Sydney Zoo $36 million zoo with roaming African animals planned for Blacktown

Chlidonias said:
It's especially weird because the guy behind it is from the zoo world (admittedly not "proper" zoos but still he should know what's what).
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Do you know his name? I couldn't see it on the website.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
Do you know his name? I couldn't see it on the website.
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John Burgess, of the Sydney Aquarium and Sydney Wildlife World (or whatever its name was at that time). And his son Jake Burgess.
 
The plans have been approved (note how Featherdale believe they could lose 84% of visitors): http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...k/news-story/34f8e058121f4f84efdf67aaf3b99f8c

WESTERN suburbs attractions Sydney Zoo and Featherdale Wildlife Park could operate a joint ticketing system as a way to work together.

Sydney Zoo director Jake Burgess said the zoo and Featherdale at Doonside did share some similarities and there had been discussions recently around the possibility of a joint ticketing system to help grow sales for both parks.

The suggestion comes as the Planning and Environment Department officially approved plans for the $36 million zoo at Bungarribee in the Western Sydney Parklands last week.

It will now proceed to the Planning Assessment Commission after community feedback.

There has been debate the zoo could push Featherdale out of business.

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Featherdale and Sydney Zoo could help each other boost ticket sales.
In March, a report by Featherdale’s parent company, Elanor Investors’ Group, found it could lose up to 84 per cent of visitors if the zoo opened 6km away in Bungarribee.

But last week, Elanor chief executive Glenn Willis applauded the Planning Department for its efforts in seeking to differentiate the two zoos.

The department has imposed several conditions on the zoo’s proposal, including requiring it to differentiate itself from Featherdale by exhibiting Australian native animals alongside an Aboriginal cultural heritage experience.

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Artist's impressions of Sydney Zoo.’s elephant enclosure.
Featherdale has native animals but does not have an Aboriginal cultural exhibit, nor does it have exotic animals.

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Sydney Zoo director Jake Burgess.
“If the department’s conditions are adhered to as specified the continued operations of Featherdale is assured,” Mr Willis said.

“The new zoo can complement Featherdale very well if the focus is on exotic animals and they don’t seek simply to replace Featherdale.’’

Sydney Zoo will be cage-free and feature a range of native and exotic animals and elevated board walks.

Mr Burgess said 90 per cent of the zoo would be set aside for exotic animals such as lions, elephants and tigers.

“We are fundamentally a different product to Featherdale,” he said.


“Native animals are only a small subset of what we are offering.”

Pending the Planning Assessment Commission’s approval, construction on the park will begin at the end of March, 2017.

Work is expected to be completed in early 2018.
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ones exotic based and ones native animals. Is it really going to be an issue? Taronga is going to be affected by this surely (although im excited about this place opening i guess)
 
steveroberts said:
ones exotic based and ones native animals. Is it really going to be an issue? Taronga is going to be affected by this surely (although im excited about this place opening i guess)
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Like I said on page one;

"The concern IMO would be how would this impact Taronga Western Plains Zoo out at Dubbo, since if this plan eventuates there will no longer be a single "cage-free" zoo in the state. Instead of families or even tourists driving all the way out to Dubbo, they can see pretty much the exact same species around 50 minutes from the airport."

Taronga could still capitalise on their view as well as house different species (e.g. lemurs, gorillas, etc.) in the foreseeable future (don't forget that Taronga is beginning a large-scale remodelling of practically the whole zoo, starting with the new Sumatran tiger exhibit opening next year).

I guess where Featherdale comes into it is that the new zoo will have the "same" species plus more (i.e. exotics). Featherdale is great for the sheer number of species (particularly bird: I believe they have the largest captive collection of Australian native birds in the world?), but to the average zoo-goer (local or tourist), all they really want to see is a koala, wombat or echidna. The new zoo (as far as I am aware) will pretty much have all these upon opening. Not to mention (as said in the article), that the new zoo will also have an Aboriginal cultural experience that Featherdale currently lacks which would be an additional appealing feature for tourists.

EDIT: I should mention that a second airport to service Sydney will be built around 30 minutes from the new zoo (set to open in around 10 years time), making it even closer for tourists coming from that direction.
 
Some years ago Taronga was aggressively marketing towards Western Sydney, promoting the Zoorail Pass which including rail ferry and Zoo entry in one combined ticket that could be purchased at any railway station. This new zoo will have a significant impact upon that sector of the market as it will be a quicker journey (and probably cheaper) than travelling all the way to Taronga.

