Melbourne Zoo Future of Melbourne Zoo 2022 (Speculation / Fantasy)

[Jambo]

Quilton was the last planned infant and born to Qetesh in 2020. She was originally mistaken for being a male, but was later revealed to be a female. The last infant was unplanned and was born early 2021. They haven’t announced the birth or disclosed the name, gender and parentage.

Ok so what i said was somewhat correct

Judging from the list of previous births the mother may be Grace (last offspring 2017), Macey (last offspring 2019) or Huddo (last offspring 2019). Considering Grace and Huddo were Melbourne born females they would be getting into their 20’s now so it’s possible they’re no longer breeding.

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

I will try to find out when the last offspring was born and know when the females are off contraception as it seems the number of males and females in the group is a bit unbalanced

 

[Zoofan15]

Ok so what i said was somewhat correct

Judging from the list of previous births the mother may be Grace (last offspring 2017), Macey (last offspring 2019) or Huddo (last offspring 2019). Considering Grace and Huddo were Melbourne born females they would be getting into their 20’s now so it’s possible they’re no longer breeding.

Yep. The troop is now on contraception and there are no more infants planned in the near future.

The zoo has been fortunate to have welcomed several female infants within the last cohort and the cessation in breeding will also prevent inbreeding as most of the reproductive age females in the troop are related to all the males.

Qetesh (born 2010) would be one of the younger founders, but the others plus the Melbourne bred females are getting on in years. Late teens is usually the upper limit of their reproductive lifespan.

 

[Grant Rhino]

Here is my take on this - but first, I have one major question regarding the Indian rhino speculation:

Has anyone heard anything concrete from anyone in any position of authority about Melbourne Zoo getting Indian rhinos? Is this realistic or is this just speculation? Where has this news come from? This thread is the first time I've heard anything about it.

Okay, assuming the Indian rhino talk is realistic, I'd go with the following:

Major India Theme:

I've always thought that if I started an India theme zoo from scratch with 10 species of mammal, then I'd go with the following:

1. Elephant
2. Tiger
3. Indian Rhino
4. Chital (Axis Deer)
5. Blackbuck
6. Common Langur
7. Snow Leopard
8. Red Panda
9. Asiatic Black Bear
10. Giant Indian Squirrel

I think a variation of this is very realistic - as we are already halfway there:

1. We already have tigers, snow leopards, red pandas and elephants - although obviously we are moving the elephants out. That's no issue though.

2. Chital and blackbuck are common in the region and we can get them very easily.

3. Sri Lankan leopards could be a welcome addition.

4. Surely we can obtain common langurs - they are abundant in India.

5. Bears will probably be too hard and I don't think the zoo wants them, but you never know, and squirrels will be pretty much impossible.

So, lets go with this:

1. Tiger (yes, I know they aren't Bengal tigers)
2. Indian Rhino
3. Blackbuck
4. Chital (or Hog Deer)
5. Common Langur (or Rhesus Macaque)
6. Snow Leopard
7. Red Panda
8. Himalayan Tahr
9. Sri Lankan Leopard (yes, I know they aren't technically "Indian" leopards)
10. Otters

This theme could extend over 2 sections of the zoo: the current elephant area as well as the snow leopard (or "Himalayan") area.

I'd also suggest that if we do go with a Himalayan theme (snow leopards, red pandas, Himalayan tahr) we could also do a Himalayan avairy with Himalayan Monal Pheasant and a few Indian parakeet species (like Wellington Zoo have).

The India idea (combined with SE Asia) seems very plausible to me and shouldn't be too difficult to do - and I also like the idea off rotating exhibits for things like rhinos, chital, blackbuck, hog deer etc.

African Savannah:

We already have:

1. Giraffe
2. Zebra
3. Baboon
4. Nyala (are they there yet?)
5. Lion
6. Cape Hunting Dog
7. Meerkat

All we have to do here is add in a few extras. In my view we should add in the following where the tapir and peccary now are:

1. Fennec Fox
2. Porcupine
3. Serval
4. Colobus Monkey (or vervet monkeys from WORZ)

All of these should be very easy to obtain - in fact we already have colobus at MZ and serval at WORZ.

