so... some random person "hacked" your email provider from another city so that they could start an account here to talk about Zambi, before you joined to talk about Zambi? That, um, seems like a bit of a stretch.
Zambi Wildlife Retreat
- Thread starter Rough
- Start date
Do you know if Zambi plan on opening to the public anytime soon? I can't imagine that the diversity of animals would be much (lions, tigers, monkeys, puma and a single elephant) but i'm sure it could become a well-known animal attraction in south-western Sydney (which is sadly lacking atm). They could also take in surplus/phase-out animals from the bigger facilities.
Tracey, I wasn't suggesting you call Donna Wilson to clarify her position at Zambi Wildlife Retreat, if you had read what I'd written it was directing you to ask some legitimate questions as to who owns the animals in question at the property in response to you wanting proof. As a charity organisation they would have to disclose that information to you legally. I think you are getting a little off the track here with what this post is about and trying to turn it in to a debate when really we are just sharing truthful facts.
I am very well informed on the licensing process, I have had to help with licensing applications with DPI previously. As for who is paying the bills, the Bullens certainly aren't and it's the unsuspecting public footing the bill for Bullens animals when it comes down to it. I've got nothing against the Bullens but I do have problems with a so-called charity getting unnecessary donations for animals which are not theirs.
I donated a substantial amount of money to ZWR before I knew that the animals I was supporting were owned by millionaires. The charity does not rent the land that Zambi Wildlife Retreat is located on, but they pay the bills and for the care of the animals (point being, the animals aren't owned by the charity) conflict of interest?
The Bullens let the charity lend the animals to generate funds, which to me seems quite misleading, when people are donating money to support those particular animals that are supposed to be "in need"?
Before I start I will say I am a fan of Zambi and am not here to bag them out. But I believe in accuracy and it is the same Government department that issues licences for both Exhibitors and Private owners, Trade and Investment, or Industry or DPI (They have changed their name a few times over the years).
Zambi is on the Bullen's Property. The exotic animals may well be owned by the Bullen's. Wild Animal Encounters also use Bullen's animals. Zambi's goal is to move to another property and open to the public eventually. At the moment they are sharing resources, what's the problem with a charity getting a helping hand to start off?
A new article, featuring the same model petting a lion cub: Cheyenne Tozzi pets a lion as she takes time out from Australia's Next Top Model auditions | Daily Mail Online
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...r/news-story/ea16b29824e0aff41339ff2dd2b4ef12
Operation fights for the eye of the tiger
NICK HANSEN, The Daily Telegraph
November 16, 2016 8:24pm
THERE is new hope in the fight to save Western Sydney’s cross-eyed Bengal tiger Indira from losing her sight.
A team of doctors were about to put the 16-year-old beauty, who featured in the blockbuster movie Anaconda, under the knife yesterday when they noticed her medication had already begun to straighten her eyes.
The pro-bono medical team from University of Sydney’s vet hospital were delighted with the progress along with her owners from Zambi Wildlife Retreat, Wallacia.
It was welcome news for the big cat herself, who has struggled to find food tossed into her cage and been picked on by other tigers since her sight began deteriorating a few years ago.
“If we still need to come back and try to straighten the eyes up a little bit more we will but the correction that’s occurred … has corrected it a lot anyway,” veterinary ophthalmologist Cameron Whittaker said.
Scans taken earlier this year also revealed Indira will need a root canal surgery on a tooth.
ZWR director Donna Wilson hand-raised Indira and has struggled to see her health decline.
“It has been difficult watching such a beautiful animal’s sight decline over the years,” Ms Wilson said.
Operation fights for the eye of the tiger
NICK HANSEN, The Daily Telegraph
November 16, 2016 8:24pm
THERE is new hope in the fight to save Western Sydney’s cross-eyed Bengal tiger Indira from losing her sight.
A team of doctors were about to put the 16-year-old beauty, who featured in the blockbuster movie Anaconda, under the knife yesterday when they noticed her medication had already begun to straighten her eyes.
The pro-bono medical team from University of Sydney’s vet hospital were delighted with the progress along with her owners from Zambi Wildlife Retreat, Wallacia.
It was welcome news for the big cat herself, who has struggled to find food tossed into her cage and been picked on by other tigers since her sight began deteriorating a few years ago.
“If we still need to come back and try to straighten the eyes up a little bit more we will but the correction that’s occurred … has corrected it a lot anyway,” veterinary ophthalmologist Cameron Whittaker said.
