Monarto have certainly achieved great things and I for one admire their ambition. They’re well on track to becoming the region’s best open range zoo, with their ‘think big’ approach to establishing natural social groupings within expansive exhibits. It’s inspiring to see large herds of ungulates; as well as the region’s largest lion pride.
Can I ask what your involvement with Monarto is? Do you work or volunteer there in some capacity?
I live near the zoo, and visit often. I'll be volunteering soon there. All things going to plan I should be doing a part-time work placement as part of the Certificate III in Wildlife and Exhibited Animal Care (Adelaide) at Monarto in 2025, and I'll be able to provide you with information about what's going on (assuming that it's ok with the park)
Had a lovely day at Monarto today, the weather was great! Nice and sunny. Didn't get all the information I wanted, but will share with everyone what I got. Please feel free to correct me on any information I have that is incorrect or contradicts other sources. I'll label anything that is speculation on my or one of my sources part with an asterisk (*)
My sources today were -
A knowledgeable, volunteer who was monitoring meerkat and porcupine behavior
A kind Chimpanzee keeper, who was throwing out greens to the group
A carnivore keeper for a good chat after the carnivore talk
No, the Hyena groupings have changed for good reason! Endesha, known to the keepers as "Dash" and Kanzi have been paired, and so have Enzi and Fahari. Initially, both Endesha and Enzi were placed with Kanzi but Enzi was rejected by her so was later paired separately with Fahari. Bloodwork for Kanzi, Fahari, and Forest has been sent to Germany to confirm each of their pregnancies (Forest's last). The keeper begrudged that usually by the time the results return, the cubs will have already been born! He was quite confident that all three were likely pregnant*.
He mentioned that Endesha "Dash" was a keeper favorite, a very charismatic and intelligent male.
Regarding the desired import of new Hyenas, he stated that Monarto would now have to wait, as following the birth of these litters, Monarto would be at capacity.
So the groupings are now -
0.1 Forest (24/10/2007) Mwenka x Kigali
1.0 Gamba (02/03/2003) Imported 2007 (Singapore)
1.0 Jabali (26/08/2022) Gamba x Forest
No big news regarding the Hippos, apparently they are waiting on the completion of Wild Africa before they can introduce them (sounds like a lot of excuses to me). The diversion of funds towards elephants has likely delayed the hippo's arrival indefinitely imo.
Galatea is off contraceptives and the keepers have been performing pregnancy and fertility tests, the keeper I chatted to speculates* that she has minor reproductive issues akin to Polycystic ovary syndrome, but hopes she either is/will fall pregnant soon.
A request has been made to the studbook keeper to retain Zuri, she is Monarto's most popular Chimp with the public (the chimp best known by name), however, the keeper speculated* she will move on, "it just depends"
The race for Alpha is between Gombe and Sandali, currently, Gombe is the uneasy alpha (supported by his father) even though Sandali is more popular with the females. The keeper mentioned that times are "fickle" and it could change in a fortnight*. She said she wouldn't be surprised if Sandali snatched the alpha status from Gombe if Boyd passes. Apparently, Enzi is oblivious to this all even though he could be an ally to either side considering the shortage of males in the troop. She also mentioned that the females have more influence over choosing the alpha than they normally would due to the low number of males, and that Sandali has garnered enough support from them to challenge Gombe and Boyd alone.
I also noticed Hannah has a habit of consuming her own feces, is this a normal behavior? I've noticed her do it on previous occasions too
They plan to breed from Makena again "It just depends", so it appears there is no rush, I could be wrong though. They are apparently close to capacity with their night dens (capacity = 18-20 lions), which sounds like another excuse .
Chad and Ruka have been recently separated and were on exhibit alone today. The keeper said they will likely be leaving following a recommendation in the next 6 or so months. He said Victoria, I'm not 100% sure whether he was using it as an example, or as the destination they'd most likely be headed
Unfortunately, no confirmation on the other two cows (seem to be top secret imo ). The first elephants are planned to arrive 14-15 months from now. With the Perth elephants arriving first, apparently, Permai is already perfect with her crate training, whereas a custom crate has to be built for Putra Mas as no other crate in the region is large enough to fit him.
