Private zoo popularity

J

Jarkari

Well-Known Member
I've spent the better part of this evening looking at zoo websites. I've noticed an interesting trend. Smaller, private zoos seem to have rising visitor numbers, while many of our major zoos are seeing declines.

I've always loved private zoos I just get a good vibe, I think because they have to ensure a good visitor experience to stay afloat. Private zoos like halls gap, mogo, altina, darling downs and Canberra have been steadily adding new animal exhibits over the last few years. It's my personal opinion that this is linked to growing numbers. I believe it ensures repeat visitation on a more regular basis on top of the annual stream of first timers.

I lived an hour and a half from dubbo however my most repeated zoo trips were to Birdland, mogo and Canberra.

It has made me wonder:
WHAT MAKES YOU GO BACK TO A ZOO AGAIN and AGAIN?

I'm also interested in what your favourite private zoo in Aust is and why?

Personally I love birdland because it was such a personal experience, followed by mogo and Canberra.
Darling downs is my next to do zoo and I'm pretty excited about that one. As soon as I find time.
 
Find time? By my reckoning you posted this at 4am AEDT.

Were you up early on Wednesday or up late from Tuesday? LOL

Interesting question though. As an owner I'll be interested to read the responses.

We're all in a quite volatile market at the moment. Some zoos are reporting depressed business, some zoos/parks must be going bad big time [see the unprecedented price slashing now extended even further by the Gold Coast parks] and some are doing well. Our October figures were nearly double October 2009 and were even better than January 2010. January has traditionally been our best month. We credit the white lions with our improved figures and firmly believe that new attractions are the key to improving business. The overall experience is the way to sustain that new business.
 
Well our closest zoo is Halls Gap (1hr away), and because the zoo is so close, we decided to get an annual pass. It's the same price as if we visited on 2 occasions.

It's also got a large range of animals, without the huge crowds the city zoos get.

Last time we went there, there were only 6 guests there including our party of 3 (it was raining). We wouldn't have even seen the other guests if one of the paths wasn't flooded out, so we had to do a U-turn and go back the way we came.

Also, the animal encounters are much cheaper, and they of course don't employ as many people, so have more of their profits to spend on beautification, of the grounds and new enclosures I'd imagine. :)
 
I think you are right Steve, new developments keep people coming back.

My reasons for coming back are along the same lines (although a little more worrying or disturbing! lol)

For me my first zoo visit is to see what animals are on show and the general layout of the zoo, while subsequent visits are to have a look at what changes have been made.

That doesn't necessarily mean new enclosures or upgrades. As my interest is in the exotic species in the region and sustaining viable populations, I am always on the lookout what what births, deaths and movements are made between zoos (and sometimes other sources).

I try to keep brief records of my visits for future reference and always try and ask a question or two of the keepers/volunteers as they are a great source of new information.

Or course since finding this site, it has greatly assisted my thirst for that knowledge, as I don't have a zoo background, nor have any real contacts within the industry.

I also enjoy the close encounters (particularly big cats) and have done two "Keeper for the Day" tours at Monarto, and various smaller tours at Adelaide & Canberra.

But to get back to Jakari's point, I think that private zoos like Mogo, Darling Downs and Canberra are my favourites as they are more personal and intimate. You can get closer to the action, closer to the people and feel more alive by the experience.
 
orbe said:
I think you are right Steve, new developments keep people coming back.

My reasons for coming back are along the same lines (although a little more worrying or disturbing! lol)

For me my first zoo visit is to see what animals are on show and the general layout of the zoo, while subsequent visits are to have a look at what changes have been made.

That doesn't necessarily mean new enclosures or upgrades. As my interest is in the exotic species in the region and sustaining viable populations, I am always on the lookout what what births, deaths and movements are made between zoos (and sometimes other sources).

I try to keep brief records of my visits for future reference and always try and ask a question or two of the keepers/volunteers as they are a great source of new information.

Or course since finding this site, it has greatly assisted my thirst for that knowledge, as I don't have a zoo background, nor have any real contacts within the industry.

I also enjoy the close encounters (particularly big cats) and have done two "Keeper for the Day" tours at Monarto, and various smaller tours at Adelaide & Canberra.

But to get back to Jakari's point, I think that private zoos like Mogo, Darling Downs and Canberra are my favourites as they are more personal and intimate. You can get closer to the action, closer to the people and feel more alive by the experience.
Click to expand...

