Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo News 2020

One can take these statistics as a rule:
1) Sexual maturity in females at 4-6 years, males at 7-10 years of age. First reproduction in captivity for females at 4 years and 7 days and males 6 years, 3 months and 24 days.
Source: ISB GOHR - 2019.

2) Females are reproductive starting at 4 years of age, while most males haven’t reproduced untill 7 years of age.


I would say in the case of Dora and Amala, the "issue" is probably more to do with the male being inexperienced and perhaps and yes speculative his early husbandry and upbringing in Japan - with the standards there for rhino facilities at another level space and enrichment-wise (my qualified judgement, mind and no offence intended) -. The calf born on 25/10/2015 has sadly passed away 23/09/2017 from tetanus inflammation and ensuring medical complications. I am not sure however if and when the pair Dora and Amala were reintroduced to one-another since. I would expect an introduction to start at anywhere from 2+ years of the calf's age.

Further, I do think it is somewhat of a "myth" that the more solitary rhino species are more "difficult" to (get) to breed as it is down to understanding their social and behavioural cues and providing adequate facilities first and foremost. In this, keeper experience and general animal husbandry training are key factors in success rate.

On present limited evidence, I cannot help but feel they might be leaving it till late. I would applaud Dubbo - WPZ import another pair at least to increase chances of having successful reproduction. I wonder if and how other Australian zoos could make or be willing to make a contribution here too in the interest of this individual rhino species interests within the country.
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Further information about the upcoming black rhino birth. The sire of this calf is Kwanzaa (1992) for anyone wondering. He unfortunately passed away earlier in the year according to the article below. This calf will be the fourth calf he has sired.

Full article: Impending arrival: Zoo makes special announcement on World Rhino Day
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It is a bummer that proven bull Kwanzaa has passed away earlier this year. I wonder if they have a new breeding bull in their sights (the US population definitely has a surplus of males ...)?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
One can take these statistics as a rule:
1) Sexual maturity in females at 4-6 years, males at 7-10 years of age. First reproduction in captivity for females at 4 years and 7 days and males 6 years, 3 months and 24 days.
Source: ISB GOHR - 2019.

2) Females are reproductive starting at 4 years of age, while most males haven’t reproduced untill 7 years of age.


I would say in the case of Dora and Amala, the "issue" is probably more to do with the male being inexperienced and perhaps and yes speculative his early husbandry and upbringing in Japan - with the standards there for rhino facilities at another level space and enrichment-wise (my qualified judgement, mind and no offence intended) -. The calf born on 25/10/2015 has sadly passed away 23/09/2017 from tetanus inflammation and ensuring medical complications. I am not sure however if and when the pair Dora and Amala were reintroduced to one-another since. I would expect an introduction to start at anywhere from 2+ years of the calf's age.

Further, I do think it is somewhat of a "myth" that the more solitary rhino species are more "difficult" to (get) to breed as it is down to understanding their social and behavioural cues and providing adequate facilities first and foremost. In this, keeper experience and general animal husbandry training are key factors in success rate.

On present limited evidence, I cannot help but feel they might be leaving it till late. I would applaud Dubbo - WPZ import another pair at least to increase chances of having successful reproduction. I wonder if and how other Australian zoos could make or be willing to make a contribution here too in the interest of this individual rhino species interests within the country.
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I tend to agree with you I feel they are leaving things a little late, I agree they should have imported more as per planned but the way our major zoos are trending these days its of no surprise this never happened. I had hoped one or more other major zoos within the country would of joined in with a breeding program for the species but lack of interest is of no surprise here I believe the only other zoo within the region that did have any interest was Australia zoo but as with other species they wanted like Gorillas and Orangs was just pie in the Sky!
 
Zoofan15 said:
A cow named Roopa that bred there during the 1980’s produced six calves often with age gaps of just under two years.
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I believe Roopa at Whipsnade actually had eight(?) calves but out of these only four survived to maturity. I can't remember at what stages the others died but it may have shortened the birth intervals sometimes.

Whipsnade first bred Indian Rhino in 1957(or 8) but that pair only ever produced two calves. There was quite a gap of some years before they started breeding again with fresh animals (Kumar x Roopa) Then another similar gap before the current breedings with Jaffna/Hugo/Behan & Beluki. Beluki only had two calves in total and she doesn't breed anymore. Behan has her female calf born 2019. Could be her last one going by her age. One of their earlier sons(Rap) has just fathered a calf at West Midlands Safari Park- the parents there are both over 10 years old but this is a first breeding for this place.

