I remember being shocked at how great this mixed-species exhibit was, and the nearby gibbon islands are also lush and impressive. The Asian section, which is not very old, is probably the best part of the Adelaide Zoo.
I so agree with you, Snowleopard, I was stunned, Adelaide Zoo took me by surprise as well.
Too bad this lovely little zoo has been taken hostage by the panda pandemonium since I was there. I love pandas of course, but they are such a fashion species. I would have liked for Adelaide Zoo to focus on what they do so well, Southeast Asia, instead of jumping on the Panda wagon. The pandas, for all I care, could have gone to Melbourne or Sydney instead.
@Baldur: you and I are in total agreement in regards to Adelaide Zoo, a small establishment with a nice Southeast Asian section and many historical elements. However, I must admit that I am a massive fan of giant pandas in zoos. They create buzz, excitement, double or even triple the attendance figures...and all of that means huge dollars for the zoo. In the long run, especially if there is success with breeding, Adelaide Zoo will have the funding for much more extensive renovations to their older exhibits. The pandas have already created worldwide notice for Adelaide, and if all goes well then they are a gold mine for the zoo. What's so bad about that?
I actually love pandas as much as you two and I'm in no doubt of the conservation and education value of having them in Adelaide. And maybe I should not have said this as I went to Adelaide before they got the pandas. They would have known at the time that they would be getting them but they certainly hadn't started building the exhibits and facilities needed.
I was living in Australia then. As I read from one up to three newspapers on a daily basis, I got to observe the process of bringing pandas back to Australia after a 20 year absence and did so with interest. Before it was announced that they would go to South Australia, there was another collection very interested in them; the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast in Queensland. How about that? Of course the pandas would have fit well into their collection of Australian fauna!
Sadly I must question how much money the zoo will make out of hosting them, in light of how much they need to pay to Beijing for the privilege. Of course they have been there less than a year so it is hard to say, but even after one year I doubt that any figures will be released, it will probably be confidential.
But it is true that pandas create buzz and excitement. I look forward to hopefully see Adelaide Zoo again within a year or two, then maybe with some cubs!
Adelaide Zoo is one of my favourite zoos; but Giant Pandas may just not be the goldmine some may think they are, although their value for conservation, education and promotion of the respective zoo is beynd doubt. Atlanta Zoo's story is good to keep in mind when comes to looking into the nearest future for this small Australian zoo that has only kept theirs for a few months.
Much 'rent money' is due to Beijing, to conservation funds, and building the proper exhibits and facilities doesn't come cheap either; in the video it says that Atlanta's one cost USD 7 million so I wonder how much Adelaide's one cost.
So my doubt has nothing to do with conservation, education or promotion; only the financial aspect, even though there's no doubt in my mind that Adelaide Zoo made a feasibility study before joining the fight for the pandas.
Adelaide Zoo is one of my favourite zoos; but Giant Pandas may just not be the goldmine some may think they are, although their value for conservation, education and promotion of the respective zoo is beynd doubt. Atlanta Zoo's story is good to keep in mind when comes to looking into the nearest future for this small Australian zoo that has only kept theirs for a few months.
Much 'rent money' is due to Beijing, to conservation funds, and building the proper exhibits and facilities doesn't come cheap either; in the video it says that Atlanta's one cost USD 7 million so I wonder how much Adelaide's one cost.
So my doubt has nothing to do with conservation, education or promotion; only the financial aspect, even though there's no doubt in my mind that Adelaide Zoo made a feasibility study before joining the fight for the pandas.
Atlanta borrowed the money to build the exhibit and "rent" the pandas. Visitation never came close to the hoped-for level needed to repay the debt without impacting other areas of the zoo's operations. I believe Adelaide has a much better business plan that does not involve debt, plus they get a significant government subsidy each year.
