Beiträge zur Menschenaffenhaltung im Zoo Berlin nach 1945. 3. Mitteilung: Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla)

Since 1956 were Western Lowland Gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) kept in Berlin Zoo, counted in the period after 1945. The first offspring was born in 1964. Up to now 9 Gorillas were born in Berlin Zoo, of which 8 were raised, some of them artificial. The oldest Gorilla is “Fatou”, she is now in an age of 53.     

Beiträge zur Menschenaffenhaltung im Zoo Berlin nach 1945.: 2. Mitteilung: Bonobos oder Zwergschimpansen (Pan paniscus) Keeping and breeding of Great apes in Berlin Zoo after 1945. 2. Bonobos or Pigmy chimpanzees (Pan paniscus)

The first Bonobo arrived 1987 in Berlin Zoo, the first birth occurred 1995. Up to now four Bonobos were born in Berlin Zoo.     

Haltung und Zucht des Spitzmaulnashorns (Diceros bicornis) im Zoologischen Garten Berlin

The first Black rhino was kept in Berlin Zoo in 1870. After second world war the keeping of Diceros bicornis started in 1954. Between 1981 and 2006 16 births occurred in Berlin Zoo, of which 14 calfs were raised.     

Berliner Nasenaffen - Nachlese

The keeping of Proboscis monkeys in Berlin Zoo starts 1967, the first breeding took place 1971. The highest longevity of a Proboscis monkey born in Berlin Zoo was 17 years and 3 months, the longest time in keeping of an imported animal was nearly 16 years.     

Pater Davids Hirsch oder Milu (Elaphurus davidianus Milne Edwards, 1866), 150 Jahre, 1865 bis 2015

The population of the Père David's deer or milu (Elaphurus davidianus), which was discovered in China by Père Armand David in 1866, has grown from five, or even merely three individuals, imported from China to approximately 5000 during a time-span of 140 years. We tried to find out more about the origin of the 18 individuals which formed the original herd of the 11^th Duke of Bedford at Woburn Abbey. His breeding-group was the only safeguard for this species between the years 1900 and 1946. Of the 18 individuals three were offspring of Berlin Zoo, three originated from Cologne Zoo and probably all the rest came from the Jardin d‘Acclimatation in Paris. The origin of the breeding herd at the Jardin d‘Acclimatation is not clear. The first individuals either came from Berlin Zoo or were imported directly from China in the years between 1876 and 1886. In Berlin Zoo's breeding records there is a remarkable gap for the years 1879 and 1880. If they came from Berlin Zoo, the imported male and two females would be the sole founders of the herd, and if the Jardin d‘Acclimatation had done an own import, then there would be at least five founders. At Berlin Zoo at least 18 milu calves were born between the years 1878 and 1895. The final destinations of most of these could be traced in literature. Some of them are not quite conclusive yet. We sketched the development of the worldwide zoo-stock of Père David's deer, the return to China and the re-settlement in the original habitat in newly established reserves and finally even outside the reserves. After centuries the milu has again gained the status of a free-living species thanks to the efforts of several zoological gardens, the Dukes of Bedford and the Chinese conservation authorities.     

Mycoplasma feriruminatoris sp. nov., a fast growing Mycoplasma species isolated from wild Caprinae

Five Mycoplasma strains from wild Caprinae were analyzed: four from Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) which died at the Berlin Zoo between 1993 and 1994, one from a Rocky Mountain goat collected in the USA prior to 1987. These five strains represented a population different from the populations belonging to the ‘Mycoplasma mycoides cluster’ as tested using multi locus sequence typing, Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry analysis and DNA–DNA hybridization. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene (rrs), genomic sequence based in silico as well as laboratory DNA–DNA hybridization, and the analysis of phenotypic traits in particular their exceptionally rapid growth all confirmed that they do not belong to any Mycoplasma species described to date. We therefore suggest these strains represent a novel species, for which we propose the name Mycoplasma feriruminatoris sp. nov. The type strain is G5847^T (= DSM 26019^T = NCTC 1362^T).     

Beiträge zur Menschenaffenhaltung im Zoo Berlin nach 1945. 4. Mitteilung: Orang-Utans (Pongo pygmaeus)

Since 1955 Orang-Utans (Pongo pygmaeus) have been kept in Berlin Zoo counted in the period after 1945. The first breeding success was registered in 1963. The breeding occurred from this year on up to now. In the first years the young Orang-Utans were raised artificially, but now both breeding groups are taking care of their offspring. The oldest specimens are 34 years (male) and 41 years for one female.     

Zur ersten Geburt eines weiblichen schwarzen Springbocks (Antidorcas marsupialis Zimmermann, 1780) seit 25 Jahren im Zoo Hannover

On April, 26th 2009 after 25 years, a female melanistic springbok was born at Hanover Zoo. Melanism is seldom seen at the Bovidae, including springboks. A frequent occurrence was observed around Seekoei-River, Murraysburg, South Africa for this species.In the 70^th of last century 10 black springboks had been raised at Hanover Zoo after an import of melanistic animals from Dvur Kralove, Czech Republik.In February 2011 a second melanistic female springbok was born. She is growing up at Hanover Zoo. Both animals have been integrated to the mixed group (springbok, giraffe, zebra and blesbok) without problems.     

