Rare species: Monarto Zoo gives birth to two addax calves — only three survive in the wild
WITH just three of their kind left in the wild, two baby antelopes born at Monarto Zoo carry a heavy responsibility for the survival of their entire species.
Animals
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THESE shy calves born at Monarto Zoo are the hope of the future of the species, with just three addax believed to be left in the wild in their native Saharan Africa.
Poaching, oil drilling by Chinese interests, habitat loss and a recent proliferation of guns following insurgencies and the collapse of regimes has pushed the migratory species of desert-adapted antelope to virtual extinction in the wild.
Hoofs and horns have proved useless against hunting and habitat loss — an extensive air and land survey in March of vast swathes of prime habitat in Niger found just three ‘very nervous’ addax.
A survey in 2010 found 200.
Acting as a modern day ark for species teetering towards extinction, Monarto has bred 35 addax including the two new arrivals since the species was introduced in 1994.
In the latest birth a young adult female, Chiru, gave birth to her first calf, a male, while a female known simply as Blacktag due to a black tag in her ear, gave birth to her second calf, a female.
Curator Beth Pohl said hoofed animals tend to spend their first few days being hidden by their mothers.
“The male who arrived first is now a bit more confident and is being seen hanging around with its mother while she has a feed,” Ms Pohl said.
“They herd has been inspecting him, and so have the Barbary sheep which share their exhibit.
“It is absolutely exciting for us all to have these calves born, not many people can say they are helping breed something that is virtually extinct in the wild.”
With their long spiral horns, the slow moving addax move in small herds led by a matriarch and live to about 20, with mature females breeding once a year.
In the recent past, more than a million Scimitar-horned oryx ranged across North Africa but the species had disappeared from the wild by the 1990s because of hunting and habitat loss.
Monarto Zoo has successfully bred 27 of the oryx.
Now its close relative the addax is perilously close to sharing that fate, with Monarto a lifeline for the future of both species.
Monarto - our modern day ark
ALMOST 70 per cent of animals that call Monarto Zoo home are critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable or near threatened.
These animals have a critical role to play globally as insurance populations to safeguard the long-term survival of these important species and have the potential to help re-establish wild populations in their natural habitats.
Animals in these categories at the 1500ha open range Monarto Zoo include:
Scimitar-horned oryx
Status: Extinct in the Wild (There has been no definite evidence of the survival of this species in the wild for more than 15 years)
Monarto breeding success: Monarto has had excellent breeding success with 27 births, helping to ensure the future of this species.
Addax
Status: Critically Endangered
Number in wild: A recent survey indicated there are as little as three remaining in the wild.
Monarto breeding success: Monarto Zoo has successfully bred 35 addax since they were first introduced in 1994.
Black Rhinoceroses
Status: Critically Endangered
Number in wild: Listed as Critically Endangered as the population of Black Rhino has declined by an estimated 97.6 per cent since 1960. In 2010, it was thought that 4880 remained in the wild.
Monarto: Monarto Zoo is currently one of only two Australian zoos that house the magnificent Black Rhinoceros.
Pygmy blue tongue lizards
Status: Endangered
Number in the wild: The total population is estimated to be between 1-5000 adults.
Monarto breeding success: In a world-first for conservation, Monarto Zoo successfully bred 14 lizards as part of a captive breeding program. Monarto’s work represents a major contribution towards the conservation of one Australia’s rarest native reptiles.
Przewalski’s horse
Status: Endangered
Number in the wild: Population is currently estimated to consist of more than 50 mature individuals free-living in the wild for the past seven years.
Monarto breeding success: Przewalski’s horses were once classified as extinct in the wild. Monarto Zoo has bred 51 horses and have successfully reintroduced horses to Mongolia, leading to the species forming functional breeding herds in its native habitat.
Tasmanian devils
Status: Endangered
Number in the wild: Due to the presence of Devil Facial Tumour Disease there has been a sharp decline in the population. It is believed that 10,000 to 50,000 mature individuals remain in the wild in Tasmania — this is 80 to 90 per cent less than the mid-1990s.
Monarto breeding success: Monarto is home to 20 Tasmanian devils and works with several other Australian zoos to ensure there is an insurance population for the Tasmanian devil
African wild dogs
Status: Endangered
Number in the wild: Their population is currently estimated at approximately 6600.
Monarto breeding success: In January, Monarto Zoo bred four African wild dog puppies and in total, has bred 56 puppies. The puppies play a critical role later in life as part of breeding programs to secure the future of this endangered species
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