Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo News 2024

Zorro said:
Realistically Taronga has been on the decline for years now, The once large imported Gorilla troup is just a shadow of its former self, Gibbons as far as I recall all but gone, Dholes gone, fishing cats almost gone, elephants almost gone the list gos on, Sure they still have a few major exhibits but surely that would be expected of what many would expect from what one could say in the country's top zoo?
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The last Mueller’s gibbon died in 2015; and the last Northern white-cheeked gibbon was transferred out last year. He was the last gibbon held at Taronga.

Do bear in mind that the elephant phase out is regarded as a progressive move. Public perception has very much moved away from the holding of elephants in city zoos and Taronga is simply joining a long list of zoos in the region by phasing their’s out. A pair of elephant cows browsing in a paddock will no doubt be replaced by a world class complex, so even from a zoo enthusiast’s perspective, it’s something to celebrate.
 
@Zoofan15

I agree with the breeding hubs with Sumatran Tigers and big space for Chimps and Lions, Im completely supporting of those projects. What Im saying is Taronga has the space for more species with the further phase outs planned and can establish further multiple exhibits for some species. There's room for at least two further decent sized exhibits for another big cat or medium cat species for example. Orangutans would get a decent space when Pak Boon and Tang Mo move to Dubbo.
 
steveroberts said:
@Zoofan15

I agree with the breeding hubs with Sumatran Tigers and big space for Chimps and Lions, Im completely supporting of those projects. What Im saying is Taronga has the space for more species with the further phase outs planned and can establish further multiple exhibits for some species. There's room for at least two further decent sized exhibits for another big cat or medium cat species for example. Orangutans would get a decent space when Pak Boon and Tang Mo move to Dubbo.
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There's an discussion to be had around the Hippos. With the recent birth of Lololi, Taronga will require additional exhibits to house the family. I'm not at all saying a mixed species exhibit with the Hippo would work, it 100% wouldn't(looking at John Ball), but there is space for the Hippo Family and the existing moat could provide just what they need.
 
Zoo Tour Australia said:
Have the plans to get the Okapis here been Canceled after the Congo was canceled?
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It would appear so. The Congo precinct was to feature Western lowland gorilla and Okapi; and has now been cancelled, so there’s no reason to believe they’re still pursuing Okapi.

Australia doesn’t yet have a Giraffe/Okapi IRA, so importing them was always going to be a challenge.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Unfortunately it doesn’t appear Melbourne has any interest in them; and Auckland Zoo are proceeding with other plans for their elephant exhibit, indicating they don’t either. The best chance of establishing a regional population would have been to have had two or three holders come onboard, to allow regional exchanges.
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I was thinking more 20/30 years down the line, but I agree it is very disappointing that our zoos currently aren't showing interest.
 
Osedax said:
I was thinking more 20/30 years down the line, but I agree it is very disappointing that our zoos currently aren't showing interest.
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I’d like to think it’s a long term possibility for the region. The US have a number of bulls and between them and Europe, I find it hard to believe they can’t spare a founder base of two pairs. If the trend of bull calves continues overseas, it might then be possible to source a couple of additional bulls to pair with first generation female calves. An initial import of six Okapi could potentially/optimistically create a sustainable population for at least two decades before further imports were needed.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Unfortunately it doesn’t appear Melbourne has any interest in them; and Auckland Zoo are proceeding with other plans for their elephant exhibit, indicating they don’t either. The best chance of establishing a regional population would have been to have had two or three holders come onboard, to allow regional exchanges.
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After Melbourne getting out of bongo because one had a freak accident. Id be very surprised if they went in for another ungulate, and one that is even more seclusive/nervous.

In reality I dont think they are something taronga should even be going into. Do I want to see them, yes. Will the general public care for the short giraffes, probably not. Will you see a relatively shy animal on busy days with lots of noisy kids, no.

Gorillas, bongo, colobus and pygmy hippos would round out a nice precinct. With species the public likes, dont appear to be to bothered by the noise and are easy to display and actually see.
 
I had 40 minutes free on the lower north shore yesterday, so made time for just a long enough visit to see JR (long-beaked echidna) in the new nocturnal house. Nothing specific to report, except how thrilled I was to see him.

It was the first time I've been able to see him since the brief period when you could view him (inevitably asleep in the den) at the Tassie devil enclosures. I never tire of being able to see such a uniquely rare animal in Sydney :) And it's a great bonus that he's no longer behind glass as in the old nocturnal house.
 
Tiger91 said:
After Melbourne getting out of bongo because one had a freak accident. Id be very surprised if they went in for another ungulate, and one that is even more seclusive/nervous.

In reality I dont think they are something taronga should even be going into. Do I want to see them, yes. Will the general public care for the short giraffes, probably not. Will you see a relatively shy animal on busy days with lots of noisy kids, no.

Gorillas, bongo, colobus and pygmy hippos would round out a nice precinct. With species the public likes, dont appear to be to bothered by the noise and are easy to display and actually see.
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I don't think the Bongo incident led to Melbourne backing away from ungulates, but rather the uninterest from the public along with other factors like importing, breeding etc. The reason I believe so is there were plans to import Nyala(?) to replace the Bongo a few years after their departure, but plans never came to fruition obviously.

