Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Zoo News 2017

Lions preparing for move to Melbourne Zoo:

Lions preparing for move to Melbourne Zoo | Zoos Victoria

Keepers at Werribee Open Range Zoo are preparing three adolescent male lions for their upcoming move to Melbourne Zoo.

The three lions, Kashka, Kito, and Kubwa were the first lion cubs to be born at Werribee Open Range Zoo in October 2015. Now 19 months old, the adolescent males have reached an age where they would start to move away from their family pride in the wild.

Keepers have been busy preparing the three adolescent males for the move for the past few months, including training the trio to be comfortable spending time in their transport crates.

The three brothers all have very different personalities and their keepers have individually tailored their training to best prepare them for the move to reduce the any moving stress so they can have a great start to their time at Melbourne Zoo.

The trio have also been spending more time away from the family pride in preparation for the move.

Lion Keeper Katherine Quinn said preparing the lions for the move was one of mixed emotions.

“Kashka, Kito and Kubwa were the first lion cubs to be born at Werribee Open Range Zoo and we have been lucky enough to see them grow and develop into the young males they are today.”

“It is going to be sad to see them leave, but it’s also exciting to think that they will be just down the road at Melbourne Zoo’s new lion facility, Lion Gorge,” Ms Quinn said.

The three brothers will form a bachelor group at Melbourne Zoo and will be transported in the coming weeks.
 
Are there any news about the Plains-wanderer facilities? Are they actually gonna be done by the end of the year?
 
kelvin said:
Four added to the lion pride at Vic zoo
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Great to see the baby boom of African lion cubs in our region continue with the birth of these four cubs. Four more great grandchildren for Auckland Zoo's lioness, Kura (born 1998), who now has around 40 living descendants in Australasia.

Here's the official news release from Zoo's Victoria:

Lion cubs born at Werribee Open Range Zoo | Zoos Victoria

Lion cubs born at Werribee Open Range Zoo

Werribee Open Range Zoo have welcomed the arrival of four new additions to the lion pride.

This is Lioness Nilo’s second litter of cubs and father Johari’s third litter following the birth of triplets Kubwa, Kashka and Kito in 2015 and Ndidi, Aziza, Zuberi and Kibibi in 2016.

Nilo went into labour just before 1am on Saturday 12 August, with the cubs being born in quick succession in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Nilo and her cubs are off display in a special nesting den, with vets and keepers monitoring them closely via a video camera link.

The team are pleased to see Lioness Nilo recovering well following the birth, attentively feeding and grooming the cubs.

These first few weeks are a critical time for the newborns but so far the signs are positive – the cubs are nursing and Nilo is getting some much-needed rest, feeding and napping when she can.

Lioness Nilo and her cubs will remain off display in the nesting den for at least six to eight weeks, replicating what would happen in the wild where expectant lionesses move away from the pride to give birth.

It’s very important that Nilo has a secluded space to bond with and to care for her cubs during these first few weeks.

Born after a relatively short gestation period of three months, Lion cubs are particularly vulnerable at birth, opening their eyes at approximately ten days and becoming mobile at three weeks of age.

The sex of the cubs will be determined at approximately six weeks of age.

Lions are an iconic part of the African savannah, yet they are disappearing at an alarming rate. In the last two decades the population has decreased by 43% and it’s estimated that there may be as few as 20,000 lions remaining in the wild.

Kenya is one of the last strongholds for the species and Zoos Victoria is working to help protect wildlife in Northern Kenya through the community-based Beads for Wildlife program.

Updates on the progress of mother and cubs will be shared via Zoos Victoria’s website and Zoos Victoria's Facebook and Twitter profiles.
 
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Nice to see two more female cubs born into this pride (combined with the two female cubs born last year). Their father Johari is 14 years old, so on his passing (or retirement), his four daughters (and possibly their mothers) will still be young enough to breed with a new male/males.

I believe this pride of 1.2 adults and 4.4 cubs is now the largest in Australasia, followed by Taronga Western Plains Zoo with 2.3 adults and 4.0 cubs and Monarto Zoo with 0.8 adults in their larger pride (they also hold a smaller pride of 3.0 adults).
 
Parrots set to boost wild population | Zoos Victoria

Parrots set to boost wild population

Numbers of the Critically Endangered Orange-bellied Parrot will receive a boost this week with 15 female birds set to be released in Melaleuca, Tasmania.

Six of the birds were bred in captivity at Healesville Sanctuary, while another seven were wild-caught birds ‘ranched’ at Werribee Open Range Zoo over the winter as part of an innovative trial.

The ranching trial involved collecting Orange-bellied Parrots from Tasmania at the end of the breeding season in April 2017, assisting them to migrate over the Bass Strait and keeping them safe at Werribee Open Range Zoo over the winter in order to successfully return them to Tasmania for the upcoming summer breeding season.

Werribee Open Range Zoo Associate Veterinarian, Dr Paul Eden said the birds would play an important role in the conservation of the species.

“It is always an exciting day when we release animals especially a Critically Endangered species such as the Orange-bellied Parrot,” Dr Eden said.

“Very few wild birds are expected to return to the breeding grounds this year, and these released birds will play a critical role in the upcoming breeding season in Tasmania as each and every Orange-bellied Parrot that makes the journey over Bass Strait is significant.”

In a further boost for the species, the six captive-bred birds are part of Healesville Sanctuary’s most successful breeding season ever with 43 Orange-bellied Parrots hatching in 2017.

The birds received a final vet check before departing, receiving a clean bill of health.

There are a lot of challenges involved in the recovery of the Orange-bellied Parrot and, with such a small population left, the birds’ survival depends on innovation and collaboration with partners and with community to save this iconic local species.