What Taronga and Featherdale will still be able to market are the natives - the international tourists are interested in the kangaroos and koalas - as the open-range zoo will have the same exotics as every other zoo in North America or Europe. So people flying into the new airport in Western Sydney will probably be more interested in visiting Featherdale, if they want to visit zoo at all.

Dubbo was chosen as the site for WPZ as it's at the intersection of the Newell Highway and Mitchell Hwy, and is a convenient overnight stop for families travelling on those roads to holiday destinations. The new Blacktown Zoo may have an impact on WPZ, but I don't think it will be too significant.

:p

Hix
 
Hix said:
Some years ago Taronga was aggressively marketing towards Western Sydney, promoting the Zoorail Pass which including rail ferry and Zoo entry in one combined ticket that could be purchased at any railway station. This new zoo will have a significant impact upon that sector of the market as it will be a quicker journey (and probably cheaper) than travelling all the way to Taronga.

What Taronga and Featherdale will still be able to market are the natives - the international tourists are interested in the kangaroos and koalas - as the open-range zoo will have the same exotics as every other zoo in North America or Europe. So people flying into the new airport in Western Sydney will probably be more interested in visiting Featherdale, if they want to visit zoo at all.

Dubbo was chosen as the site for WPZ as it's at the intersection of the Newell Highway and Mitchell Hwy, and is a convenient overnight stop for families travelling on those roads to holiday destinations. The new Blacktown Zoo may have an impact on WPZ, but I don't think it will be too significant.

:p

Hix
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I agree that Taronga could easily differentiate itself from the new zoo, but could Featherdale really do so successfully? I guess Featherdale could still identify as the "exclusively native" zoo in the area, but with a brand new place with all the major 'ABC' Aussie animals plus lions, giraffes, etc. a mere 3km away, to me it would be a real challenge. Only time will tell......
 
Sorry, I didn't make that clear (although I think I said it in an earlier post) - I believe this will have a significant impact upon Featherdale. They won't lose all their business, because the international tourists who want to see Australia's unique creatures will still visit, and Featherdale has an arrangement with at least one Japanese tour company - probably several judging by the number of signs and notices in Japanese I saw last time I visited.

However, if the new zoo starts promoting the fact they have koalas, kangaroos wombats and platypus then that will be bad for Featherdale.

:p

Hix
 
Interesting fact: Western Plains Zoo was originally planned for the western suburbs of Sydney but moved far further west for political reasons.
 
MRJ said:
Interesting fact: Western Plains Zoo was originally planned for the western suburbs of Sydney but moved far further west for political reasons.
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I seem to remember somewhere around Windsor being the original plan? Do you know what these "political reasons" were (I have always been interested as to why they chose to move all the way out to Dubbo)?
 
Jabiru96 said:
I seem to remember somewhere around Windsor being the original plan? Do you know what these "political reasons" were (I have always been interested as to why they chose to move all the way out to Dubbo)?
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Sorry don't know the originally planned location, however as I understand it, the local MP for Dubbo saw an opportunity, had the power, and grabbed it. The argument was that it would help tourism in a regional area, plus provide employment. All true, of course, as far as that goes. It had nothing to do with the zoo's priorities.
 
"Public meeting told new Sydney Zoo threatens commercial viability of Featherdale Wildlife Park":

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ne...k/news-story/a968b6d042b901b34c22c43698cf44dc

BUILDING a zoo in Bungarribee risks the closure of the Featherdale Wildlife Park and the education programs it provides, a public meeting heard.

The meeting, held at the Rooty Hills RSL on Wednesday, was the last chance the public had to express their views on the proposed Sydney Zoo before the Planning and Assessment Commission makes a decision on the application.

The application seeks approval to build an exotic and Australian animal park across 16.5ha in the Western Sydney Parklands at Bungarribee.

At the meeting, the commission heard from consultants acting on behalf of Featherdale who argued the application should be refused because it would likely lead to the closure of the 45-year-old Doonside park.

The consultants said even if Featherdale did not close, their analysis found the park could lose up to 84 per cent of visitors if Sydney Zoo opened just 6km away.

“It will also put at risk the many conservation, social, economic and environmental contributions Featherdale makes,” consultant John Wynn said.

Resident Kath Styant questioned the commercial viability of two wildlife parks operating in such close proximity in western Sydney.

“The zoo is talking about 740,000 as a potential audience,” she said.

“There’s already 500k going to Featherdale, so where are these extra people coming from? Do the maths.

“If they’re looking at 740,000, their talking about bus loads of tourists, and they’re not going to both Featherdale and the zoo. They’re going to have to make a choice. Someone’s not going to get the numbers.”