If we want to do something serious with the predator prey area then we should seriously consider hyenas (to go along with the lions and dogs). I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet.

African rainforest:

Keep the following:

1. Gorilla
2. Colobus
3. Pygmy Hippo
4. Lemurs (both species)

Add in the following:

5. Mandrill

Then try to move heaven and earth to obtain:

6. Okapi

Yes - that is probably unrealistic - but if Sydney can work with us on this, it may be possible.

Australia:

Basically keep this the same as it already is.

The rest:

Phase out the tapirs and peccaries - but do something like a small Amazon section with some or all of the following:

1. Cotton Top Tamarin (got them already)
2. Squirrel Monkey (got them already)
3. Spider Monkey (got them already)
4. Emperor Tamarin (got them already)
5. Coati (got them already - but get a few new ones in for breeding)
6. Capybara (easy to get)
7. Mara (easy to get).
8. Common Marmoset (easy to get)
9. Pygmy Marmoset (easy to get)
10. Golden Lion Tamarin (easy to get)
11. Assorted parrots + other birds
12. Agouti (easy to get)

You could even turn the treetop monkey area into something like this without too much cost or effort - just rename it Amazonia or something and make it exclusively South American.

Keep the SE Asia section with:

1. Tiger
2. Orangutan
3. Siamang
4. Otter
5. White Cheeked Gibbon

Add whatever into it - there is crossover with the India section anyway. Dusky Langurs or Francois Langurs would be nice.

Overall:

All in all, I wouldn't change too much - just add a few smaller things in which are common in the region and make a few specific purchases from outside - such as Indian rhinos, mandrills, common langur and (if possible), okapi.

The elephants will go, and that opens up room.

One last thing: When I visited Point Defiance Zoo, in Washington state, USA, I was really impressed with the rotating exhibits for tigers, tapir, gibbons and various other species. I think that we can do something like this in both the current elephant area (for ungulates) or even in the predator-prey area (for big cats, dogs, hyenas, bears etc). Something worth more discussion in my view.

Thanks for a great thread btw!

 

[Zoofan15]

Here is my take on this - but first, I have one major question regarding the Indian rhino speculation:

Has anyone heard anything concrete from anyone in any position of authority about Melbourne Zoo getting Indian rhinos? Is this realistic or is this just speculation? Where has this news come from? This thread is the first time I've heard anything about it.

Nice plan! The only adjustment I’d make is expanding the Indian precinct into a South Asian precinct (India, Nepal, Sri Lanka etc). It would encompass all your species bar the Sumatran tiger and be a point of difference against the many zoos with South East Asian precincts.

To answer your question, any mention of Indian rhinoceros is pure speculation albeit an educated guess. Perth have mentioned obtained them in place of their elephants and Melbourne Zoo will be looking for a high profile replacement also.

Considering Indian rhinoceros are already supported by the region (Dubbo), they’re a realistic possibility for Melbourne imo. Down the line, Werribee could also work alongside Melbourne in housing them, with a breeding herd held at Werribee; and a bachelor bull at Melbourne.

 

[Jambo]

Has anyone heard anything concrete from anyone in any position of authority about Melbourne Zoo getting Indian rhinos? Is this realistic or is this just speculation? Where has this news come from? This thread is the first time I've heard anything about it.

Just pure speculation from members within zoochat. Nothing has been confirmed yet, although I was told management had likely already made a decision on what is going to replace the elephants. It's likely this will be announced following the elephants departure to keep the public intrigued.

1. Tiger (yes, I know they aren't Bengal tigers)
2. Indian Rhino
3. Blackbuck
4. Chital (or Hog Deer)
5. Common Langur (or Rhesus Macaque)
6. Snow Leopard
7. Red Panda
8. Himalayan Tahr
9. Sri Lankan Leopard (yes, I know they aren't technically "Indian" leopards)
10. Otters

I see every one of these being a possibility besides Himalayan Tahr. I'm not sure Melbourne would import such a species. The Australian government also has restrictions in place for import of this species too from overseas, I believe.

Also, where would you put this Indian themed area?

If we want to do something serious with the predator prey area then we should seriously consider hyenas (to go along with the lions and dogs). I'm surprised this hasn't been mentioned yet.

