Darling Downs Zoo Darling Downs

You will miss her, but you won't forget her. She enriched your life and you enriched hers. That's the nice thing about having animals.

Aint that the truth!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the messages folks - they have been much appreciated by us both.
 
Hey Steve - great little article (and pictures) of you and Darling Downs Zoo in the latest issue of Scales and Tails. (It should have been longer.)
 
Hey Steve - great little article (and pictures) of you and Darling Downs Zoo in the latest issue of Scales and Tails. (It should have been longer.)

Thanks Ara - always nice to get a mention. Although our Senior Keeper was not pleased to be described as volunteer and have her name mis-spelt!!

In recent months we have done major good news stories for The Sunday Mail and TV's RSPCA Animal Rescue - neither of which saw the light of day. We are thankful for this little article.
 
Thanks Ara - always nice to get a mention. Although our Senior Keeper was not pleased to be described as volunteer and have her name mis-spelt!!

In recent months we have done major good news stories for The Sunday Mail and TV's RSPCA Animal Rescue - neither of which saw the light of day. We are thankful for this little article.

While it is a shame that the stories weren't published I'm glad that there was a reason why I hadn't seen them.:D
 
Bit delayed, but I have just visited the DDZ website and thought you might be interested in the What's New Page. Very good review of the whole of 2008 for the zoo.

Found this a very good read Steve.

was a bit surprised by the issues surrounding the dogs.

Here's the link

what_new
 
was a bit surprised by the issues surrounding the dogs.

Their imaginations are deserting them - that was the best that they could come up with!

Must do a review of the first quarter of 2009. The good news is that the Department itself has debunked the "review" done by a girl from another Queensland zoo and has declared that it has "no serious issues" with the Darling Downs Zoo. Coming from the Queensland Government, that's about as good as it gets!:)
 
RE: Kera the Jaguar at Monbulk Animal Kingdom

Hi Steve, (Steve Robinson),
I don't mind you having a chat about Kera the Jaguar. But I must let your fellow forum members know that Kera was never going to be put down. or turned into a rug as you put it. She was not going blind at all. My partner and I sold her to you for $5000.00 dollars, (only you were going to give us the money later when you could afford it) unfortunately you never did pay any money. I'm not worried about that, but please don't make up a story for interest sake and leave out the true story. Thanks mate.. your'e a gem. Andy (ex co-owner) Monbulk Animal Kingdom.
 
Hi Steve, (Steve Robinson),
I don't mind you having a chat about Kera the Jaguar. But I must let your fellow forum members know that Kera was never going to be put down. or turned into a rug as you put it. She was not going blind at all. My partner and I sold her to you for $5000.00 dollars, (only you were going to give us the money later when you could afford it) unfortunately you never did pay any money. I'm not worried about that, but please don't make up a story for interest sake and leave out the true story. Thanks mate.. your'e a gem. Andy (ex co-owner) Monbulk Animal Kingdom.

Maybe you'd better have a chat with your "partner" before bursting into print!
 
Hi Steve, (Steve Robinson),
I don't mind you having a chat about Kera the Jaguar. But I must let your fellow forum members know that Kera was never going to be put down. or turned into a rug as you put it. She was not going blind at all. My partner and I sold her to you for $5000.00 dollars, (only you were going to give us the money later when you could afford it) unfortunately you never did pay any money. I'm not worried about that, but please don't make up a story for interest sake and leave out the true story. Thanks mate.. your'e a gem. Andy (ex co-owner) Monbulk Animal Kingdom.

andy said:
author=andy board=general thread=243 post=12971 time=1299934395]The Jaguar was placed in a new home in Queensland (free of charge) the pumas were re-located to Buxton Camel farm (free of charge)
bit of a contradiction in your statements
 
I am a great advocate of your right to free speech. However, with that right comes the responsibilty to speak the truth.

I have never been of the opinion that you were a co-owner of the park. I always knew that you were the owner's life partner but he never referred to you as anything else. Re-inforcing my opinion is the fact that you were not a party to any of the negotiations leading up to our acquisition of Kera. Also, the figure of $5000 that you mention is very wide of the mark.

Kera was indeed going blind and the alternative to our purchasing her was taxidermy. Ask yourself - the park was in the throes of being sold to the family from WA. A jaguar would be an asset in such a sale. However, an animal going blind would be a liability. Thus, Kera was for sale - dead or alive. That was made crystal clear to us by your partner.

If in doubt, ask him. If I owed him so much money I am sure that he would be chasing me up for it. I am not hard to find. For years I travelled around the country in brightly coloured trucks with my name in 1 metre high letters emblazoned on the side! For over 2 years I have been on this forum under my name. I have nothing to hide.

I have no idea what your motive is for making up these stories now however I thank you for your compliments about our zoo.
 
Hi Steve,
I have no motive and I diddn't make up these stories. I was co - owner of the Monbulk Animal Kingdom everyone knew that. We weren't in the throes of selling to another person from Western Australia, we had just taken it back over after they defaulted in payment. That's why we needed to place Kiera, that's the correct reason. We knew not to bother chasing money, there is no point in that. We were partners, yes boyfriends if you like, equal in all respects including ownership of everything together as any defacto couple is. My partner (can you remember his name) did most of the promotion and I was the main carer and day to day hands on in the Animal Kingdom. We built, ran and operated the Animal Kingdom together with the blessing of Fisheries and Wildlife and Quarrantine department at the time. Anyway whatever, I'm just letting you know that the reason Keira was placed with you was not the reason you think. She was not going blind. This is my final post. Seeya
 
Natureland Zoo

I first "discovered" Natureland Zoo in the mid-eighties when they were starting to sell up. All the bears had long since died, the giraffe were gone [were they the two that went to Tipperary?] but there were some reasonable African lions left, Hunting dogs, tigers, leopards and scores of Macaques. And, of course, the chimpanzees - three of them. The female was killed following a series of events that I can not describe publicly without defaming a prominent former zoo person. The two brothers have lived at Rockhampton Zoo ever since then.

They had a quite extensive collection of several species of Macaw. I believe that these went to the Pearl Coast Zoo.

Unfortunately, I arrived the day after Stafford Bullen had descended on the place and had acquired just about every worthwhile animal for a zoo in the Middle East that he had been contracted to stock. Nevertheless we did manage to obtain some quite nice macaques that he had overlooked.

Emmanuel Margolin had also acquired some animals from Natureland for Notre Dame and I will never forget seeing an Entellus Langur die slowly over several days while he and the owner of the place argued over who would pay for a vet to come and treat it. Margolin also acquired all of the Blue Peafowl - none of which survived the trip to Sydney - but that is another story.

I believe that the local fruit shops lamented the closing of the zoo as they then had to find alternate places at which to dump their reject stock.

I'm currently researching Emmanuel Margolin and his private zoo Notre Dame - I would love to have a chat to you about it if you have a spare moment! Did you ever deal with him directly?
 
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