Wildlife HQ Zoo Wildlife HQ news 2020

@WhistlingKite24 it looks as they are in the Eclectus Parrot and Red Tailed Black Cockatoo Exhibit?
Yes, on my visit the rock wallaby joeys were in the Eclectus Parrot aviary. I didn’t see any Eclectus Parrots on my recent visit; however their pair of Red-tailed Black Cockatoos were still on-display in their aviary.
 
Wildlife HQ has officially welcomed a new species - a Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo! They are now the seventh zoo in Australia to house the species.

Unfortunately the article (written by the Sunshine Coast Daily) that mentions the arrival cannot be accessed without paying a subscription.
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Wildlife HQ has officially welcomed a new species - a Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo! They are now the seventh zoo in Australia to house the species.

Unfortunately the article (written by the Sunshine Coast Daily) that mentions the arrival cannot be accessed without paying a subscription.
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The zoo has now announced the arrival via Facebook. Wildlife HQ received a male (Julian) that was rescued from the wild and couldn’t be released due to eye damage. The zoo will also receive a female soon and they hope to breed the species.
Wildlife HQ
 
I am a little surprised Australia zoo does not show case this species with the amount of overseas visitors and lush tropical gardens what a wonderful way to display them and also be part of the captive breeding program!
 
From a recent video posted on the zoo's Facebook page their elderly Red Pandas, Nima and Dawa moved into a new enclosure next to the male Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo, near the entrance. According to the zookeeper in the video they are now the oldest Red Pandas in the country. I remember seeing them when I was 10 years old at Alma Park Zoo - so they have been around for a while!

Their former enclosure (which is situated opposite the enclosure for the future gibbons) is well-designed for an arboreal species and has a large poinciana tree. It has also previously housed one of their binturongs. It will be interesting to see what moves into it.
Red Panda Enclosure - ZooChat

Source: Seven News Sunshine Coast
 
From a recent video posted on the zoo's Facebook page their elderly Red Pandas, Nima and Dawa moved into a new enclosure next to the male Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo, near the entrance. According to the zookeeper in the video they are now the oldest Red Pandas in the country.

Whenever I hear these Nepalese red pandas mentioned, I confuse them with Nima and Dawa from Hamilton Zoo - who are only seven years old. They were triplets and has a brother named Kharma. Strangely enough the two with identical names to red pandas in Australia were sent to Australia; while their brother with a unique name was sent to Singapore.

Coincidentally, Chito at Hamilton Zoo - the father of Nima and Dawa (2012) is the eldest red panda in the region. He’s 17 years old (born December 2002 at Auckland Zoo).
 
The zoo has now announced it on their Facebook page. The three spider monkeys - grandfather Basco, father Hebe and grandson Cortez - have moved into the future White-cheeked Gibbon enclosure temporarily as the COVID-19 situation has delayed the importation of the female gibbon from France. The zoo also mentioned that they are planning to build the spider monkeys a similar open-air enclosure which should be ready by the time the gibbons arrive. Wildlife HQ are expecting the gibbons to arrive in December of this year.

The original exhibit for the spider monkeys was looking quite tired on my last visit [here's what it looks like: Spider Monkey Enclosure - ZooChat]. Whilst all the exhibits at the zoo are certainly adequate and certainly a lot of them are very impressive, I am glad the zoo is moving towards updating a few of their exhibits with this new style of open-air enclosures.

Photos of where the spider monkeys are living now:
Future White-cheeked Gibbon Enclosure - ZooChat
Future White-cheeked Gibbon Enclosure - Water Feature - ZooChat

Source: 7 News Sunshine Coast
 
Wildlife HQ continues with their renovations. The zoo is remodelling the former Blackbuck exhibit into an open-air enclosure - presumably as the future spider monkey exhibit. I'm not sure whether the zoo still hold Blackbuck but I am awaiting an answer from the zoo.

EDIT: Wildlife HQ no longer have Blackbuck. The neighbouring Alpaca and ponies have also moved, meaning the zoo's only domestic animals should include a small guinea pig/rabbit enclosure, free-ranging poultry and a cow maybe.

From the zoo's Facebook page:
Our spider monkeys love their new exhibit....
And we've already started work on another open air style habitat ahead of our gibbons arrival later this year.
The area pictured has undergone a huge transformation thanks to our ongoing local community support!
Special thanks to O'Brien's Tree Care and Landscaping for shaping our feature tree and putting in the landscaping foundations. A huge thank you also goes out to Maroochy Sand & Gravel Sunshine Coast for donating a huge truck (10m3) of the Hoop Pine Mulch to take care of the beautiful tropical plants that once again have been donated by our dear friend Maureen at @Towen Mount Tropicals. Thank you all so much!
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Wildlife HQ continues with their renovations. The zoo is remodelling the former Blackbuck exhibit into an open-air enclosure - presumably as the future spider monkey exhibit. I'm not sure whether the zoo still hold Blackbuck but I am awaiting an answer from the zoo.

