Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo 2017

I visited TWPZ last week and I was extremely impressed by the changes. They haven't made any really big changes, but a lot of little things have been cleaned up and fixed up - it's like it has just had a big coat of paint (metaphorically). New bright signs have been put up next to exhibits, and the drab, tired feel the place used to have seems to have gone.

There are less animals, but they seem to be focusing on high profile species rather than "fillers" and there are a lot of baby animals at the moment.

The major noticeable addition was the nice new meerkat exhibit between the black rhinos and cape hunting dogs. It was a nice exhibit and fitted in with the feel of the zoo.

I also liked the back area for the Indian rhinos. The male could be seen in the original enclosure, while the female and calf could be seen in the back section which now has a viewing area.

While I've always been very critical of Dubbo for not having at least one second species of monkey, there seem to be more spider monkeys now, and the colour difference between the individuals was quite marked. Some were almost black but one was very blond, and some were black on top and blond/orange/white underneath. I found this very interesting as it shows the large colour range within the one species. That said, I wish they would get a second species of monkey.

There was the new baby hippo, a baby elephant, baby cheetahs, baby giraffes (3 of them I think), lion cubs, a baby Indian rhino, a baby white rhino and a baby zebra.

They've got rid of those tired old enclosures housing meerkats and wombats, and they've got rid of many "fillers". The water buffalo and African forest buffalo are still there (boring me to sleep), but that's okay - some people like them.

Some people have been critical about excessive numbers of blackbuck - however there weren't excessive numbers from what I saw. There was one enclosure with a male and a whole heap of females (a breeding group) and another enclosure just for males - this is no more than they originally had.

I also saw part of the construction of the new lion enclosure which will be ready late this year - so that will also be an exciting development.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Dubbo this time around. I had been a few times before and thought that it looked old and tired, but this time there seems to be a new energy to the place - maybe due to the new signage, baby animals, new meerkat enclosure, second Indian rhino viewing area etc. I give it 4 stars this time!
 
Grant Rhino said:
While I've always been very critical of Dubbo for not having at least one second species of monkey, there seem to be more spider monkeys now, and the colour difference between the individuals was quite marked. Some were almost black but one was very blond, and some were black on top and blond/orange/white underneath. I found this very interesting as it shows the large colour range within the one species. That said, I wish they would get a second species of monkey.
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Sounds like the dark 'Mexican' and golden 'Central/Nicaraguan' groups of spider monkeys in the region have started to merge into one population. Of course Dubbo has previously held other primate species - hanuman and patas, but both had a habit of swimming across the moats and escaping. Although requiring a different fencing strategy, it would be nice to see a large group of Hamadryas at one of the three open-range zoos.
 
Grant Rhino said:
Siamangs are apes (they are a type of gibbon). TWPZ has a good range of gibbons though - they have siamangs and white handed gibbons.
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Agreed (re: point about 'monkeys') - I wasn't including the siamangs and lemurs. Does Dubbo have white-handeds? Thought there were few if any left in Australia.
 
tetrapod said:
Agreed (re: point about 'monkeys') - I wasn't including the siamangs and lemurs. Does Dubbo have white-handeds? Thought there were few if any left in Australia.
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Yes - they have at least one White Handed Gibbon (I got some nice photos of it actually). I'm not sure if there was a second one there with it though.
 
Hippopotamus Calf Named Kendi

Newly named hippo baby - Kendi

Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s five-week old hippo calf now has a name - Kendi - announced at the Zoo this morning by the Today Show!

Kendi (African origin) means ‘loved one’, and was decided on by the public in a recent vote.

Mother, Cuddles, has been keeping a watchful eye over her active baby and has been doing a great job. Together, they spend most of the day in the water and as hippo infants are known to do, Kendi has been happy nursing off her mother underwater.

When they’re not swimming, Cuddles and Kendi have been enjoying splashes of winter sun, and lay together on the bank for hours at a time.

