Sydney Zoo $36 million zoo with roaming African animals planned for Blacktown

[Zoofan15]

The chimps are from Schwaben Park in Germany - this place had a lot of chimps and wanted to go out of them but given that they’re non subspecific nowhere in Europe really wanted them.
Believe it’s seven males and four females that have arrived at the zoo

Apparently this place used to operate as a glorified circus. There were around 40 chimpanzees held there. I'm not sure what ages the new imports will be but either way, they could be coming with a lot of issues. 7.4 is quite a gender imbalance for a species, which is usually curated with a heavier balance of females to ease tensions. Presumably it reflects social ties within the troop that they didn't want to disrupt.

 

[marmolady]

I'm guessing at least some of the males are castrated, as has been fairly common practice in Europe. Knowing that they are from a performing background, it castration for ease of management seems likely. In this case, their social role would not be that of usual males. I'll be very interested to learn about the individuals in this group.

 

[ShonenJake13]

I'm guessing at least some of the males are castrated, as has been fairly common practice in Europe. Knowing that they are from a performing background, it castration for ease of management seems likely. In this case, their social role would not be that of usual males. I'll be very interested to learn about the individuals in this group.

Some research has shown:

The seven boys are called Fritz, Maik, Tim, Charli, Jerry, Many and Mogli, and range in age from 37 to 10. The four girls are called Babsi, Julchen, Mary and Sile, and range in age from 35 to 13. They all seem to be related in some shape or form - Tim, Charli and Many are brothers, and Mary, Mogli and Jerry are siblings as well. Sile is the daughter of Julchen.

 

[Zoofan15]

Some research has shown:

The seven boys are called Fritz, Maik, Tim, Charli, Jerry, Many and Mogli, and range in age from 37 to 10. The four girls are called Babsi, Julchen, Mary and Sile, and range in age from 35 to 13. They all seem to be related in some shape or form - Tim, Charli and Many are brothers, and Mary, Mogli and Jerry are siblings as well. Sile is the daughter of Julchen.

All four females are of reproductive age then. It'll be interesting to see if they contribute to the regional breeding programme, or if they have purely been imported as a non breeding group. I suppose most of all, it depends on how well adjusted they are socially. Even if the females are capable of rearing their own offspring; if the offspring are immersed in a troop which is socially abnormal, they may struggle when integrated with a community of 'normal' chimpanzees.

Lulu (1952-2014) at Taronga Zoo was of course from a circus background and at times struggled to assimilate to life as a chimpanzee; as have other hand raised females in the region.

 

[Nisha]

Some snippets of info via Google and the incomplete website - The primate species will also include Tufted Capuchin and Spider Monkey (I assume Black Handed?).

The Tiger's will be Sumatran

The species held in the Australian section will include:
Black Headed Python
Black Headed Monitor
Boyd's Forest Dragon
Broad Headed Snake
Brush Tailed Possum
Cassowary
Central Netted Dragon
Centralian Blue Tounged Skink
Centralian Knob Tailed Gecko
Common Death Adder
Common Wombat
Diamond Python
Dingo
Eastern Brown Snake
Eastern Long Necked Turtle
Echidna
Emu
Frill necked Lizard
Ghost Bat
Giant Burrowing Cockroach
Giant Grasshopper
Gidgee Skink
Goliath Stick Insect
Greater Bilby
Green and Golden Bell Frog
Green Tree Python
Inland Taipan
Kangaroo Island Kangaroo
Koala
Lace Monitor
Long Nosed Potaroo
Magnificent Tree Frog
Merten's Water Monitor
Perentie
Pygmy Possum
Red Kangaroo
Red Bellied Black Snake
Ring Tailed Possum
Rough Scaled Python
Saltwater Crocodile
Scrub Python
Shingleback Skink
Spinifex Hopping Mouse
Spiny Leaf Insect
Sugar Glider
Swamp Wallaby
Tasmanian Devil
Tiger Snake
Western Blue Tounged Skink
Yellow Footed Rocky Wallaby

The Aquarium will house:
Australian Bass
Australian Lungfish
Australian Rainbowfish
Barramundi
Bull Shark
Gulf Saratoga
Little Penguin
Murray Cod
Murray River Spiny Crayfish
Red Clawed Smooth Crayfish
Seven Spot Archer Fish

 

[Chlidonias]

Some snippets of info via Google and the incomplete website

By "Google" you mean...? The internet is full of nonsense about this zoo's holdings - very little has even been anounced yet.

 

[Nisha]

By "Google" you mean...? The internet is full of nonsense about this zoo's holdings - very little has even been anounced yet.

No, that list was off the zoos website. Just that most of the links (within the website) don't work yet.. So as a work around - you go onto Google and type in (for example) Sydney Zoo Bullshark and then it brings up the page for Bullshark plus a drop down list of other species in that section. They have the same for Africa and the rest of the sections.

Sorry I didn't word my original post very well

 

[nczoofan]

No, that list was off the zoos website. Just that most of the links (within the website) don't work yet.. So as a work around - you go onto Google and type in (for example) Sydney Zoo Bullshark and then it brings up the page for Bullshark plus a drop down list of other species in that section. They have the same for Africa and the rest of the sections.

Sorry I didn't word my original post very well

Its crazy to think about a zoo opening with only 4 species of birds

Otherwise this place seems to be turning out better than expected. From their facebook the reptile house looks great and they have done extensive planting to improve the site.

 

[Chlidonias]

No, that list was off the zoos website. Just that most of the links (within the website) don't work yet.. So as a work around - you go onto Google and type in (for example) Sydney Zoo Bullshark and then it brings up the page for Bullshark plus a drop down list of other species in that section. They have the same for Africa and the rest of the sections.

