EXOTICS NEWS

The latest from the world of exotic animals

Baby-Boom at Chester Zoo

A trio of collared trogons have hatched, and a male Western chimpanzee was born to female “Zee Zee”, sired by male “Dylan”. The infant has been named “Jeff” after the late rock guitarist Jeff Beck, and following a tradition of naming chimp infants after musicians. It is the fourth chimp birth in four years at the zoo. A Goodfellow`s tree kangaroo has also been born, to female “Kitawa” – it is the first joey born in the zoo to this species.

started to decline and an investigation showed an inoperable tumour, so on veterinary welfare grounds he was euthanased. He had an incredible life, living to the grand age of at least 64 years. He started zoo-life in 1961 when he first arrived at Paignton Zoo as a youngster. There he bred and the family unit were later sent to Guernsey Zoo in 1982. Here they remained until 1991 when the zoo closed and the gibbon family of “Ben”, “Gill” and their son “James” all came to Hamerton along with 80 other animals from Guernsey Zoo. He was a well-loved character at Hamerton. Keepers are now closely monitoring his daughter “Ash”, who he shared an enclosure with.

World Famous Bird Park Closes

Probably the Oldest Gibbon in Captivity

At Hamerton Zoo in Cambridgeshire probably the oldest gibbon in captivity sadly passed away. “Ben” the lar gibbon had lived at Hamerton Zoo for 31 years, but recently his health had

First American Zoo to Breed Taipans

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has successfully hatched two inland taipans (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) – said to be the most venomous snake in the world. This is especially exciting as it is the first time this species has been bred in any AZA (The Association of Zoos and Aquariums) institution. Of the more than 1,300 organizations listed, fewer than 20 zoos globally hold this species.

After 52 years the world famous Jurong Bird Park, in Singapore closed on the 3rd January. During its final five days of operation over 30,000 visitors came to see the park for the last time. Owned and operated by the Mandai Wildlife Group – who also run Singapore Zoo & Night Safari, the Bird Park had one of the largest bird collections in the world, and certainly in Asia, with 12,000 birds of 500 species. The Mandai Wildlife Group has been constructing a new bird park to be called the Mandai Bird Paradise, and this will open in the second quarter of 2023. Most of the birds will move to this new bird park situated along Mandai Lake Road and adjacent to other areas owned by the Mandai Wildlife Group. However the bird collection and park layout will be smaller than it was at Jurong.

IHS and FBH Announce 2023 Dates

The International Herpetological Society and the Federation of British Herpetologists has recently announced details on the 2023 breeders meetings. Moving from Doncaster to a more central location of Milton Keynes, the events will be held at the Marshall Arena on the 18th of June and 3rd September. Currently, bookings are open for breeders and businesses to secure a table at the event. Patrons are required to pay on the door (£2.50 for members and £7.50 for non-members). The IHS and FBH have declared a string of venue improvements including free parking and a better overall layout.

Record Cane Toad Found

A very large cane toad was found by wildlife officers in a north Australian rainforest. The huge specimen was six times bigger than the average cane toad and weighed 2.7kg, which could be a world record. Cane toads were first introduced to Australia in 1935 – and are now one of the country's most damaging invasive pests, estimated to number in the hundreds of millions.

When wildlife ranger Kylee Gray first spotted the massive amphibian while out on patrol in Queensland, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her team quickly captured the toadbelieved to be a female - and returned to base to weigh her. The current Guinness World Record for the largest toad - 2.65kg - was set by a pet toad in Sweden named “Prinsen” in 1991.

Ms Gray said “this giant specimen likely bulked out on a diet of insects, reptiles and small mammals”. "A cane toad that size will eat anything it can fit into its mouth," she said.

These toads have no natural predators in Australia and they have badly affected the native wildlife populations. The species can live up to 15 years in the wild. Sadly the toad was euthanased, in line with standard practice in Australia for these pests, but her body will be donated to the Queensland Museum.

22nd European Congress of Herpetology to be hosted in the UK

The University of Wolverhampton will be hosting the European Congress of Herpetology this year, from the

4th until the 8th September. The event has not been held in the UK since 1989 and represents a major opportunity for herpetology enthusiasts to hear from leading experts across the continent. Currently, an event has been created on Facebook, but more details will emerge on social media and on the SEH website over the coming months.

New Chinese Cave Fish

A new species of microphthalmic hypogean blind cave fish (Sinocyclocheilus longicornus) was discovered in the Pearl River basin in Hongguo Town, Panzhou City, Guizhou Province, south-west China. It has a bizarre horn-like structure on the back of its head which has an unexplained function. Based on the presence of this long horn-like structure Sinocyclocheilus longicornus has been assigned to the Sinocyclocheilus angularis species group, but is distinguished from its congeners by a combination of morphological characters: the main one being the presence of a single, relatively long horn-like structure on the back of the head, absent pigmentation, reduced eyes, several fin differences and lateral line pores and welldeveloped gill-rakers.

Herpetoculture Conference to be held this month

The Annual Advancing Herpetological Husbandry & British Herpetological Society Conference is due to be held on the 18th and 19th of March this year. The conference, which is organised by leading experts in herpetoculture will feature guest speakers from the UK, Germany and the USA. The event will be hosted by Drayton Manor and weekend ticket holders will receive a guided tour of the widely-celebrated reptile house. More information can be found at www.thebhs.org

Growing prospects for exotics insurance in the UK

Global Pet Insurer, Petcover Group has recently acquired the ExoticDirect brand.

ExoticDirect, which is part of Brooks Braithwaite (Sussex) Limited is amongst the few insurance companies that offer policies for exotic pets.

Having access to a reliable insurance policy is thought to have a positive impact on overall animal welfare standards. Currently, a lot of research is going into the correlation between the availability of exotic vets and the general welfare standards of exotic pets to help better inform government strategies on welfare standards.

It is thought that a wider range of exotics-focused policies will highlight the demand for additional support from vets groups. The subject has recently caused controversy following reports that suggest the British Veterinary Association are in favour of adopting a “positive list” model in the UK.

Petcover Group CEO, Andy Pearce said, “It is an exciting time for Petcover as we expand our offering in the UK Pet Insurance sector. Acquiring Brooks Braithwaite (Sussex) Limited means that we are able to offer the pet lovers of the UK an even bigger selection of insurance products to ensure that their well-loved pets are protected, whether they are at home, with a dog walker, getting a haircut or are on holiday with a boarder.”

The acquisition is also expected to benefit exotics businesses across the UK. Brooks Braithwaite (Sussex) Limited was founded over 30 years ago and over that time has offered Liability Insurance for animal-related businesses, including Animal Clubs, Centres, Shows, Displays and many others. The additional choice of policies may make it much easier for business development within the exotics and zoological sectors.

New Bat Species Discovered

Amanda Grunwald, a PhD student at Portland State University, and her collaborators have described a new bat speciesm - Pseudoromicia mbamminkom, or the “Mbam Minkom Serotine.” Amanda and colleagues have been researching bat biodiversity patterns in the mountains of central Cameroon. This bat was found during a preliminary survey of Mt. Mbam Mountain and is named after the mountain. Further research is needed to uncover the bat’s geographical range which may be isolated to Mt. Mbam Minkom’s forests or it may have a wider distribution.

Collated and written by Paul Irven.