Each day, Kendi is getting more confident on land and in water, but her special bond with mum means she never strays too far.

Hippo calves suckle their mother for about one year, and generally reach full maturity at five to seven years of age. Provided there are favourable conditions, grown females in the wild will birth one calf every two years.
 
Black Rhino Calf Named Mesi

Black Rhino calf born in April named 'Mesi'

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is excited to announce a name for 12-week-old female Southern Black Rhinoceros calf – ‘Mesi’.

The name Mesi means ‘smoke’ in the South African Sotho language, and was decided on by Zoo Keepers following a recent vote.

“The name is quite different to any of our other Black Rhinoceros names, whilst also reflecting the native homeland of this species, so we felt it was very fitting,” Keeper Jake Williams said.

As the first offspring for mother Kufara, the calf’s birth on 11 April heralded the third generation of Southern Black Rhino to be born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo.

“Over the past couple of months mother and calf have formed a very strong bond behind the scenes,” Jake said. “Both are doing extremely well and Kufara is continuing to show a very strong maternal instinct. She is very protective of Mesi, and it’s been so pleasing to see her doing such a great job of caring for her little one.”

At birth Mesi weighed approximately 25-30 kilograms, and since then has grown and developed considerably, with keepers now estimating her weight at between 80-100kg. She often enjoys a gallop around her behind the scenes yard, all the while keeping close to her mother. She is getting more curious about her surroundings each day.

Zoo Keepers have developed a small ‘creep’ yard in her enclosure – a fence opening large enough for Mesi to pass through, but too small for Kufara. This allows Mesi to get close to Keepers and grow accustomed to their presence, whilst Kurafa comfortably eats hay nearby.

“By encouraging Mesi to interact closely with Zoo Keepers from a young age, we can develop a bond that will mean Mesi is comfortable with us as she continues to grow and develop into an adult Rhino,” Jake said.

Kufara and Mesi will remain behind the scenes as they continue to bond and gain in confidence, and will be on exhibit for the public to see in August.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is the only zoo in Australia to have successfully bred three species of rhino – the Black Rhino and White Rhino from Africa, and the Greater One-horned Rhino from Asia.
 
Giraffe:

Tuli (born 1997 at Taronga Western Plains Zoo) has given birth to a male calf named Kibo; Asmara (born 2006 at Taronga Western Plains Zoo) has given birth to a male calf named Zuberi; Ntombi (born 2007 at Auckland Zoo) is expecting her fourth calf this year.

Zoo sees double with two new giraffe calves | Photos, video

Taronga Western Plains Zoo has double the reason to celebrate with two new and cute additions to the giraffe herd born within a week of each other.

The arrival of the male calves marks an exciting development for the zoo’s giraffe breeding program.

It has an 11-strong breeding herd of the gentle giants that are decreasing in number in the wild.

The first new arrival at the zoo was born on August 8 and named ‘Zuberi’, which means ‘strong’ in Swahili.

His playmate was born on August 15 and has been named ‘Kibo’, a name of African origin, meaning ‘the highest’.

Keeper Pascale Benoit said they were delighted to witness the first birth for the season on August 8, with the calf born on exhibit about midday.

“It was a smooth delivery and was followed by a number of giraffe in the herd getting up close to meet the new calf within moments of its arrival,” she said.

“They were a great support for experienced mother, Asmara, helping her to lick her new calf and encouraging him to stand.

“We were particularly excited to discover our second calf just one week later on Tuesday August 15, born overnight to experienced mother Tuli.

“Both pairs of mother and calf are doing very well, and have integrated nicely back into the herd.”

A third Giraffe female, Ntombi, is confirmed pregnant, with the birth anticipated in the near future.
 
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Update on African Wild Dog Pups:

African Wild Dog litter turns one

On 25 August 2017 our 11 African Wild Dog pups will turn one year old! Bayana, Kumi, Lady, Leonardo, Madash, Mambo, Nelson, Pat, Spot, Tybo and Ziggy, who can be individually identified by their unique markings, are now almost fully grown. Their daily routine at here at the Zoo revolves around feeding, cleaning, maintenance, checks, observation, conditioning and enrichment.