Hyenas would be a great replacement for Melbourne's elderly Wild Dog's, especially as Werribee plan to hold a breeding group in the near future.

1. Cotton Top Tamarin (got them already)
2. Squirrel Monkey (got them already)
3. Spider Monkey (got them already)
4. Emperor Tamarin (got them already)
5. Coati (got them already - but get a few new ones in for breeding)
6. Capybara (easy to get)
7. Mara (easy to get).
8. Common Marmoset (easy to get)
9. Pygmy Marmoset (easy to get)
10. Golden Lion Tamarin (easy to get)
11. Assorted parrots + other birds
12. Agouti (easy to get)

I can see this happening, maybe even a large dome would be good to have a mixed species area for primates, birds and even coatis and capybaras. I don't see Mara returning though, Melbourne phased them out.

 

[Grant Rhino]

I see every one of these being a possibility besides Himalayan Tahr. I'm not sure Melbourne would import such a species. The Australian government also has restrictions in place for import of this species too from overseas, I believe.

Also, where would you put this Indian themed area?

Melbourne wouldn't need to import Himalayan Tahr - there are heaps of them in Australia already. Altina has quite a big herd and a few of the other smaller zoos have them (I think Halls Gap has them for example). I'm sure they'd be very easy to get.

The India themed area would go where the elephants currently are, while the Himalayan area would basically be an extension of the snow leopard area. For example, red pandas replace coatis (where the coatis are now) and the coatis move to the Amazon treetop monkey area. You could build something for Himalayan Tahr near the snow leopards - they don't need a big area as long as their space goes vertically (in other words with a large mountain structure for them to climb). That said, Himalayan Tahr are probably the least significant of the species I've suggested for this theme. They simply compliment snow leopards, red pandas, monal pheasant, parakeets etc.

 

[Grant Rhino]

[QUOTE="Zoofan15, post: 1390629, member: 11130"

To answer your question, any mention of Indian rhinoceros is pure speculation albeit an educated guess. Perth have mentioned obtained them in place of their elephants and Melbourne Zoo will be looking for a high profile replacement also.

Considering Indian rhinoceros are already supported by the region (Dubbo), they’re a realistic possibility for Melbourne imo. Down the line, Werribee could also work alongside Melbourne in housing them, with a breeding herd held at Werribee; and a bachelor bull at Melbourne.[/QUOTE]

When did Perth mention getting them? And how serious of a mention was it? Obviously it would be great for Melbourne, Perth and Werribee to join forces and try to bring in a decent number of them - but I'm not sure where from. I assume Europe? European zoos seem to breed them quite often. And obviously Dubbo has a spare male at the moment.

They are actually one of my favourite animals - I've seen them a lot in the wild in Nepal (Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park).

As an alternative, if we can't get Indian rhinos into the country, then how about go all in with the Africa theme and get black rhinos? Apparently they don't need as much space as white rhinos, but I'm no expert on them...

 

[Zoofan15]

When did Perth mention getting them? And how serious of a mention was it? Obviously it would be great for Melbourne, Perth and Werribee to join forces and try to bring in a decent number of them - but I'm not sure where from. I assume Europe? European zoos seem to breed them quite often. And obviously Dubbo has a spare male at the moment.

They are actually one of my favourite animals - I've seen them a lot in the wild in Nepal (Chitwan National Park and Bardia National Park).

As an alternative, if we can't get Indian rhinos into the country, then how about go all in with the Africa theme and get black rhinos? Apparently they don't need as much space as white rhinos, but I'm no expert on them...

Indian rhinoceros are mentioned on Perth Zoo's FAQ page and appear to only be a consideration at this point in time:

Frequently Asked Questions

Our curatorial team are also looking at what new species would best suit our site in the future. This could include Bongo, a stunning antelope species and nature’s armoured tanks, the endangered One-horned Rhino. This rhino species love to swim and could make a big splash in a future waterhole exhibit at the Zoo.

The task the city zoos are facing is finding a species that's high profile enough to replace their elephants. Perth Zoo have identified Indian rhinoceros as an option (unconfirmed) and Melbourne Zoo may also decide to go this route given they already have gorillas, orangutans and three species of big cat as their main drawcards.

