EAZA News 57-12 - European Association of Zoos and Aquaria

eaza news 57
2007
20
births and hatchings
Berlin germany source
press releases and bernhard blaszkiewitz
The last rhinoceros to be born during the EAZA
Save the Rhino Campaign year was welcomed
in Berlin Zoo just before Christmas 2006.
A black rhino (Diceros bicornis) was born
on 20 December after an almost 15 months
pregnancy. Eleven-year-old female ‘Kumi’ is a
first-time mother and is taking good care of
her female offspring ‘Zawadi’. The 15-year-old
male ‘Jasper’ sired the offspring. Berlin Zoo
has been very successful in breeding black
rhinos over the years, with 14 animals born
since 1981.
The hatching of a James flamingo
(Phoenicopterus jamesi) was one of the most
exciting avian births at Berlin Zoo in 2006.
This species bred for the first time in captivity
Arnhem the netherlands
A successful exchange of epaulette sharks
(Hemiscyllium ocellatum) resulted in a second
captive generation. This is a very attractive
shark species with a maximum size of 1 m, but
is not commonly held in captivity. Besides two
very large shoulder spots that resemble the eyes
of a large animal it has a peculiar behaviour.
When the shark wants to move to another
place it does not swim but walks with its pelvic
and pectoral fins, as if it is an amphibian. Two
female epaulette sharks were born at Burgers’
Zoo in 2000. In 2006 one of the captive born
females was exchanged with a wild born male
from Berlin Zoo to form a pair at Berlin Zoo
with another male and a pair at Burgers’ Zoo.
At Burgers’ Zoo the animals were placed in a
5000 l aquarium behind the scenes. Sharks use
different reproductive modes. Depending on
the species, they are viviparous (give birth to
life young), ovoviviparous (lay eggs in the
mother and then give birth to life young) or
oviparous (lay eggs). The epaulette shark is
oviparous.
After three months the first egg was laid, and
every eight to 14 days two eggs were produced.
A total of thirty were laid, of which 80% were
fertile. After 119 days the first young hatched,
which was 15 cm in size.
in Berlin in 1989, with a second chick hatching
in 2001, some 12 years later. The small colony
of seven birds, kept together with six Andean
flamingos (Phoenicoparrus andinus) has
The young do not eat for the first few days
while absorbing the internal yolk, and this
shark took seven days before eating its first
meal of Mysis, a small shrimp species. In the
mean time more eggs hatched, but they all
hatched too early. The young sharks still had a
0.5 to 2 cm large external yolk sac attached.
Different techniques were applied to try to keep
the sharks alive, but all were in vain until now.
continued to produce eggs but a third chick did
not hatch until 3 July 2006. The chick unfortunately
had to be euthanised in November 2006
due to problems with its legs.
photo berlin zoo
source
max janse
While it is common to exchange mammals or
birds between zoos, these exchanges are rare
for fish. This bilateral exchange was a great
success. Hopefully more of these initiatives
will follow to broaden the genetic scope of
captive shark populations and increase the
success in captive breeding of sharks or other
fish.
photo burgers’ zoo