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West Midland Safari Park are Members of BIAZA
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| Philippine Spotted Deer (Cervus alfredi), the most endangered species of deer in the world. |
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| Burchell’s Zebra (Equus quagga) & Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi). |
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| A Melengestrol Acetate contraceptive implant being placed in a sedated African Lion (Panthera leo). The implant is approximately 75mm in length and the thickness of a biro pen. |
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One of our Rodrigues Fruit Bats
(Pteropus rodricensis). |
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| The Park’s Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) in the Twilight Cave. |
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| 35,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico at 3.00am on a Sunday morning! Bob Lawrence accompanies a Lion to South America. |
Animal Collection Plan
West Midland Safari Park operates a system, whereby it annually reviews the priorities of the animal collection; known as the Animal Collection Plan. We review the species kept on their value for research, conservation and education.
Recommendations of International Studbook Keepers (ISB) and European Endangered Programme (EEP) co-ordinators etc are taken into account when reviewing our collection.
For this reason, the inventory has changed steadily in recent years. For example, why keep Red Deer (Cervus elaphus), with a UK population of 450,000, when in their place we can help to conserve the critically endangered Philippine Spotted Deer (Cervus alfredi), which only has a worldwide population of 200.
It is surely better to utilise space and resources to help conserve rarer species? For example, conserving Addax (Addax nasomaculatus), which are virtually extinct in the wild, Banteng Cattle (Bos javanicus) and Grevy’s Zebra (Equus grevyi) instead of keeping Highland cattle, Llama (Lama glama) and Common or Burchell’s Zebra (Equus quagga), all of which are, well, pretty common.
Similarly, the education value of a species is served equally as well by conserving the rarer and more endangered breeds, than the more common ones. On these grounds we have recently decided to phase out our herd of Dromedary Camels (Camelus dromedaries), whilst retaining and increasing our herd of the rarer Bactrian Camel (Camelus bactrianus).
Many animals at the Safari Park are involved in breeding programmes at a national and/or international level, such as an EEP or ISB. Management in this way increases chances of survival for a given species. For example, there are some species like the Formosan Sika Deer (Cervus nippon taivanus), Przewalski’s Horse (Equus prezewalskii) and Père David’s Deer (Elaphurus davidianus), that have long been extinct in the wild and owe their continued existence entirely to captive breeding programmes.
Collections co-operate to manage each species held as one population, moving individual animals between collections under the advice of a species manager or Studbook keeper. Studbook keepers use demographic and genetic analysis to advise on animal transfers, breeding and in some cases, not breeding. This ensures that the captive population is self-sustaining and remains genetically healthy. On these grounds we have been advised to not breed the Przewalski’s Horses or Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) that we keep. However, given that the Przewalski’s Horse is the last remaining species of wild horse and that tigers are critically endangered in the wild, these two species have an excellent education value and we have therefore decided to keep them in our collection.
The African Lions (Panthera leo), like the Bengal Tigers are bred sparingly. We base our lion collection on the number of individuals we can physically care for. The lion and tiger numbers within our collection are managed by the insertion of contraceptive implants under the skin.
Single sex bachelor groups are often kept to serve as genetic reserves should the need to breed arise. Our colony of all male Rodrigues Fruit Bats (Pteropusrodricensis) serves such a purpose. On the other hand their ‘room mate’ in the Twilight Cave, the critically endangered Aye-Aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis), is one of only 12 such exhibits in the world and is currently awaiting an available female for breeding purposes.
One problem born out of breeding success can be that of moving surplus animals on to other collections. The Park adheres strictly to BIAZA guidelines to ensure that their animals only go to recognised, fully licensed collections. Staff invariably visit a prospective new home, to ensure that it meets expectations and accompany animals in transit. If necessary, a keeper will stay with an animal in its new home for the settling in period.
To contact the research and conservation department with any enquiries please complete our Research & Conservation Contact Form.
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Help to pay for the care, feeding and general well-being of an animal for 12 months, plus you will also receive a special Adopt a Buddy Pack. |
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