Ornamental animal
Encyclopedia
An ornamental animal is an animal kept for display or curiosity, often in a park
. A wide range of mammals, birds and fish have been kept as ornamental animals. Ornamental animals have often formed the basis of introduced
populations, sometimes with negative ecological effects, but a history of being kept as ornamental animals has also preserved breeds, types and even species
which have become rare or extinct
elsewhere.
This article does not cover animals kept in zoo
s, wildfowl collections or aquaria
.
populations.
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
. A wide range of mammals, birds and fish have been kept as ornamental animals. Ornamental animals have often formed the basis of introduced
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
populations, sometimes with negative ecological effects, but a history of being kept as ornamental animals has also preserved breeds, types and even species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
which have become rare or extinct
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
elsewhere.
This article does not cover animals kept in zoo
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
s, wildfowl collections or aquaria
Aquarium
An aquarium is a vivarium consisting of at least one transparent side in which water-dwelling plants or animals are kept. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, marine mammals, turtles, and aquatic plants...
.
History
Ornamental animals have been kept for many centuries in several cultures.Introduced species
Some ornamental animals have escaped from captivity and have formed feralFeral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
populations.
Conservation
A number of animals have been protected from local or worldwide extinction by being kept as ornamental animals.List of ornamental animals
The following are breeds or species whose history has included a significant period as ornamental animals, either globally or in particular regions (animals kept primarily in modern zoos, aquaria or waterfowl collections are not included):Deer
- Pere David's deerPère David's DeerPère David's Deer, Elaphurus davidianus, also known as the Milu , is a species of deer known only in captivity. It prefers marshland, and is believed to be native to the subtropics of China. It grazes on a mixture of grass and water plants. It is the only extant member of the genus Elaphurus...
(Elaphurus davidianus). Became extinct in the wild before 1900, but survived in the park of the Chinese Emperor near Peking. Died out there too, but survived in Woburn Park in England. Now reintroduced to the wild in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. - Reeves's muntjacReeves's MuntjacThe Reeves' Muntjac is a muntjac species found widely in southeastern China and in Taiwan. They have also been introduced in the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Ireland by 2008. It feeds on herbs, blossoms, succulent shoots, grasses and nuts, and was also reported to eat trees...
(Muntiacus reevesi). Escaped from Woburn Park in England, and now established as a feralFeralA feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
animal throughout much of lowland England, causing considerable damage to native woodland. - SikaSika DeerThe Sika Deer, Cervus nippon, also known as the Spotted Deer or the Japanese Deer, is a species of deer native to much of East Asia and introduced to various other parts of the world...
(Cervus nippon). Established in the UK and other places from park escapes. Poses a hybridisation threatGenetic pollutionGenetic pollution is a controversial term for uncontrolled gene flow into wild populations. This gene flow is undesirable according to some environmentalists and conservationists, including groups such as Greenpeace, TRAFFIC, and GeneWatch UK.-Usage:...
to other deer species such as Red DeerRed DeerThe red deer is one of the largest deer species. Depending on taxonomy, the red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor, parts of western Asia, and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being...
Cervus elephas. - Water deerWater DeerThe Water Deer is a small deer superficially more similar to a musk deer than a true deer but it is classified as a cervid despite having tusks instead of antlers and other anatomical anomalies. These unique characteristics have caused it to be classified in its own genus...
(Hydropotes inermis). Another species which has escaped from Woburn Park, having a feral population in the surrounding area of England.
Cattle
- British WhiteBritish WhiteThe British White is a naturally polled British cattle breed, white with black or red points, used mainly for beef. It has a confirmed history dating back to the 17th century, and may be derived from similar cattle kept in parks for many centuries before that.-Characteristics:The British White has...
. White cattle with red or black ears were kept in parks in Britain and Ireland over many hundreds of years. PolledPolled livestockPolled livestock are livestock without horns, of species that normally have them. The term refers both to breeds or strains which are naturally polled through selective breeding and also to naturally horned animals which have been dehorned...
(hornless) herds and individuals of these formed the basis of the usually black-eared British White. - GallowayGalloway cattleThe Galloway is one of the world's longest established breeds of beef cattle, named after the Galloway region of Scotland, where it originated. It is now found in many parts of the world....
. Polled, woolly cattle, originally from ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
but also often kept as park animals in Britain during the 18th and 19th centuries, especially as colour forms such as the Belted GallowayBelted GallowayThe Belted Galloway is a rare beef breed of cattle originating from Galloway in South West Scotland, adapted to living on the poor upland pastures and windswept moorlands of the region...