I would think Taronga must be about ready to try and breed from their pair again by now. Complicated chasing rituals leading up to mating are commonplace in this species and I believe the male must also be in a form of 'rut' condition to coincide with the female's oestrus. So Zoos not used to all this complex behaviour may have problems getting successful matings.

Didn't they have another(first) female that died from eating sand? Not mentioned in the article!;)
 
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Pertinax said:
I believe Roopa at Whipsnade actually had eight(?) calves but out of these only four survived to maturity. I can't remember at what stages the others died but it may have shortened the birth intervals sometimes.

Whipsnade first bred Indian Rhino in 1957(or 8) but that pair only ever produced two calves. There was quite a gap of some years before they started breeding again with fresh animals (Kumar x Roopa) Then another similar gap before the current breedings with Jaffna/Hugo/Behan & Beluki. Beluki only had two calves in total and she doesn't breed anymore. Behan has her female calf born 2019. Could be her last one going by her age. One of their earlier sons(Rap) has just fathered a calf at West Midlands Safari Park- the parents there are both over 10 years old but this is a first breeding for this place.

I would think Taronga must be about ready to try and breed from their pair again by.

Didn't they have another(first) female that died from eating sand? Not mentioned in the article!
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Correct, The first female was from the San Deigo wild animal park (now safari park) which I believe had arrived pregnant at a very young age (2.5 years) from what I can remember it was unknown at that time that she was pregnant so was not getting enough daily feed so ate sand from within the enclosure I believe she died of an impacted gut, very sad and a big set back.
 
Pertinax said:
I believe Roopa at Whipsnade actually had eight(?) calves but out of these only four survived to maturity. I can't remember at what stages the others died but it may have shortened the birth intervals sometimes.

Whipsnade first bred Indian Rhino in 1957(or 8) but that pair only ever produced two calves. There was quite a gap of some years before they started breeding again with fresh animals (Kumar x Roopa) Then another similar gap before the current breedings with Jaffna/Hugo/Behan & Beluki. Beluki only had two calves in total and she doesn't breed anymore. Behan has her female calf born 2019. Could be her last one going by her age. One of their earlier sons(Rap) has just fathered a calf at West Midlands Safari Park- the parents there are both over 10 years old but this is a first breeding for this place.
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Their first pair, Mohan and Mohini, produced their first calf in 1957; followed by their second in 1960.

Roopa had six calves (four of which survived infancy) recorded in the 2008 studbook:

0.1 Unnamed (21/05/1981)

1.0 Bheema (09/03/1983)

1.0 Yoda (09/08/1986)

1.0 Ropen (08/05/1988)

1.0 Bardia (02/10/1989)

0.1 Unnamed (19/10/1993)

Hopefully Taronga Western Plains Zoo can import a second pair (or at least a second female in the coming years). People have speculated that Indian rhinoceros could be a suitable replacement once Indian elephant are phased out of the Melbourne and Perth Zoos. I know many ZooChatters would agree.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Their first pair, Mohan and Mohini, produced their first calf in 1957; followed by their second in 1960.

Roopa had six calves (four of which survived infancy) recorded in the 2008 studbook:

0.1 Unnamed (21/05/1981)

1.0 Bheema (09/03/1983)

1.0 Yoda (09/08/1986)

1.0 Ropen (08/05/1988)

1.0 Bardia (02/10/1989)

0.1 Unnamed (19/10/1993)

Hopefully Taronga Western Plains Zoo can import a second pair (or at least a second female in the coming years). People have speculated that Indian rhinoceros could be a suitable replacement once Indian elephant are phased out of the Melbourne and Perth Zoos. I know many ZooChatters would agree.
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Now would that not be a treat having enclosures in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth already built for any Indian rhinos what a huge saving that would be for them!
 
Taronga Western Plains Zoo have announced the birth of 1.0 Giraffe. The calf has been named Losiligi and was born on 21th September. This is the zoo's second giraffe birth in a few months.
Seeing double!
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We've welcomed our second Giraffe calf in three months. The male calf was born on Monday 21 September and could be seen on exhibit the next day. He has been named Losiligi by his keepers, meaning to have hope in a time of crisis or when things are bad, in Maasai.
As you can see in the photos Losiligi and Layla are starting to spend more time together and interact with each other.
Have you visited the Zoo recently and seen our newest member of the Giraffe herd?
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WhistlingKite24 said:
Taronga Western Plains Zoo have announced the birth of 1.0 Giraffe. The calf has been named Losiligi and was born on 21th September. This is the zoo's second giraffe birth in a few months.

