Blackfish showing on CNN 10.26.2013 & 10.27.201 - Page 3

I remember my local zoo had a Mandrill couple that they had been trying to get to reproduce.  My infant son and I were the only people in front of the Mandrill enclosure and I lifted my infant son up and the male was out, he focused on my son and came over.  Not sure if it was my son's way with animals manifesting early or what, but the male Mandrill was fascinated with my son exhibited very gentle body language, sideways and rounded, seeming to make sure we understood he was not a threat.  I sat down with my son and watched the male who stared at me and my son for a few then walked back to the area off the back that was out of view, he came back with the female and her baby.  He sat her down and looked at his baby then my son, back and forth then stroked the glass once gently.  I came closer with my son and sat in front of them, he stroked his mate and the baby then stroked the glass directly in front of my son who patted the glass back.  The female showed off her baby and I lifted mine the same as she did. She checked out my son and we looked at hers all through the glass, we spent some time admiring each other's babies.  It was mindblowingly amazing!


I have the special recorded so I can watch it.
 

It would be inaccurate to try to understand the actions of any animal studied in captivity, it's just not the same as a wild animal, they have had to adapt.
It is an interesting story though and probably not something of a sort that you wouldn't also see in the wild if a human could get that close to the wild counter part.


Bee,
LOL...helpful to the point of irritation....

I've seen videos of Orca playing with seals before, before they eat them....your cat does the same thing.
Trainers and keepers of predators are harmed all the time.

If we were more concerned with habitat than human exploitation of resources we wouldn't need zoos, and to think we could repopulate a species from a few individuals in not sound thinking.
Not that you couldn't but it would be only a shadow of what once was.



 

Where do you suppose the excess offspring of the animals kept in zoos end up?
 

This question proclaiming a bizarre statement, is surely a confounding one to an accredited zoo tasked with the mission to save endangered species. Simply put, there is no such thing as "excess offspring" being produced in a thoughtful breeding program to preserve species purity. There is the sad story of the Endangered Red Wolves. One can read the official report here: http://www.eparks.org/pdf/Redwolf-USFWS.pdf

The reality is that their status has been reduced to give property owners and hunters the right to shoot and kill these, "excess offspring." And that is what has happened and there are no longer efforts to reintroduce further populations of red wolves.
 

...The Texas red wolf (Canis rufus rufus), the third surviving subspecies, was also functionally extinct in the wild by 1980, although that status was changed to "critically endangered" when captive-bred red wolves from Texas were reintroduced in eastern North Carolina in 1987. The current status of the "non-essential/experimental" population in North Carolina is "endangered" and the population numbers around 100 wild animals.^[30] The subspecies designations are essentially moot since two are extinct but the genetic evidence for the three subspecies appears to have been unconvincing anyway.<sup>[1]

....</sup> Beginning in 1991, red wolves were also released into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee.^[37] However, due to exposure to environmental disease (parvovirus), parasites and competition (with coyotes as well as intraspecific aggression), the red wolf was unable to successfully establish a wild population in the park. Low prey density was also a problem, forcing the wolves to leave the park boundaries in pursuit of food in lower elevations. Other red wolves have been released on the coastal islands in Florida, Mississippi, and South Carolina as part of the captive breeding management plan. St. Vincent Island in Florida is currently the only active island propagation site.

...

In 2007, the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that there were 300 red wolves remaining in the world, with 207 of those in captivity.^[46]

According to the latest Red Wolf Recovery Program First Quarter Report (October–December 2010), the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are currently 110-130 red wolves in the Red Wolf Recovery Area in North Carolina, however, since not all of the newly bred in the wild red wolves have radio collars, they can only confirm a total of 70 "known" individuals, 26 packs, 11 breeding pairs, and 9 additional individuals not associated with a pack.^[38]

Interbreeding with the coyote (a species not native to North Carolina^{[citation needed]}) has been recognized as a threat affecting the restoration of red wolves. Currently, adaptive management efforts are making progress in reducing the threat of coyotes to the red wolf population in northeastern North Carolina. Other threats, such as habitat fragmentation, disease, and anthropogenic mortality, are of concern in the restoration of red wolves. Efforts to reduce the threats are presently being explored.^[38]

Over 30 facilities participate in the red wolf Species Survival Plan and oversee the breeding and reintroduction of over 150 wolves.^[47]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_wolf

 

Bee,
I have bought excess offsring from a zoo so don't tell me.

The red wolf project is a disaster and never trust the US Fish and Wildlife Service, I deal with these idiots here all the time.

Your gonna go blind googling .

The key here is : Accredited zoo. I am sure you bought from a private zoo. Those exist, sure.

Actually, I have first hand knowledge about their participation in the Red Wolf re-introduction from our Zoo officials. I just used those sources for everyone else.
 

I watched "Blackfish".  Some of it was credible, but it was difficult not to process some of it as a bit of a witch hunt, given the ongoing litigation.  True, there are obvious problems with the kind of exploitation and questionable practices documented, but the idea that this account is representative of all zoological programs is just irresponsible and unreasonable.

No Bee,
A public zoo.......seriously, what do you think they do with animals they can't keep.

Man took the Red wolf out of his natural historic habitat and yes they have interbred with coyotes.
They would not allow them to be released here in the National Forest, they did release some in the Land between the lakes in Kentucky, but only in a confined area.
Once man screws up nature he is not capable of undoing his mistakes.
It starts with habitat.
The only thing in our favor is that nature does sometimes bounce back, once we get out of the way.

We have had many releases and re-populations here in the National forest and we've had some minor success along with many failures.
 

Uh... I said ... Accredited...! Please no footsie! 

Whatever.

Bee, do you honestly believe that the purpose of zoos is to save endangered species? If you do, then why are all the animal species which are NOT endangered doing in zoos? Not every zoo in this country is 'accredited', that's beside the point. Excess animals in zoos get sold to individuals and to hunting clubs...to be shot for pictures taken and for trophies. Zoos are for profit, even non profit zoos pay salaries and the money for those salaries come from customers, both ticket buyers and money from excess animals sold to customers.
So, go ahead and make your insults about how misguided you think I am and how ignorant you think I am.....that's your job and duty, so don't let us down.