Mogo Wildlife Park Mogo Zoo Review

nrg800

Well-Known Member
I visited Mogo Zoo on Friday on my way down to Bermagui (Hooded Plover, hell yeah!) and I have to say, I love it! It would have to be one of my Favorite zoos! As you enter you aren't graced with the amazing site that I remember (a cafe with a glass panoramic view to Golden Lion Tamarins), but an old small steel cage with three gibbons, but other than a few small cages (mostly the monkeys) I thought it was great! A major complaint from my last visit (and apparently others aswell) is the Otter enclosure, well, I'm a very pleased to say that they have re-done the entire thing. It's been replaced with alfresco. The Otters and now where the Wombats were, with an amazing exhibit. It has running water, a waterfall, two pools of varying depths. And I'll put some pictures up on the gallery soon. That's the only thing that's really changed, but most of the exhibits are very spacious, and the New Chimp exhibit is also awesome. It is, empty, for lack of a better word, we saw one Chimp while we were watching, but when it builds up it's collection it should be awesome, I'll add pics of that to the Gallery soon.

That's all I'll be writing tonight, but I recommend it for anyone traveling down (or up) that way, you'll be surprised.

-Nathan
 
Thanks for the review. Mogo is on my to do (or should I say to zoo) list. Do you have a map that you could upload by any chance? The one on their website won't open.
 
Thanks for the map nrg800. And sorry for the late reply, I haven't been on for a while.
 
Recent Visit

I have recently made my 2nd visit to the zoo and was greatly impressed on the improvements made to the various exhibits. It was several years since my first visit.

I love this zoo, in my opinion the best that I have visited. The keepers are very knowledgeable and willing to answer any questions.

Can anyone tell me the history of the founding of the zoo and how it came to be?

Thanks and looking forward to anyone who can provide this info.

I wish I lived closer so that I could visit more frequently.
 
Mogo would be one of our favourite zoos as well - unfortunately we haven't made it down there for several years, so are looking forward to our next visit.

I have vivid memories of amazing close-up encounters with tigers, a pair of amazingly cute snowleopard cubs, and some bears with a lot of personality.
 
I have vivid memories of amazing close-up encounters with tigers, a pair of amazingly cute snowleopard cubs, and some bears with a lot of personality.

How 'close-up' are we talking here? We're big on animal encounters and target zoos specifically for that.
 
How 'close-up' are we talking here? We're big on animal encounters and target zoos specifically for that.

The keeper was feeding them through the wire of the enclosure and we were able to stand right next to them as they came up to eat. She also managed to get one to stretch up with front paws high up the fence, so we got a great view of the tiger's belly.

Photos from 1999 (click on photo to see entry in the gallery):



 
Awesome stuff! Cheers!

I had a look at their website, and if one believes the pic and the text, then if you pay $220 per couple, then YOU can hand feed them!
::: Welcome to Mogo Zoo :::

Can anyone confirm this? When we fed the tiger at the National Zoo in Canberra, we fed it with metal tongs, as the keeper said that the tiger interprets any kind of meat coming through the fence to be food, including your fingers.

Overall, I think that Mogo's encounters are quite pricey. Other zoos charge ~$30pp for a meerkat encounter - not the $100+pp at Mogo. The serval experience at Werribee costs $70pp, but it's $200 per couple at Mogo. $100pp for a red panda encounter, but $80 at Australia Zoo. etc etc
Do you get extra interactions/time with the animals for those prices, or it's just what it costs at Mogo?
 
When I visited the Mogo recently I enjoyed animal encounter with meerkats and the servals. It was pricey but to me a thoroughly awsome experience. The money spent on such a pleasure I am sure is put to good use by the zoo.
I did not see any option for encounters with the tigers.
 
I was unaware that Mogo was offering cose encounters with animals for a price and it got me thinking. Several members, including myself, have had a go at Australia Zoo for charging high prices for encounters with their animals and yet Mogo seemes to be even more expensive. S we have been more than a bit unfair to Australia Zoo. The only difference though is that at least at Mogo, you can still see the animals whereas at Australia zoo some of them you can't unless you pay the extra.
 
I was unaware that Mogo was offering cose encounters with animals for a price and it got me thinking. Several members, including myself, have had a go at Australia Zoo for charging high prices for encounters with their animals and yet Mogo seemes to be even more expensive. S we have been more than a bit unfair to Australia Zoo. The only difference though is that at least at Mogo, you can still see the animals whereas at Australia zoo some of them you can't unless you pay the extra.

And that is the critical difference. Heaps of zoos offer direct encounters with animals - Taronga, Dubbo, Melbourne, Werribee, Healesville, Halls Gap, Canberra, Mogo, Beerwah, Darling Downs, Adelaide and Gorge all come to mind immediately, and I'm sure others do too. But at all of those zoos (with the exception of servals at Werribee) you can see those animals for the price of admission. Australia Zoo uses animals bred at charitable or government-owned zoos for exclusive, high-profit operations, completely undercutting the educational justification that other for-profit zoos have for possessing their animals. And I think that's disgusting.
 
Nanoboy, Australia Zoo have giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs, lemurs and I think marmosets that are only viewable if you pay extra.
 
Nanoboy, Australia Zoo have giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs, lemurs and I think marmosets that are only viewable if you pay extra.

Cheers.

I want to make sure I understand you correctly. Are you saying that the only way to see the aforementioned species is by paying extra? Or all zoo patrons can see those species, but there are a few individual animals kept off display that are specifically used for animal interactions?
 
Thanks for the links guys. I stand corrected with regards to the cheetahs, rhinos etc. It's great news that they will be on display in the Africa Savannah area though.
 
Back
Top