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| ttyo888 |
 Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:24 pm Post subject: Breeding extinct animals in captivity |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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Hi I am planning to write a story something along the line of BBC's Prehistoric Park. Except for one thing, the stars of the "zoo" are animals that we have directly and indirectly caused their demise.
I am making a list of species that we should bring back to the present. The Dodo and the Tasmanian Wolf are among them.
Since this is a "science" forum I feel that this place would suit such a topic, I do not have much knowledge on how zoos operate or how some of the animals in really can be kept in zoos in the first place without them escaping. Amongst such questions are"
I got an Eagle who has a wingspan of over 3 metres, how am I going to make sure she doesn't fly over her enclosure and attack the moa's enclosure nearby.
I even saved Megalania, the giant goanna from Australia, but can it survive on goats? I got a population of deer and goat for the carnivore's enclosure. |
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 11:23 pm Post subject: Re: Breeding extinct animals in captivity |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 2587
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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| ttyo888 wrote: |
| I got an Eagle who has a wingspan of over 3 metres, how am I going to make sure she doesn't fly over her enclosure and attack the moa's enclosure nearby. |
the same way that andean indians used to trap condors : use a smallish enclosure with some bait, and since the condor needs a running start, once it's landed it cna't get out - that, or you'll need a giant aviary
| ttyo888 wrote: |
| I even saved Megalania, the giant goanna from Australia, but can it survive on goats? I got a population of deer and goat for the carnivore's enclosure. |
if crocs can survive on chickens, i don't see why goats wouldn't be good enough for goannas
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| Pong |
| Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 11:37 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Professor
Joined: 08 Apr 2008
Posts: 1412
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How about the Passenger Pigeon ?
Wikipedia:
The passenger pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius) or wild pigeon was a species of pigeon that was once the most common bird in North America. They lived in enormous flocks, and during migration, it was possible to see flocks of them a mile (1.6 km) wide and 300 miles (500 km) long, taking several days to pass and containing up to a billion birds.
Contain that!
OK but since this is a science (read "geek") forum, may I suggest the Fraser Delta marine snail? Her demise is blamed on penile growths in female snails, caused by ships' antifoulant paint, which ...complicated... breeding. We also mourn the loss of many lamprey, hagfish, leeches, and other jawless sucking scumdweller species. Don't they deserve glory?
Did we hunt woolly mammoth to extinction I wonder? |
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| ttyo888 |
| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 1:03 am Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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Oh yes definitely! Among the animals that I will bring back in my park the passenger pigeon is among the ones I am going to back from the past.
Others include the Thylacine, the Dodo, the Diprotodon, Lonesome George, Quagga.
The more stranger choices include the Yangtze River Dolphin and the Southern Chinese Tiger.
My main characters will also clash with humans from differing time periods ranging from ancient maori to early european settlement and Maoist China and they may have to resort to TASERing the poachers or hunters to save the animals they are trying to bring back. |
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| marnixR |
| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 4:22 am Post subject: |
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Forum Isotope
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 2587
Location: Cardiff, Wales
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do you intend to bring neanderthals back ? in which case, you have an ethical dilemma : do they belong in a zoo ?
btw, you can't bring lonesome george back from the dead, he's not dead yet !
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| i_feel_tiredsleepy |
| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 8:38 am Post subject: Re: Breeding extinct animals in captivity |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Posts: 659
Location: Montreal
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| ttyo888 wrote: |
I got an Eagle who has a wingspan of over 3 metres, how am I going to make sure she doesn't fly over her enclosure and attack the moa's enclosure nearby.
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In the raptor rescue here in Montreal some of the large birds of prey are kept tethered to a perch, while the ravens have an aviary, these are quite a bit smaller than an eagle of that size, but I'd imagine the same techniques would be used. I think a good first step would be to visit some zoos... |
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| ttyo888 |
| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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| marnixR wrote: |
do you intend to bring neanderthals back ? in which case, you have an ethical dilemma : do they belong in a zoo ?
btw, you can't bring lonesome george back from the dead, he's not dead yet ! |
Sorry no neanderthals, we did not hunt them to extinction.
And according to Life in Cold Blood, Lonesome George is the only living individual of his species. Once he dies, his species will be declared extinct.