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The new calf's dam is Zane. This is her first calf: Zoo chat: Giraffe keepers welcome second calf born in three months

I suspect Ntombi (who last gave birth 18 months ago) may be due for her sixth calf soon:

0.1 Ntombi
Born at Auckland Zoo 25/07/2007
Arrived at Taronga Western Plains Zoo 26/11/2008

Offspring:

1.0 Fanana (21/08/2012) Deceased

1.0 Nkosi (03/08/2014)

0.1 Nyah (01/01/2016)

0.1 Malaika (11/09/2017)

1.0 Shingo (25/03/2019)
 
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Taronga Western Plains Zoo have announced the birth of three Tasmanian Devil joeys. They are currently seven months old.
Three Tasmanian Devil joeys have been born to the breeding program this year in Dubbo.

This trio are approximately seven months old and keepers recently spotted them huddled together in the nest box. They are doing well in our behind-the-scenes breeding facility.

Be sure to have the sound on to listen to their little vocalisations.

Video: Keeper Bridget Kaitler
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Taronga Western Plains Zoo have hatched four Plains Wanderer chicks. Initially there were five chicks but one unfortunately died. Still a very good breeding result. Their parents are wild-caught and produced the two chicks earlier in the year (March 2020).

Full article: More breeding success at Western Plains Zoo with Plains-wanderer chicks welcomed
Breeding success for the critically endangered Plains-wanderer has continued this year at Taronga Western Plains Zoo with four chicks hatching at the end of September.

These four chicks are the second successful clutch to be hatched at the zoo since the conservation breeding program commenced in late 2018, and follows on from the two chicks hatched in March 2020.

"It's so exciting to see further breeding success with our Plains-wanderer population," Plains-wanderer keeper, Mark O'Riordan said.

"Initially the female had five chicks hatch but sadly one chick didn't survive. It is uncommon for Plains-wanderers to have five chicks in one clutch, so it was a possibility that one could be lost."

Incubation of the eggs are normally started by the female, followed by the male after all the eggs are laid. The female then leaves, seeking out another male to breed with and leaving the male to incubate and care for the chicks after hatching.

"With this clutch, the female completed the full 23 day incubation which has never been observed before in the wild or an aviary environment. The successful hatching of all five chicks initially may be due to the female's larger body mass and the fact the male may not have been large enough to brood them all."

Both parents are wild caught and were the pair that successfully produced two chicks early this year.

"It is really exciting to see this pair continue to produce chicks. Every chick hatched is so important to the long-term survival of this species as there is as few as 500 birds remaining in the wild," Mr O'Riordan said.


"We have been seeing positive breeding behaviour from two other Plains-wanderer pairs, which we continue to observe daily via CCTV. If nothing eventuates these birds will be swapped with individuals from other pairs to allow them an alternate mate choice."

Plains-wanderers can breed all year round provided the conditions are favourable but they commonly breed from August - March. They will generally hatch 2 - 4 chicks from up to 5 eggs in a clutch. The birds are fully independent from approximately two months of age.

Keepers take a very hands-off approach with the Plains-wanderer population. Monitoring the chicks' growth, behaviours and feeding is done via CCTV and keepers won't know if they are male or female until around six weeks of age when they can visually determine the sex. The chicks will also then undergo their first veterinary health check at six weeks of age.

"A large part of the program here in Dubbo is to continue to learn more about this unique, shy and elusive species so we can continue to build baseline information that will help all partners in the program and ultimately help save the species from extinction," Mr O'Riordan said.

The Plains-wanderer conservation breeding program is part of the National Recovery Plan, aiming to establish a sustainable population that can support the reintroduction of wild populations.

The Plains-wanderer breeding conservation program at Taronga Western Plains Zoo is located behind the scenes in the 110-hectare Taronga Sanctuary, dedicated to the conservation of native species. The Plains-wanderer facility includes 30 purpose-built aviaries.
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An update on the Regent Honeyeaters at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The zoo actually welcomed 23 chicks (rather than the initial 10 chicks they expected) in their first season. Also, Taronga Zoo in Sydney welcomed 10 chicks as well.
What a start!
Out first breeding season for the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater has been absolutely phenomenal across our two zoos. Taronga Western Plain Zoo has welcomed 23 chicks where as here in Sydney we have welcomed ten.
Tune in now and get an update from Keeper Kara about the breeding our Regent Honeyeater breeding program, or if you would like to support and donate simply visit -
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Source: Taronga's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2706360202962931
 