Bearing in mind bears (another high profile species) aren't being considered at this point in time, Indian rhinoceros are their best bet for keeping up the visitor numbers. Although black rhinoceros are an impressive species, I think the Indian rhinoceros (a living semi-aquatic armoured tank) would have significantly more commercial appeal.

Black rhinoceros are more temperamental than other species of rhino. Unlike the comparatively docile white rhino, they can't be housed in herds and usually live alone which contributes to the decreased space needed. They're also less compatable for mixed species exhibits and due to their less amiable disposition, are often kept at open range zoos.

 

[Jambo]

Melbourne wouldn't need to import Himalayan Tahr - there are heaps of them in Australia already. Altina has quite a big herd and a few of the other smaller zoos have them (I think Halls Gap has them for example). I'm sure they'd be very easy to get.

The India themed area would go where the elephants currently are, while the Himalayan area would basically be an extension of the snow leopard area. For example, red pandas replace coatis (where the coatis are now) and the coatis move to the Amazon treetop monkey area. You could build something for Himalayan Tahr near the snow leopards - they don't need a big area as long as their space goes vertically (in other words with a large mountain structure for them to climb). That said, Himalayan Tahr are probably the least significant of the species I've suggested for this theme. They simply compliment snow leopards, red pandas, monal pheasant, parakeets etc.

That's very true. I believe Halls Gap received their stock. A while back (around fifteen years ago) there were rumours of a Himalayan area in place of the former Big cat cages featuring Snow Leopard, Red Panda and Himalayan Tahr. This wasn't confirmed by the zoo though, more so speculation from within members.

Besides the Indian Rhino and small antelope, Languars could easily be fit in (with an extended enclosure where the current Squirrel Monkey enclosure is). Not sure about the Sri Lankan Leopards though, space wise.

Red Panda could easily slot into the Coati enclosure. Himalayan Tahr could go where the current Tiger enclosure is, and an aviary for pheasants could fit where the Tasmanian Devil enclosure is (although these would involve heavy renovations), not sure Melbourne will be willing to do this especially as the carnivore trail is relatively new.

 

[Abbey]

Just pure speculation from members within zoochat. Nothing has been confirmed yet, although I was told management had likely already made a decision on what is going to replace the elephants. It's likely this will be announced following the elephants departure to keep the public intrigued.



I see every one of these being a possibility besides Himalayan Tahr. I'm not sure Melbourne would import such a species. The Australian government also has restrictions in place for import of this species too from overseas, I believe.

Also, where would you put this Indian themed area?



Hyenas would be a great replacement for Melbourne's elderly Wild Dog's, especially as Werribee plan to hold a breeding group in the near future.



I can see this happening, maybe even a large dome would be good to have a mixed species area for primates, birds and even coatis and capybaras. I don't see Mara returning though, Melbourne phased them out.

Not specifically Melbourne-related, but a mixed species South American building for primates, birds, tapir and capybara was on Adelaide Zoo's masterplan when it was released in 2015: https://www.zoossa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/az_masterplan_web-FINAL.pdf (pages 36 & 37).

Not sure if that's still planned, will migrate the Adelaide-specific discussion to an Adelaide thread.

If pulled off (at Adelaide or Melbourne), I think it sounds like an incredible exhibit.

 

[Zoofan15]

Not specifically Melbourne-related, but a mixed species South American building for primates, birds, tapir and capybara was on Adelaide Zoo's masterplan when it was released in 2015: https://www.zoossa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/az_masterplan_web-FINAL.pdf (pages 36 & 37).

Not sure if that's still planned, will migrate the Adelaide-specific discussion to an Adelaide thread.

If pulled off (at Adelaide or Melbourne), I think it sounds like an incredible exhibit.

To my knowledge this is still the current plan and it does indeed have the potential to be something phenomenal. This is the summary given in the masterplan:

This precinct will see the major development of a multi-storey walk- through aviary with a raised walkway showcasing our South American animals such as tapirs, capybaras, coati and mara at ground level, and tamarins, marmoset, conures and macaws amongst the canopy. With South American collections now declining in other Australian zoos this precinct will be another point of difference for a visit to Adelaide Zoo.

