Fantastic news! Hopefully one day we will see babies back at western plains again.
Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo News 2025
- Thread starter Zoofan15
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Fantastic news! Hopefully one day we will see babies back at western plains again.
I’m hopeful the zoo will import a male from outside the region as the only males Kasarna is likely to be paired with (at Mogo and Willowbank) are related to her.
For obvious reasons, breeding pairs consisting of at least one half imported from outside the region have all been allowed to produce multiple infants (Auckland, Mogo, Orana, Willowbank etc) versus the more established lines were 1-2 offspring (sometimes spaced out) have been more common.
African Savannah/Serengeti Resort begins construction:
Landmark development begins at Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Construction is now underway on the most ambitious development in Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s history, the Serengeti Resort in Dubbo.
Set across 55 hectares of expansive grasslands, the Serengeti Resort will offer an immersive experience, unlocking a previously unused area of the Zoo, five times the size of the current African Savannah habitat. It will be home to species including giraffe, rhinoceros, zebra and antelope.
The Serengeti Resort is scheduled to open in the second half of 2026.
Landmark development begins at Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Construction is now underway on the most ambitious development in Taronga Western Plains Zoo’s history, the Serengeti Resort in Dubbo.
Set across 55 hectares of expansive grasslands, the Serengeti Resort will offer an immersive experience, unlocking a previously unused area of the Zoo, five times the size of the current African Savannah habitat. It will be home to species including giraffe, rhinoceros, zebra and antelope.
The Serengeti Resort is scheduled to open in the second half of 2026.
Would this be joined/added to the current 50 acre African Savannah?
As much as I am glad to this happening and it should be a wonderful asset to the zoo I really believe that the work on the current elephant habitat should have taken place first or even at the same time, they are basically putting the breeding in slow mode at this time in the mean time wasting valuable time while the imported cows age out!
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Yes, it’s an extension. It appears building a resort (which overlooks the savannah) is the main goal here, with onsite accomodation becoming common across Australia’s zoos.
I agree with you though that what basically amounts to a larger exhibit for giraffes, zebras will do little to enhance the collection and that it would have been good to have seen the elephant complex prioritised.
The most positive thing to come out of this is that Dubbo were one of the participants in the (apparently abandoned) Australian Rhino Project. This project will enable them to hold larger numbers of rhinos - perhaps with additional European imports (Monarto are importing three as a starting point on behalf of the region).
I hope now since the size of both Monarto zoos African Savanna and soon to be Western Plains zoos extended Savanna have grown soo much larger in area they would consider adding some new species to the mix perhaps some new antelope species, Hopefully the Indian blackbuck can be retired and exported back to the asian plains exhibits 
.
The WPZ should certainly have enough room to enlarge its White rhino herd into the future with this latest plan.
.The WPZ should certainly have enough room to enlarge its White rhino herd into the future with this latest plan.
I hope now since the size of both Monarto zoos African Savanna and soon to be Western Plains zoos extended Savanna have grown soo much larger in area they would consider adding some new species to the mix perhaps some new antelope species, Hopefully the Indian blackbuck can be retired and exported back to the asian plains exhibits
The WPZ should certainly have enough room to enlarge its White rhino herd into the future with this latest plan.
That would be good to see. The article referred to ‘antelope’, so hopefully they have something more imaginative in mind than nyala.
The Savannah will be 55ha when complete, but we can assume will be divided into sections as Monarto’s is based on the fact they’ll need to accomodate multiple giraffe herds. Multiple paddocks would better facilitate the breeding of multiple antelope species, eliminating conflict and the risk of hybridisation. Some cohabit better with rhinos than others; and the breeding herd of giraffe would need to be seperate from zebra stallions.
I guess it's likely the current 50 acres will still be seperate from the new addition properly with "gates" between them!