Scans taken earlier this year also revealed Indira will need a root canal surgery on a tooth.
ZWR director Donna Wilson hand-raised Indira and has struggled to see her health decline.
“It has been difficult watching such a beautiful animal’s sight decline over the years,” Ms Wilson said.
Husband, wife high-five after four hour operation to save the sight of a Bengal tiger
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/en...r/news-story/526dd54ae834842c9b29e16918c52af9
AN Australian first operation to save the sight of a Bengal tiger has been cautiously hailed a success.
Husband-and-wife surgeons Cameron Whittaker and Kelly Caruso high-fived each other after the four-hour operation on Indira at University of Sydney Veterinary Teaching Hospital yesterday afternoon.
After they removed cataracts from her eyes, the pair implanted an artificial lens especially manufactured in Germany for the 16-year-old big cat.
Indira would have lost sight completely within 12 months without the surgery.
Owner Donna Wilson said the waiting game was tough.
“I was very anxious, I didn’t sleep last night, I’ve been with Indira her whole life,” she said.
Ms Wilson said early signs showed the surgery was a success, but recovery and further treatment would take months.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/en...r/news-story/526dd54ae834842c9b29e16918c52af9
AN Australian first operation to save the sight of a Bengal tiger has been cautiously hailed a success.
Husband-and-wife surgeons Cameron Whittaker and Kelly Caruso high-fived each other after the four-hour operation on Indira at University of Sydney Veterinary Teaching Hospital yesterday afternoon.
After they removed cataracts from her eyes, the pair implanted an artificial lens especially manufactured in Germany for the 16-year-old big cat.
Indira would have lost sight completely within 12 months without the surgery.
Owner Donna Wilson said the waiting game was tough.
“I was very anxious, I didn’t sleep last night, I’ve been with Indira her whole life,” she said.
Ms Wilson said early signs showed the surgery was a success, but recovery and further treatment would take months.
The fur looks quite light, so I’d assume a generic - probably from Dreamworld.
Dreamworld are going non contact, so will be keen to shift some of their adults on to breed a new litter.
One of their three young males is a likely candidate:
1.0 Javi (26/04/2019) Pi x Adira
1.0 Zakari (26/04/2019) Pi x Adira
1.0 Khan (25/05/2019) Raja x Nika
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The new tiger is Nika from Sydney Zoo. She’s been retired to Zambi, following the death of her mate (male Sumatran tiger, Raja).
Reported on socials.
Believe 1.0 Phoenix will soon able to be seen by the visitors who book tours of Zambi, as of this social media post: Zambi Wildlife Foundation on Instagram: " SURPRISE!! Introducing Phoenix, the Sri Lankan Leopard! He just arrived a few weeks ago and has been having a great time exploring his new home and getting to know his caretakers. We can’t wait to share his journey with you
. . . . . . . . www.zambiwildliferetreat.org
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Believe 1.0 Phoenix will soon able to be seen by the visitors who book tours of Zambi, as of this social media post: Zambi Wildlife Foundation on Instagram: " SURPRISE!! Introducing Phoenix, the Sri Lankan Leopard! He just arrived a few weeks ago and has been having a great time exploring his new home and getting to know his caretakers. We can’t wait to share his journey with you
I have a tour in late March booked in, hoping he’s feeling comfortable and settled enough to be out on display!
Sydney has/had a male of a similar name;
1.0 Pindhu (24/12/2016) Pabu x Kesari
Not sure if he's the male in question, but there is a good chance considering Zambi's proximity to Sydney.
The new red panda came from Sydney Zoo:
According to this clip, his name was Phinju at that zoo too:
14K views · 375 reactions | Phinju the red panda, | Phinju the red panda, living his best life one sweet potato at a time #ASMR #SydneyZoo #westernsydney #sydney #seeSydney #Zoo #RedPanda #POV #MIC... | By Sydney Zoo | Facebook
I visited Zambi today for a guided tour and was quite impressed. When we arrived I was a bit concerned about what to expect, given it was at the back of a farm house but was quickly blown away. The first animal on the the tour was a quartet of Sun Conures - Two male and two female. The keeper mentioned that their breeding pair occasionally laid eggs and two had been hand raised over the years as Sun Conure's are 'lazy parents'. Next up was a pair of Macaw's - A Blue and Gold Macaw and a Green-Winged Macaw. The keeper stated that the pair had come from Taronga Zoo, who had re-homed them after an unspecified bird disease and Zambi had been asked to take them in. Both Macaw's are apparently healthy now but due to the risk to other birds, are housed by themselves.