Adelaide will need to look at receiving more Brazilian tapir within the next decade if they’re to be a long standing fixture; but it’s exciting to note that they’ve acquired Maned wolf (in 2016) since the masterplan was published. This could add another dimension to the precinct through the representation of a grasslands biome.

Adelaide state the value of this precinct given other zoos have declining South American collections, so Melbourne’s decision here will be whether to compete with Adelaide; or whether to follow the same approach and focus their attention on a less represented geographical zone e.g. South Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Nepal).

 

[Jambo]

This precinct will see the major development of a multi-storey walk- through aviary with a raised walkway showcasing our South American animals such as tapirs, capybaras, coati and mara at ground level, and tamarins, marmoset, conures and macaws amongst the canopy. With South American collections now declining in other Australian zoos this precinct will be another point of difference for a visit to Adelaide Zoo.

That is definitely quite what I envisioned!

It would be great to see it officially built as I don't believe there's a specific South American aviary like that even within zoos worldwide. Melbourne's South American collection too has been declining, so I can understand why South Australia would want to pursue such idea. Besides monkeys and birds, Melbourne don't have any other mammals for an aviary aside from Coati.

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

Melbourne zoo visit 21 of may
Nyala
haven’t arrived yet when i asked a staff member they said the following ‘Our nyala haven’t arrived yet and we will probably see them in June/July they will have to be slowly introduced to the zebra and giraffe. A belive Werribee have 18 or more I’m much shore if there willl be a breeding heard at Melbourne they didnt say anything about that.
Baboon
When i asked the staff they gave me the same names as previously mention they said that the females were contricepted in 2019 to 2020 we will probably have a baby in the next 2 years
Gorrila
When asking about gorrila breeding they said that kimya has been off conticepetive they haven’t done any altersounds but said they might have a baby in the next 2 to 3 years
Snow leopard breeding
Currently kang ju and miska are seperate and the 2 female cubs in the backstage are and will be going the Wellington soon in term of breeding they said they will give a 1or 2 beak and will reintroduce them
Girrafe breeding
Iris was brought into to be a breeding partner for klintune i would say that would happen but they didn’t tell me about Nakuru as a breeding female
Mandrills
When i asked they said they were highly likely that mandrills would return at the end 2022 to early 2023 so can confirmed

 

[Jambo]

haven’t arrived yet when i asked a staff member they said the following ‘Our nyala haven’t arrived yet and we will probably see them in June/July they will have to be slowly introduced to the zebra and giraffe. A belive Werribee have 18 or more I’m much shore if there willl be a breeding heard at Melbourne they didnt say anything about that.

Yes, I was sure the Nyala hadn't arrived yet. It's likely though they will not be a breeding group, more so surplus individuals from Werribee.

Gorrila
When asking about gorrila breeding they said that kimya has been off conticepetive they haven’t done any altersounds but said they might have a baby in the next 2 to 3 years

They haven't done ultrasounds? I'd assume this means they don't have any reason to believe she's pregnant yet.

Snow leopard breeding
Currently kang ju and miska are seperate and the 2 female cubs in the backstage are and will be going the Wellington soon in term of breeding they said they will give a 1or 2 beak and will reintroduce them

A two year break sounds about right, especially considering they're the only zoo in the region holding or displaying them. Miska has been separated from her three cubs for a while now. The three cubs and Sundar reside off display behind the main enclosures.

Girrafe breeding
Iris was brought into to be a breeding partner for klintune i would say that would happen but they didn’t tell me about Nakuru as a breeding female

Due to spatial reasons, and Iris being brought in, in the first place, I don't think Nakuru will be used for breeding. Iris should be ready to breed by 2024, so hopefully a giraffe calf is on its way soon.

Mandrills
When i asked they said they were highly likely that mandrills would return at the end 2022 to early 2023 so can confirmed

Highly likely?? Is it planned, did the keeper confirm it?