EDIT: Wildlife HQ no longer have Blackbuck. The neighbouring Alpaca and ponies have also moved, meaning the zoo's only domestic animals should include a small guinea pig/rabbit enclosure, free-ranging poultry and a cow maybe.

From the zoo's Facebook page:

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A neat endeavour by the local community, dare I say!
An example to follow!
 
A neat endeavour by the local community, dare I say!
An example to follow!
Indeed. Wildlife HQ have always had a strong backing from the local community. They have also been gradually phasing out their domestics and have been making great progress in the last year. This has enabled them to improve housing for some of the animals and bring in some great species e.g. Lumholtz's tree kangaroo.
 
Wildlife HQ has welcomed a set of twins to their Emperor Tamarin pair - Aya and Gomez. Unless there have been some recent transfers their tamarin group must easily be around ten individuals. The zoo's pair have been very successful ever since they were imported back in early 2013. The male came from Aalborg Zoo, Denmark and the female from Lyon Zoo, France. They first bred in December 2013 and have continued ever since. Unfortunately the article I found mentioning the births is one with a pay wall and cannot be accessed without a subscription.
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Wildlife HQ is reopening on Friday. The zoo will run two-hour guided tours for groups of twenty people and the only animal-related building that will be closed is the Reptile Barn. From the their Facebook page:
EXCITING NEWS!

Wildlife HQ will REOPEN on Friday 5th June 2020!!!

***We will be operating a little differently to ensure the safety of our guests, animals and staff during this initial reopening stage, in line with current government restrictions.

ALL TOURS/VISITATION to Wildlife HQ WILL BE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY and limited to 20 people at a time, please BOOK your space by calling 0428 660 671 during business hours (9am-3pm).
Please be patient...we expect the phone to be very busy!

Zoo Tour times will be 9am/11am/1pm/3pm.
You must BOOK your space on a tour in advance of your visit. Tours run for up to 2 hours.
Please arrive at the Zoo Ticket Office 15 minutes before your start time.

Animal Encounters will be available daily and should be secured at your time of booking to ensure animal availability:- Meerkat, Marmoset, Red Panda, Lemur, Tamarin, Binturong and Dingo encounters will work in as part of your zoo tour.

Koala cuddles will be temporarily unavailable, however you will have the opportunity to see our koalas up close and personal as part of your tour.

The Cafe, Reptile Barn and Big Pineapple Train will be temporarily closed until further notice. Cold drinks will be available for purchase.

Existing Annual Pass Holders and Gift Voucher holders will still need to call and pre-book your visit/animal encounters in advance and all passes will be extended for the period we were closed (two months).

Our dedicated team have been working throughout lockdown to care for our animals and now we’re very excited to reopen our doors and welcome you back in a careful and responsible way!

Zoo tours will operate for a limited time only until Stage 3 Road map commences in Queensland. This is a fantastic opportunity to experience Wildlife HQ like never before and learn about our endangered species breeding and conservation programs while on a guided tour with a zoo keeper!

Further information on how Wildlife HQ is taking extra precautions to keep visitors, our staff and our animals safe, will be provided on our website.
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Wildlife HQ have announced the arrival of four Radiated Tortoises. My favourite tortoise species! From their Facebook page:
Exciting new arrivals just in time for our reopening tomorrow!***
Meet our 4 super cute juvenile Radiated Tortoises!

These tortoises are critically endangered due to habitat loss, being poached for food, and being overexploited in the pet trade. Native to Madagascar these 4 were confiscated from illegal animal traders in Hong Kong nearly 5 years ago. We are thrilled that they can now call Wildlife HQ home and be ambassadors for their species conservation.
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The local news released a nice story about the zoo's reopening today and the arrival of the Radiated Tortoises. The zoo's reptile collection is filling out nicely with the addition of species like Perentie, Rhinoceros Iguana and Boyd's Forest Dragon in the last couple of years.

Source: Seven News Sunshine Coast
 
Wildlife HQ have ceased the guided tours of 20 people as members of the public can now visit whenever they want without pre-booking as the COVID-Safe Industry Plan for zoos has been approved. From their Facebook page:
***Special Update***

The COVID-Safe Industry Plan for zoos has finally been approved by QLD Health!

You can now visit the zoo ANYTIME you like WITHOUT Pre-booking a tour

Guided Tours will no longer operate, you can enjoy the zoo at your own leisure and pace

Please maintain social distancing while visiting

The Reptile Barn, Cafe and Big Pineapple Train will remain temporarily closed

We thank everyone for their patience and understanding and look forward to seeing you at the zoo!
Wildlife HQ
 
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