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Breeding the Caracal lynx

at Brno Zoo Felis caracal

S. K R A L I K Director, Zoologicka zakrada mesta Bma, Czechoslovakia

The first essential for successful breeding is a compatible breeding pair. In 1961, we obtained a good trio of Caracal lynxes Felis caracal from Moscow, consisting of one male and two females (Female I and Female 11).

As soon as they started mating we erected a wooden shelter inside an ordinary cage. The cage is in a south-facing avenue through a wood. As the number of caracals has increased during the past three years, we have constructed two more cages and shelters in the same style.

After both good and bad breeding results we have concluded that success is based on the female being completely undisturbed, both before and after the birth. Both Female I and Female I1 would have reared their kittens successfully if complete quiet could have been ensured. In the summer of 1965 Female I gave birth to six kittens but she was disturbed by the many visitors to the zoo and she ate two kittens, biting the leg off one and the ear off another; the remaining two were finally reared by a domestic dog, together with her own pups. Female I1 brought about the death of one of her kittens in similar circumstances.

Between 1964-66 Females I and I1 were estimated to be between two and four years old. They reproduced for the first time when they were probably four: they needed two years to adapt themselves to captivity.

The mating season is in February-March, and in August. Mating takes place at night and is difficult to observe. Thc male can be left with a pregnant female, but it is better to separate them. If the male and female are kept adjacent to each other they communicate with peculiar barking signals.

It is possible to tell before birth if a female caracal is pregnant. Her sides are fuller and the hair stands out. Shortly before parturition the

B R E E D I N G

pregnant female’s appetite increases and she hardly leaves her shelter. Finally she makes a nest from the hair and feathers of animal food. The last day before birth the female does not eat-a sign that birth is imminent. This has been observed consistently with our pregnant Caracal lynxes.

The litter size at Brno Zoo has varied from two to six kittens. The kittens are dry a few hours after birth. They are light yellow. The ears are dark at the back and light in the front. There are black markings on the face. The kittens open their eyes at 9- 10 days. At three weeks they leave the nest and learn to chase moving prey. At one month they are already starting to eat solid foods. The kittens’ games are lively. The male is stronger and more aggressive.

AGE SEX W E I G H T IX kg

12 days d 0.56

18 days d 0.70 0 0.65

P 0.87

Y 0.50

30 days d 0.95

60 days 6 1.27 0 1.19

Table I. Weight increase of two Caracal lynxes Felis caracal, born at Brno Zoo.

At the age of eight weeks the kittens were vaccinated against feline distemper with ‘Felivax’, and again at 12 weeks. T o counteract any iron deficiency we supplement the diet with liver.

The kittens are weaned at six months. Until then the male is kept apart from the female.

33. A pair of dugongs Dugong dugon has been kept at Mandapam Camp Fisheries Research Institute, India, for six and a half years- a captive longevity record for the species (see pp. 215-220). (a) The shallow bay south of Musal Island, off Mandapam, a favourite grazing ground of dugongs. (b) A close-up of the two dugongs at Mandapam Camp. (c) Front view of a dead male dugong (ventral side up) with the sagging muzzle exposing the tusks. (d) Et (e ) The usual position of the dugongs at Mandapam Camp while the water of their pool is changed. S. Jones

34. 'Shamu', the female Killer whale Orcinos orca at San Diego Sea World, California. She was caught in Puget Sound on 1 November 1965 and arrived at Sea World in December. She measures about 4.5 m long and weighs between 1,100 and 1,300 kg. She is the first Killer whale ever to be trained and appears to be at least as intelligent as dolphins. Although in the wild Killer whales are fierce predators, preying on seals, dolphins, birds and fishes, the three that have been kept in captivity have all been unusually docile. Sea World

35, 36. The Sea otter Enhydra lutris at Tacoma Zoo. It was brought to Tacoma in November 1965 as part of a US Fish and Wildlife Service research project into the breeding of Sea otters. (see pp. 208-209). Grooming plays a very important part in the Sea otter's life and in Plate 35 (left) the Tacoma Sea otter is shown grooming its tail and left hind foot. In Plate 36 (right) the Sea otter eats a sea urchin. Alfred Milotte

37. above. The characteristic mating position of tigers Panthera tigris. Further details of the courtship and mating of tigers are given in Figure 4, p. 139. Mating attempts are made as many as 10 to 18 times daily. over a period of three to 23 days (see pp. 133-147). K. S. Sankhala

38. A three-year-old Siberian tiger Panthera tigris altaica ( - P. tigris longipilis & P. tigris coreensis). Veselovsky of Prague is of the opinion that the Siberian or Amur tiger is synonymous with the Korean tiger (see pp. 21 0-21 5), since both races have the same size and colour variations. I t is the largest of all the races, the males measuring as much as 3.5 m in length (including tail) and 1.10 m high at the shoulder. J. Seget. Prague