In other news, the black rhinos will remain alongside the elephants and will not be moved to Wild Africa (as I had speculated) with a second rectangular paddock (south of the current one) planned for them in the next year after they vacate Samorn's old exhibit. (The close proximity between them and the planned elephants presents the possibility for a rotational exhibit system, unlikely but possible)
Likewise, it is now confirmed that Monarto plans to mix the elephants with Blackbuck and the Mesopotamian Fallow deer. The whole area is going to be rebranded as "Asia" or the "Asian Plains" or something along these lines, both the Chimpanzee and Carnivore keepers confirmed it and referred to the area by this name.
No news on Bongo, apparently Kudu and then Sable antelope are at the top of the bovid wishlist, The director Peter Clark recently travelled to South Africa and I assume* this interest was generated by Kudu's high prevalence in South African national parks.
The Carnivore keeper also mentioned that Okapi* has been rumored in the lunchrooms. Which makes me think that maybe Taronga has broached the subject with ZoosSA? I.e. we will give you our elephant cows if you join us in an Okapi import.
Other news:
1.0 Przewalski's horse foal was born 3 weeks ago
Two more of the Przewalski's horse mares are pregnant and due any day
0.0.2 Nyala calves have been born
0.0.3 Eland calves have been born
Monarto currently has around 90 Blackbuck
Monarto now only has 11 Bison after the loss of a couple of the herd's older members
Glad you had a nice day there. I am surprised they had to divert any funds from any Hippo plan towards the elephants since they got the money (over 2M) donated from the public in less than one month!
I defiantly like the sound of Kudu and Sable antelopes.
Glad you had a nice day there. I am surprised they had to divert any funds from any Hippo plan towards the elephants since they got the money (over 2M) donated from the public in less than one month!
I defiantly like the sound of Kudu and Sable antelopes.
The diversion of funds is just my own speculation, they may not have at all and are waiting on the hippos for other reasons. They may have had to divert all organizational and manpower to the elephants, hence no one has been left to plan for the hippos
Glad you had a nice day there. I am surprised they had to divert any funds from any Hippo plan towards the elephants since they got the money (over 2M) donated from the public in less than one month!
I defiantly like the sound of Kudu and Sable antelopes.
The diversion of funds is just my own speculation, they may not have at all and are waiting on the hippos for other reasons. They may have had to divert all organizational and manpower to the elephants, hence no one has been left to plan for the hippos
Since MZ are taking the only bull hippo in the whole region and they don't require much in the way of special building I believe its not asking to much to focus a bit more with them.
Had a lovely day at Monarto today, the weather was great! Nice and sunny. Didn't get all the information I wanted, but will share with everyone what I got. Please feel free to correct me on any information I have that is incorrect or contradicts other sources. I'll label anything that is speculation on my or one of my sources part with an asterisk (*)
My sources today were -
A knowledgeable, volunteer who was monitoring meerkat and porcupine behavior
A kind Chimpanzee keeper, who was throwing out greens to the group
A carnivore keeper for a good chat after the carnivore talk
No, the Hyena groupings have changed for good reason! Endesha, known to the keepers as "Dash" and Kanzi have been paired, and so have Enzi and Fahari. Initially, both Endesha and Enzi were placed with Kanzi but Enzi was rejected by her so was later paired separately with Fahari. Bloodwork for Kanzi, Fahari, and Forest has been sent to Germany to confirm each of their pregnancies (Forest's last). The keeper begrudged that usually by the time the results return, the cubs will have already been born! He was quite confident that all three were likely pregnant*.
He mentioned that Endesha "Dash" was a keeper favorite, a very charismatic and intelligent male.
Regarding the desired import of new Hyenas, he stated that Monarto would now have to wait, as following the birth of these litters, Monarto would be at capacity.