Breeding fireflies at Tama Zoo: An ecological approach

Techniques to breed the Genji firefly, Luciola cruciata, a lampyrid (firefly) native to Japan, we developed at Tama Zoo, Tokyo. In order to determine captive husbandry procedures, the staff made close observations on the life cycle of this species in nature. It took more than a decade to establish the breathing program in an outdoor water channel at the Tama Zoo. Patterned after a freshwater ecosystem, the channel system enables the insect to undergo the simulated “food-chains” cycle for completing the metamorphic process. Captive-reared larvae, also known as “glowworms”, and knowledge on husbandry have been utilized to reintroduce the species in its former natural ranges.     

Erfolgreiche Handaufzucht eines Brillenpelikans (Pelecanus conspicillatus Temminck, 1824) im Zoologischen Garten Berlin

In the beginning of 2011 an Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) hatched at the Berlin Zoological Garden and was hand raised. The article described the raising conditions and diet of the squab. In addition to that a historical overview of the keeping of Australian Pelicans at the Zoological Garden of Berlin was given.     

Die Nachzucht des Roten Felsenhahns, Rupicola peruviana (Latham, 1790) und des Schildschmuckvogels, Querula purpurata (Müller, 1776) im Zoologischen Garten Wuppertal

Incubation, handrearing and motherrearing of 5 male Andean Cocks of the Rock (Rupicola peruviana) in Wuppertal Zoo is described, in particular the development of the juvenile plumage to adulthood, and the change of colour of the beak and the iris of the eye. Incubation lasted 26-28 days. The mother-reared nestling fledged after 28 days. The young male Cock of the Rock attained full adult plumage at the age of 18 months, not at 3 years as Del Hoyo et al. (2004) describe from free-living Cocks of the Rock. A report on the supposed world's first breeding of the Purple-throated Fruitcrow (Querula purpurata) is given. The incubation period was 25 days.     

Keeping and breeding of the coral catshark (Atelomycterus marmoratus) at the Aquarium of the Cologne Zoo

Coral catsharks (Atelomycterus marmoratus) are kept at the Aquarium of Cologne Zoo in a public exhibit tank measuring 300 x 160 x 110 cm (length x width x water height) with a water volume of ca. 5000 l. The 1.3 adults have been producing fertilized eggs since early 2010. Deposited eggs are longish-oval in shape, with a length of about 10 cm. Juveniles hatched in our rearing tanks (measuring 100-210 x 45-80 x 30-50 cm, with 280-430 l water volume) after periods of 4-6 months. The freshly hatched coral catsharks measured from 10-13 cm in total length. After 3 months, each juvenile had grown about 4-5 cm in length and the distinct, bright color pattern of the juveniles had faded towards the more subtle adult colour pattern. The keeping and breeding of coral catsharks can be classified as uncomplicated, given that sufficient swimming space and hiding places are provided. So far, 14 juvenile coral catsharks have been successfully reared at the Cologne Zoo Aquarium and are now available for breeding projects.     

Captive breeding and larval morphology of Tylototriton shanjing Nussbaum, Brodie & Yang, 1995, with an updated key of the genus Tylototriton (Amphibia: Salamandridae)

Tylototriton shanjing Nussbaum, Brodie & Yang, 1995 was described as a distinct species hidden before under the widely distributed T. verrucosus Anderson, 1871. Therefore, papers published before 1995, including those on reproductive biology, could not distinguish between these two close relatives. Consequently, data on the reproductive biology of T. shanjing are scarce. Here, we report on the first captive breeding of T. shanjing in the Aquarium of the Cologne Zoo, and we document the ontogenetic developmental stages and describe the larva for the first time. Moreover, we give a literature review for both T. verrucosus and T. shanjing and compare our data with published information referring undoubtedly to the latter species. To avoid future misidentifications and to facilitate the composition of breeding groups, we present an identification key for the East Asian salamandrid genera in general, and for the species of Tylototriton in particular.     

Maeropsis paphavasitae and Rotomelita longipropoda,two new species (Crustacea,Amphipoda) from?Lower?Gulf of Thailand

Two new species of maerid and melitid Amphipoda, Maeropsis paphavasitae and Rotomelita longipropoda, respectively, collected from a seagrassbed of the Lower Gulf of Thailand, are described. Maeropsis paphavasitae is characterized by it seven teeth on the palm of gnathopod 2 and Rotomelita longipropoda can be recognized by its long gnathopod 1 propodus. Their characters are described and illustrated. All specimens are deposited at Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History Museum, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand and the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin.     

