African/Zoo animals in the US

[mmartin798]

The recoil would be hell on their spines.

I was thinking more on the scale of a swivel gun since they were mounted on the railing of a wooden ship. They only have a bore of about 1.5 inches and are more like big rifles.

[knightofrubus]

I was thinking more on the scale of a swivel gun since they were mounted on the railing of a wooden ship. They only have a bore of about 1.5 inches and are more like big rifles.

That might make sense and have you heard the song Elephant Riders by the band Clutch by chance

[mmartin798]

...have you heard the song Elephant Riders by the band Clutch by chance

No, but I will look it up and listen.

[knightofrubus]

No, but I will look it up and listen.

More to the topic has anyone considered what impact the dispersal of Emu and similar birds may have They're technically livestock and likely in the right climate would do well.

[nduffy]

More to the topic has anyone considered what impact the dispersal of Emu and similar birds may have They're technically livestock and likely in the right climate would do well.

There are a crap to of Emu and Ostrich running around Texas ranches and breeding. I could easily see them continuing to be bred and even running loose around those areas. Emu meat is pretty damned good! and they are fairly easy to maintain and raise. Ostrich are fairly good also and are pretty low maintenance. they seem to be doing well in the SW US so I can easily see them thriving..

I am working on a list of non-native species found on ranches in and around TX, OK, NM,CO. I am really surprised at what I am finding out there!!! Holy crap!! As soon as I get the list done, I may post it if anyone is interested...

[knightofrubus]

Definitely do! I'm curious myself.

[nduffy]

I literally have come to the conclusion that 1/2 of Africa's game worthy or endangered animals can be found here...
Here is the list so far!
Some of these are no African but can be found on ranches or involved in conservation efforts.

Blackbuck
Gemsbok- Oryx Gazelle
Thompson's Gazelle
Greater Kudu
Lesser Kudu
Giant Sable
Impala
Nyala
Roan Antelope
Arabian Oryx
Nilgai Antelope
Giant Eland Antelope
Sable Antelope
Waterbuck Antelope
Springbok
Gerenuk
Dama Gazelle
Bongo

Camel
Roe Deer
Axis Deer
Seka Deer
Fallow Deer
Sambar Deer
Aoudad Sheep
Wild Boar Russian
Wild Boar Razorback (European) Not much difference between it and the Russian
Black Rhino
White Rhino
Giraffe All Species
Indian Elephants
African Elephants

Emu
Ostrich
Ringneck Pheasants

Lions
Tigers
Leopards
Various Wolf rescues, breeds are varied

I have had Emu and Ostrich eggs. Taste like eggs, one egg can feed a family. I have also had duck, turkey and geese eggs.. Eggs are basically eggs all these birds to include quail are kept for meat and eggs. Bonus on geese is they are very noisy making great intruder alarms (goes back to medieval times) , also lets not forget guinea fowl. (also great tick control)

[knightofrubus]

Lets not forget peafowl and parrots or least budgeries. Wild colonies have had excellent success in reclaiming old native parrot ranges like the Carolinas.

[nduffy]

There are Quaker parrots that have made a successful colony in Irving TX and i have seen many a peacock on the loose. Also seen budgies.. I was mainly focused on the game/ predatory animals. Figured they would be the most useful and most interesting to the MP teams.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

Emus are hardy creatures, when European farming was introduced to Australia in the early days of colonisation, the emu population was quick to make use of the easily accessible food & water the farms provided.
They have reached plague proportions a few times here and have had to be culled to prevent them over-running farmlands and destroying crops.

Those emus raised in the US would be adapted to winter conditions there so climate would not be a particular problem for them in the wild and they are very capable at defending themselves. Their centre toe has a very large claw than can (and has) cut open dogs and injured people.

Given that they are a bird adapted to the harsher conditions of Australia (in regard to finding food and water), I think they would thrive in the wild of North America due to the better availability of food and water and the only real predators they would have would probably be puma and any big cats released from zoos, wildlife parks etc. etc.

[nduffy]

The Emu and Ostrich already are breeding like rabbits here in TX. You can go online and find Emu meat for sale at a reasonable price. I can see it being ranched and farmed as easily as cattle. Hell it almost already is...

[Desert Mariner]

An addition to your African wildlife list. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose TX is touted as the worlds largest cheetah breeding facility.

[nduffy]

Fossil Rim /Glen Rose is not to far down the road from me... totally forgot about that place.... never really drive that direction..and I did forget about cheetahs being down there and in general... its a list in the works.

[gamerguy]

Exotics in Ontario

Exotic animals are not limited to Texas or the US either. Here in Ontario there are some options for displaced species.

In the '80s there was a push to start farming Emus. The hook was some oil gland or other was supposed to be valuable. Plus the meat made use of the carcass. I know there were quite a few farms in and around Kitchener Waterloo area. What they did with the birds I don't know but that whole market is bust.

In the '90s a guy from the western US imported the first alpacas into north America. He split the herd into three and kept them at different locations in case of disease or some other unknown event he would only lose one or two thirds of the critters. I know this as the Lama farm (yet another species!) they kept one group in was local to the vet clinic my wife worked at. She had quite a way with them and saved a very rare baby so became quite the hero in the importer's eye. She kept the idea of getting a few and keeping them on our property going for years "helped" by input from our nephew's wife. They are kept for their wool much like the Lamas. The terrain is not as mountainous as where they are from but the climate here should be reasonably close temperature wise. Don't know if they taste good or not.

There is a big cat rescue entity near where we used to live. Orono Jungle Cat World, or something like that. I think unwanted grown up lions, tiger, etc. were saved and housed there. They ran it as sort of a zoo mostly to recoup costs. Another source or idea of how and where off continent big cats can come from.

My wife being a vet was very much into everything. We had peafowl for years, a pair but siblings. One day one got loose and we saw it walking down the drive (we lived in the country) so we ran out and corralled it up and led it back to the pen, where it already was! Here we found a "wild" loose peafowl just walking around central Ontario as if it was just the thing to do. Turns out our neighbors had it walk up their drive a couple years earlier so they fed and kept it. Well it got out and hearing ours came to investigate. So another odd creature you can "just run into".

Last one, not Ontario but I think in Pennsylvania. Clive Peelings Reptile Land is what I always took for a small sad roadside attraction on the drive from my place to my sister's in the DC area. One year my wife spotted the sign and insisted we stop. I was all set for a handful of ill kept animals in lousy cages which would be very depressing. Turns out Clive is one of the top authorities on reptiles in north America and this place would put any high end Zoo to shame. I was very impressed and this thread got me thinking how these animals would fare out in the wild.

[nduffy]

I know there are a lot of Alpacas and Llamas in through the US and Canada. Our neighbor has Llamas. Traditionally they are used for their fur, meat and as pack animals. I have an old friend who use to use an alpaca to help carry his camera gear around and also his hiking bag. He had a bad leg and made many day hikes around the TX hill country. Texas also had a camel corp back in the early days. The US army experimented with them as a replacement for horses for the desert and dry areas of the US. I have heard there are a few wild ones still running around West Texas through New Mexico but I think its just hearsay. I know donkeys run those areas and do quit well. I can see all of these being used in a post apoc world. Caravan animals would be quit worth while.