Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo News 2023

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Melbourne Zoo Update

Update from my visits (27/11/2023 and 28/11/2023):

I noticed Kemala the Siamang appeared to be heavily pregnant and asked a volunteer who confirmed she was. The volunteer didn’t know the due date, but looking at her, I would estimate she’s around six months into her seven and a half month pregnancy. Looking back on this thread, I see the pair were successfully introduced in May 2023, which aligns with my estimate.

According to another volunteer, the zoo are also hoping to breed their pair of white-cheeked gibbons.

I recall some confusion on what pinnipeds were still alive at Melbourne. They have one female Australian sea lion (Bella) and two New Zealand fur seals (Pania and Iha).

There are no immediate plans to breed from their Snow leopards. The staff member I spoke to said they need to wait for placements for the offspring to open up. I’m not aware of any new holders in the works, but hopefully Billabong will continue with them after their elderly cats pass on.

I will post a more detailed update on the elephants in the elephant population thread.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Melbourne Zoo Update

Update from my visits (27/11/2023 and 28/11/2023):

I noticed Kemala the Siamang appeared to be heavily pregnant and asked a volunteer who confirmed she was. The volunteer didn’t know the due date, but looking at her, I would estimate she’s around six months into her seven and a half month pregnancy. Looking back on this thread, I see the pair were successfully introduced in May 2023, which aligns with my estimate.

According to another volunteer, the zoo are also hoping to breed their pair of white-cheeked gibbons.

I recall some confusion on what pinnipeds were still alive at Melbourne. They have one female Australian sea lion (Bella) and two New Zealand fur seals (Pania and Iha).

There are no immediate plans to breed from their Snow leopards. The staff member I spoke to said they need to wait for placements for the offspring to open up. I’m not aware of any new holders in the works, but hopefully Billabong will continue with them after their elderly cats pass on.

I will post a more detailed update on the elephants in the elephant population thread.
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Thanks for the update once again.

Very exciting to have another Saimang baby at Melbourne; it will be the first since Kemala herself was born five years ago. Melbourne are in for a nice next few months with a baby Saimang and baby giraffe on the way!

Whilst Li Lian has failed to conceive in the past; I'm hopeful she will now with the new pairing. That Treetop Trail could certainly do with a baby white cheeked gibbon.

Re. the Snow Leopards, I had thought so too; that's what I was told by a keeper too. Whilst Melbourne do have the space to accommodate a litter; it's important to note that they would have an issue if the litter is of multiple sexes eg. they can only hold one group of Snow Leopards. Once Billabong's ageing pair passes, they should be open to receiving any Melbourne born cubs. Taking into account their ages, they'll be around for the next four to five years at max so Melbourne can hopefully breed Kang Ju and Mishka once more in that timeframe before Mishka becomes post reproductive.
 
Jambo said:
Thanks for the update once again.

Very exciting to have another Saimang baby at Melbourne; it will be the first since Kemala herself was born five years ago. Melbourne are in for a nice next few months with a baby Saimang and baby giraffe on the way!

Whilst Li Lian has failed to conceive in the past; I'm hopeful she will now with the new pairing. That Treetop Trail could certainly do with a baby white cheeked gibbon.

Re. the Snow Leopards, I had thought so too; that's what I was told by a keeper too. Whilst Melbourne do have the space to accommodate a litter; it's important to note that they would have an issue if the litter is of multiple sexes eg. they can only hold one group of Snow Leopards. Once Billabong's ageing pair passes, they should be open to receiving any Melbourne born cubs. Taking into account their ages, they'll be around for the next four to five years at max so Melbourne can hopefully breed Kang Ju and Mishka once more in that timeframe before Mishka becomes post reproductive.
Click to expand...

Nobody I asked knew about colobus breeding, but potentially Melbourne could have a colobus infant join their upcoming line up of births too. That would be really great to see - especially in the wake of the elephants leaving.

While Melbourne were able to accomodate them, a number of staff mentioned Wellington’s delay in receiving the female Snow leopard cubs from the last litter as an unexpected turn of events; and indeed, they were originally scheduled to leave around the same time as their brother. Hopefully the dispersal of another litter can be tied in with Billabong’s last cat passing. They have two males, so waiting for one to pass could be sufficient to generate a breeding recommendation - with the view the other will probably pass away by the time they cubs are 18 months.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Nobody I asked knew about colobus breeding, but potentially Melbourne could have a colobus infant join their upcoming line up of births too. That would be really great to see - especially in the wake of the elephants leaving.

While Melbourne were able to accomodate them, a number of staff mentioned Wellington’s delay in receiving the female Snow leopard cubs from the last litter as an unexpected turn of events; and indeed, they were originally scheduled to leave around the same time as their brother. Hopefully the dispersal of another litter can be tied in with Billabong’s last cat passing. They have two males, so waiting for one to pass could be sufficient to generate a breeding recommendation - with the view the other will probably pass away by the time they cubs are 18 months.
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The intention is to breed the current Colobus pair, and with Adelaide and the National Zoo both welcoming infants this year I'm optimistic Melbourne will be able to join them soon.