Next on the tour was a group of 8 Common Marmosets. These came from a facility in Queensland, who could no longer house them due to having too many for their exhibit. Zambi initially received a male and female, and found out shortly after that the female was pregnant. She gave birth to twins, and fell pregnant again before an implant could be placed in her, and she had another set of twins. An implant was put in after the second birth, which failed and a third lot of twins were born. Both females (Mum and one daughter) have both been desexed now. Right next to the Common Marmosets was Phoenix the Sri-Lankan Leopard (1.0 Phoenix (10/08/2023) Ecko x Maysha). I saw him as a cub at DDZ and he has grown into the most beautiful leopard. He participated in some behaviours asked by the keeper, mainly walking around on the climbing tours they had. They’re attempting to teach him to not have his paws on the mesh when he’s being fed, but this is very much still a work in progress and he managed to quickly put his paws on the mesh a few times to grab his snack while we were there. Phoenix is housed in the old Puma exhibit, which is larger than I expected with a waterfall and some very established trees.
0.1 Nika (15/04/2006) Imported 2013 was next on the tour, when the keeper informed us that Nika is a purebred Siberian Tiger. The Keeper stated that she was imported from a Poland zoo by Dreamworld, who lied on the paperwork and stated she was a generic tiger to have her imported into the country. I have seen Nika multiple times while she was at Sydney Zoo (Granted, she was a very shy tiger there) but she did look very large today when I saw her so close to the mesh, especially her paws! I’m not sure I believe that she is a purebred Siberian Tiger, but was interesting to hear.
We next saw a solo female Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo who was housed next to a pair of Hahn’s Macaws. Then was the first Lion exhibit, which housed 0.1 Mayzie (01/05/2004) Fred x Xena and 0.1 Kiara (00/00/2004) Unknown x Unknown. Kiara was very engaged in the talk from her little shelter, and was quite cute laying on her back and playing in the air. Both Mayzie and Kiara were retired from the Lennon Brothers Circus and have both been declawed. After this we saw the Meerkats, the mob included 5 Meerkats who had all been ‘rejected’ by their mobs and were re-homed at Zambi. There are four females (Jasmine, Lily, Violet and Daisy) and a male (Basil). Lily had her tail removed due to an attack at her last facility when she was ousted from the mob. We then went onto the Hamadryas Baboons, where they have a troop that contains a male named Fonzie, and four females - Sister’s Pebbles and Kinki, Mum Flash and ‘Aunt’ Keke. The keeper mentioned that Pebbles is two years old, Keke is 23 years old and Fonzie has had a vasectomy. We were able to hand feed the female baboons peanuts, while Fonzie was fed by a volunteer on the other side of the exhibit. It was very cute watching the females, especially Pebbles, fill their cheek pockets up with the peanuts.
After the Baboons we went onto the second Lion exhibit, which houses one male lion and three lionesses. The lionesses are 0.1 Mali, 0.1 Zambi and 0.1 Sukari. The male is 1.0 Kibulu, who was born in September 2014 at Mogo Zoo to a white lioness (I’d assume Snow), who was hand-raised by the owner of Zambi after being rejected by his Mum. Mali was also hand-raised at another facility, and was also born in September 2014 (The same day as Kibulu!) about ‘500kms’ from Kibulu at Mogo. Zambi was also hand-raised, and was the first cat hand-raised at Zambi and is the sister of Sukari (from different litters) who’s father ‘came from the circus’.
We then went onto the second Tiger exhibit, which had 1.0 Zoran, 0.1 Mischa and their daughter Zena. Zoran has very impressive ruff and when I asked the keeper about it, she stated that Zoran was half Indochinese Tiger, which is when the ruff comes from. Zoran will be 15 this year, and was hand-raised by the owner. Mischa is 12 years old and was also hand-raised by the owner, and Zena is 4 years old. Zena was a ‘happy accident’, with Mischa being placed on contraceptives when she was conceived. We then took a detour via the Red Panda habitat as 1.0 Pindhu (24/12/2016) Pabu x Kesari was out of his den, with the keeper noting he’d been spending a lot of time at the back of the exhibit. I asked about the enclosure being built for Red Pandas and the keeper said that as they’re now apart of the ZAA, they have taken on Pindhu as a short-term stay while the species coordinator moves some other male Red Panda’s around. The keeper also mentioned that an American donor had funded the entire Red Panda enclosure, and that Zambi intends to keep Red Pandas long-term, though that likely will not be Pundhu.