Zoos Victoria works closely with the National Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team that supports the survival of this species in the wild.

This is truly a Zoos Victoria effort but I'll put it in the Werribee Open Range Zoo thread.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Parrots set to boost wild population | Zoos Victoria

Parrots set to boost wild population

Numbers of the Critically Endangered Orange-bellied Parrot will receive a boost this week with 15 female birds set to be released in Melaleuca, Tasmania.

Six of the birds were bred in captivity at Healesville Sanctuary, while another seven were wild-caught birds ‘ranched’ at Werribee Open Range Zoo over the winter as part of an innovative trial.

The ranching trial involved collecting Orange-bellied Parrots from Tasmania at the end of the breeding season in April 2017, assisting them to migrate over the Bass Strait and keeping them safe at Werribee Open Range Zoo over the winter in order to successfully return them to Tasmania for the upcoming summer breeding season.

Werribee Open Range Zoo Associate Veterinarian, Dr Paul Eden said the birds would play an important role in the conservation of the species.

“It is always an exciting day when we release animals especially a Critically Endangered species such as the Orange-bellied Parrot,” Dr Eden said.

“Very few wild birds are expected to return to the breeding grounds this year, and these released birds will play a critical role in the upcoming breeding season in Tasmania as each and every Orange-bellied Parrot that makes the journey over Bass Strait is significant.”

In a further boost for the species, the six captive-bred birds are part of Healesville Sanctuary’s most successful breeding season ever with 43 Orange-bellied Parrots hatching in 2017.

The birds received a final vet check before departing, receiving a clean bill of health.

There are a lot of challenges involved in the recovery of the Orange-bellied Parrot and, with such a small population left, the birds’ survival depends on innovation and collaboration with partners and with community to save this iconic local species.

Zoos Victoria works closely with the National Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team that supports the survival of this species in the wild.

This is truly a Zoos Victoria effort but I'll put it in the Werribee Open Range Zoo thread.
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This is very interesting. It is also rather in contrast to the gloomy reports that this species may be 'functionally extinct' because only males arrived back in Tassie this spring.

Somewhere I also read that there will be some sort of news blackout about how they progress this season.
 
Pertinax said:
This is very interesting. It is also rather in contrast to the gloomy reports that this species may be 'functionally extinct' because only males arrived back in Tassie this spring.
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What I had read was that none of the older females had returned to Tasmania, only the older males. There are still younger females in the wild, and the younger females arrive later than the older females. But it sounds like there may be no more wild-born females left. (I'm just going off news reports, which may not be accurate).
 
Chlidonias said:
What I had read was that none of the older females had returned to Tasmania, only the older males. There are still younger females in the wild, and the younger females arrive later than the older females. But it sounds like there may be no more wild-born females left. (I'm just going off news reports, which may not be accurate).
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Of the females being sent over, it says six were bred at Healesville- though not the year they were born, and another seven were wildcaught( and therefore wildborn) and had been 'overwintered' at Werribee before being sent back to Tas. That's 13. No mention is made of the source of the last 2(=15), or the age of the females involved here. My guess is older females make more successful breeders than the younger more inexperienced ones though.
 
A wild female has arrived. Only in the last few days. A second year bird if I remember correctly. There's a facebook page that has up to date info.
 
Breeding Programme for Plains-wanderers

New home for Plains-wanderers | Zoos Victoria

The critically endangered Plains-wanderer has found a new home at Werribee Open Range Zoo.

The new, purpose-built home contains 22 aviaries and will be home to Zoos Victoria’s Plains-wanderer captive breeding program.

Once widespread from Victoria to Queensland, the Plains-wanderer has undergone a dramatic decline of more than 90 per cent in the last decade. It is feared that there are fewer than 1000 Plains-wanderers in the wild, with their last strongholds in the Northern Plains of Victoria and New South Wales Riverina. The breeding program is working to save the species from extinction.

The aviary has welcomed its first resident, Wanda the female Plains-wanderer, who moved into her new home as the founding bird of the captive-breeding program.

Werribee Open Range Zoo's Keeper Yvette Pauligk said Wanda had quite a journey to find her way to the zoo.

“Wanda was found in the suburbs of Bendigo almost 100 kilometres away from normal Plains-wanderer habitat,” Ms Pauligk said.

“Plains-wanderers are not particularly good flyers so we’re not quite sure how she got there but we’re happy she did, as every individual is important for the survival of the species.”

The major threats to their survival are the loss of sparse native grasslands and the condition of the grassland habitat that remains.

“The Plains-wanderer is an incredibly unique species and we’re very excited to be able bring these birds under our wing,” she said.

Wanda will be joined by a male Plains-wanderer from Taronga Zoo. Another eight birds will move in later in November.

“Unfortunately the Plains-wanderer is not recovering on its own so that’s why the decision has been made to step in and help this iconic species recover.”

The conservation status of the Plains-wanderer was changed from vulnerable to critically endangered by the Australian Government in July 2015.

Zoos Victoria is working closely with partners including Parks Victoria, local landholders, Trust for Nature and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning.

Zoos Victoria is also a part of the Plains-wanderer National Recovery Team, working in conjunction with Taronga Zoo, Featherdale Wildlife Park and Zoos SA to establish a captive breeding program to ensure the survival of this unique grassland species.
 
I noticed something in the 2017-18 Corporate Plan from Zoos Victoria and was wondering if there was any information on this...

https://www.zoo.org.au/sites/default/files/ZVCorpPlan17_FA.pdf

Page 26 says there is a "$20 million development" which is being designed for the Werribee Zoo. Given this is listed under Asset Management, it can only be assumed this refers to the addition of new exhibits or facilities, or renovations of existing exhibits... Is anyone able to provide more information?
 
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