Your last paragraph is exactly why I prefer private zoos like the ones you mentioned. I do enjoy visiting other zoos but there is usually a bigger gap between visits. In the past years I've made biannual trips to Canberra and mogo.

@Steve: lots of late nights full of thinking about elephant related stuff and other ideas that Just won't leave my head until I write them down!
 
I've been to six privately owned zoos:
National Zoo and Aquarium
Halls Gap Zoo
Mogo Zoo
Ballarat Wildlife Park
Australia Zoo
Australian Reptile Park

I'm going to focus most of my remarks on the first three, partly because I've visited them all within the past couple of months, and partly because I think they are the ones closest to the sort of offering Jarkari describes. Australia Zoo is substantively different in price and presentation to any of the others. Ballarat Wildlife Park and Australian Reptile Park are both reptile and native mammal collections, in essence.

Of the three that I want to discuss, I think that NZA is the most "complete" zoo experience, in that they have representatives of most types of 'zoo animals'. They have lots of carnivores, a few primates and native mammals, a couple of key ungulates, an ok aquarium and a few reptiles and birds. Halls Gap is strongest of the three for birds and native mammals, whereas Mogo is roughly equal with NZA for exotic mammals, but doesn't really compete on anything else.

In order of enjoyment of my visit, I'd probably say Halls Gap, then NZA, then Mogo. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed Mogo, but some substandard exhibits lets it down. The interactivity of Halls Gap is of a level you can't match at the vast majority of zoos, whereas NZA has the most balanced collection as mentioned above - something I really like.

Anyway. All of that rambling aside. I honestly enjoy both big budget public zoos and small budget private zoos equally for what they are. Enclosures that I would really detest at a Melbourne Zoo are acceptable at Halls Gap Zoo. The difference is expectation. I don't expect nor want to see multi-million dollar exhibits at Halls Gap, but at Melbourne that is the standard that has been set. What matters to me, I think, is cohesion. If I were to see one stand-out, million dollar enclosure at Halls Gap, whilst everything else was made out of chainlink fencing, I'd find it quite jarring.

The benefits of a small private zoo, to me, are subtle. The crowds are fewer and the staff, even though they might have more work to do, are often more accessible... even if that's just because you have the exhibit they're working on to yourselves and so it's more natural to start up a conversation. I think they also capture my imagination because the enterprise is of a comprehensible scale - I walked around Halls Gap and Mogo and thought "yes, I could achieve this if I ever want to". You can't realistically do that at Taronga or Melbourne.

I've also found, at Mogo, Halls Gap (in particular) and even at Dubbo (perhaps, you could say, a public zoo with the soul of a private) that simpler, plainer enclosures feel more, rather than less, genuinely "natural" because they fit into the surrounding countryside. That's not the case at NZA, which is a very 'built-up' zoo because of its small land area at present (that's also true for the poorer half of Mogo, which really is a bipolar zoo). No amount of Thai temples and exotic plants is going to convince me that I am anywhere other than a zoo, which makes me discount the value of immersion.

At the same time, there is as yet no private zoo in Australia that can compete with Taronga, Dubbo, Melbourne or Adelaide in terms of breadth of experience. For that reason, I still hanker to go to Perth Zoo and Adelaide Zoo (where I've only been for about 1 hour back in 2003) more than, say, Cairns WSR and Altina, with their much more limited offerings. Of course I'd dearly like to make the trip to Darling Downs at some point too, but that's at least in large part because we're able here on Zoochat to follow the progress of that zoo wonderfully well via Steve's participation. I think ultimately, I don't like one zoo sector more than the other, I just like them both for different reasons.
 
An old farmer once told me that farming is the ideal way of life - provided you don't have to earn a living at it! I'm sure the same holds true X10 for a private zoo.

I can tell you what the public wants of a zoo in four words:-
PRIMATES and LARGE CARNIVORES.
They are the backbone of any successful zoo, large or small.
 
How do you explain Halls Gap seemingly thriving, Ara, when the largest carnivores at the zoo at present are dingoes?
 
Halls Gap is really the only zoo within a 2hr radius. Closest is Ballarat Wildlife Park, then Monarto a further 3/4 hr away?

