Monitor Care & Natural History; Zoo & Pet Experiences

[bronxzoofrank]

Originally Posted by murrindindi

Hi,
I`d like to ask you how old the oldest Savannah monitors were at death, the results of the post mortems if those were carried out, and how many times the species was bred at the zoo, if at all?
By the way, I used to be in contact with Dr. Sam Lee, I know he donated his Ornate and Mertens monitors to the zoo when the females became gravid, are any of the original pairs still alive, and have they or their offspring reproduced since then?
He was kind enough to send me the paper on reproduction (I`m not sure if it was ever published), I`m aware he left a few years ago to pursue a different (more lucrative) career, have you heard from him recently?
Thanks!

Hello,

All animals are subject to autopsy upon death; I do not have the other info you mention; I worked with Sam Lee briefly, when he first began zoo work, but am not in touch with him.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by bronxzoofrank

Hello,

All animals are subject to autopsy upon death; I do not have the other info you mention; I worked with Sam Lee briefly, when he first began zoo work, but am not in touch with him.

Hi again, thanks for the reply, I guess the best thing would be to contact the WCS and ask if they`d give the info on causes of death and further breeding (easily done).

In terms of the captive conditions you describe, were you merely stating what they were (are?), and did you have input in them yourself, and are you still involved, if so, would you be prepared to advise making changes in view of the responses and concerns expressed here so far, or are you satisfied the conditions are/were more than adequate? I personally don`t think "adequate" is good enough, it must be the best possible.

It can only help the hobby when experienced keepers like yourself offer details of their work/methods, and I thank you for doing that. I actuallly joined this website specifically to learn more about the work you`ve been involved in, and take part in the discussions with you.

[_Varanidae_]

Murrindindi,

The scientific study linked to on the first page of this thread answers many of the questions you are asking. It reports the cause of death for 85 monitor lizards kept by the Bronx Zoo over the past four decades, even breaking the data down by species- and discusses the data's implications for husbandry and reproductive management.

[murrindindi]

Originally Posted by _Varanidae_

Murrindindi,

The scientific study linked to on the first page of this thread answers many of the questions you are asking. It reports the cause of death for 85 monitor lizards kept by the Bronx Zoo over the past four decades, even breaking the data down by species- and discusses the data's implications for husbandry and reproductive management.

O.k, thanks for that, I missed it. (That`s been a recurring problem of mine)....
Edit: It`s only showing the abstract, I`ll have to order a copy from the library.