We then circled back to the third Tiger exhibit, which has two sisters – Mila and Meliah. They’re 5 years old, and came from a private facility in Queensland that breeds and trains big cats for TV and movies. One of the tigeress’ had flattened a palm bush in the exhibit and was sitting on it, which was very cute. The final exhibit on the tour was one with 8 Macaws – 7 Blue and Gold Macaws, and 1 Hyacinth Macaw named Rio, which we were also able to feed peanuts too. After this, the encounters were run and we were free to explore the facility at our own leisure.
Some other notes:
- The keeper mentioned that most of the enclosures on the tour were about 4 years old, and they have plans to further expand to take on more animals but don’t want to get too big due to costs
- They’re currently building a bigger, on display habitat for their Macaques
- The landscaping is incredible throughout the retreat, with 5 ponds of Koi fish as well
- The enclosures were all modern and large for a city zoo, with well established plants and most had a water feature
- Zambi is on 50 acres of land, and the keeper said they had plenty of room to expand
- They only have three paid staff members (The owner and two keepers) and rely a lot on volunteers.
Overall I very much enjoyed my few hours at Zambi, and am eager to see how they expand and grow over the next few years!
Next on the tour was a group of 8 Common Marmosets. These came from a facility in Queensland, who could no longer house them due to having too many for their exhibit. Zambi initially received a male and female, and found out shortly after that the female was pregnant. She gave birth to twins, and fell pregnant again before an implant could be placed in her, and she had another set of twins. An implant was put in after the second birth, which failed and a third lot of twins were born. Both females (Mum and one daughter) have both been desexed now. Right next to the Common Marmosets was Phoenix the Sri-Lankan Leopard (1.0 Phoenix (10/08/2023) Ecko x Maysha). I saw him as a cub at DDZ and he has grown into the most beautiful leopard. He participated in some behaviours asked by the keeper, mainly walking around on the climbing tours they had. They’re attempting to teach him to not have his paws on the mesh when he’s being fed, but this is very much still a work in progress and he managed to quickly put his paws on the mesh a few times to grab his snack while we were there. Phoenix is housed in the old Puma exhibit, which is larger than I expected with a waterfall and some very established trees.
0.1 Nika (15/04/2006) Imported 2013 was next on the tour, when the keeper informed us that Nika is a purebred Siberian Tiger. The Keeper stated that she was imported from a Poland zoo by Dreamworld, who lied on the paperwork and stated she was a generic tiger to have her imported into the country. I have seen Nika multiple times while she was at Sydney Zoo (Granted, she was a very shy tiger there) but she did look very large today when I saw her so close to the mesh, especially her paws! I’m not sure I believe that she is a purebred Siberian Tiger, but was interesting to hear.
We next saw a solo female Red-Tailed Black Cockatoo who was housed next to a pair of Hahn’s Macaws. Then was the first Lion exhibit, which housed 0.1 Mayzie (01/05/2004) Fred x Xena and 0.1 Kiara (00/00/2004) Unknown x Unknown. Kiara was very engaged in the talk from her little shelter, and was quite cute laying on her back and playing in the air. Both Mayzie and Kiara were retired from the Lennon Brothers Circus and have both been declawed. After this we saw the Meerkats, the mob included 5 Meerkats who had all been ‘rejected’ by their mobs and were re-homed at Zambi. There are four females (Jasmine, Lily, Violet and Daisy) and a male (Basil). Lily had her tail removed due to an attack at her last facility when she was ousted from the mob. We then went onto the Hamadryas Baboons, where they have a troop that contains a male named Fonzie, and four females - Sister’s Pebbles and Kinki, Mum Flash and ‘Aunt’ Keke. The keeper mentioned that Pebbles is two years old, Keke is 23 years old and Fonzie has had a vasectomy. We were able to hand feed the female baboons peanuts, while Fonzie was fed by a volunteer on the other side of the exhibit. It was very cute watching the females, especially Pebbles, fill their cheek pockets up with the peanuts.
