Map - 1987

This really shows, when compared with the 1975 map also just uploaded, the first period of the modernisation of Perth Zoo. Further comparison with the current map shows how that modernisation was carried through to the current day.

As with previous map, the \'otter castle\' is not shown, but again was definitely there and in use on this visit. But where was it?

\'Bear/ Dog Row\' still there (No. 22) but Polar Bear enclosure gone (despite being built after the other bear enclosures).

Otter castle was still there in 1987! I guess because it was such a small exhibit, but a surprise that it wasn't marked on the map. Would be between the penguin and macaque exhibits on the map.

Interesting to see the pre-savannah map. Bar this exhibit, much of the map still looked pretty similar in the 90s.

this map looks very similar in style to the Melbourne and Taronga maps of the 80s/90s.

Taronga 1990:


Melbourne 1992:

It is interesting that they had giraffes and rhinos in 1975, but not in 1987. Were they in the process of building new exhibits for some of their megafauna species? I see that the elephant exhibit says "new" on it on the 1987 map.

Thanks for the comment David.

In the 70s I think Perth held both Black (1) & Indian Rhino (possibly 2) and giraffes (at least one).

These gradually died out and were not replaced - maybe issues obtaining replacements.

When they began major redevelopments in the early 90s, the megafauna gradually returned. I guess captive breeding at other zoos made such species easier to obtain.

The elephant is interesting, the 1975 map shows an elephant enclosure, and there are some pictures of it on the internet with a single asiatic female.

However, I don't remember an elephant at all from all my visits as a child (1974-1978), so I think she may have gone by then (as noted on the comments, the 1975 map was sold for some time afterwards). A new elephant enclosure was constructed in 1986/87 and on my visit in 1987 was again occupied by a single asiatic female.

Newzooboy said:

The elephant is interesting, the 1975 map shows an elephant enclosure, and there are some pictures of it on the internet with a single asiatic female.

However, I don't remember an elephant at all from all my visits as a child (1974-1978), so I think she may have gone by then (as noted on the comments, the 1975 map was sold for some time afterwards). A new elephant enclosure was constructed in 1986/87 and on my visit in 1987 was again occupied by a single asiatic female.

Click to expand...

that female is Tricia, who is still at the zoo today (she has been there since 1963). She may have had a "holiday" away from the zoo in the early 1970s if you didn't ever see her, but I haven't seen anything to confirm that. However another female that Perth had, Tanya, went from Perth Zoo to the Ashton's circus in 1971 (Tanya (Tania), an Asian elephant at Ashtons Circus) and remained there.

Tanya and Tricia were obtained by the Perth Zoo together in 1963 (originally imported from Singapore, according to the zoo), but Tricia's information on elephant.se implies she remained at the zoo permanently (Tricia, an Asian elephant at Perth Zoo) and I have never seen anything to dispute that.

It is strange you would never have seen her if she was there, though.

[Note that elephant.se is currently under renovation so while you can find individual pages via Google searches you can't navigate around the site itself. The links I gave above may stop working in the future.]

Thanks Chlidonias

I was pretty young so maybe I've just forgotten seeing Tricia/ the elephant enclosure in the early 70s, but my memories of other parts of the zoo are pretty good and I did visit many, many times.

A bit of a mystery but if all indications are that she has been there since 1963, she MUST have been there on my visits. Would seem unlikely that such a charismatic species would be off-show.

Would be good to know if she was away from the zoo for any reason.......for my own sanity's sake if nothing else!

questions

can anyone tell me when the 'Great Cat' exhibit (now only the Sumatran Tiger area) and the old Bear area (now Otters and Komodo Dragon) was officially opened (i remember it was in the 80s sometime but does anyone know what year?)

Newzooboy said:

Thanks for the comment David.

In the 70s I think Perth held both Black (1) & Indian Rhino (possibly 2) and giraffes (at least one).

These gradually died out and were not replaced - maybe issues obtaining replacements.

When they began major redevelopments in the early 90s, the megafauna gradually returned. I guess captive breeding at other zoos made such species easier to obtain.

The elephant is interesting, the 1975 map shows an elephant enclosure, and there are some pictures of it on the internet with a single asiatic female.

However, I don't remember an elephant at all from all my visits as a child (1974-1978), so I think she may have gone by then (as noted on the comments, the 1975 map was sold for some time afterwards). A new elephant enclosure was constructed in 1986/87 and on my visit in 1987 was again occupied by a single asiatic female.

Click to expand...

In the mid 70s there was definitely 1 black rhino. This individual was paired up with the Taronga animal, eventually moved out to Dubbo. I have never heard of Indian rhinos housed at PZ.