Melbourne Zoo The Future of Zoos Victoria 2025 (Speculation/Fantasy)

So I was out at Melbourne zoo today I got to see the new Komodo Dragon he was easy to see today as he was inside section of his exhibit .
I found the tote quite underwhelming as it seems they are pushing the bugs more then anything atm so I really hope it’s only a temporary thing they are doing till new exhibits are made once the elephants have left I personally think binturongs and Komodo’s should be moved to tote I think they both suit the area more in the long term
 
dylan downward said:
So I was out at Melbourne zoo today I got to see the new Komodo Dragon he was easy to see today as he was inside section of his exhibit .
I found the tote quite underwhelming as it seems they are pushing the bugs more then anything atm so I really hope it’s only a temporary thing they are doing till new exhibits are made once the elephants have left I personally think binturongs and Komodo’s should be moved to tote I think they both suit the area more in the long term
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great photo

I 100% agree, hopefully redevelopment of tote can include these animals. Bugs won’t cut it for the general public, I could see it in the news. Melbourne zoo replaces elephants with bugs!
 
Zoofan15 said:
Asian water buffalo are housed at Orana Wildlife in a terrace of primarily African species - Ostrich, Plains zebra, North American bison (only other geographical outlier), Giraffe, Southern white rhinoceros and Waterbuck. Most people assume they’re an African species.

If Werribee really wanted to go to town, a precinct on introduced species could be an option:

Dromedary camel
Sambar deer
European fallow deer
Red deer
Javan rusa
Banteng
Asian water buffalo

In all honesty, it probably wouldn’t be the most exciting precinct from the perspective of the general public; and the Cheetah breeding complex, Spotted hyena exhibits etc. would be a better investment.
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I don't think an entire species on introduced species is necessary, but do think that people down south are quite unaware of some of the megafauna feral species in the north, and would just be an additional signage that could go alongside a Water buffalo exhibit.
 
The Sleepy Hippo said:
I don't think an entire species on introduced species is necessary, but do think that people down south are quite unaware of some of the megafauna feral species in the north, and would just be an additional signage that could go alongside a Water buffalo exhibit.
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I agree, an entire precinct dedicated to introduced species would indeed be overkill and divert funds from other projects like Spotted hyena, Cheetah and the SkySafari. Your compromise of some signage etc would surely cut it.

Dromedary camel are an ideal introduced species as they’re an acceptable stand alone domestic species in their own right and cohabit well with critically endangered oryx etc.
 
dylan downward said:
I completely agree with this
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Something similar in scale to the Platypus house is what I'm thinking. (Or if a new platypus enclosure were made in Australian Bush they could retrofit the Platypus House...)

I could also see the main barn and part of the top paddock, being converted to Komodo Dragon - assuming Melbourne pursue holding multiple specimens, and breeding.
 
The Sleepy Hippo said:
Something similar in scale to the Platypus house is what I'm thinking.

I could also see the main barn and part of the top paddock, being converted to Komodo Dragon - assuming Melbourne pursue holding multiple specimens, and breeding.
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If that’s the goal then I definitely would like this idea but if they don’t then they should redesign the he bong su function centre and make that the Komodo house
 
The Sleepy Hippo said:
Something similar in scale to the Platypus house is what I'm thinking. (Or if a new platypus enclosure were made in Australian Bush they could retrofit the Platypus House...)

I could also see the main barn and part of the top paddock, being converted to Komodo Dragon - assuming Melbourne pursue holding multiple specimens, and breeding.
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dylan downward said:
If that’s the goal then I definitely would like this idea but if they don’t then they should redesign the he bong su function centre and make that the Komodo house
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I think the Main Elephant Barn would be ideal for Komodo dragon (with renovations) enabling them to build exhibits for a male, a female and for the incubation of hatchlings. This could see Melbourne Zoo become a breeding hub for this species.

Perhaps the Bong Su Function Centre could become an insectarium, complimenting the Butterfly House.
 
dylan downward said:
View attachment 766662
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Also meant to say that I really like the idea of Binturong being housed in TOTE. There’s countless species that would be better suited to their exhibit in the Carnivores precinct, where part of the problem is the exhibit is three times as big as it needs to be.

If Binturong are to remain in Carnivores, I’d consider subdividing the exhibit at least into 2-3 Binturong exhibits. Hamilton Zoo similarly have a massive red panda exhibit that’s wasted on the pair they have (versus Wellington Zoo, who have subdivided the same space; enabling better management of breeding).
 