. - White ParkWhite ParkThe White Park is a rare breed of horned cattle with ancient herds preserved in Great Britain.-Description:...
. A white, usually black-eared beef breed derived from hornHorn (anatomy)A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
ed herds and individuals of the British park cattle.- ChillinghamChillingham CattleChillingham Cattle are a breed of cattle that live in a large enclosed park at Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, England. This rare breed consists of about 90 animals in Chillingham, which inhabit a very large park that has existed since the Middle Ages...
. A red-eared type of White Park which lives only as a feral animal at Chillingham CastleChillingham CastleChillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England. It was the seat of the Grey family and their descendants the Earls of Tankerville from the 13th century until the 1980s. The Chillingham Wild Cattle, formerly associated with the...
in northern England (and at one other site). - Vaynol. A black-eared type of White Park recognised as a separate rare breed, from the VaynolVaynolVaynol or Y Faenol , is a country estate dating from the Tudor period, near Y Felinheli in Gwynedd, North Wales . There are of park, farmland, and gardens on the estate, with over thirty listed buildings, surrounded by a wall which is long...
estate in North WalesNorth WalesNorth Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
.
- Chillingham
Sheep
- Black Welsh MountainBlack Welsh Mountain sheepThe Black Welsh Mountain sheep is a colour type of the Welsh Mountain sheep. It occurs occasionally in flocks of other colours, but is now often maintained as a separate strain. Like other Welsh Mountain sheep it is found mainly on the hills in Wales, but is also kept elsewhere.Introduced into...
. A colour variety of Welsh Mountain Sheep, with a history as an ornamental animal. - Castlemilk Moorit. A short-tailed breed of sheep, developed in Scotland as an ornamental animal from crosses of other breeds and wild sheepMouflonThe mouflon is a subspecies group of the wild sheep Ovis aries. Populations of Ovis aries can be partitioned into the mouflons and urials or arkars...
. - HebrideanHebridean (sheep)The Hebridean is a breed of small black sheep from Scotland, similar to other members of the Northern European short-tailed sheep group, having a short, triangular tail. They often have two pairs of horns...
. A black, short-tailed breed of sheep, often multi-horned. It is derived from multi-coloured sheep kept in the HebridesHebridesThe Hebrides comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. There are two main groups: the Inner and Outer Hebrides. These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive...
since the Iron AgeIron AgeThe Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, which became extinct there in the late 19th century. A population survived in parks in England and ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, where they became always black, probably from cross-breeding with another ornamental breed, Jacob sheep. - JacobJacob (sheep)The Jacob sheep is a rare breed of small, piebald , polycerate sheep. Jacobs may have from two to six horns, but most commonly have four. The most common color is black and white, but they may also be blue and white or lilac and white in coloring. Jacobs are usually raised for their wool, meat,...
. A pied, often multi-horned breed of sheep which was kept in parks in England for several centuries. Unrelated to other British sheep, but of uncertain origin.
Goats
- BagotBagot goatThe Bagot goat is a breed of goat which for several hundred years has lived semi-wild at Blithfield Hall, Staffordshire, England. It is a small goat, with a black head and neck and the remainder of the body white...
. A small, pied goat with large horns, kept at Blithfield HallBlithfield HallBlithfield Hall , is a privately owned Grade I listed country house in Staffordshire, England, situated some east of Stafford, southwest of Uttoxeter and north of Rugeley....
, Staffordshire, England, reputedly since the Middle AgesMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, and probably derived originally from similar goatsValais BlackneckThe Valais Blackneck goat breed from southern Switzerland is utilized for the production of meat and milk. It is characterized by black forequarters and white hindquarters and long hair....
from the RhoneRhôneRhone can refer to:* Rhone, one of the major rivers of Europe, running through Switzerland and France* Rhône Glacier, the source of the Rhone River and one of the primary contributors to Lake Geneva in the far eastern end of the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
region of SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Other mammals
- Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Introduced as an ornamental animal to England and other places, and established as a feral animal; implicated in the steep decline in mainland Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
of the native Red SquirrelRed SquirrelThe red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia...
(Sciurus vulgaris).
- Red-necked wallabyRed-necked WallabyThe Red-necked Wallaby is a medium-sized marsupial macropod, common in the more temperate and fertile parts of eastern Australia, including Tasmania.- Description :...
(Macropus rufogriseus). Escaped or introduced to various areas in the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.