Thanks, I didn't know about that.

 

[tetrapod]

If the list of native species is valid, then that's a really good collection. Really nice to see that they have an aquatic display and reasonable representation of inverts. Are bull sharks relatively easy to keep? Not a species one often sees in aquaria.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

The hyaenas in particular are fantastic news. I wonder what their sexes are? (Googling the names didn't show anything).

The zoo confirmed (via message) that the hyenas are all male. Apparently they will release more information about the baboons in the coming weeks.
In other news, the zoo’s three zebra are called, ‘Zulu’, ‘Zuberi’ and ‘Zambezi’.
Security Check

 

[Zoofan15]

In other news, the zoo’s three zebra are called, ‘Zulu’, ‘Zuberi’ and ‘Zambezi’.
Security Check

This must be Zambezi that was living at Monarto Zoo. He was their breeding stallion for a while; before living in a bachelor group with one of his sons. I’m not sure if the third male mentioned here was another son, who later joined them; or whether he is a unrelated male, who joined them at Sydney Zoo.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

This must be Zambezi that was living at Monarto Zoo. He was their breeding stallion for a while; before living in a bachelor group with one of his sons. I’m not sure if the third male mentioned here was another son, who later joined them; or whether he is a unrelated male, who joined them at Sydney Zoo.

Zebras are always difficult to identify to an individual level in my opinion, mainly due the majority of them having names beginning with ‘z’. Also, since our region has a reasonable population of zebras there are always many possibilities.
Monarto Zoo seems a likely choice, however I do know that Taronga has/had a male zebra called, ‘Zuberi’.
Although the Facebook post shows a photo of what looks to be at least one Chapman’s type zebra, Darling Downs Zoo does has two Grant’s males (by coincidence or not) called ‘Zulu’ and ‘Zambezi’.

 

[Zoofan15]

Zebras are always difficult to identify to an individual level in my opinion, mainly due the majority of them having names beginning with ‘z’. Also, since our region has a reasonable population of zebras there are always many possibilities.
Monarto Zoo seems a likely choice, however I do know that Taronga has/had a male zebra called, ‘Zuberi’.
Although the Facebook post shows a photo of what looks to be at least one Chapman’s type zebra, Darling Downs Zoo does has two Grant’s males (by coincidence or not) called ‘Zulu’ and ‘Zambezi’.

I hadn’t actually noticed the abundance of zebras with ‘Z’ names as there isn’t many in New Zealand; but it does make sense as there are so many Swahili names beginning with ‘Z.’

One of Sydney Zoo’s zebra probably came from somewhere else as previous news reports said there were two zebra on site; which has since been updated to three.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; there’s gonna be bugger all breeding at Sydney Zoo for the foreseeable:

Lions - non breeding
Cheetah - non breeding
Hyena - non breeding
Zebra - non breeding
Orangutan - non breeding
Chimpanzee - non breeding (probably)

Many of us have predicted they’ll be receiving the three bachelor male gorillas at Melbourne; the two adolescent bulls at TWPZ look like their most likely option for elephants; and their Sumatran tiger will be non breeding as there are so many holders ahead of them to breed. I guess all that’s left is to source a same sex giraffe herd!

It’s nothing unusual for a new holder not to be given breeding privileges; but as the first major Australasian Zoo in decades, it’s hitting them all at once.

 

[Chlidonias]

he zoo confirmed (via message) that the hyenas are all male.

Well, that's disappointing...

Lions - non breeding
Cheetah - non breeding
Hyena - non breeding
Zebra - non breeding
Orangutan - non breeding
Chimpanzee - non breeding (probably)

Their African Hunting Dogs are all male too.

 

[marmolady]

I would guess there would be plans to breed the chimpanzees eventually. That's a good sized mixed-sex group to import if breeding was not planned, especially when the region really could do with new genetics. I'm assuming all of the females were hand-reared?

 

[Brum]

I would guess there would be plans to breed the chimpanzees eventually. That's a good sized mixed-sex group to import if breeding was not planned, especially when the region really could do with new genetics. I'm assuming all of the females were hand-reared?

Excuse my ignorance, but are Australasian zoos still breeding subspecific hybrids? I know that in Europe there's been a move to just breed pure P.t.verus nowadays.

 

[marmolady]

Chimpanzees are presently managed on species level in Australasia, similar to the US. To my knowledge, there is only one individual whose subspecies is known, Galatea at Monarto, P.t.verus (at the time she was imported from Europe, the subspecies of her father had been misidentified).

 

[Zoofan15]

Excuse my ignorance, but are Australasian zoos still breeding subspecific hybrids? I know that in Europe there's been a move to just breed pure P.t.verus nowadays.

Yes, all the offspring born in Australasia in recent decades are hybrids. The Monarto Zoo has one purebred female. She was exported from Europe in 2010 by accident (they thought she was a hybrid) along with three other hybrid females; but since Monarto’s males are hybrids, her future offspring will be also.

Hamilton Zoo also has a female who is likely purebred, but she has never bred and is now post reproductive.

The benefit of Europe shifting their focus to purebred chimpanzee, is that they’re more willing to export their hybrids. We’ve had several European imports in recent years - 0.4 to Monarto Zoo in 2010; 0.3 to Taronga Zoo in 2015; and 1.1 to Rockhampton Zoo in 2015.

 

[MRJ]

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; there’s gonna be bugger all breeding at Sydney Zoo for the foreseeable:.

Keep in mind this is a commercial operation. They are probably just happy to have animals in exhibits. Breeding animals is expensive and takes space, so is probably not a priority, at least initially.