Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo News 2025

Osedax said:
And finally a question: How many red pandas does the zoo currently have? I saw 4 today.
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The zoo had/has five red pandas:

1.0 Pabu (24/12/2012) Sagar x Bo
0.1 Zeya (08/12/2021) Pabu x Amala
0.1 Daiyu (08/12/2021) Pabu x Amala
1.0 Keisho (01/12/2023) Pabu x Daiyu
0.1 Khyana (01/12/2023) Pabu x Daiyu

However, it would come as no surprise if one of these had transferred out. Breeding season is in June-August in the Southern Hemisphere, so they’ll likely be a number of transfers over the coming weeks in time for introductions in a couple of months.
 
Jambo said:
Out of curiosity - in how many groups? Daiyu and her cubs should still be grouped together, but it's possible they've been separated recently.
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We can at the very least expect the male cub (Keisho) to be separated by June this year. Red pandas attain sexual maturity in their second year and his mother and sister will be cycling anytime between June-August.

As the father/daughter mating that produced the last litter proved, contraception is not 100% effective, so they’ll be taking no risks.
 
Osedax said:
I saw three (most likely Daiyu and cubs) in the main exhibit and one in the side exhibit.
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If not housed in proximity to males, Daiyu and Khyana may be able to remain together long term. Auckland Zoo often kept mother/daughter pairs and trios in the 2000’s, only reporting issues when males were introduced.

Zeya is the obvious choice for paring with an unrelated male for breeding - either at Taronga or elsewhere.

Some zoos keep males/females together that they have no intention of breeding. They simply keep them separate during breeding season (a female isn’t gonna get pregnant in November for example).
 
Osedax said:
I saw three (most likely Daiyu and cubs) in the main exhibit and one in the side exhibit.
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That makes sense. I'd assume Daiyu's sister (Zeya) lives next door.

Pabu's often the one who's moved off display when there isn't the space to accommodate all the pandas in the main complex - he was in Moore Park Aviary for a period following the births of Zeya and Daiyu.
 
Jambo said:
That makes sense. I'd assume Daiyu's sister (Zeya) lives next door.

Pabu's often the one who's moved off display when there isn't the space to accommodate all the pandas in the main complex - he was in Moore Park Aviary for a period following the births of Zeya and Daiyu.
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I'm not sure where Pabu would be though, as there are currently Cotton-top Tamarins in Moore Park Aviary.
 
Construction starts on veterinary hospital:

From socials:

The foundations have been laid, the bricks are piling up — and we’re incredibly proud to announce that construction is officially underway on Australia’s first-ever Wildlife Specialist Teaching Veterinary Hospital at Taronga Zoo Sydney.

This is more than just a state-of-the-art facility — it’s a bold step forward in how we care for and protect Australia’s unique wildlife. For over 40 years, the Taronga Wildlife Hospital has treated thousands of sick, injured and orphaned native animals — as well as providing expert care for the 4,000+ animals that call Taronga home.

Now, we’re building on that legacy with a facility that will dramatically expand our reach and impact. The new hospital will feature world-class surgical theatres, purpose-built rehabilitation spaces, and advanced training facilities for carers, students and veterinary professionals. It’s not just about treating wildlife — it’s about preparing Australia to respond to growing environmental challenges by building skills, sharing knowledge, and inspiring the next generation of wildlife protectors.
 
Jaiden said:
What will happen to the area that the Wildlife Hospital use to be?
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Zoofan15 said:
Possibly remain in use as a wildlife hospital, complimenting the new facilities (which will increase their capacity to assist with rescue, rehabilitation etc).
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It's located behind the current Chimp exhibit I believe, so it won't likely be converted into anything that will be accessible to visitors.
 
Jambo said:
It's located behind the current Chimp exhibit I believe, so it won't likely be converted into anything that will be accessible to visitors.
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Zoofan15 said:
Possibly remain in use as a wildlife hospital, complimenting the new facilities (which will increase their capacity to assist with rescue, rehabilitation etc).
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It would be nice to see the two connect and become a big wildlife hospital
 
Jaiden said:
It would be nice to see the two connect and become a big wildlife hospital
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I’m inclined to believe the old/existing hopsital will primarily function as a rehabilitation facility based on this sentence:

The new hospital will feature world-class surgical theatres, purpose-built rehabilitation spaces, and advanced training facilities for carers, students and veterinary professionals.

The new surgical theatres will be an advancement on those built decades prior; and Taronga doesn’t need multiple surgical theatres. There’s an emphasis on the training facilities for carers, students and veterinary professionals, which is evidently lacking in the current facility; not to mention most of the ‘action’ will be taking place in the new facility e.g. surgical procedures.

With this in mind, the old facility may be partially redeveloped (the surgical theatre and offices taken out) so it can fully focus on holding injured wildlife for rehabilitation. The facilities needed to hold these animals wouldn’t have advanced that much in the past 30 years versus surgical theatres.
 
Zoofan15 said:
I’m inclined to believe the old/existing hopsital will primarily function as a rehabilitation facility based on this sentence:

The new hospital will feature world-class surgical theatres, purpose-built rehabilitation spaces, and advanced training facilities for carers, students and veterinary professionals.

The new surgical theatres will be an advancement on those built decades prior; and Taronga doesn’t need multiple surgical theatres. There’s an emphasis on the training facilities for carers, students and veterinary professionals, which is evidently lacking in the current facility; not to mention most of the ‘action’ will be taking place in the new facility e.g. surgical procedures.

With this in mind, the old facility may be partially redeveloped (the surgical theatre and offices taken out) so it can fully focus on holding injured wildlife for rehabilitation. The facilities needed to hold these animals wouldn’t have advanced that much in the past 30 years versus surgical theatres.
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The old veterinary hospital also still has quarantine facilities too - which I'd imagine will still be utilised.
 
Osedax said:
Correction: while signage states that the entire group has moved, there is still at least one individual left on the island (I saw it today).
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That’s interesting. Perhaps this individual will form one half of a new breeding pair. Breeding pairings typically favour tamarins who have had the experience of helping raise younger siblings.
 
Osedax said:
Correction: while signage states that the entire group has moved, there is still at least one individual left on the island (I saw it today).
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Zoofan15 said:
That’s interesting. Perhaps this individual will form one half of a new breeding pair. Breeding pairings typically favour tamarins who have had the experience of helping raise younger siblings.
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It might just be the offspring of the breeding pair that have moved into the Moore Park Aviary separated from their parents, with the breeding pair still remaining on the island. It would be unusual to have a single tamarin living by itself (even temporarily).
 
Jambo said:
It might just be the offspring of the breeding pair that have moved into the Moore Park Aviary separated from their parents, with the breeding pair still remaining on the island. It would be unusual to have a single tamarin living by itself (even temporarily).
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I don’t know the gender ratio of the offspring in the breeding group (or even how many they were), but another possibility is they’ve split them into father and son/s and mother and daughter/s groups.

Contraception has failed at other zoos and so unless castration is undertaken, many zoos have separated their breeding group into same sex groups after sufficient offspring have been produced.
 
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