I like the idea of having the lord Howe island stick insect. Seeing as they are the zoos biggest conservation success story they should be on display. Possibly around where the butterfly’s are. Melbourne could move some species ie binturong and Komodo to this area. Possibly even the white cheeks gibbons. I think if the zoo was able to do this along with getting a new species to add to the collection ( hopefully tapir ) it would
Be a win win
 
austrlain zoo gower said:
I like the idea of having the lord Howe island stick insect. Seeing as they are the zoos biggest conservation success story they should be on display. Possibly around where the butterfly’s are. Melbourne could move some species ie binturong and Komodo to this area. Possibly even the white cheeks gibbons. I think if the zoo was able to do this along with getting a new species to add to the collection ( hopefully tapir ) it would
Be a win win
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The bull paddock is the obvious location for Brazilian tapir as the main cow paddock is way too big for a solitary animal. Capybara could join the other half of the pair in the third paddock.

I’m hopeful we’ll see an expansion of the orangutan facilities via aerial lines and maybe even an additional exhibit. They’re a popular species, never more so when they have infants and their long childhood provides zoos breeding them with a crowd-puller for many years.
 
Bouncing back to Growing Wild, I do think the entire precinct, plus the gardens behind it (including fig tree, and path to little bridge) should be made into a giant aviary, for their macaws. Even if everything else stays the same for now. Maybe even release some safe arboreal mammals too.
Then down the track, the internals could be redone to be a not Growing Wild precinct.
 
Realistically the acquisition of Kahn and them keeping him in a temporary enclosure for the time being indicates there is an intention in housing him elsewhere in the future.

Around/In the Reptile House would be nice, but with the recent Giant Tortoise and Frog expansions there isn't really enough space for this. The Carnivores precinct is another thought to float, however the only realistic space would be the current Tasmanian Devil complex (where the Komodos were initially intended to be in initial plans), however this would require extensive modifications for a BOH area and mean the Tassie Devils would have to move out (not sure Melbourne would do this considering this species ambassador status).

In saying that, the most obvious and likely location for a permanent exhibit for them is in the current elephant complex; especially the Elephant barn which could be converted into multiple indoor enclosures for them. The main cow paddock could then be reconverted to house an outdoor enclosure for them and maybe another exhibit on this site too considering its size.
 
Zoofan15 said:
The bull paddock is the obvious location for Brazilian tapir as the main cow paddock is way too big for a solitary animal. Capybara could join the other half of the pair in the third paddock.

I’m hopeful we’ll see an expansion of the orangutan facilities via aerial lines and maybe even an additional exhibit. They’re a popular species, never more so when they have infants and their long childhood provides zoos breeding them with a crowd-puller for many years.
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It's unfortunate capybara can't be housed in victoria this would be a great idea!
 
Jambo said:
Realistically the acquisition of Kahn and them keeping him in a temporary enclosure for the time being indicates there is an intention in housing him elsewhere in the future.

Around/In the Reptile House would be nice, but with the recent Giant Tortoise and Frog expansions there isn't really enough space for this. The Carnivores precinct is another thought to float, however the only realistic space would be the current Tasmanian Devil complex (where the Komodos were initially intended to be in initial plans), however this would require extensive modifications for a BOH area and mean the Tassie Devils would have to move out (not sure Melbourne would do this considering this species ambassador status).

In saying that, the most obvious and likely location for a permanent exhibit for them is in the current elephant complex; especially the Elephant barn which could be converted into multiple indoor enclosures for them. The main cow paddock could then be reconverted to house an outdoor enclosure for them and maybe another exhibit on this site too considering its size.
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As far as I’m concerned, the elephant complex is the only way to go when it comes to housing Komodo dragons. Melbourne prides itself on world class complexes and something built as an annex to the Reptile House; or even on the site of the Tasmanian devil exhibit in Carnivores would only ever be adequate - and even then support holding a single adult (as opposed to breeding).

Breeding Komodo dragon is a relatively novel venture in Australia and requires dedicated facilities for their hatching and rearing. Personally I think it would be fascinating to see this process from a visitor perspective. Utilising part of the barn for this; with the rest of the barn and the adjacent paddock used to house the adults would cater to this well. They could have one large exhibit and a series of smaller ones to support separation of adults.
 
Babirusa said:
It's unfortunate capybara can't be housed in victoria this would be a great idea!
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That’s interesting, but explains why Melbourne never took the otherwise obvious step of housing them in the old Malayan tapir exhibit.

It’s unfortunate as they’ve become exceedingly popular with the general public (I’ve met a number of non-zoo people who aspire to scratch them with wooden salad tongs) and they lend themselves so well to the concept of a mixed species exhibit. They cohabited well with Bolivian squirrel monkey at Auckland Zoo.

At least with the Xenarthra IRA, there will hopefully be the opportunity for Melbourne Zoo to import a range of exciting new species like Linne's sloth and tamandua, which would greatly enhance the Treetops Trail.
 
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