So the groupings are now -
0.1 Forest (24/10/2007) Mwenka x Kigali
1.0 Gamba (02/03/2003) Imported 2007 (Singapore)
1.0 Jabali (26/08/2022) Gamba x Forest
- *** I may have got the above two pairings the wrong way around, either way, both are paired with the other two individually
1.0 Jaali (13/09/2017) Piltengi x Thandiwe
1.0 Majani (15/01/2018) Gamba x Forest
1.0 Mkoko (13/07/2015) Gamba x Forest
(I do not know whether Mkoko is now by himself or has joined another group? Maybe Jaali and Majani?)
No big news regarding the Hippos, apparently they are waiting on the completion of Wild Africa before they can introduce them (sounds like a lot of excuses to me). The diversion of funds towards elephants has likely delayed the hippo's arrival indefinitely imo.
Galatea is off contraceptives and the keepers have been performing pregnancy and fertility tests, the keeper I chatted to speculates* that she has minor reproductive issues akin to Polycystic ovary syndrome, but hopes she either is/will fall pregnant soon.
A request has been made to the studbook keeper to retain Zuri, she is Monarto's most popular Chimp with the public (the chimp best known by name), however, the keeper speculated* she will move on, "it just depends"
The race for Alpha is between Gombe and Sandali, currently, Gombe is the uneasy alpha (supported by his father) even though Sandali is more popular with the females. The keeper mentioned that times are "fickle" and it could change in a fortnight*. She said she wouldn't be surprised if Sandali snatched the alpha status from Gombe if Boyd passes. Apparently, Enzi is oblivious to this all even though he could be an ally to either side considering the shortage of males in the troop. She also mentioned that the females have more influence over choosing the alpha than they normally would due to the low number of males, and that Sandali has garnered enough support from them to challenge Gombe and Boyd alone.
I also noticed Hannah has a habit of consuming her own feces, is this a normal behavior? I've noticed her do it on previous occasions too
They plan to breed from Makena again "It just depends", so it appears there is no rush, I could be wrong though. They are apparently close to capacity with their night dens (capacity = 18-20 lions), which sounds like another excuse .
Chad and Ruka have been recently separated and were on exhibit alone today. The keeper said they will likely be leaving following a recommendation in the next 6 or so months. He said Victoria, I'm not 100% sure whether he was using it as an example, or as the destination they'd most likely be headed
Unfortunately, no confirmation on the other two cows (seem to be top secret imo ). The first elephants are planned to arrive 14-15 months from now. With the Perth elephants arriving first, apparently, Permai is already perfect with her crate training, whereas a custom crate has to be built for Putra Mas as no other crate in the region is large enough to fit him.
In other news, the black rhinos will remain alongside the elephants and will not be moved to Wild Africa (as I had speculated) with a second rectangular paddock (south of the current one) planned for them in the next year after they vacate Samorn's old exhibit. (The close proximity between them and the planned elephants presents the possibility for a rotational exhibit system, unlikely but possible)
Likewise, it is now confirmed that Monarto plans to mix the elephants with Blackbuck and the Mesopotamian Fallow deer. The whole area is going to be rebranded as "Asia" or the "Asian Plains" or something along these lines, both the Chimpanzee and Carnivore keepers confirmed it and referred to the area by this name.
No news on Bongo, apparently Kudu and then Sable antelope are at the top of the bovid wishlist, The director Peter Clark recently travelled to South Africa and I assume* this interest was generated by Kudu's high prevalence in South African national parks.
The Carnivore keeper also mentioned that Okapi* has been rumored in the lunchrooms. Which makes me think that maybe Taronga has broached the subject with ZoosSA? I.e. we will give you our elephant cows if you join us in an Okapi import.
Other news:
1.0 Przewalski's horse foal was born 3 weeks ago
Two more of the Przewalski's horse mares are pregnant and due any day
0.0.2 Nyala calves have been born
0.0.3 Eland calves have been born
Monarto currently has around 90 Blackbuck
Monarto now only has 11 Bison after the loss of a couple of the herd's older members
Thank you for that incredible update! I appreciate the answers to my many, many questions.
