In the last weeks I've been travelling in Australia and I was able to visit some zoos along the trip.
Perth Zoo
On my second day in Australia, I visited Perth Zoo. Because my time was limited that day, I focused on native species. First, I went to "Reptile Encounter" to see one of the species of my wishlist for Perth Zoo: the perentie. I saw one sleeping on a rock in the inner part of the enclosure. It was quite a contrast with the dwarf Dampier Peninsula Monitor in the same building.
Through "Australian Wetlands" I went to "Australian Bushwalk", hoping to see species number two of my overall whistlist (number one would follow in the zoos of the eastern coast): the numbat. At first, I only saw a brown fluffy thing in the upper part of the enclosure, but at the end one individual was very active and came really close! Close to the end of "Australian Bushwalk" I saw a Western Brush Wallaby as well, although at first I thought it was a juvenile Grey or Red Kangaroo, and an active Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. I didn't see any Quokkas, but the next day I would see plenty of them in the wild at Rottnest Island.
The next native section, the Nocturnal House, was located at the crossing point of "Asian Rainforest", "Amazonia" and "African Savannah". Along the way to the Nocturnal House, I had a quick look at the enclosures for tigers (didn't see any), elephants and orangutans. The Nocturnal House of Perth Zoo would be the largest of the ones I visited during this trip with the most diverse collection. I saw all mammal species but the Western Quoll, including some rare species endemic for Western Australia.
I followed the route of the "African Savannah" to the exit, but didn't see any animals because it was near closing time and the keepers probably already put the giraffes, rhinos, painted dogs, etc in the inner enclosures.
Beautiful zoo with the best native section and largest nocturnal house of all the zoos I visited during my trip. I didn't see much of the exotic sections, so it's hard to judge these sections or to compare them to that of European zoos.
List of mammal species
Short-beaked Echidna
Tasmanian Devil
Western Quoll
Northern Quoll*
Red-tailed Phascogale
Fat-tailed Dunnart*
Dibbler*
Numbat*
Greater Bilby
Common Brushtail Possum
Western Ringtail Possum*
Northern Sugar Glider
Feathertail Glider
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Koala
Long-nosed Potoroo
Quokka
Tammar Wallaby
Western Brush Wallaby*
Western Grey Kangaroo
Red Kangaroo
Goodfellow Tree Kangaroo
Golden-bellied Water Rat
Spinifex Hopping Mouse
Ghost Bat
Dingo
Asian Elephant
Sumatran Tiger
Lion
Meerkat
Binturong
Spotted Hyaena
African Painted Dog
Malayan Sun Bear
Red Panda
South American Coati
Asian Small-clawed Otter
White Rhinoceros
Grant Zebra
Rothschild Giraffe
South African Porcupine
Ring-tailed Lemur
Black-and-white Lemur
Pygmy Marmoset
Cotton-top Tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
Brown Capucin Monkey
Hamadryas Baboon
Silver Gibbon
Northern White-cheeked Gibbon
Sumatran Orangutan
* species not seen before
Perth Zoo
On my second day in Australia, I visited Perth Zoo. Because my time was limited that day, I focused on native species. First, I went to "Reptile Encounter" to see one of the species of my wishlist for Perth Zoo: the perentie. I saw one sleeping on a rock in the inner part of the enclosure. It was quite a contrast with the dwarf Dampier Peninsula Monitor in the same building.
Through "Australian Wetlands" I went to "Australian Bushwalk", hoping to see species number two of my overall whistlist (number one would follow in the zoos of the eastern coast): the numbat. At first, I only saw a brown fluffy thing in the upper part of the enclosure, but at the end one individual was very active and came really close! Close to the end of "Australian Bushwalk" I saw a Western Brush Wallaby as well, although at first I thought it was a juvenile Grey or Red Kangaroo, and an active Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat. I didn't see any Quokkas, but the next day I would see plenty of them in the wild at Rottnest Island.
The next native section, the Nocturnal House, was located at the crossing point of "Asian Rainforest", "Amazonia" and "African Savannah". Along the way to the Nocturnal House, I had a quick look at the enclosures for tigers (didn't see any), elephants and orangutans. The Nocturnal House of Perth Zoo would be the largest of the ones I visited during this trip with the most diverse collection. I saw all mammal species but the Western Quoll, including some rare species endemic for Western Australia.
I followed the route of the "African Savannah" to the exit, but didn't see any animals because it was near closing time and the keepers probably already put the giraffes, rhinos, painted dogs, etc in the inner enclosures.
Beautiful zoo with the best native section and largest nocturnal house of all the zoos I visited during my trip. I didn't see much of the exotic sections, so it's hard to judge these sections or to compare them to that of European zoos.
List of mammal species
Short-beaked Echidna
Tasmanian Devil
Western Quoll
Northern Quoll*
Red-tailed Phascogale
Fat-tailed Dunnart*
Dibbler*
Numbat*
Greater Bilby
Common Brushtail Possum
Western Ringtail Possum*
Northern Sugar Glider
Feathertail Glider
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat
Koala
Long-nosed Potoroo
Quokka
Tammar Wallaby
Western Brush Wallaby*
Western Grey Kangaroo
Red Kangaroo
Goodfellow Tree Kangaroo
Golden-bellied Water Rat
Spinifex Hopping Mouse
Ghost Bat
Dingo
Asian Elephant
Sumatran Tiger
Lion
Meerkat
Binturong
Spotted Hyaena
African Painted Dog
Malayan Sun Bear
Red Panda
South American Coati
Asian Small-clawed Otter
White Rhinoceros
Grant Zebra
Rothschild Giraffe
South African Porcupine
Ring-tailed Lemur
Black-and-white Lemur
Pygmy Marmoset
Cotton-top Tamarin
Golden Lion Tamarin
Brown Capucin Monkey
Hamadryas Baboon
Silver Gibbon
Northern White-cheeked Gibbon
Sumatran Orangutan
* species not seen before