Experimentelle Untersuchungen zur akustischen Kommunikation bei im Zoo gehaltenen Schabracken- und Flachlandtapiren (Tapirus indicus und Tapirus terrestris)

Until now, unlike their relatives, rhinos and horses tapirs have received considerably less attention in studies about communication. Therefore, it was the aim of this study to test which stimuli contain acoustical information for tapirs. For this purpose, the reactions of tapirs on acoustical stimuli (playback of different animal voices) were examined. Research visits took place at the zoos of Berlin, Dortmund, Heidelberg, Munich, Nuremberg and Osnabrück during the year 2005. A total of 20 individuals, thereof 8 (4.4) Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) and 12 (4.8) Lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) attended the experiments. The playback experiments showed that tapirs distinguish between the voices of different animal species. The results point to the conclusion that the reactions of the tapirs relate to phylogeny. The most intense interest was taken in their own species followed by the closely related ones.     

A case of adoption and allonursing in captive plains zebra (Equus burchellii)

Although allonursing (allowing non-filial offspring to suckle) can be a costly behaviour, it has been reported for many mammals including ungulate species. However, such behaviour is very rare in equids. This is the first report on adoption and allonursing in captive plains zebra (Equus burchellii), recorded in the Dv?r Králové Zoo, Czech Republic. We observed a case of adoption of an orphaned foal by a lactating mare, who then regularly nursed two foals (filial and non-filial). The allonursing mare rejected more suckling attempts, terminated suckling bouts more often, and had a shorter suckling bout duration than other mares. When nursing both foals at the same time, the suckling bout lasted for less time than when nursing a single foal, regardless of whether it was filial or non-filial. The allonursing mare apparently did not discriminate between the filial and non-filial foal.     

Peace-Making in Marsupials: The First Study in the Red-Necked Wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus)

The issue of reconciliation has been widely investigated in many eutherian mammal species. Nevertheless, no data are available for marsupial mammals. Indeed, the majority of reports focus on group dynamics from an ecological and reproductive perspective, but no study has investigated them from a social point of view. We observed the red-necked wallaby colony (Macropus rufogriseus) hosted at the Tierparc Zoo Berlin (Germany) and collected data on aggressive and post-conflict interactions between group members. We found that the phenomenon of reconciliation is present in the study species (mean group CCT 27.40% ±8.89% SE). Therefore, we demonstrated, for the first time, the occurrence of reconciliation in a gregarious marsupial mammal. Post-conflict reunion was not affected by the relationship quality between individuals (friendship or kinship) but it was fine-tuned according to the aggression intensity. For example, low intensity conflicts were reconciled whereas high intensity ones were not. Reconciliation reduced anxiety-related scratching in both of the former opponents and limited further attacks towards the victim during the post-conflict period. These findings suggest that the red-necked wallaby, like many eutherian species, can evaluate the costs of reconciliation and engage in peace-making behavior in the right contexts, in order to maximize its pay-offs.     

Excitation energy transfer in intact cells and in the phycobiliprotein antennae of the chlorophyll d containing cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina

The cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina is unique because it mainly contains Chlorophyll d (Chl d) in the core complexes of PS I and PS II instead of the usually dominant Chl a. Furthermore, its light harvesting system has a structure also different from other cyanobacteria. It has both, a membrane-internal chlorophyll containing antenna and a membrane-external phycobiliprotein (PBP) complex. The first one binds Chl d and is structurally analogous to CP43. The latter one has a rod-like structure consisting of three phycocyanin (PC) homohexamers and one heterohexamer containing PC and allophycocyanin (APC). In this paper, we give an overview on the investigations of excitation energy transfer (EET) in this PBP-light-harvesting system and of charge separation in the photosystem II (PS II) reaction center of A. marina performed at the Technische Universität Berlin. Due to the unique structure of the PBP antenna in A. marina, this EET occurs on a much shorter overall time scale than in other cyanobacteria. We also briefly discuss the question of the pigment composition in the reaction center (RC) of PS II and the nature of the primary donor of the PS II RC.     

Balamuthia and Acanthamoeba-binding antibodies in West African human sera

Little is known about the prevalence of Balamuthia mandrillaris amoebae and Balamuthia amoebic encephalitis in Africa. As an approach, relative concentrations of amoebae-binding serum antibodies (Ab) were assessed by flow cytometry using formaldehyde-fixed B. mandrillaris, Acanthamoeba lenticulata 72-2 and Acanthamoeba castellanii 1BU amoebae for specific Ab capture (B.m.-Ab, A.l.-Ab, A.c.-Ab). One hundred and ninety-two sera from West African (Côte d’Ivoire) donors aged 11-95 years (mean 38 a; 51% males), and living in villages surrounded by rainforest near the Liberian border, were tested and related to reference sera from Berlin. While B.m.-Ab tended to increase with donor age, A.l.-Ab and A.c.-Ab did not. Accordingly, B.m.-Ab correlated only weakly with A.l.-Ab or A.c.-Ab. Of the nine individuals with the highest B.m.-Ab concentrations, most were elderly (mean 58 a), male (78%), and professed intensive outdoor activity (hunting, farming). Only three of these sera also showed elevated A.l.-Ab, and none elevated A.c.-Ab.