Auckland Zoo Wild Indonesia Development

[toothlessjaws]

Yeah, but they could have surely made the islands more secure? One of the islands that used to house the lemurs was around the size of the current outdoor netted orangutan exhibit. Do you have a photo of the previous lemur islands? I couldn’t find one online.

No but I'm very familiar with the space. With no offence meant, I think your memory is massively over-estimating the size of those islands. Even joined together they are not really that big. I remember always feeling one was a bit small for the siamangs. But in any event, what would be required to turn it into an orang-utan exhibit would be so extensive that it would negate any advantage of the existing islands being there. I look forward to seeing what Auckland do. But with those structures they have designed/built so far I'm not holding out for anything not artificial.

 

[ZooNZ]

A super exciting rendering of what the orangutan and siamang exhibit would look like, courtesy of Studio Hanson | Roberts: ON THE BOARDS — Studio Hanson | Roberts

 

[Zoofan15]

A super exciting rendering of what the orangutan and siamang exhibit would look like, courtesy of Studio Hanson | Roberts: ON THE BOARDS — Studio Hanson | Roberts

They look like telegraph poles, but I believe the vegetation will soften it somewhat. Either way, it's a big improvement from the previous exhibit; and will be hugely engaging for orangutans and visitors alike.

 

[driftaguy]

Event: Creating Auckland’s Zoo’s South East Asia Jungle Track

Thursday, 20 June 2019 from 18:25-19:30

Auckland Zoo has been on an extended journey to renew the heart of the zoo, and is now well into creating its expansive new South East Asia Jungle Track that will open in phases next year. Orangutans, siamang gibbons, Asian small-clawed otters, Sumatran tigers, Sunda gharial (Asian crocodile), fish, and other reptiles will feature in stunning new habitats. The Zoo’s Head of Facility Services, Monica Lake, will share an overview of the project (the biggest in the Zoo’s history) and the rationale behind the many features that make the new South East Asian Track remarkable. – for both animals and people.


At our normal venue at Grasslands Lecture Theatre, Auckland Zoo.

$10 General admission
$5 Concession
Free entry for ZSA members & Zoo staff

Creating Auckland’s Zoo’s South East Asia Jungle Track

 

[Jambo]

Event: Creating Auckland’s Zoo’s South East Asia Jungle Track

Thursday, 20 June 2019 from 18:25-19:30

Auckland Zoo has been on an extended journey to renew the heart of the zoo, and is now well into creating its expansive new South East Asia Jungle Track that will open in phases next year. Orangutans, siamang gibbons, Asian small-clawed otters, Sumatran tigers, Sunda gharial (Asian crocodile), fish, and other reptiles will feature in stunning new habitats. The Zoo’s Head of Facility Services, Monica Lake, will share an overview of the project (the biggest in the Zoo’s history) and the rationale behind the many features that make the new South East Asian Track remarkable. – for both animals and people.


At our normal venue at Grasslands Lecture Theatre, Auckland Zoo.

$10 General admission
$5 Concession
Free entry for ZSA members & Zoo staff

Creating Auckland’s Zoo’s South East Asia Jungle Track

Is anyone going? If so, can they provide insight into what the meeting talked about?

 

[Zoofan15]

Here’s a recent article regarding the construction of the South East Asia precinct:

Auckland Zoo's biggest renovation yet, which comes with a $58m price tag

I thought these points were interesting:

“Three different ropes will be suspended 23 metres in the air, between the 13 massive poles - forming circuit that enable the apes to comfortably pass one another.”

I’m assuming the three ropes are for: 1) Bornean/hybrid orangutan; 2) Sumatran orangutan; and 3) Siamang? Or maybe one will be used by a (new) monkey species, as the article later mentions them as featuring in a ‘high canopy habitat.’

“The South East Asia Jungle Track is part of a bigger $150m 10-year programme funded by Auckland Council. The rest of the budget will be used to develop a refreshed South American trail, new entry and family facilities and an African Forest track.“

Hopefully we’ll see some new species imported.

Note: the aerial overshot shows the old tiger pit has now been partly filled in; and the complexity of the old dens can be seen. I would have loved to have seen them back when they housed lions and were viewable by the public from the back.