There’s a map here of the area of the zoo the expansion will go into (article is behind paywall):
'World's leading open range zoo': Taronga Western Plains Zoo set for $20 million expansion
But yes, an extension of the existing Savannah basically, connecting to rhino and zebra paddocks etc.
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I would take that claim of "Worlds leading open range zoo" with a large pinch of salt!
I would take that claim of "Worlds leading open range zoo" with a large pinch of salt!
It hasn't got anything on open range zoos like sand Diego wild animal park. They have more species in there African collection then western plains has total.
Also is anyone really shocked that a hotel/accomodation is taking precedent over the elephant expansion. It is the Taronga foundation after all!.
Someone needs to inform management that larger paddocks will just look empty. Unless they import more species to fill them out a bit. There is only so many times people can see zebra, rhino, giraffe, eland and Indian antelope before they get bored.
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You are correct but I dough things will change, I believe its yet another case of believing their own spin, "if one says it enough then it has to be true" When the WPZ first opened it was indeed a huge leap forward in the zoo world here in the country but under the leadership of different zoo managers over the years since, some good some not so good, Its true money could and should of been better spent, now it appears its all about the side show and not the show itself unfortunately!
Does anyone have a current, exhaustive list of species held at Western Plains (and visible to the public)? Do they have any walkthrough aviaries?
Zoo Tour Australia
Active Member
They have a walk through honeyeater aviary.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Containing Regent Honeyeater, Australian Zebra Finch, Eastern Whipbird, Little Lorikeet and Malleefowl I believe (I may have missed something).
It is more of a "walk-in" than a walkthrough though, you enter through the door and stand on a raised platform.
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Osedax
Well-Known Member
I did this from memory just then so might have missed something.
Mammals
Black-handed Spider Monkey
Ring-tailed Lemur
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur
African Wild Dog
Meerkat
South-central Black Rhino
Plains Zebra
Giraffe
Eastern Bongo
Cheetah
Common Eland
Hippopotamus
Southern White Rhino
Mainland Asian Elephant
Sri Lankan Elephant
Blackbuck
Lar Gibbon
Sumatran Tiger
Siamang (though I'm not sure if they're on display yet)
Asian Small-clawed Otter
Indian Rhino
Addax
European Fallow Deer
Barbary Sheep
Banteng
Dromedary Camel
Scimitar-horned Oryx
Tahki
Tasmanian Devil
Swamp Wallaby
Red-necked Wallaby
Red Kangaroo
Koala
Short-beaked Echidna
Quokka
African Lion
Domestic Goat
Platypus
Birds
Ostrich
Helmeted Guineafowl
Emu
Regent Honeyeater
Malleefowl
Australian Zebra Finch
Little Lorikeet
Eastern Whipbird
Plus, if you do the Early Morning Walk for an extra fee:
White-winged Chough
White-browed Woodswallow
Scaly-breasted Lorikeet
Reptiles
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
Fish
Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon
Invertebrates
Smooth Yabby
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Thanks for this list. Only one I can see missing is African lion.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Just realised that! I've edited the post.
Paul Desantos
New Member
Visited Dubbo today! Got to see the new 3 lion cubs. Very very cute! The family pride is currently in the much smaller exhibit, and the new bachelor pride of two males is in the larger.
Does anyone know what the long term plan is for the family pride? Will they move into the bigger habitat ?
Does anyone know what the long term plan is for the family pride? Will they move into the bigger habitat ?
Glad you got to see the new cubs!
They will likely house the main pride in the larger exhibit once the cubs reach the late juvenile (or certainly adolescent stage). For now the cubs are small and aside from finding a small exhibit easier to navigate, they’d be easier for visitors to see.
1.0 Lwazi (12/08/2017) Johari x Nilo
0.1 Marion (22/06/2014) Imported 2018
0.1 Amali (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Imani (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Mara (07/04/2022) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Zawadi (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
0.1 Unnamed (21/02/2025) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Bahati (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion
1.0 Jabari (04/10/2023) Lwazi x Marion