39. A Red dog or dhole Cuon alpinus at Moscow Zoo where the species has been bred since 1960. The original pair was obtained from Chinghai, China. Although the species has a fairly wide distribution in Asia, it is rare in captivity and observations made at Moscow Zoo (pp. 120-1 22) are an important addition to knowledge of the species. Mosko vskii Zoologicheskii Park

40,41. Eland Taurotragus oryw at Askaniyo Nova Zoopark, Ukraine. In 1892 four male and four female eland arrived at Askaniya Nova. They started breeding in 1897 and by 1964 408 young had been born. They are now breeding at the rate of about 1 4 to 16 a year and many of the females have been trained to be milked (41). A very interesting paper by Treus and Kravchenko on the Askaniya Nova elands, the biochemistry of their milk and the food value of their meat is being published in No. 21 of the Zoological Society of London's Symposia. Askaniya Nova Zoopark

42. The third recorded birth in captivity of an African elephant Loxodonta africana took place at Basle Zoo on 13 January 1966 (see pp, 154-1 57). Labour started at 091 5 hours and at 0935 hours the foetal sac appsared, the whole foetus having entered the vertical part of the genital tract. Paul Steinernann

43 The female smells her offspring for the first time. Part of the foetal membranes can be seen on the calf's leg. At birth the calf weighed 113 kg and measured 95 cm high. It was born at 0955 hours but aid not suckle until 0745 hours the following day. Paul Steinemann

44. fop left. On 28 June 1965 a male Black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis was born at Hanover Zoo after a gestation period of 469 days (see p. 161). In the photograph the four-month-old rhinoceros invites its father to play. Note the young rhino's horn, 4 cm long. The young rhino has since gone to Bristol Zoo. Zoologischer Gsrten Hanno ver

45. bottom left. The new Africa House for rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses at Zurich Zoo (see pp. 62-66). Accommodation is provided for three Black rhinoceroses Diceros bicornis, two White rhinoceroses D. simus. and three hippopotamuses Hippopotamus amphibius. The dry moat is 1.8 m deep and 2 m wide. Jurg Klages Zurich

46. top right. A corner of one of the indoor rhino dens in the new Africa House at Zurich Zoo. Instead of being bare cages, the dens are made to appear as 'natural' as possible, with tree trunks for the rhinos lo rub their horns on and a slightly undulating floor. About 20 Cattle egrets Bubulcus ibis fly free inside the house and often sit on the backs of the rhinos as they do in the wild. Two of the Cattle egrets' nests can be seen at the top of the photograph. Jurg Klages Zurich

47. centre right. A typical pure-bred banteng bull Bos javanicus. The banteng is a species whose existence in the wild may soon be endangered: the number living in Java is less than 300 and there are about 30 in Malaya (data for Indo-China and Burma are unavailable). The species flourishes in zoos, given certain conditions (see pp. 222-223), and it may well be saved from extinction by being bred in captivity. A. C. V. van Bemmel

48. below. Female banteng cow and calf at Rotterdam Zoo. Some banteng in captivity have domestic Bali cattle blood. However, the animals in Plates 47 and 48 are typical pure-bred banteng. The pure banteng bull is nearly black with a white rump patch, while the cow is red with the same white rump patch. Both sexes have white legs, though the legs of calves may be brown. The head is long, there is a marked constriction of the neck directly behind the head, the dewlap never reaches the throat and the shoulders are always higher than the rump. Int. Photopress Office Rotterdam

49, 50. left top and centre. There are at present 19 Japanese serows Capricornis crispus in captivity and between 3,000 and 5,000 in the wild. Several successful captive breeding projects have been started in Japan (see pp. 174-1 75). Plate 49 (left) shows a wild-caught adult pair at Mount Gozaisho Serow Centre and Plate 50 (centre) a new-horn female, their first offspring, born at Mounr Gozaisho on 17 June 1964. Japanese Serow Centre

51. bottom left. One of the breeding group of Kirks dik-dik Madoqua kirkithomasi and her new-born young at Hanover Zoo. (see pp. 171 -173). The young are born after a gestation period of 170.174 days and can stand within 15 minutes of birth. Ursula Lemke Hannover

52. below right. ’Toe Lay’, the female Red goral Nemorhaedus cranbrooki at Rangoon Zoo, captured as a calf near Lashio in 1964. The Red goral was named as a new species in 1961 and until Rangoon Zoo obtained this female, it had never been exhibited or photographed before. Unlike the other gorals, it has a bright foxy-red coat and softer hair (see pp. 225-226). Rangoon Zoo