The timeframe for opening is:

Christmas 2019 - New cafe and function venue

Summer 2020 - the high canopy, home to primates

Winter 2020 - the lowlands, home to tigers and otters

Spring 2020 - the river's edge tropical dome, home to crocodile, fish and other reptiles

 

[Chlidonias]

“Three different ropes will be suspended 23 metres in the air, between the 13 massive poles - forming circuit that enable the apes to comfortably pass one another.”

I’m assuming the three ropes are for: 1) Bornean/hybrid orangutan; 2) Sumatran orangutan; and 3) Siamang? Or maybe one will be used by a (new) monkey species, as the article later mentions them as featuring in a ‘high canopy habitat.’

Each stretch of rope bridge between the poles is made up of three individual ropes, so that individual apes can pass each other. This is actually shown in the pictures on the article. "Three ropes" doesn't refer to three separate bridges.

 

[ZooNZ]

So... here's an update on construction of the South East Asia Jungle Track

The high canopy habitat for the orangutans and siamangs looks excitingly almost ready for use with the plants beginning to grow out and the exhibit looking mostly completed with the high poles in the enclosures being installed in. There's many different things they've added to the area with the walls of the enclosure painted this nice green forest-like feel and beside the housing building there are these archway-like things that look to be the same colour and material made of the canopy climbers. I'm sorry the images I took can't fully represent what I'm saying, but with the last image, I hope you are able to see the high pole that is the colour of the canopy climbers surrounded by scaffolding.

Orangutan & Siamang Exhibit 1

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Orangutan & Siamang Exhibit 2

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Orangutan & Siamang Exhibit 3

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

High Canopy Exhibit Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

In regards with the cafe, it is starting to take shape. Unfortunately, it was hard to take any good photos of it but while I was there, I was questioning how they would be able to open it in 2 months time as stated above and on the South East Asia page on Auckland Zoo's website as it didn't seem in the stage where it would be able to open by then. However, I found another page on the website for the cafe which stated that it would open May 2020?

New Cafe Front Area

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

New Cafe Back

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Moving on, the lake and wetlands area is also interesting as the first half of the high poles have been installed around the lake area. The lake is still drained and I still can't tell where the lake will start and end, plus the trees that were beside the lake close the cafe still need to be chopped cause they obstruct a lot of the view from the cafe to the lake and is in an odd place design-wise.

Central Lake Area Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Central Lake Area Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Some promising progress has also occurred for the tropical dome as the base half of the dome seems almost complete with some gaps here and there. To be honest, I'm surprised how small the dome seems but maybe it'll surprise me when I actually enter it.

Tropical Dome Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Lastly, the tiger enclosure seems to have had the least amount worked on as the ground hasn't even been landscaped or flatten, etc. and all that is completed is the housing building for the tigers. Also, I'm interested when they'll get new tigers since they're gonna be making quite a big area for them and you kind of need at least two tigers to fill the two or three enclosures that are gonna be built. I'm guessing they'll announce new tigers closer to when they've completed/opened that section of the precinct, which I have no idea when since the cafe could not be opening this December as was reported so...

Tiger Exhibit In Progress

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

That's all that I've got to share right now. Sorry for the poor quality photos and some of the bad shots too. But I'm super excited for this area to be completed and can't wait to see what they have installed for us next year!

 

[Zoofan15]

So... here's an update on construction of the South East Asia Jungle Track

The high canopy habitat for the orangutans and siamangs looks excitingly almost ready for use with the plants beginning to grow out and the exhibit looking mostly completed with the high poles in the enclosures being installed in. There's many different things they've added to the area with the walls of the enclosure painted this nice green forest-like feel and beside the housing building there are these archway-like things that look to be the same colour and material made of the canopy climbers. I'm sorry the images I took can't fully represent what I'm saying, but with the last image, I hope you are able to see the high pole that is the colour of the canopy climbers surrounded by scaffolding.

Orangutan & Siamang Exhibit 1

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Orangutan & Siamang Exhibit 2

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Orangutan & Siamang Exhibit 3

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

High Canopy Exhibit Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

In regards with the cafe, it is starting to take shape. Unfortunately, it was hard to take any good photos of it but while I was there, I was questioning how they would be able to open it in 2 months time as stated above and on the South East Asia page on Auckland Zoo's website as it didn't seem in the stage where it would be able to open by then. However, I found another page on the website for the cafe which stated that it would open May 2020?