All of our African Wild Dogs are very enthusiastic and receptive to enrichment and love emu eggs, kitten milk, cat food smears and even parmesan cheese! They are also very responsive to perfume sprays and other animal products, which they rub on in an attempt to mask the scent with their own unique (and rather strong) odour. The keepers have spent a lot of time conditioning the pack to move on and off exhibit, so we can manage or treat the dogs when required, clean their exhibit and undertake routine maintenance. They are very responsive to these moves. They are, however, not fond of frosty mornings and will sleep in piles, cuddled up together, which makes it very hard to get a head count in the mornings, when we like to make sure all 23 dogs in the pack are present and accounted for!

Like all young dogs the pups like to look for trouble, and can often be seen chasing each other, pulling tails, play wrestling, digging and stealing each other’s bones (when are they are not sleeping in-between!) The alpha pair, Guban and Kimanda, usually rule with a firm hand, however they are still letting the pups get away with anything and they are allowed to eat as much as they want at feed time, usually ending up with very full bellies by the end! Their nine older siblings are very tolerant of their mischievousness.

Our spectacular pack is fed everyday at 2.20pm and this feed is always action packed - at times they demonstrate the agility of AFL footballers! African Wild Dog numbers are in rapid decline in the wild and so our pups are extremely important in maintaining a viable zoo based population and educating people on the importance of these beautiful, tenacious and charismatic animals.
 
Black Rhino Calf Media Debut:

Zoo's Black Rhino calf makes media debut

Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s Southern Black Rhinoceros calf, Mesi, along with her mother Kufara, made her media debut on exhibit today!

As the first offspring for Kufara, Mesi’s birth on 11 April marked the third generation of Southern Black Rhino to be born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo. The name Mesi means ‘smoke’ in the South African Sotho language.

“Mesi is four-and-a-half months old now and is thriving, weighing close to an estimated 100 kilograms,” Keeper Nerida Taylor said.

“She has recently started eating solid food, like hay and small amounts of browse (leafy tree branches), alongside her mother, Kufara.

“Mesi is becoming increasingly confident on exhibit, and is developing quite a distinct, quirky personality. Each day we see new developments in her behaviours, and she’s very curious about her surroundings.

“Kufara is continuing to show a very strong maternal instinct, and keeps a watchful eye over her calf, which is great to see,” Nerida said.

The spring months will be a great time to see Mesi and her mother, Kufara, on exhibit at the Zoo. The best time of the day to see them is in the morning.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo is the only zoo in Australia to have successfully bred three species of rhino – the Black Rhino and White Rhino from Africa, and the Greater One-horned Rhino from Asia.
 
Very sad news of the young male Indian rhino has died today at almost two years old!
 
Zorro said:
Very sad news of the young male Indian rhino has died today at almost two years old!
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that's a real shock, out of the blue like that!

From their Facebook:

It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the loss of our beautiful Greater One-horned Rhino, Rajah, over the weekend.

Rajah, who was almost two years old, became seriously ill on Sunday 17 September. Based on his symptoms, our vets made a working diagnosis of tetanus, which is very rare in rhinos.

Our veterinary and keeping teams worked so hard last week to save Rajah, and he fought bravely throughout, but sadly on Saturday his condition significantly declined. The heart breaking decision was made to humanely euthanise him to end his pain.

The entire Taronga team is in mourning for Rajah. He was part of our Zoo family and we are devastated by this loss.
 
This is absolutely awful news! Such a sad thing to hear. I took some lovely photos of him a few months ago, and was so excited that a calf had finally been born in Australia! I'm gutted - absolutely gutted hearing this.
 
Terrible news, but from which the positives must be taken, TWPZ has a proven breeding pair, from which we shall see more calves in the future and hopefully more collections supporting this wonderful species.
 
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