I do agree however that Okapi would be unsuitable for such an environment. Whilst it would be incredible to see Okapi at Taronga, the likelihood is at an all time low. As @Osedax said, maybe 20-30 years down the line Taronga could look into them, but with that being said, 20-30 years down the line Okapi may be extinct in the wild, and other institutions will be much less willing to export.
 
loganjmuir said:
I don't think the Bongo incident led to Melbourne backing away from ungulates, but rather the uninterest from the public along with other factors like importing, breeding etc. The reason I believe so is there were plans to import Nyala(?) to replace the Bongo a few years after their departure, but plans never came to fruition obviously.

I do agree however that Okapi would be unsuitable for such an environment. Whilst it would be incredible to see Okapi at Taronga, the likelihood is at an all time low. As @Osedax said, maybe 20-30 years down the line Taronga could look into them, but with that being said, 20-30 years down the line Okapi may be extinct in the wild, and other institutions will be much less willing to export.
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That’s correct. While the phase out of bongo from Melbourne Zoo was attributed to the fatal incident, the phase out of ungulates from all city zoos in the region is a continuing trend.

As early as the 80’s (Wellington) and 90’s (Adelaide), city zoos acknowledged they lacked the space to hold elephants; and Common hippopotamus and rhinos soon followed suit from zoos like Taronga, Melbourne etc. This trend has expanded to other ungulates including antelopes in recent decades. It’s largely influenced by public perception in that the public perceive their exhibits as artificial and cramped (compared to observing them grazing on a savannah at an open range zoo); and like you say, find antelopes boring compared to felids and canids.

It’d be great if Taronga imported Okapi, but I’d much rather see a minimum of 2-3 holders (with more open to coming on board) so we can establish a semi-sustainable population. It seems a little pointless to bring over a 1.1 pair and if by chance they breed, ship any offspring back to Europe or North America.
 
I visited Taronga Zoo today and I believe that the Red Panda’s may have had another cub. They were weighting a very small Red Panda today, and it was being bottle fed milk as well. I managed to snap some pics, so once I’m home with the laptop I’ll attempt to upload one or two. I also was able to spot Lololi, the Pygmy Hippo bub and happened to be there when the Dingos were heading back to their exhibit after a walk, with one coming up and giving me a bit of a rub and sniff!
 
Tigergal said:
I visited Taronga Zoo today and I believe that the Red Panda’s may have had another cub. They were weighting a very small Red Panda today, and it was being bottle fed milk as well. I managed to snap some pics, so once I’m home with the laptop I’ll attempt to upload one or two. I also was able to spot Lololi, the Pygmy Hippo bub and happened to be there when the Dingos were heading back to their exhibit after a walk, with one coming up and giving me a bit of a rub and sniff!
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That’s exciting news! Nepalese red pandas give birth in December and January in the Southern Hemisphere, so that’s entirely possible there’s been another birth (especially if you saw a cub).

While Taronga has undertaken handraising of this species; it’s common practice to undertake supplementary feeding when the litter is triplets, so that’s a strong possibility if you observed feeding/weighing taking place in the exhibit. Taronga last had triplets in December 2018.
 
Tigergal said:
I visited Taronga Zoo today and I believe that the Red Panda’s may have had another cub. They were weighting a very small Red Panda today, and it was being bottle fed milk as well. I managed to snap some pics, so once I’m home with the laptop I’ll attempt to upload one or two. I also was able to spot Lololi, the Pygmy Hippo bub and happened to be there when the Dingos were heading back to their exhibit after a walk, with one coming up and giving me a bit of a rub and sniff!
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It does seem likely - especially as the older cubs from 2021 were recently moved into the Moore Park Aviary.

I'm surprised we haven't had an announcement yet, although perhaps we can expect one soon.
 
Jambo said:
It does seem likely - especially as the older cubs from 2021 were recently moved into the Moore Park Aviary.

I'm surprised we haven't had an announcement yet, although perhaps we can expect one soon.
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Traditionally, Taronga have announced the majority of their panda births in the first half of March, so they are running a little late. Since previous births mostly occurred in early December; a delay in this instance could be explained if the birth was late December or even early January.

Alternatively, if the birth was triplets, they may be waiting until they reach the appropriate milestones.

I see International Red Panda Day is in September - strategically placed so that June births (Northern Hemisphere) can be announced around the three month mark.
 
Jambo said:
It does seem likely - especially as the older cubs from 2021 were recently moved into the Moore Park Aviary.

I'm surprised we haven't had an announcement yet, although perhaps we can expect one soon.
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There were a pair of people with a camera/video camera, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s announced soon!

I’ve figured out how to upload on mobile, apologies that they’re not the best quality IMG_9621.jpeg IMG_9603.jpeg
 

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Tigergal said:
There were a pair of people with a camera/video camera, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s announced soon!

I’ve figured out how to upload on mobile, apologies that they’re not the best quality View attachment 693087 View attachment 693088
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Certainly looks like they're doing media for their socials. Wouldn't be surprised if we get an announcement very very soon.:D

Does look like there's only a single cub too.
 
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