New Cafe Front Area

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

New Cafe Back

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Moving on, the lake and wetlands area is also interesting as the first half of the high poles have been installed around the lake area. The lake is still drained and I still can't tell where the lake will start and end, plus the trees that were beside the lake close the cafe still need to be chopped cause they obstruct a lot of the view from the cafe to the lake and is in an odd place design-wise.

Central Lake Area Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Central Lake Area Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Some promising progress has also occurred for the tropical dome as the base half of the dome seems almost complete with some gaps here and there. To be honest, I'm surprised how small the dome seems but maybe it'll surprise me when I actually enter it.

Tropical Dome Under Construction

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

Lastly, the tiger enclosure seems to have had the least amount worked on as the ground hasn't even been landscaped or flatten, etc. and all that is completed is the housing building for the tigers. Also, I'm interested when they'll get new tigers since they're gonna be making quite a big area for them and you kind of need at least two tigers to fill the two or three enclosures that are gonna be built. I'm guessing they'll announce new tigers closer to when they've completed/opened that section of the precinct, which I have no idea when since the cafe could not be opening this December as was reported so...

Tiger Exhibit In Progress

• ZooNZ
• 12 Oct 2019

That's all that I've got to share right now. Sorry for the poor quality photos and some of the bad shots too. But I'm super excited for this area to be completed and can't wait to see what they have installed for us next year!

The tigers are part of the fourth project in this precinct (after the orangutans/siamangs, cafe and central lake; and before the tropical dome). I suppose it makes sense for the only cat species to arrive late in the construction of this precinct, when 4/5 of the construction is complete and noise disturbance is minimal.

Two young tigers will be arriving to form an unrelated breeding pair. My guess is one will be from the Australia Zoo line.

 

[ZooNZ]

Another quick update about the South East Asia Jungle Track

Since Auckland Zoo's website says that the high canopy area and the orangutans are coming in summer 2020, I must say the area has definitely grown out more and they have put in the high poles being placed in. I'm just now excited to see what the area looks like and the design they have chosen for this area.

Orangutan and Siamang Exhibit (13/12/2019)

• ZooNZ
• 15 Dec 2019

The most exciting update is with the high poles and the central lake area as all the high poles are now fully built on and around the lake with a pathway being set out on the lake which is reflected in the concept art. The dome continues to look surprisingly small but the poles are actually quite nice to just see from a distance.

Central Lake Area Under Construction (13/12/2019)

• ZooNZ
• 15 Dec 2019

One of the High Poles Near Old Otter and Red Panda Exhibit (13/12/2019)

• ZooNZ
• 15 Dec 2019

High Poles Seen From Outside Alligator Exhibit (13/12/2019)

• ZooNZ
• 15 Dec 2019

Finally, the tiger area is finally beginning construction on the exhibit as these brown arc poles have been placed in the exhibit area, I'm guessing which will be beside the pathway and the brown arc poles are the same material as the canopy climbers and the interesting design thing with the indoor house of the orangutans which I've never been able to get a good shot of.

Construction of Tiger Exhibit (13/12/2019)

• ZooNZ
• 15 Dec 2019

That's all for now, excited for the zoo to finally open at least a bit of this project and they say that it should be done by spring 2020 (Sep - Nov) so that'll be the exciting time when it is all completed.

 

[driftaguy]

The final Import Health Standard for primates has just been released by MPI. Unfortunately macaques cannot be imported into New Zealand, which is a shame.

 

[Zoofan15]

The final Import Health Standard for primates has just been released by MPI. Unfortunately macaques cannot be imported into New Zealand, which is a shame.

It's a shame they let their previous groups of macaques die out. I believe the last aging individuals descended from troops which were once quite large.

It'll be interesting to see what (if anything) takes the place of macaques in the South East Asia development. Binturong would be a nice addition in my opinion, though this appears to be the latest species in the region zoos are losing interest in.

 

[Chlidonias]

It's a shame they let their previous groups of macaques die out. I believe the last aging individuals descended from troops which were once quite large.

There used to be loads of macaques in New Zealand. The zoos simply lost interest in them and they died out.

 

[Zoofan15]

There used to be loads of macaques in New Zealand. The zoos simply lost interest in them and they died out.