To me, I love it because it seems to be (since Greg & Yvonne took over), rapidly expanding, and also pleasing to the eye. The stunning backdrop of the Grampians certainly helps too!

A nice overnight trip and an easy 3hr drive from Melbourne.
 
Ara said:
An old farmer once told me that farming is the ideal way of life - provided you don't have to earn a living at it! I'm sure the same holds true X10 for a private zoo.
Click to expand...

true enough

Ara said:
I can tell you what the public wants of a zoo in four words:-
PRIMATES and LARGE CARNIVORES.
They are the backbone of any successful zoo, large or small.
Click to expand...

Hmmm lets think -

  • The only places corporates invest in this industry are aquariums and Aussie fauna parks with a heavy tourist trade.
  • Reptile parks have always been popular - maybe less so these days as the private trade is so wide now.
  • Bird parks have always been popular in Europe, but nobody has ever built a really good one here.
  • Ungulate parks in the US do OK too

Primates and carnivores may be popular but they are also expensive to build enclosures for and to maintain. At the end of the day it is important that income exceeds expenses, otherwise you won't be around for long, no matter how impressive the animals you show. My personal opinion is that what people look for are experiences, maybe that is why Halls Gap is coming along so well.
 
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Hmmm...........

* so Sea World and Dreamworld are not "places"?

* I think that reptile parks are still doing well - particularly if they have exotic reptiles.

* aint that the truth!!

Your last sentence sums it up completely. The public don't want a barely post-pubescent know-all lecturing them in a monotone and telling them what they can't do. But they do want interaction, approachabilty and no ********. For instance, they won't cop a kid telling them that must not kill snakes. But if they're told in a friendly, or even humorous way what to do about snakes around their property they will take it in and learn from it. The general public will not cop PC statements.

Interactive experiences with animals are high on the public want list, as well as peeks behind the scenes.

But above all, the public need to feel that they are welcome and wanted at the zoo. A quick chat can beat an elephant as a drawcard - well almost!! You still need to have substance in your collection - Ara is right about primates and big cats. But if you can't run to them then a good yarn is the next best thing!
 
Steve Robinson said:
Hmmm...........

* so Sea World and Dreamworld are not "places"?
Click to expand...

I guess you are referencing polar bears and tigers.

Seaworld I place amongst aquariums, that is places we go to look at animals from the sea. Polar bears are an extension on their marine mammal policy, if perhaps at the extreme.

Dreamworld does have tigers, but they are very much involved in "experiences", either their shows or one on one encounters. It is only one species, hardly what I would call a "zoo". Dreamworld does have a large, if rarely commented on, native fauna park which is an important part of their business as well.

In neither case are tigers or bears central to the operation. Sure a popular attraction, but both survived before they came, and both could survive if they left. I tend to think they support my contention.

Steve Robinson said:
A quick chat can beat an elephant as a drawcard - well almost!!
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I think the thing is that the elephant, while new, might be a drawcard for a once-off visit, but the experience will keep them coming back and recommending it to their friends. If the experience is lousy, they won't be back.
 
Tigers as a drawcard

Yes Dreamworld did exist before the tigers came along. The park was in receivership prior to their arrival and came out shortly afterwards. After over 15 years Tiger Island is still an important and sought out section of the business.
 
ptig said:
Yes Dreamworld did exist before the tigers came along. The park was in receivership prior to their arrival and came out shortly afterwards. After over 15 years Tiger Island is still an important and sought out section of the business.
Click to expand...

It was the only reason I went to Dreamworld when Kaasha and Kato were cubs. I also wasnt even aware of the natve wildlife beore I vsited the park.
 
I wasn't aware they had natives until I read this thread.

Hix
 
MRJ said:
true enough



Hmmm lets think -

  • Ungulate parks in the US do OK too
Click to expand...

Such as? San Diego Zoo Safari Park started out with an overwhelming focus on ungulates, but very soon carnivores, primates, etc. were added to the mix. And even the original "ungulate" population included elephants and rhinos
 
Steve Robinson said:
Been spending too much time on the roller-coaster Hix??
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I wish!

Never been to Dreamworld because I thought all they had was rollercoasters and Tigers.

:p

Hix
 
Nothing - if that's your thing.

I just prefer a more rounded zoological experience with multiple species in natural environments.

But if Dreamworld has more than just tigers, then I'll need to visit next time I'm on the Gold Coast.

:p

Hix
 
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