zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Updates from Visit
I visited the zoo on Monday morning, which wasn't the best idea as the weather was pretty bad - rain and wind, and I hadn't taken any warm clothes or wet weather gear with me.
Upon arrival I asked about the Taiko, and was told that it was most certainly on display, at the far end of the zoo by the sun bears. I repeated my question, adding the term 'Chatham Island', and was told that it had been visible yesterday when it was x-rayed. Not particularly useful information. In the end, I was told that if I stayed til 4pm there was a slight chance it might be part of the native species talk at the Nest. Suffice to say that I did not get to see the bird, and that (and the weather) put me in a rather bad mood for the rest of the day.
Passing the three entry enclosures, which all appeared empty, we scurried up the hill, patting a dingo en route, to the Nest, where we saw very little, although there were a number of covered cages holding several kereru and a few other typical species. Next stop was the Mini Monkey House, which features a truly dreadful green iguana display - the animals are very difficult to see because of the glass angles. The adjacent enclosure held Emperor Tamarin, Agouti, Sun Conure and the Red-fronted Macaw, with no sign of the Pygmy Marmosets. In fact signs in general were very lacking at this exhibit.
We hustled down to the far end of the zoo, past the last Falcon, to check out the Asian Precinct, which was the first time we had seen it. And the best thing about it was undoubtedly the sign that says "Sun Bears" from a distance, but as you get closer you see that it is made out of little bear silhouettes. The rest of the visitors areas were very childish and added nothing to the experience. New signage on the two exhibits was not an improvement, and pretty disappointing. There are two sun bear enclosures, but neither are a good size, although joined together as I suspect they often are they make a decent space. Overall though, the exhibit isn't a great improvement except in that it gives the bears much more natural substrate and grass. Might look better as plantings grow in. The tiger revamp is very superficial, although there is definitely improved viewing. The smaller exhibit that held lions appears to be a bit abandoned and is now essentially off-display. The off-display parrot cage at the very back held Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.
The nearby Roost hasn't changed much, although the species present have dwindled to just Cockatiels, Tawny Frogmouth, NI Kaka, Black Shag and Sacred Kingfisher, plus Red-eared Sliders. We then headed up the hill to the African area, where we saw the dingoes sheltering from the rain and only the two giraffe visible in the Savannah enclosure. Lions and African Wild Dogs were hiding, as were most of the Baboons. The Australian exhibit holds just a handful of Grey Kangaroos now, as well as Cape Barren Goose and Tammar Wallaby, with the Emu in the hillside enclosure in the back corner. The path was blocked off from the Baboons to the Meerkats however, and all the old serval/agouti enclosures have now been removed. The servals must be fully off-display at present. New signage states that "In the very near future this will be the new home for Wallabies and Dingoes." The opening date is given as late winter 2013. No mention is made of any other Australian species which the zoo could incorporate here (Emu, CB Goose, Brolga, Kangaroo, various parrot species, frogmouth, etc).
The rest of the upper zoo - Chimps, Meerkats/Porcupine, Cheetah - were as usual, as was the Red Panda exhibits and aviary. The parrot aviary now holds just Banded Rail and Rainbow Lorikeet. The old Kiosk has had significant work done, and is currently just a roof held up by a few posts. This bodes well for the timely completion of the new reptile/invert display building. The Australian reptile exhibits haven't changed, but the sign-less four terrariums in the Scaly Tails display feature at least two native gecko species. Back at the Nest, we watched a female Ostrich get carried from a ute to the operating table, where it was x-rayed for a broken wing. Did you know they weighed 110 kgs?
We then checked out the bottom part of the zoo, including the new Green Zoo, Green You exhibit, which is a fun little area really. Most exhibits were unchanged (Kea, Ruffed Lemurs, Capuchin & Spider Monkeys, Nocturnal House). The Pelican is still hanging in there, which is always great to see. The Squirrel Monkey exhibit has been divided, giving the Cotton-top Tamarins a smaller side area, which is a bit sad for them, and the Squirrels getting the rest (with birds and agouti moved to Mini Monkey House). The Gibbons were very active and vocal, which was cool. The Pygmy Marmosets were bouncing around the cafe enclosure, it is a great display.
Overall, the zoo was looking a bit depressing, but this was probably the weather's fault more than anything else. The Asian Precinct was a let down, and I don't have high hopes for the Australian exhibit either. But I think the Reptile House should be pretty good when it gets finished.