The off display enclosures aren't also that huge in size and aren't really designed to house big cats permanently so I imagine Melbourne would be wanting to avoid that in due course too.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Melbourne Zoo Update

Update from my visits (27/11/2023 and 28/11/2023):

I noticed Kemala the Siamang appeared to be heavily pregnant and asked a volunteer who confirmed she was. The volunteer didn’t know the due date, but looking at her, I would estimate she’s around six months into her seven and a half month pregnancy. Looking back on this thread, I see the pair were successfully introduced in May 2023, which aligns with my estimate.

According to another volunteer, the zoo are also hoping to breed their pair of white-cheeked gibbons.

I recall some confusion on what pinnipeds were still alive at Melbourne. They have one female Australian sea lion (Bella) and two New Zealand fur seals (Pania and Iha).

There are no immediate plans to breed from their Snow leopards. The staff member I spoke to said they need to wait for placements for the offspring to open up. I’m not aware of any new holders in the works, but hopefully Billabong will continue with them after their elderly cats pass on.

I will post a more detailed update on the elephants in the elephant population thread.
Click to expand...

That's surprising, but happy, news about Kemala's pregnancy. She would certainly be on the younger side for breeding. Recent siamang births in the region at Canberra and Willowbank have been unplanned; I wonder whether this was one too or whether there was a breeding recommendation associated with the transfer of the male from Mogo.
 
Abbey said:
That's surprising, but happy, news about Kemala's pregnancy. She would certainly be on the younger side for breeding. Recent siamang births in the region at Canberra and Willowbank have been unplanned; I wonder whether this was one too or whether there was a breeding recommendation associated with the transfer of the male from Mogo.
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When I visited Melbourne zoo in October I was advised that they had yet to receive a breeding recommendation so an unplanned pregnancy seems more likely.
 
Abbey said:
That's surprising, but happy, news about Kemala's pregnancy. She would certainly be on the younger side for breeding. Recent siamang births in the region at Canberra and Willowbank have been unplanned; I wonder whether this was one too or whether there was a breeding recommendation associated with the transfer of the male from Mogo.
Click to expand...
Patrick Keegan said:
When I visited Melbourne zoo in October I was advised that they had yet to receive a breeding recommendation so an unplanned pregnancy seems more likely.
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Yeah I was told the same. I assumed they were going to be a non breeding pair but here we are with a saimang baby on the way.:p Very ironic considering Kemala was an unplanned baby herself!
 
Abbey said:
That's surprising, but happy, news about Kemala's pregnancy. She would certainly be on the younger side for breeding. Recent siamang births in the region at Canberra and Willowbank have been unplanned; I wonder whether this was one too or whether there was a breeding recommendation associated with the transfer of the male from Mogo.
Click to expand...
Patrick Keegan said:
When I visited Melbourne zoo in October I was advised that they had yet to receive a breeding recommendation so an unplanned pregnancy seems more likely.
Click to expand...
Jambo said:
Yeah I was told the same. I assumed they were going to be a non breeding pair but here we are with a saimang baby on the way.:p Very ironic considering Kemala was an unplanned baby herself!
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I’m not entirely surprised as their socials mentioned hope for the pair welcoming an infant in the future a few weeks ago. The infant would have been conceived very early on in the introductions considering they were first introduced on May 2023.
 