Do you know any details on Auckland Zoo's Southern pig-tailed macaques? I know they had a few left in the 2000s, but do you know where they came from/how many there were? I see from your notes that there are only two (elderly) individuals from this species in NZ. It's a shame as being from South East Asia, they would have been a decent substitute for the Crab-eating macaques.

 

[Chlidonias]

Do you know any details on Auckland Zoo's Southern pig-tailed macaques? I know they had a few left in the 2000s, but do you know where they came from/how many there were? I see from your notes that there are only two (elderly) individuals from this species in NZ. It's a shame as being from South East Asia, they would have been a decent substitute for the Crab-eating macaques.

I don't know anything about Auckland's Pig-tails specifically. But macaques of multiple species had been coming into New Zealand through various means throughout the 1900s, including importing them for zoos, for circuses, and as pets.

However, by the mid-2000s the only macaques left in any New Zealand ARAZPA zoo were the Bonnet Macaques at Auckland (a group of eight). All macaques had been deemed phase-out by ARAZPA due to fears over Herpes B, and so all the member zoos which kept them (in Australia and New Zealand) were either off-loading them onto the non-ARAZPA zoos or were "deleting through attrition" (i.e. just keeping them until they died of old age, but not breeding from them; as was the case with Auckland's Bonnet Macaques). At the smaller zoos the macaques just petered out or the zoos closed, and eventually they were all gone.

 

[ZooNZ]

Auckland Zoo's doing an auction to preview the South East Asia Jungle Track and it included a different look at the Orangutan and Siamang habitat and indoor building and found another image with a similar look.

Source: Richard Hills on Twitter

 

[WhistlingKite24]

An update from the zoo’s email:

We're thrilled to announce that from the first weekend of next month (4-5 April) our High Canopy habitat housing our orangutans and siamangs will be open to the public.

This first phase of our South East Asia Jungle Track also includes the opening of our brand new dining experience - Te Puna cafe. Swing by on your next visit!

 

[Tafin]

Here’s a recent article regarding the construction of the South East Asia precinct:

Auckland Zoo's biggest renovation yet, which comes with a $58m price tag

I thought these points were interesting:

“Three different ropes will be suspended 23 metres in the air, between the 13 massive poles - forming circuit that enable the apes to comfortably pass one another.”

I’m assuming the three ropes are for: 1) Bornean/hybrid orangutan; 2) Sumatran orangutan; and 3) Siamang? Or maybe one will be used by a (new) monkey species, as the article later mentions them as featuring in a ‘high canopy habitat.’

“The South East Asia Jungle Track is part of a bigger $150m 10-year programme funded by Auckland Council. The rest of the budget will be used to develop a refreshed South American trail, new entry and family facilities and an African Forest track.“

Hopefully we’ll see some new species imported.

Note: the aerial overshot shows the old tiger pit has now been partly filled in; and the complexity of the old dens can be seen. I would have loved to have seen them back when they housed lions and were viewable by the public from the back.

The timeframe for opening is:

Christmas 2019 - New cafe and function venue

Summer 2020 - the high canopy, home to primates

Winter 2020 - the lowlands, home to tigers and otters

Spring 2020 - the river's edge tropical dome, home to crocodile, fish and other reptiles

The zoo is already behind schedule with the cafe opening four months late and the high canopy opening in Autumn (not Summer). I guess the other two phases will be delayed too.

 

[Zoofan15]

The zoo is already behind schedule with the cafe opening four months late and the high canopy opening in Autumn (not Summer). I guess the other two phases will be delayed too.

I’d say so. The zoo won’t be open next weekend (when the cafe and orangutan exhibit was due to open to the public) and if these projects were delayed under normal circumstances; I can only imagine the challenges the Covid-19 saga will cause.

If the previous target dates were:

Winter 2020 - the lowlands, home to tigers and otters

Spring 2020 - the river's edge tropical dome, home to crocodile, fish and other reptiles

I’d add at least 3-6 months to these estimations.

Auckland Zoo have prioritised the well-being of their orangutans, with them being given several weeks to adjust prior to the opening (they’ve been back at the zoo since early January). The adjustment now will be from going from living in a zoo with no visitors for a month plus; to hoards of people visiting upon reopening. They may require extra time to adjust to this change too.

 

[Zorro]

Have the Sunda Gharial been imported yet or are they waiting until the exhibit is finished!