The meeting heard from three parents from primary and high schools across Sydney who said they were concerned the new zoo could jeopardise Featherdale’s student education and work placement programs.

“We as parents value the contribution that Featherdale makes to our children’s education,” Cheryl Miller said.

“If Sydney Zoo tries to replicate what Featherdale has it could take a very long time. Why risk that?”

Concerns were also raised about the impact the proposed zoo would have on the Western Sydney Parklands fauna and flora.

“We need to have stringent testing for the riparian corridor, that corridor has Australian Bass and trees that are 300-350 years old,” secretary of the Blacktown and District Environment group Antony Lewis said.

Wayne Olling said the proposed zoo was a “slap in the face” to volunteers who had spent decades rejuvenating the parklands where the zoo could be built.

“It’s a loss and a great discouragement for residents to be engaged in conservation,” he said.

Chief executive of Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural and Education Centre Peter Chia said the group supported the zoo application because it would create up to 20 jobs for local Aboriginal people.

The zoo has entered into a partnership with Muru Mittigar to train Aboriginal people for fulltime roles as rangers — and has set for itself an employment target of 10 per cent Aboriginal employees.

Sydney Zoo managing director Jake Burgess in a power point presentation to the commission said the zoo’s exhibits would exceed statutory minimum standards for Australian metropolitan zoos.

The zoo would not introduce noxious weeds or African grasses, and it was committed to education and conservation.

“It’s our intent that Sydney Zoo will be a place of learning, conservation and community,” he said.

The Planning Assessment Commission’s decision on the proposed zoo is expected early in the new year.
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[

Dubbo was chosen as the site for WPZ as it's at the intersection of the Newell Highway and Mitchell Hwy, and is a convenient overnight stop for families travelling on those roads to holiday destinations. The new Blacktown Zoo may have an impact on WPZ, but I don't think it will be too significant.

:p

Hix[/QUOTE]

Hi Hix,
I am fairly certain that WPZ Dubbo as a location was a political decision rather than a geographical one. Some politician receiving a thank you for a very big political favour!
 
zooman said:
I am fairly certain that WPZ Dubbo as a location was a political decision rather than a geographical one. Some politician receiving a thank you for a very big political favour!
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That might have been a factor, but the location was what made it viable.

:p

Hix
 
Cage-free zoo set to open in Sydney's west

Lions, elephants and marsupials will roam free at a new zoo at Blacktown in Sydney's west after it was approved by the New South Wales Planning Assessment Commission.

The Bungarribee zoo won't cage its animals with the aim to attract Sydney families to the zoo which will have large open spaces.

Sydney Zoo will build the $36 million park featuring over 30 exhibits including elevated board walks and glassed observation areas.​
 
Nisha said:
The Planning Assessment Commission have approved the project

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph
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I notice that article contains pictures of the bull shark aquarium and gorilla exhibit.

I still wonder, as everyone has all through the thread, about how this zoo will look with only $36 million to build it. Especially because they are saying it will be completed in 2018. Even if it's the very end of 2018 that's still only one year.
 
This article has a bit more information from the other two above: Western Sydney Zoo gets the go-ahead



The Planning Assessment Commission has approved the multi-million dollar Sydney Zoo on a 16.5 hectare site overlooking Bungarribee Park.

Work is due to start later this year, with the zoo due to be open in time for the 2018 summer holidays.

Unlike the nearby Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney Zoo will focus on foreign and exotic animals with 30 large animal exhibits.


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Size comparison
  1. Western Plains Zoo (Dubbo) – 300 hectares
  2. Australia Zoo – 40 hectares
  3. Taronga Zoo – 28 hectares
  4. Melbourne Zoo – 22 acres [sic - it is meant to also say hectares]
  5. Sydney Zoo – 16.5 hectares
  6. Featherdale Wildlife Park – 3 hectares
Minister for Western Sydney, Stuart Ayres, said Sydney Zoo “will offer an unparalleled tourism experience”.

“Sydney Zoo will set a new standard in visitor experience and have people coming back time and time again,” Mr Ayres said.

“Set to be Australia’s most technologically advanced and innovative zoo in Australia, it will also feature an incredible integrated Aboriginal and natural heritage program, focusing on the local Darug people of western Sydney.”


....................................

“It is the natural home for a world-class exotic and native animal conservation and exhibition facility, and important education resources like the Educational Amphitheatre, Aquarium, Insectarium and Reptile and Nocturnal House.”
 
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