 
Some updates from the 2022-2023 inventory list available on the website with some information drawn from the 2021-2022 inventory list as well – for the lesser-known critters mainly:
  • four (1.2.1) Veiled Chameleons and three (1.1.1) Central Netted Dragons have arrived. Red-barred Dragons had more females arrive as well.
  • barring the macaws, all of the exotic parrots were transferred out of the zoo – five African Grey Parrots, a Crimson-bellied Conure, a White-bellied Caique and a Black-capped Caique moved out of the zoo. The Barn Owls and Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos are no longer at the zoo either.
  • the zoo’s last Eyelash Viper and California King Snake have both died. Their last Taiwan Beauty Snake was transferred to another facility.
  • Giant Water Spiders and Giant Rainforest Mantids continue to breed very well.
  • Blue Triangle and Macleay’s Swallowtail arrived for the butterfly house – both are new species.
  • four Magnificent Tree-Frogs and 41 Watson’s Tree-Frogs arrived representing new species for the collection.
  • nine Arafura File Snakes have been born. Two Carolina Box Turtles (one didn’t survive), six Boyd’s Forest Dragons, two Centralian Knob-tailed Geckoes and an additional Gila Monster hatched.
  • the male Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo at Melbourne has died. The trio remain at Healesville.
  • 3.0 Swamp Wallabies and 1.3 Tammar Wallabies were acquired for the renovated kangaroo exhibit.
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
Some updates from the 2022-2023 inventory list available on the website with some information drawn from the 2021-2022 inventory list as well – for the lesser-known critters mainly:
  • four (1.2.1) Veiled Chameleons and three (1.1.1) Central Netted Dragons have arrived. Red-barred Dragons had more females arrive as well.
  • barring the macaws, all of the exotic parrots were transferred out of the zoo – five African Grey Parrots, a Crimson-bellied Conure, a White-bellied Caique and a Black-capped Caique moved out of the zoo. The Barn Owls and Major Mitchell’s Cockatoos are no longer at the zoo either.
  • the zoo’s last Eyelash Viper and California King Snake have both died. Their last Taiwan Beauty Snake was transferred to another facility.
  • Giant Water Spiders and Giant Rainforest Mantids continue to breed very well.
  • Blue Triangle and Macleay’s Swallowtail arrived for the butterfly house – both are new species.
  • four Magnificent Tree-Frogs and 41 Watson’s Tree-Frogs arrived representing new species for the collection.
  • nine Arafura File Snakes have been born. Two Carolina Box Turtles (one didn’t survive), six Boyd’s Forest Dragons, two Centralian Knob-tailed Geckoes and an additional Gila Monster hatched.
  • the male Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo at Melbourne has died. The trio remain at Healesville.
  • 3.0 Swamp Wallabies and 1.3 Tammar Wallabies were acquired for the renovated kangaroo exhibit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the updates! Do you happen to know why they transferred out all their exotic birds (bar the macaws of course)?
 
Victorian grassland earless dragons hatch:

From socials:

Some very special arrivals have emerged from their eggs at the Melbourne Zoo hatchlings nursery.

Nine precious Victorian Grassland Earless Dragons have entered into the world - the result of the first breeding program that could save the species from extinction.

Before its rediscovery earlier this year, the species had not been seen for more than 50 years and was widely believed to be extinct.
 
Zoos Victoria on Instagram: "Some very special arrivals have emerged from their eggs at the Melbourne Zoo hatchlings nursery. Nine precious Victorian Grassland Earless Dragons have entered into the world - the result of the first breeding program that could save the species from extinction. Before its rediscovery earlier this year, the species had not been seen for more than 50 years and was widely believed to be extinct. The recovery, breeding and protection of the Dragon is essential to the survival of the species. You can see these tiny little wonders for yourself in the Keeper Kids precinct at Melbourne Zoo. Conservation efforts for this Critically Endangered species are a collaboration between Zoos Victoria, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (@dcceew) the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (@deeca_vic) @museumsvictoria, Resilient Landscapes Hub (@nesplandscapes) the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and Wildlife Profiles Pty Ltd."

video of the hatchlings released on instagram
 
Lion Exhibit Upgrade

Melbourne Zoo have installed two lion platforms in the lion exhibit. I saw these on my first visit to the zoo last month and didn’t realise they were new; but as noted on socials today, they’re a recent upgrade.

I thought they were a fantastic idea as they’re purpose built for male lions. I once saw a platform at another zoo, with them noting the lionesses used it; but the lions didn’t due to being too top heavy to jump onto it.

African Lion Platform

African Lion Platform

  • Media owner Zoofan15
  • Date added
Photo taken 27/11/2023.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Lion Exhibit Upgrade

Melbourne Zoo have installed two lion platforms in the lion exhibit. I saw these on my first visit to the zoo last month and didn’t realise they were new; but as noted on socials today, they’re a recent upgrade.

I thought they were a fantastic idea as they’re purpose built for male lions. I once saw a platform at another zoo, with them noting the lionesses used it; but the lions didn’t due to being too top heavy to jump onto it.

African Lion Platform

African Lion Platform

  • Media owner Zoofan15
  • Date added
Photo taken 27/11/2023.
Click to expand...
There was previously a platform in that area but it seems they've just renovated it with an entirely new platform and new ramps allowing them to access it better rather than having to climb up the branches as they previously would've done.

Here's a photo of them on the former platform five or so years ago taken by myself:
full
 
Zoofan15 said:
Lion Exhibit Upgrade

Melbourne Zoo have installed two lion platforms in the lion exhibit. I saw these on my first visit to the zoo last month and didn’t realise they were new; but as noted on socials today, they’re a recent upgrade.

I thought they were a fantastic idea as they’re purpose built for male lions. I once saw a platform at another zoo, with them noting the lionesses used it; but the lions didn’t due to being too top heavy to jump onto it.

African Lion Platform

African Lion Platform

  • Media owner Zoofan15
  • Date added
Photo taken 27/11/2023.
Click to expand...

Zoos Victoria on Instagram: "The kings of the jungle have a new view at Melbourne Zoo! "

Instagram post regarding this new change for anyone interested
 
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