I visited the zoo on Monday morning, which wasn't the best idea as the weather was pretty bad - rain and wind, and I hadn't taken any warm clothes or wet weather gear with me.
Upon arrival I asked about the Taiko, and was told that it was most certainly on display, at the far end of the zoo by the sun bears. I repeated my question, adding the term 'Chatham Island', and was told that it had been visible yesterday when it was x-rayed. Not particularly useful information. In the end, I was told that if I stayed til 4pm there was a slight chance it might be part of the native species talk at the Nest. Suffice to say that I did not get to see the bird, and that (and the weather) put me in a rather bad mood for the rest of the day.
Passing the three entry enclosures, which all appeared empty, we scurried up the hill, patting a dingo en route, to the Nest, where we saw very little, although there were a number of covered cages holding several kereru and a few other typical species. Next stop was the Mini Monkey House, which features a truly dreadful green iguana display - the animals are very difficult to see because of the glass angles. The adjacent enclosure held Emperor Tamarin, Agouti, Sun Conure and the Red-fronted Macaw, with no sign of the Pygmy Marmosets. In fact signs in general were very lacking at this exhibit.
We hustled down to the far end of the zoo, past the last Falcon, to check out the Asian Precinct, which was the first time we had seen it. And the best thing about it was undoubtedly the sign that says "Sun Bears" from a distance, but as you get closer you see that it is made out of little bear silhouettes. The rest of the visitors areas were very childish and added nothing to the experience. New signage on the two exhibits was not an improvement, and pretty disappointing. There are two sun bear enclosures, but neither are a good size, although joined together as I suspect they often are they make a decent space. Overall though, the exhibit isn't a great improvement except in that it gives the bears much more natural substrate and grass. Might look better as plantings grow in. The tiger revamp is very superficial, although there is definitely improved viewing. The smaller exhibit that held lions appears to be a bit abandoned and is now essentially off-display. The off-display parrot cage at the very back held Sulphur-crested Cockatoos.
The nearby Roost hasn't changed much, although the species present have dwindled to just Cockatiels, Tawny Frogmouth, NI Kaka, Black Shag and Sacred Kingfisher, plus Red-eared Sliders. We then headed up the hill to the African area, where we saw the dingoes sheltering from the rain and only the two giraffe visible in the Savannah enclosure. Lions and African Wild Dogs were hiding, as were most of the Baboons. The Australian exhibit holds just a handful of Grey Kangaroos now, as well as Cape Barren Goose and Tammar Wallaby, with the Emu in the hillside enclosure in the back corner. The path was blocked off from the Baboons to the Meerkats however, and all the old serval/agouti enclosures have now been removed. The servals must be fully off-display at present. New signage states that "In the very near future this will be the new home for Wallabies and Dingoes." The opening date is given as late winter 2013. No mention is made of any other Australian species which the zoo could incorporate here (Emu, CB Goose, Brolga, Kangaroo, various parrot species, frogmouth, etc).
The rest of the upper zoo - Chimps, Meerkats/Porcupine, Cheetah - were as usual, as was the Red Panda exhibits and aviary. The parrot aviary now holds just Banded Rail and Rainbow Lorikeet. The old Kiosk has had significant work done, and is currently just a roof held up by a few posts. This bodes well for the timely completion of the new reptile/invert display building. The Australian reptile exhibits haven't changed, but the sign-less four terrariums in the Scaly Tails display feature at least two native gecko species. Back at the Nest, we watched a female Ostrich get carried from a ute to the operating table, where it was x-rayed for a broken wing. Did you know they weighed 110 kgs?
We then checked out the bottom part of the zoo, including the new Green Zoo, Green You exhibit, which is a fun little area really. Most exhibits were unchanged (Kea, Ruffed Lemurs, Capuchin & Spider Monkeys, Nocturnal House). The Pelican is still hanging in there, which is always great to see. The Squirrel Monkey exhibit has been divided, giving the Cotton-top Tamarins a smaller side area, which is a bit sad for them, and the Squirrels getting the rest (with birds and agouti moved to Mini Monkey House). The Gibbons were very active and vocal, which was cool. The Pygmy Marmosets were bouncing around the cafe enclosure, it is a great display.
Overall, the zoo was looking a bit depressing, but this was probably the weather's fault more than anything else. The Asian Precinct was a let down, and I don't have high hopes for the Australian exhibit either. But I think the Reptile House should be pretty good when it gets finished.
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