 

[Zoofan15]

Melbourne zoo visit 21 of may
Nyala
haven’t arrived yet when i asked a staff member they said the following ‘Our nyala haven’t arrived yet and we will probably see them in June/July they will have to be slowly introduced to the zebra and giraffe. A belive Werribee have 18 or more I’m much shore if there willl be a breeding heard at Melbourne they didnt say anything about that.
Baboon
When i asked the staff they gave me the same names as previously mention they said that the females were contricepted in 2019 to 2020 we will probably have a baby in the next 2 years
Gorrila
When asking about gorrila breeding they said that kimya has been off conticepetive they haven’t done any altersounds but said they might have a baby in the next 2 to 3 years
Snow leopard breeding
Currently kang ju and miska are seperate and the 2 female cubs in the backstage are and will be going the Wellington soon in term of breeding they said they will give a 1or 2 beak and will reintroduce them
Girrafe breeding
Iris was brought into to be a breeding partner for klintune i would say that would happen but they didn’t tell me about Nakuru as a breeding female
Mandrills
When i asked they said they were highly likely that mandrills would return at the end 2022 to early 2023 so can confirmed

Thank you for that update @austrlain zoo gower.

It’s exciting to know that Mandrill are on the cards and could be arriving in the next 12 months. With Adelaide now holding a non breeding troop but planning to continue with Mandrill), both zoos will be looking at imports to revitalise what was once a thriving breeding programme of this charismatic species.

Reproduction within the Hamadryas baboon troop will likely focus on the youngest founders females such as Qetesh and possibly Macey, if she’s still cycling. The daughters of the imported males are related to all the males of the troop and it will be difficult to shift the males on to another zoo unless Sydney Zoo or Auckland Zoo are open to a male for male swap.

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

Melbourne zoo trip 2022
Part one main trail, Australian outback and carnivores trail.

Growing wild
There are 3 meerkat exhibits at Melbourne zoo, saw a meerkat in every exhibit but that really dont need the two at the max i only saw one in the smaller exhibit.
The Aldabra tortoise exhibit is a good size as they have about 6 or 7 in the exhibit.
The kookaburra exhibit may as well not be there nobody looks at it should be taken of the map and it is small kookaburras shouldn’t be kept in an exhibit that’s small
Main trail
It doesn’t show it on the map but there are squrriral monkeys living in a small enclosure on the way to the carousel and the red pandas. There are two red panda exhibits at the zoo i saw both of them the exhibit is on the smaller side but they spend most of there time in the big maple tree in there exhibit. The platypus area seemed a bit unfinished when i visited in 2021 i belive it was under construction the platypus exhibit itself had one animal in it the exhibit is nothing special could to with a bit more education and some new foliage. The girrafes and zebras aren’t combined as iris the giraffe is still adjusting now with there 3 girrafes the exhibits feels alive, the zebra exhibit is a great size even on its own there were four on exhibits Which is them all.
Australian bush
The koala exhibits at the front is currently vacant and they have moved to the won past the wombats. The Great flight averary which was built in the 1940s is a great size i can see zillie the cassowary fitting in nice it is filled with a good amount of people and the birds have room to fly and perch. The tassie devils were of display couldn’t see the orange bellied parrot i saw 3 wonabsts to in there inside area and one in the outdoor exibit the kangaroo and emus are isn’t the best i couldn’t really see there kangaroos and emus the exibit isn’t the best and it is a bit boring as small Avery around the koala area was closed i saw one koala in a small exibit and i dont understand why they moved if anyone could answer that would be good
Part 2 will

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

I would say they will do some ultersounds soon
Keeper confirmed mandrills unless something happens they will be coming
Elephant pregnancies
According to a keeper dokkon will give birth first at the earliest December but could happen anytime in January nom oi and Mali are expected to give birth at around the same time late January to late febuarty
Is kulab a viable breeding female she has one calf could she have another

 

[Jambo]

Keeper confirmed mandrills unless something happens they will be coming

That's super exciting! It will be great for Melbourne to have mandrills again, they were such a popular species.

Considering they chucked a Cassowary in the enclosure, it does seem Melbourne planned this the whole time. Just curious, which keeper did you ask? I asked a gorilla keeper a few years ago about the possibility of a Mandrill return and they told me they weren't sure as they didn't work with the Mandrills. I did think the Primate team worked with all primates, but apparently some keepers specify in the great apes, Orangutans and Gorillas.

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

I asked a keeper in the tree top monkeys and apes are as I believe the primate team is in different areas apes and primates altogether the are the same
They just had to find a quick solution to the mandrills going and they happened to have a cassowary