An introduction to the EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG International Conference, Prague, 2017 Antelope, Giraffe, Hippo in the 21st Century Dr. Jens-Ove Heckel EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG chair IUCN/SSC/Antelope Specialist Group Zoo Landau in der Pfalz, Germany EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG • Antelope & Giraffid TAG is a large and most complex TAG representing nearly 50 species (and approximately 90 taxa) in EAZA zoos
• TAG holds 11 EEPs and 11 ESBs; 3 species are part of ISBs; the remaining species are monitored (Mon-P, Mon-TAG)
EAZA Antelope and Giraffe TAG vision and mission, goals and activities:
Vision: Healthy, viable, free ranging populations of antelopes, giraffes and okapis, ranging through intact ecosystems, where they are valued and cherished both locally and globally.
Mission: To maintain healthy, genetically viable, self-sustaining, captive populations of okapis and a representative cross-section of antelope and giraffe taxa. These populations will: act as ambassadors for educational purposes on the plight of these taxa in the wild; function as a focus for fund-raising for conservation action; offer a source of individuals for re-stocking and reintroduction purposes and provide a research resource that will assist in improving husbandry, welfare and in situ conservation. EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG Chair Jens-Ove Heckel Landau, DE Vice chair Sander Hofman Antwerp, BE Vice chair Kim Skalborg Simonsen Givskud, DK
Sub-group Okapi & Giraffe SG Sander Hofman Antwerp, BE Sub-group Woodland antelope SG Kim Skalborg Simonsen Givskud, DK Sub-group Savannah antelope SG Catrin Hammer Goerlitz, DE Sub-group Aridlands antelope SG Tania Gilbert Marwell, UK
Studbook keepers/Program managers EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Coordinator Conservation Tania Gilbert Marwell, UK Coordinator Research Eulalia Moreno-Manas Almeria, ES
Advisor Veterinary Sven Hammer Goerlitz, DE Advisors Genetics Rob Ogden/Helen Senn Edinburgh, UK Advisor Population management Laurie Bingaman Lackey USA Advisor Nutrition Marcus Clauss Zuerich, CH Advisor Husbandry n.n. Advisor Education n.n.
Regular support and advice also provided by EAZA EEO, Amsterdam, NL: Exec. Coordinator - Collect. Coordin. & Conserv. Merel Zimmermann EPMAG / Population Management Kristin Leus Population Biologist - Collect. Coordin. & Conserv. Kristine Schad
Good links and relations to: IUCN/SSC/Antelope SG, IUCN/SSC/Giraffe & Okapi SG/Giraffe Conservation Fdn., other EAZA Ungulate TAGs, BIAZA Hoof stock focus group, AZA Antelope & Giraffe TAG, Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF)/Sahelo-Saharan Interest Group (SSIG) etc. EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Okapi & Giraffe SG - Sander Hofman, Antwerp, BE
• Okapi (EEP) - Sander Hofman, Antwerp, BE
• Giraffe (EEP) - Jörg Jebram, Gelsenkirchen, DE
• Rothschild giraffe • Reticulated giraffe • Kordofan giraffe • Angolan giraffe • Cape Giraffe • … hybrids & unknowns EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG Woodland antelope SG - Kim Skalborg Simonsen, Givskud, DK
• Eastern Bongo (EEP) - Nick Davis, Chester, UK • Roan antelope (EEP) - Klaus Müller-Schilling, Hanover, DE
• Sable antelope (ESB) - Kim Skalborg Simonsen, Givskud, DK • Lowland nyala (ESB) - Susana Nolasco, Lisbon, PT • Lesser kudu (ESB) - Beatrice Steck, Basel, CH • Greater kudu (ESB) - Jörg Jebram, Gelsenkirchen, DE • Western sitatunga (ESB) - Peter Zwanzger, Cologne, DE • Red duiker (ESB) - Ruben Holland, Leipzig, DE
• Blue duiker (MonP) - Kim Van de Put, Arnhem, NL
• Common Eland/Cape Eland (MonT) • Nilgai (MonT) • Mountain reedbuck (MonT) • Blackbuck (MonT) • Northern Gerenuk (MonT) • Yellow-backed duiker (MonT) EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG Savannah antelope SG - Catrin Hammer, Goerlitz, DE • Nile lechwe (EEP) - Yitzhak Yadid, Fondazione Bioparco di Roma, IT
• Kafue lechwe (ESB) - John McLaughlin, Fota, IE • Springbok (ESB) - Bas Martens, Kerkrade, NL • Blesbok (ESB) - Sonia Freeman, Chessington, UK • Thomson’s gazelle (ESB) - Klaus Müller-Schilling, Hanover, DE • Kirk’s dikdik (ESB) - Klaus Müller-Schilling, Hanover, DE
• Common waterbuck (MonP) – (Miroslaw Piasecki), Wroclaw, PL • Defassa Waterbuck (MonP) – (Miroslaw Piasecki), Wroclaw, PL • Impala (MonP) - Klaus Müller-Schilling, Hanover, DE • Black wildebeest (MonP) - Jiri Hruby, Dvůr Králové, CZ • Persian goitered gazelle (MonP) - Clemens Becker, Karlsruhe, DE
• Gemsbok (MonT) • Blue wildebeest (MonT) • Beisa oryx (MonT > ESB) • Eastern white-bearded wildebeest (MonT) • Klipspringer (MonT) • Black-faced impala (MonT) • … further species in Arabia (MonT) EAZA Antelope & Giraffe TAG
Aridlands antelope SG - Tania Gilbert, Marwell, UK
• Scimitar-horned oryx (EEP, ISB) - Tania Gilbert, Marwell, UK • Arabian oryx (EEP, ISB) - Michel Saint Jalme, Paris, FR
• Addax (EEP) - Fabian Krause, Hanover, DE • Dama gazelle (EEP) - Gerado Espeso, Almeria, ES • Cuvier’s gazelle (EEP) - Eulalia Moreno, Almeria, ES • Saharawi dorcas gazelle (EEP) - Teresa Abaigar, Almeria, ES
• Slender-horned gazelle (MonP, ISB) - Matthias Papies, Antwerp, BE EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
• work of the programs is based on the content of the 'EAZA Population Management Manual‘
• EAZA A&G TAG members meet twice per year (mid-year meetings, EAZA annual meeting) EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
EEP Evaluations • EEP evaluations conducted on a regular basis
Quick Population Assessments, QPA’s • all species are analyzed and reviewed