It sounds like Monarto are keen to retain Zuri, though it’s undeniable her genetics would be of better use elsewhere with her father and brother the only males that will be siring infants for the foreseeable. Even when Happy matures and is siring infants a decade from now, there’s no guarantees he’d succeed in siring Zuri’s offspring versus Enzi, who will likely be the dominant male by then. I anticipate the paternity results for Zola and Happy could be a game changer. If Zola is sired by Tsotsi as @marmolady has previously predicted, then there’s a greater argument for retaining her versus Zuri.
Yes, it’s common for chimpanzees to eat their faeces. I’ve had the misfortune to witness this at Hamilton Zoo.
Since MZ are taking the only bull hippo in the whole region and they don't require much in the way of special building I believe its not asking to much to focus a bit more with them.
I really hope that even if it’s in the long term plans of 10 years plus, Monarto commit to establishing themselves as the regional breeding for hippopotamus with multiple bulls housed on site and a cohesive pod of cows. Personalities will determine the size of the latter, but with a mother and daughter (combined with acres of space), a pod of up to eight hippopotami would surely be achievable.
If Taronga Western Plains have taught us anything, it’s the importance of having multiple bulls as a contingency for unexpected deaths and so I hope at least one or two back up bulls (in addition to the breeding bull) are held on site.
I really hope that even if it’s in the long term plans of 10 years plus, Monarto commit to establishing themselves as the regional breeding for hippopotamus with multiple bulls housed on site and a cohesive pod of cows. Personalities will determine the size of the latter, but with a mother and daughter (combined with acres of space), a pod of up to eight hippopotami would surely be achievable.
If Taronga Western Plains have taught us anything, it’s the importance of having multiple bulls as a contingency for unexpected deaths and so I hope at least one or two back up bulls (in addition to the breeding bull) are held on site.
No news on Bongo, apparently Kudu and then Sable antelope are at the top of the bovid wishlist, The director Peter Clark recently travelled to South Africa and I assume* this interest was generated by Kudu's high prevalence in South African national parks.
The Carnivore keeper also mentioned that Okapi* has been rumored in the lunchrooms. Which makes me think that maybe Taronga has broached the subject with ZoosSA? I.e. we will give you our elephant cows if you join us in an Okapi import.
The giant sable antelope is a critically endangered subspecies of the sable antelope, so I’m hopeful it’s this subspecies that’s imported. Unless I’ve missed an update, South Africa isn’t on the approved import countries for bovids into Australia; but it is for New Zealand, so potentially kudu could come to Monarto via New Zealand.
Wow, Okapi at Monarto is certainly an unexpected rumour. It’d be great to see what they could achieve with this species. It’s exciting to think there’s now the potential for up to four facilities within the region to acquire Okapi including Taronga, Melbourne and Auckland.
Wow, Okapi at Monarto is certainly an unexpected rumour. It’d be great to see what they could achieve with this species. It’s exciting to think there’s now the potential for up to four facilities within the region to acquire Okapi including Taronga, Melbourne and Auckland.
I personally don't like the idea of Okapi at Monarto, its climate does not suit them or Bongo in the slightest. However, this rumor seems so out of left field I could see there being some substance to it.
Last time I heard a rumour it was this and it turned out to be true -
Lastly elephants*, we went on for ages about them. Apparently, gossip about elephants has been traveling around the staff rooms at Monarto since Samorn died and is constantly joked about. Apparently, the board continuously flips and flops on elephants almost on a monthly basis. She believes they will eventually get elephants as they "feel like the pinnacle, the final piece to Monarto's puzzle", but admitted they were a long way off.
She also stated that Monarto would want their founding herd, be it either bachelor or breeding to be a minimum of 3+ elephants*.
I personally don't like the idea of Okapi at Monarto, its climate does not suit them or Bongo in the slightest. However, this rumor seems so out of left field I could see there being some substance to it.
Last time I heard a rumour it was this and it turned out to be true -
I’m also thinking there could well be some substance to this rumour. Gorillas have been canned from Adelaide’s plans and are more likely to be exhibited at Monarto in the future. Monarto are developing themed zones based on African national parks and the Asian plains (Asian elephant and Indian antelope) you refer to above. It’s easy to see a Congo precinct being the next step.
