STUDBOOK: Bar-pouched wreathed hornbill, Aceros undulatus
The first edition of the North American Regional Aceros studbook was current through 31
December 1999. Since then, 2 annual updates were distributed to participants.
A second edition will be current through 31 December 2002 and will be
printed early in 2003. In the past 3 years, the captive status of the 5 species
of Aceros covered in this
regional studbook remained relatively stable.
This means that births and imports approximately equaled deaths
and exports. Whether this is
good or just satisfactory will be better known when the Population Management
Plan (PMP) for this genus is completed.
With a PMP, we will set goals for optimum number of birds for
each species. The preliminary analysis is that we should at least recommend
for PMP status, Aceros corrugatus. We might not have enough
available spaces to provide for a long term, genetically diverse, self-sustaining
captive population for any of the remaining 4 species. The following
listing show the numbers of current living birds at the end of the past
three years.
|
| Aceros cassidix: | 9.10.0 (19) in 8 institutions as of 31 December 1999 |
| 10.9.0 (19) in 8 institutions as of 31 December 2000 | |
| 10.9.1 (20) in 8 institutions as of 31 December 2001 | |
|
|
|
| Aceros corrugatus: | 30.33.3 (65) in 24 institutions as of 31 December 1999 |
| 33.31.1 (65) in 24 institutions as of 31 December 2000 | |
| 32.29.1 (62) in 26 institutions as of 31 December 2001 | |
|
|
|
| Aceros leucocephalus: | 2.2.0 (4) in 2 institutions as of 31 December 1999 |
| 2.2.0 (4) in 2 institutions as of 31 December 2000 | |
| 2.1.0 (3) in 2 institutions as of 31 December 2001 | |
|
|
|
| Aceros plicatus : | 10.8.0 (18) in 8 institutions as of 31 December 1999 |
| 10.7.0 (17) in 8 institutions as of 31 December 2000 |
|
| 10.7.0 (17) in 8 institutions as of 31 December 2001 | |
|
|
|
| Aceros undulatus : | 16.18.0 (34) in 13 institutions as of 31 December 1999 |
| 16.17.0 (33) in 12 institutions
as of 31 December 2000 |
|
| 14.17.1 (32) in 13 institutions as of 31 December 2001 | |
|
SUMMARY for 2001:
Two pairs of birds bred successfully in 2001 (Oklahoma
City Zoological Park and Central Florida Zoological Park). It is very likely that the latter pair is wild
caught since they arrived as adults in 1994. The male had approximately
7 ridges on his casque (pers. comm.) at time of arrival. This pair can
be treated as founders in an analytical studbook, but will remain as
unknowns in the SPARKS database (since no assumptions will be made).
As of 31 December 2001, there are 14.17.1 living birds
in this regional studbook. If we delete birds that have unknown ancestries,
we would be left with only 16 individuals to use in a PMP analysis.
As hornbills are large and long-lived species, space
has always been a limiting resource for developing a population management
plan. The 5 species in this regional studbook compete against each other
for this space. It might not be reasonable to develop a PMP for all
5 species. Breeding of this species is encouraged. Offspring can
be transferred to Asian and/or European collections so as not to impact
population management plans for other Aceros
species. By so doing, this would increase the genetic diversity of those
other regional captive populations.
Irena Pavlin Bitenc is the European studbook keeper for this species. She can be reached at [email protected] at Zooloski vrt Mesta Ljubljana, Vecna Pot 70, 61000 Ljubljana. Slovenia. |