Duisburg.
Hundreds of babies of an animal species that was thought to be extinct until 2013 have hatched at Duisburg Zoo. The reasons for the special success story.
The small, grey-brown Mangarahara cichlids look rather inconspicuous next to the many other brightly colored fish in the aquarium at Duisburg Zoo. However, according to the zoo, the fact that they are now swimming so unmolested through the water is a sensation: until 2013, the fish, which were originally only native to Madagascar, were considered to be fish as extinct. Hundreds of small fish larvae have now hatched in the Kaisergarten – a breakthrough for the zoo.
The Duisburg Aquarium team is part of a global rescue operation: 18 Mangarahara cichlids were unexpectedly rediscovered in Madagascar ten years ago and transferred to a fish farm. There they multiplied and were gradually transferred to zoos all over the world – including the Cologne Zoo. From there, the Duisburg Zoo received 30 Mangahara cichlids in the summer of 2020.
Duisburg Zoo: Observe rare species of fish in the Madagascar themed aquarium
Since then, the animal keepers have been involved in the breeding of this endangered animal species – according to press spokesman Christian Schreiner, the fish are among the “rarest fish species on the planet”. The zoological director of the breeding project, Oliver Mojecki, explains: “We want to actively contribute to establishing a stable reserve population of cichlids under protected conditions. We have now taken the first step, which we are very proud of.”
The young animals hatched in the Madagascar themed aquarium, where they can already be observed by visitors to the zoo. “They live on the bottom right side of the aquarium,” reveals Schreiner. The light-colored female, which is always on the alert to protect the offspring, is also easy to see. “The protection of the parents is very important for the young animals,” explains district manager Maik Peschke.
The Duisburg Zoo has succeeded for the second time in reproducing a highly endangered fish species from Madagascar. As the second facility in Europe, the aquarium team managed to breed Loiselle Madagascar cichlids in the summer of 2021. Together with the Madagascar silverside, the three species of fish form the Madagascar theme world of Duisburg Zoo.
“A large proportion of the hatched fish will not survive”
In order for the Mangarahara cichlids to grow successfully, the food is specially tailored to the young animals, and the employees serve plankton several times a day. But even with the best care, most of the fish will not grow to maturity. With fish – both in nature and in breeding programs – it is completely normal that an extremely large number of offspring hatch, but only a few fish survive. Only the strongest and most survivable animals prevail.
The fish that actually grow large could be transferred to other zoos in the future to breed reserve populations there as well. According to Christian Schreiner, the “supreme discipline” is to be able to release the fish into the wild at some point. But this goal is still a long way off: “The animals can only be released when the living conditions in Madagascar have improved significantly. At the moment the fish would die if we release them into the wild.”
>> That’s why the cichlids are so threatened
- slash and burndeforested rainforests and the production of charcoal: the reasons for the severe endangerment of the Mangarahara cichlid are manifold.
- Larger and larger areas of the original rainforest Madagascar are irretrievably destroyed by humans.
- That ecosystem is thrown out of balance, causing lakes and rivers to dry up – the habitat of numerous fish disappears.
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