When you mentioned okapi, my first thought was they would have to be housed in a walking trail. They’re a solitary species and having a single animal in a massive field isn’t gonna make for good viewing opportunities when a tour bus is passing through. Similarly, gorillas would have to be behind barriers that prevent them coming in contact with people and so are better suited to a walking trail.
I think there’s definitely potential for an okapi/gorilla precinct; and if we’re being really optimistic, why not clouded leopard and pygmy hippopotamus? Mandrill of course would be a dream come true.
The giant sable antelope is a critically endangered subspecies of the sable antelope, so I’m hopeful it’s this subspecies that’s imported. Unless I’ve missed an update, South Africa isn’t on the approved import countries for bovids into Australia; but it is for New Zealand, so potentially kudu could come to Monarto via New Zealand.
Wow, Okapi at Monarto is certainly an unexpected rumour. It’d be great to see what they could achieve with this species. It’s exciting to think there’s now the potential for up to four facilities within the region to acquire Okapi including Taronga, Melbourne and Auckland.
Giant Sables are highly unlikely, I am not aware of any in a captive situation regarding them, I read a couple of years ago that a group of men got busted trying to smuggle out some from their native range into south Africa for some game ranchers. I would settle for the better known example rather than none at all. With regards to Okapi I would say for Taronga (possible) perhaps even Auckland but unlikely for the others.
I’m also thinking there could well be some substance to this rumour. Gorillas have been canned from Adelaide’s plans and are more likely to be exhibited at Monarto in the future. Monarto are developing themed zones based on African national parks and the Asian plains (Asian elephant and Indian antelope) you refer to above. It’s easy to see a Congo precinct being the next step.
When you mentioned okapi, my first thought was they would have to be housed in a walking trail. They’re a solitary species and having a single animal in a massive field isn’t gonna make for good viewing opportunities when a tour bus is passing through. Similarly, gorillas would have to be behind barriers that prevent them coming in contact with people and so are better suited to a walking trail.
I think there’s definitely potential for an okapi/gorilla precinct; and if we’re being really optimistic, why not clouded leopard and pygmy hippopotamus? Mandrill of course would be a dream come true.
10-15 years is a reasonable timeframe. Elephants are coming next year and I’d hope Monarto will get rhinos and hippopotami sorted before they take on any additional projects. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Australia’s giraffe/okapi IRA take 10 years in any case.
In the interim, there’ll hopefully be funding allocated towards consolidation projects. For one, I’d like to see more lion dens installed, so as not to hinder expansion of the pride (as noted in the update by @Swanson02).
There’s no reason to discount Clouded leopard when the other exhibits are best suited to a walking trail. They could even be housed in a nocturnal house. The main requirement is distance from apex predators; and a precinct comprised of primates and ungulates supports this.
10-15 years is a reasonable timeframe. Elephants are coming next year and I’d hope Monarto will get rhinos and hippopotami sorted before they take on any additional projects. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Australia’s giraffe/okapi IRA take 10 years in any case.
In the interim, there’ll hopefully be funding allocated towards consolidation projects. For one, I’d like to see more lion dens installed, so as not to hinder expansion of the pride (as noted in the update by @Swanson02).
There’s no reason to discount Clouded leopard when the other exhibits are best suited to a walking trail. They could even be housed in a nocturnal house. The main requirement is distance from apex predators; and a precinct comprised of primates and ungulates supports this.
Rather than a whole precinct, I think a large nocturnal house would work best. Linking to the overarching rainforest biome theme, species from South East Asia like Clouded leopard could be exhibited in a nocturnal house setting. It’s a half in/half out approach without committing to larger projects such as orangutans, which are better suited to Adelaide.
I would be surprised if a rainforest was ever constructed, The region is far better going with the regions natural assets like an African and Asian plains. In contrast to what can be seen at the city's zoo with smaller tropical species and leave the large range type species in the main for the open range zoos in general.
even though he could be an ally to either side considering the shortage of males in the troop. She also mentioned that the females have more influence over choosing the alpha than they normally would due to the low number of males, and that Sandali has garnered enough support from them to challenge Gombe and Boyd alone.