Best Practice Guidelines • to promote high standards of husbandry and animal welfare • not yet available for every species, different species could be combined • challenge: significant climate differences and legislations in Europe
Education • the ‘education component’ in our TAG is one of the fields we want and need to do more about EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
EEP Evaluations • EEP evaluations conducted on a regular basis
Quick Population Assessments, QPA’s • all species are analyzed and reviewed
Best Practice Guidelines • to promote high standards of husbandry and animal welfare • not yet available for every species, different species could be combined • challenge: significant climate differences and legislations in Europe
Education • the ‘education component’ in our TAG is one of the fields we want and need to do more about EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
EEP Evaluations • EEP evaluations conducted on a regular basis
Quick Population Assessments, QPA’s • all species are analyzed and reviewed
Best Practice Guidelines • to promote high standards of husbandry and animal welfare • not yet available for every species, different species could be combined • challenge: significant climate differences and legislations in Europe
Education • the ‘education component’ in our TAG is one of the fields we want and need to do more about EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Regional Collection Plan (RCP)
• the RCP document will follow the basic structure as outlined by EAZA
• all species and several subspecies were evaluated through a ‘RCP decision tree’
• further a scoring system was applied
• species accounts were created for every species and many subspecies
• in the near future every antelope species within EAZA will/should at least be monitored by person (Mon-P)
• reevaluation will become necessary once the new EAZA Population Management Structure is in full operation EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Regional Collection Plan (RCP)
• the RCP document will follow the basic structure as outlined by EAZA
• all species and several subspecies were evaluated through a ‘RCP decision tree’
• further a scoring system was applied
• species accounts were created for every species and many subspecies
• in the near future every antelope species within EAZA will/should at least be monitored by person (Mon-P)
• reevaluation will become necessary once the new EAZA Population Management Structure is in full operation EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Regional Collection Plan (RCP)
• the RCP document will follow the basic structure as outlined by EAZA
• all species and several subspecies were evaluated through a ‘RCP decision tree’
• further a scoring system was applied
• species accounts were created for every species and many subspecies
• in the near future every antelope species within EAZA will/should at least be monitored by person (Mon-P)
• reevaluation will become necessary once the new EAZA Population Management Structure is in full operation EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Regional Collection Plan (RCP)
• the RCP document will follow the basic structure as outlined by EAZA
• all species and several subspecies were evaluated through a ‘RCP decision tree’
• further a scoring system was applied
• species accounts were created for every species and many subspecies
• in the near future every antelope species within EAZA will/should at least be monitored by person (Mon-P)
• reevaluation will become necessary once the new EAZA Population Management Structure is in full operation
• Challenges: define the roles and goals; considering the IUCN guidelines philosophy; select programs with and without conservation role; how to incorporate the future EAZA Population Management Structure; EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Where are we heading … !?? …
Breed & cull and other sound management practices • Will we be more successful promoting a breed and culls strategy as an important management practice among other options in our programs?
In situ projects (Tania Gilbert) • several projects have been and still are initiated or supported by institutions, which are represented in our TAG • Will we be able to extend these?
Conservation Database • an overview of conservation projects which are currently registered in the EAZA Conservation Database and are relevant for the Antelope and Giraffe TAG can be found under: www.eazaconservation.org
Source for re-stocking or reintroduction • Will we be able to retain relevant species and stock numbers for this purpose? EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
Where we fail(ed) …
• We lost several forms of ungulates from our collections already and we may loose even more:
Red hartebeest, Red-fronted gazelle, Bontebok, Masai giraffe, Red-flanked duiker, Klipspringer, Yellow-backed duiker, Blue duiker, Black-faced impala, Slender- horned gazelle, Gerenuk … EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG
TAG’s website (www.antelopes.eu) EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG Obituary
• Peter Luptak … he was the zoological director of Bojnice Zoo, Slovakia. Peter was particularly well known and respected for his authority on large African mammals and his passion for phylogeny and taxonomy of African ungulates also documented by many excellent publications. During several trips to Africa and other parts of the world, he documented the world’s biodiversity with brilliant photos and films, many of which can be admired on his web pages (such as: www.wildafrica.sk or on our TAG’s webpage www.antelopes.eu, which he created) EAZA Antelope & Giraffid TAG Thanks for listening !