The bilbies that were released into Sturt National Park only a few months ago have already bred. Two of the females have been found carrying pouch young.
Remember back in September when ten of our Greater Bilbies were released into the
Wild Deserts
in the Sturt National Park?
Well, two of the female Bilbies are already carrying two pouch young each, just five weeks after being released! Bilbies have a very short gestation period and their young are generally fully independent by approximately three months of age.
These Bilbies have definitely not wasted any time since being released into their new home and this is an incredible indication that they are thriving!
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Taronga Western Plains Zoo will be constructing an $8.8 million refuge facility specially built for Platypus. It will be capable of housing a maximum of 65 platypus - the largest of its kind anywhere. This centre will aim to assist the species especially during times of environmental disasters when a holding and rehabilitation centre is required. Visitors will able to visit the facility when it is completed by late 2022. Sounds very promising.
Yesterday the NSW Government announced funding for a Platypus Refuge at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, the first of its kind in Australia.
This multi-purpose conservation centre will deliver a rescue refuge facility, research centre, rehabilitation and release and a visitor centre. The refuge will provide capacity to hold over 65 individuals, which is more capacity for the emergency management of Platypus than all of the Zoos and Wildlife Parks in Australia combined. The new centre will also provide a naturalistic pre-release creek to observe platypus in a wild setting and build their condition before release, as well as allowing us to observe and understand their breeding behaviour.
Importantly the new facility will provide a great opportunity for us to engage and educate students and visitors about this unique Australian species and its plight in the wild. It is a very exciting time ahead for Taronga Western Plains Zoo with the announcement of a new Wildlife Hospital as well, that will be built right alongside the Platypus Refuge on the Zoo circuit. Both projects are set to commence construction next year and be completed by late 2022.
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Source: Taronga Western Plains Zoo's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=686045415630000
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Taronga Western Plains Zoo will be constructing an $8.8 million refuge facility specially built for Platypus. It will be capable of housing a maximum of 65 platypus - the largest of its kind anywhere. This centre will aim to assist the species especially during times of environmental disasters when a holding and rehabilitation centre is required. Visitors will able to visit the facility when it is completed by late 2022. Sounds very promising.


Source: Taronga Western Plains Zoo's Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=686045415630000
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I like the sound of this well done TWPZ! :cool:
 
A recent article about Dubbo's work with the Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon. Last year, the zoo received a wild-caught population of this species from the Macquarie River. They have since established an insurance population of the species and are breeding them well. To increase genetic diversity, the zoo have also received five more individuals from the Narrandera Fisheries Centre. What I find really interesting is that the zoo are breeding them in two water bodies in their lion enclosure!

Full article:https://www.miragenews.com/rescued-endangered-native-fish-thriving-at-western-plains-zoo/
Endangered Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon rescued and relocated into the Taronga Western Plains Zoo late last year are thriving in their new home, NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries Manager Maryrose Antico said today.

“These Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon were rescued from sub-catchments in the Macquarie River by NSW DPI Fisheries and relocated into two water bodies in the lion enclosure at the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, so they have the best bodyguards,” she said.

“This insurance population was established at the Zoo so they would breed, and support the recovery of Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeons in the wild when conditions have improved following the recent drought.

“I’m pleased to confirm that these threatened fish are reproducing well at the zoo, with adults found in prime breeding condition and two different sizes of juveniles now present.

“DPI also has five additional rescued Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeons travelling from its Narrandera Hatchery which will be added to the population already at the Zoo to improve genetic diversity.”

Small-bodied threatened fish like the Gudgeons have been particularly at risk over the past summer and the rehoming at the zoo was part of a wider, $10 million commitment to support native fish through the drought and bushfire season.

Taronga Western Plains Zoo Wildlife Conservation Officer Phoebe Meagher said the zoo was excited at the opportunity to partner with the NSW DPI Fisheries to protect the threatened native fish.

“We hope that this population will continue to thrive and we will be working closely with DPI Fisheries to manage this species at the Zoo so that in the future we can reintroduce these fish back into their homes in the wild,” she said.

The Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon is a small freshwater fish native to Australia and listed as an endangered species in NSW. The fish grow to 15cm in length and are generally found in slow moving rivers, creeks and streams.

Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon were previously widespread in the Murray, Murrumbidgee and Lachlan River systems and tributaries of the Darling, but the population has experienced a significant decline recently and they are now extremely rare in inland NSW.

NSW DPI Fisheries will continue to collaborate with the Taronga Western Plains Zoo on caring for and monitoring the Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon held at the Zoo.
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