I think the Sun Bear in photo is either 0.1 Mawar (born c.1972) who died sometime in 1992 or her companion 0.1 Shah (born c.1971) who died sometime in 1991, they got this exhibit in about 1988 (it's Raja the Komodos' exhibit now and was Wayan the Fishing Cats mid '04-mid '08, but all this you know lol). Apparently Mawar and Shah had a third female conspecific companion Belinda (born c.1964) who died in 1986 when they still lived in previous enclosure in 'Bear row'. Apparently after Mawar passed the next resident of the exhibit she's seen in in the postcard photo above, was the zoo's last Maned Wolf (dont know name or gender or d.o.b) who went to Dubbo in about September '95 and then at the same time: Rani 0.1 the Red Panda arrived from Adelaide Zoo and moved into the exhibit (joined by Raja 1.0 from Pretoria Zoo in mid '97), until renovations in late 1997 for the Cambodian Sun Bear trio Sean/Suki, Takia/Barbera and Viva's (1.2) arrival in Jan' '98.
(when Rani & Raja bred together for first time in late '97, early '98 it was in an older wire fronted exhibit neighbouring the Matschie's Tree Kangaroos (as seen in map above) and opposite the old Croc ponds, and near the old Gibbon cages in the area thats now Permai's yard or adjoining visitor area to see Permai. As mentioned just before R'&R' had moved out of the exhibit above sometime in late '97 for renovating it for return of Sun Bears sometime in. R' & R' and their offspring got better 'quarters' the current Red Panda habitat(s) soon after).
also this postcard from early '90s too (not sure which baby Orangutan that is), good to see the old Slow Loris in its Noc' House exhibit (if same individual saw in '90s it passed away in about '98 or '99) , and the Gibbon lake island how it was back then, one of the free roaming/then feral Five-lined Palm Squirrels, Blue-winged Kookaburras are very beutiful birds:
@steveroberts I’ve just reading about Takia. Apparently she was euthanised in March 2002 at the age of five years. She was diagnosed with an inoperable aortic aneurysm shortly after arrival in February 1998. It was hoped she could live out a few years at the zoo and potentially breed; but her aneurysm grew faster than expected and the decision was made to euthanise after a decline in her health. Very sad news, but obviously contributed to the decision made 2003 to send Sean/Suki to Wellington Zoo and source a new pair. I don’t know any details about Viva? Did she die young too?
Yeah I remember reading that too in the zoo's mid 2001-mid 2002 annual report, poor Takia hey
Yeah Viva died young too sometime in 2000 (I only know that she died that year because of an email from the zoo they replied to me with in late 2020, they didn't say what the cause of Viva's death was though).
@steveroberts That’s a real shame. Given the trio were rescued from horrific conditions, I can only imagine what health issues they came to the zoo with. I’m glad Perth was able to give those females a good life for their few short years. Suki of course fared much better, siring a cub at Wellington Zoo and living out his remaining years in the company of his daughter. He died in 2018, so 20 years after he was rescued!
Yeah well said man, it is sad about Takia and Viva and their health issues (confirmed with poor Takia, certain poor Viva would of had too) but with Suki/Sean he was very much a success story llike you said from a beginning life of tragedy and suffering (siring Sasa like you said and we talked about the other day - a brilliant example of rescued male bear siring succesfully with mother-raised female bear). Remember when he passed because of the news about on here. Memory of him at PZ was always of a very handsome and seemingly chilled out bear. Sometime either in 2001 or 2002 he was moved over to southernmost exhibit in 'Great Cats' complex what for the longest time had been the Lions exhibit from Oct'/Nov' '84 until Sep' '98 (had been surviving Hunting Dog 0.2 Scar & Half-ear's since sometime in '99), so Sean/Suki was living adjacent to the Persian Leopards (for short time) and Sumatran Tigers for a few years before he moved to Wellington (think May '04 was when he left for).
@steveroberts Yes, 2004 was when Sean/Suki was exported. The plan to export him to Wellington was first mentioned in the media in 2003. I saw him in 2016 and 2017. He died a month prior to my next visit in January 2019. I always enjoyed seeing him as it was an interesting contrast seeing a male vs a female sun bear - the females being more sleek; and the males being larger, with wrinkled foreheads.
@Zoofan15
So glad you got see him a few times in 2016 and 2017 and sorry he passed just before your next visit. Ah yes those wrinkly foreheads most of the adult males have, remember us talking about that at Taronga. Speaking of male Sun Bears at Taronga heres the only photo that know of, of (I think) Shar 1.0, (*either him or Raya's 0.1 but think its Shar) photo of taken in 1993 was in the zoo's guidebook that year, pretty certain photo had to be taken that year because of publication and they went on display in January that year, either that or was taken in December '92 when he arrived with Raya) the photo of him* would be in the mini canyon fronted exhibit we saw the Red Pandas in, still mostly had Sun Bears in from what have found out majority of timeline its existed as an exhibit - now getting close to 110 years. Was really happy to find the guidebook on internet archive (can forward you the link if you like) and see photo of him again (*still pretty sure its Shar not Raya though only 99% sure lol) as remember the standout coloration on top of snout and nose clearly from seeing him in person back in the '90s)
@tetrapod It's interesting seeing the old oval pre-Savannah and some of the old rows of cages and other enclosures, some remember like the old fairy penguin pool, macaque/papionini row & gibbon row and Japanese macaque enclosure and Himalayan tahr yard; and then those before my time like the old primate cage rows near the latter two + hoofstock yards, what looks like Tricia's old yard (her about to move very soon after this aerial shot was taken) and the old cramped bear exhibits row. The two adjoined maned wolf exhibits really looked decent sized here as did the macropod paddocks that remember having antilopine 'roos in at least one of them for a fair amount of the '90s. The noc' house and 'lesser primates' complex still very much unchanged but foliage and trees have grown bigger around them, and interesting to see the old setup of orangutan (and then 2 chimps too) complex (albeit still the same exhibits in foundations of with few new exhibits built at the back) and the old 'world of birds' which still lament its absence from the zoo now.