After the Baboons we went onto the second Lion exhibit, which houses one male lion and three lionesses. The lionesses are 0.1 Mali, 0.1 Zambi and 0.1 Sukari. The male is 1.0 Kibulu, who was born in September 2014 at Mogo Zoo to a white lioness (I’d assume Snow), who was hand-raised by the owner of Zambi after being rejected by his Mum. Mali was also hand-raised at another facility, and was also born in September 2014 (The same day as Kibulu!) about ‘500kms’ from Kibulu at Mogo. Zambi was also hand-raised, and was the first cat hand-raised at Zambi and is the sister of Sukari (from different litters) who’s father ‘came from the circus’.
We then went onto the second Tiger exhibit, which had 1.0 Zoran, 0.1 Mischa and their daughter Zena. Zoran has very impressive ruff and when I asked the keeper about it, she stated that Zoran was half Indochinese Tiger, which is when the ruff comes from. Zoran will be 15 this year, and was hand-raised by the owner. Mischa is 12 years old and was also hand-raised by the owner, and Zena is 4 years old. Zena was a ‘happy accident’, with Mischa being placed on contraceptives when she was conceived. We then took a detour via the Red Panda habitat as 1.0 Pindhu (24/12/2016) Pabu x Kesari was out of his den, with the keeper noting he’d been spending a lot of time at the back of the exhibit. I asked about the enclosure being built for Red Pandas and the keeper said that as they’re now apart of the ZAA, they have taken on Pindhu as a short-term stay while the species coordinator moves some other male Red Panda’s around. The keeper also mentioned that an American donor had funded the entire Red Panda enclosure, and that Zambi intends to keep Red Pandas long-term, though that likely will not be Pundhu.
We then circled back to the third Tiger exhibit, which has two sisters – Mila and Meliah. They’re 5 years old, and came from a private facility in Queensland that breeds and trains big cats for TV and movies. One of the tigeress’ had flattened a palm bush in the exhibit and was sitting on it, which was very cute. The final exhibit on the tour was one with 8 Macaws – 7 Blue and Gold Macaws, and 1 Hyacinth Macaw named Rio, which we were also able to feed peanuts too. After this, the encounters were run and we were free to explore the facility at our own leisure.
Some other notes:
- The keeper mentioned that most of the enclosures on the tour were about 4 years old, and they have plans to further expand to take on more animals but don’t want to get too big due to costs
- They’re currently building a bigger, on display habitat for their Macaques
- The landscaping is incredible throughout the retreat, with 5 ponds of Koi fish as well
- The enclosures were all modern and large for a city zoo, with well established plants and most had a water feature
- Zambi is on 50 acres of land, and the keeper said they had plenty of room to expand
- They only have three paid staff members (The owner and two keepers) and rely a lot on volunteers.
Overall I very much enjoyed my few hours at Zambi, and am eager to see how they expand and grow over the next few years!
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Thank you for this comprehensive @Tigergal. It made for a fascinating read and answered a number of questions we’ve all had of recent.
That’s an impressive tiger collection (six tigers held across three exhibits). It’s especially interesting to hear accounts that Nika is a purebred Siberian tiger. Even when at Dreamworld, she was noted for her large size; though depending on the percentage of her Siberian heritage, it would be difficult to distinguish visually whether she was purebred or not.
Juju (Hamadryas baboon) at Melbourne Zoo is also known for filling her throat pouch with food. She was apparently the only baboon in the then 15 strong troop of baboons to do so as when I mentioned it to a keeper, they said ‘Oh that’s Juju.’
It’s also encouraging to hear of progress now Zambi is part of the ZAA. I look forward to hearing of future developments.
Thanks Zoofan! It’s somewhere I’ve wanted to visit for a while, and was sad to have missed Kota the Puma when she passed away in 2020 due to the COVID lockdowns, but was still absolutely worth the visit.
Interesting about Nika always being noted as a big tiger - she was definitely bigger than any other tiger at Zambi today, and I can see why Dreamworld would want to import big Siberian tiger genetics, given how often people are surprised by how ‘small’ Sumatran tigers are.
That’s interesting about Juju! Only Pebbles and Kinki were using their cheek pouches today, given they’re the two younger members of the troop I wonder if it’s out of necessity to get a decent peanut feed out of the visitors
Zambi seemed to have moved quickly since joining the ZAA, acquiring Sri-Lankan Leopard and Red Panda, so interested to see what they do next.