And yah I decided to have a giant aviary for the extinct birds including that giant eagle. There will be a walkthrough that is on the top of the forest and a small monorail.
The only problem is how to make sure the 3m Eagle doesn't attack the other birds in the exhibit and also the visitors and keepers alike, |
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| i_feel_tiredsleepy |
| Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 5:56 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 21 Mar 2008
Posts: 659
Location: Montreal
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| ttyo888 wrote: |
| marnixR wrote: |
do you intend to bring neanderthals back ? in which case, you have an ethical dilemma : do they belong in a zoo ?
btw, you can't bring lonesome george back from the dead, he's not dead yet ! |
Sorry no neanderthals, we did not hunt them to extinction.
And according to Life in Cold Blood, Lonesome George is the only living individual of his species. Once he dies, his species will be declared extinct.
And yah I decided to have a giant aviary for the extinct birds including that giant eagle. There will be a walkthrough that is on the top of the forest and a small monorail.
The only problem is how to make sure the 3m Eagle doesn't attack the other birds in the exhibit and also the visitors and keepers alike, |
Keep it well fed? I wouldn't expect mixed birds of prey in an aviary. |
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| spuriousmonkey |
| Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 1:23 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 764
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mammoth.
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“A scientific man ought to have no wishes, no affections, - a mere heart of stone.” |
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| ttyo888 |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 8:05 am Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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| And one more thing, I am planning to save 3 aquatic mammals namely, the Carribean Monk Seal, The Yangtze River Dolphin and the Stellar's Sea Cow. As I can see, those mammals are pretty heavy. How do people get aquatic animals from aquariums? |
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| KALSTER |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 8:59 am Post subject: |
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Forum Cosmic Wizard
Joined: 08 Sep 2007
Posts: 2231
Location: South Africa
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This zoo is in the future, no? Why not simply invent a technology? There are some non-lethal weapons made for humans. Maybe some derivative for birds? It could be a force field you could direct in any direction. Maybe 4 sides and then a horizontal one from a nearby mountain top? It could be tuned to affect only avians, so humans can walk around unobstructed. In fact, you could make all the enclosures that way, with each enclosure tuned to a species? You can decide on what happens when an animal enters the field: Maybe it is gripped by nausea or light-headedness? The field would have to have the property of varying intensity, with the centre being the worst so animals could start to sense discomfort, but still have enough faculties to be able to return to the comfort zone. You could mark where the middle of the field is so visitors and keepers would be able to know where the safe-zone is?
Just some thoughts 
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| Selene |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 10:09 am Post subject: |
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| ttyo888 |
| Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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| Yah I am bringing back Megalania to the park. I heard that the megafauna in Australia had survived climate very well until humanity started burning down the habitat like incense. |
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| Chemboy |
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:23 am Post subject: |
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Forum Ph.D.
Joined: 01 Jul 2006
Posts: 1095
Location: NY
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| ttyo888 wrote: |
| And one more thing, I am planning to save 3 aquatic mammals namely, the Carribean Monk Seal, The Yangtze River Dolphin and the Stellar's Sea Cow. As I can see, those mammals are pretty heavy. How do people get aquatic animals from aquariums? |
Do you realize that the Carribean Monk Seal was just declared extinct? It's been suspected for awhile but just recently officially declared. Also, the Yangtze River Dolphin may not officially be extinct, but is likely functionally extinct. Just thought I'd bring those points up.
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| ttyo888 |
| Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2008 5:10 pm Post subject: |
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Forum Freshman
Joined: 12 Feb 2008
Posts: 47
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| Chemboy wrote: |
| Do you realize that the Carribean Monk Seal was just declared extinct? It's been suspected for awhile but just recently officially declared. Also, the Yangtze River Dolphin may not officially be extinct, but is likely functionally extinct. Just thought I'd bring those points up. |
I see.... but anyway even if there are any survivors, their weakened genetic vigor or genetic diversity cannot sustain their species for long and would lead to problems in the long run.
Other species that lived along side the extinct animals will be saved too. On the quest to save the Thylacine, I travelled back to 1810 and saved the Tasmanian Emu and also a family of Tasmanian Devils who do not have the facial tumor that plague their modern day descendants. |
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