati Zoo, 8, 510
in situ conservation in
Aquarium of Western Australia,
Sorrento, Western Australia, visitor's report, 2, 80–81
Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus, acoustic research,
Taronga Zoo, 7, 447
Art and zoos, 5, 264; 7,
426
Artificial insemination,
koala, Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, 6,
385
Pacific white-sided dolphin, John G. Shedd
Aquarium, 4, 249–250
red-crowned crane, Fort Worth Zoo, 5,
308
white rhino, Berlin Institute for
Zoo and Wild Animal Research, 4, 234
Ass, Somali wild, see Equus
africanus somalicus
Atelopus spp., zoo breeding
programmes, 5, 317
annual report 2001–2002, 1,
51–53
enrichment, Asian elephant, 3,
174–175
twin birth and hand-rearing,
siamang, 7, 438
Audubon Aquarium of the
Aurochs, see Bos
primigenius
Avocet, see Recurvirostra
avosetta
Aye-aye, see Daubentonia
madagascariensis
Baboon, hamadryas, see Papio
hamadryas
breeding, Indian flapshell turtle, 6,
368
financial cuts, 8, 498
Banteng, see Bos
javanicus
Bat, Livingstone's
fruit, see Pteropus livingstonii
Bear, Amur brown, see U. arctos
lasiotus; polar,
Beauval Zoo, St Aignan sur Cher, France,
tropical Australian exhibit, 1, 57–58
breeding, colobine monkeys, 8,
498–499
breeding, Malayan tapir, 4,
246–247
Belle
Belo Horizonte Zoo,
Berlin Institute for Zoo and Wild
Animal Research, artificial insemination, white rhino, 4, 234
Bird of paradise, red, see Paradisaea
rubra
Birds,
breeding, Japanese passerines, Ueno
Zoo, 5, 315
Galápagos, health
monitoring programme, 1, 46–47
sexing methods, 3, 137,
156–167
visitor responses, Belo Horizonte
Zoo, 1, 27–37
Birds of paradise,
breeding, Al Wabra Wildlife
Conservation, 5, 276–279
DNA sexing, Al Wabra
Wildlife Conservation, 3, 156–159
Bongo, see Tragelaphus eurycerus
Bonobo, see Pan paniscus
Bos javanicus, breeding by cloning,
Bos primigenius, book review, 6,
352–354
Bowerbird, flame, see Sericulus
aureus
Breeding Centre for Endangered
Arabian Wildlife,
breeding, Arabian leopard, 1,
43
breeding, cheetah, 4, 247
Brevard Zoo,
albino African penguin, 4,
247–248
funding primate conservation,
Broadbill, long-tailed,
see Psarisomus dalhousiae
Brookfield Zoo,
Bubo ascalaphus, sent from Wadi Al Safa
Wildlife Centre to World Owl Trust, 5, 315
Buceros bicornis,
breeding, Wilhelma Zoo, 8,
509
reproductive assessment by fecal
hormone analysis, 4, 257
Buceros rhinoceros, artificial rainfall
and nest activity, Cincinnati Zoo, 7, 453
Bucorvus leadbeateri, hand-rearing and release,
National
Budorcas taxicolor
bedfordi,
Liberec Zoo, 8, 503
Burgers' Zoo,
Bustard breeding
programme, computerized record system, 6, 382
Butterflies, swallowtail, see Papilio
spp.
Caiman, brown, see Caiman
crocodilus fuscus
Caiman crocodilus fuscus, seasonal reproductive
activity, 4, 258
Callicebus donacophilus, breeding, Dallas Zoo, 8,
509
Callithrix jacchus, pairing unfamiliar
females, 6, 386
Callitrichids, environmental
enrichment, Drusillas Zoo, 1, 16–20
Calvin Nicholls Wildlife Complex,
Kingstown, St Vincent, St Vincent amazon parrot, 1, 43–45; 4, 232