Taronga Zoo African Savannah and Congo Forest development plans

Zoofan15

Zoofan15

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Taronga Zoo seeks public feedback on plans for new $50m African Savannah and Congo Forest exhibits

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Taronga Zoo’s state significant development application for its proposed $49.9 million African Savannah and Congo Forest exhibits is available for public consultation.

The project will see lions return to the zoo as part of Taronga’s $186 million 10-year redevelopment of the Mosman site.

The consent authority is the NSW Department of Planning and Environment.

According to the development application, the proposal includes: partial demolition of the existing African Safari and Orangutan Rainforest exhibits; construction of a new African Savannah exhibit for giraffe, zebra, lions, ostrich, meerkats and fennec fox species and a new Congo Forest exhibit for gorillas and okapi; Cliff Edge Village visitor amenities; new visitor viewing shelters, decks and pathways; interpretative and directional signage and relocation, upgrade and augmentation of services as required.

The exhibits will include landscaping, holding dens and back-of-house facilities.

If all goes to plan, construction will start in two stages: the African Savannah in 2018 and the Congo Forest in 2021.

Taronga Zoo’s other major projects in the pipeline include the $44.5 million Australia Habitat and Taronga Wildlife Retreat and the $30.7 million Taronga Institute of Science and Learning.

Libby Hodgson, Taronga’s director of marketing, fundraising and commercial, said the building of the institute was going well.

“The Taronga Institute of Science and Learning will be an incredible addition to the suite of facilities at Taronga in the next two years,” she said.

“It will be a hub of excellence for collaborative learning, research and education, all geared towards science, and it highlights that science will be pivotal in protecting species and habitats as we go forward in this new century.”

For more information or to make a submission, visit majorprojects.planning.nsw.gov.au/page/on-exhibition before Monday, September 4.

Hard copies of the documents are also available in Mosman Council’s offices.

Sounds exciting! It'll be good to see the lions return to Taronga and the gorillas will hopefully get a much larger enclosure than what they have now. And okapi at Taronga! They will apparently arrive from the San Diego Zoo in exchange for some platypus:

Philanthropists and Corporates Called on to Help Save Threatened Species | PBA
 
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Its a good idea, these areas are much in need of renovation and redevelopment. But, its a pretty basic looking plan...
African Savannah: Build new lion exhibits beyond chimpanzees (in area where oryx and ostrich were housed 10+ years ago), consolidate all hoofstock exhibits into one for ostrich, zebra and giraffe, and tack a couple of small exhibits for meerkats and fennec fox on the side. Lose Barbary sheep and bongo. So a whopping six species there and nothing novel about the exhibits at all as far as I can see.
Congo: Build new gorilla exhibits, which are needed, and remove old orangutan exhibit (which now houses squirrel monkeys anyway?). Add a couple of yards for okapi. Total number of species? Two. No birds, reptiles or small mammals, despite some relevant species existing within Australia and being easily obtainable, e.g. African grey parrots. Ignore existing species at Taronga that are also from the African rainforest, e.g. bongo and pygmy hippo, which would fit nicely into this area, and instead focus on an extremely difficult to obtain species, which is likely to suffer the same issues as most other new acquisitions in the region, which history has repeatedly shown are very difficult to establish when few individuals are imported. So, if they do manage to obtain okapi, I do not have high hopes that they will make a long-term exhibit, and replacement species will be required. Perhaps bongo...
 
I've just been reading the last link in Zoofan15's post, and then found another article (Paperwork holds up platypus exchange) about platypus going to San Diego. This is really a massive surprise. It seems like Taronga and San Diego hatched out an exchange plan involving two species for which there are no current Australian legislations for exporting/importing! That, I dunno, sounds weird.

Leaving aside the platypus export because that is outside the scope of this thread (but I started a thread elsewhere: San Diego Zoo - Platypus...), there is not only no IRA for okapi but they aren't even on the list of animals suitable for import either. The paperwork for both is a lengthy process. The Congo section to house okapi is scheduled (as of the article quoted above) for 2021 which is less than four years away, so there's enough time to get it sorted (theoretically) - but, although okapi are awesome and it would be great to have them in Australia, why the push for import legislation for this species over - say - hippos, to take something being discussed recently.

As zooboy28 says above, also, history would suggest that bringing okapi to Australia would be just another case of "wasted" animals, imported on an ill-conceived whim and then abandoned down the track.
 
Just looked up this on the Taronga website, which details the Congo Forest plans as the 7th stage of their $150 million revitalisation plans:

Taronga Zoo

7. Congo Forest
A lush forest exhibit for the growing gorilla family, adjoining Pygmy Hippo pools and a tree-filled landscape for the rare Bongo antelope.

Not sure if the article I posted on the consultation should be treated as an updated version of this list (as okapi have been apparently added to the plan), but according to the Taronga website, Pygmy Hippos and Bongo are still very much part of the plans so hopefully the Congo Forest will feature at least four large species, instead of two.
 
It's a shame that they don't take the opportunity to include another primate species in the same development - Maybe Mandrills again (some still in Australia currently?) Drill, or even a Colobus or Mangabey species. Could even be (potentially) mixed with the Gorilla's depending on what species they chose
 
Zoofan15 said:
Just looked up this on the Taronga website, which details the Congo Forest plans as the 7th stage of their $150 million revitalisation plans:

Taronga Zoo

7. Congo Forest
A lush forest exhibit for the growing gorilla family, adjoining Pygmy Hippo pools and a tree-filled landscape for the rare Bongo antelope.

Not sure if the article I posted on the consultation should be treated as an updated version of this list (as okapi have been apparently added to the plan), but according to the website Pygmy Hippos and Bongo are still very much part of the plans.
Click to expand...

Well neither species are shown on the current application plans - available here: African Savannah and Congo Exhibits
Bongo and pygmy hippo may be part of a second stage of Congo or something, as the plans do not include the existing gorilla exhibits which will be vacated - although I doubt the space there could accommodate bongo and hippo (perhaps the latter). I think if the okapi dream fails (fingers crossed) then bongo may replace them, but (based on the way the species has been abandoned in the region) bongo may be difficult to source anyway.
 
Nisha said:
It's a shame that they don't take the opportunity to include another primate species in the same development - Maybe Mandrills again (some still in Australia currently?) Drill, or even a Colobus or Mangabey species. Could even be (potentially) mixed with the Gorilla's depending on what species they chose
Click to expand...

I'd love to see Mandrills added to the plan, being an endangered species and the world's most colourful mammal.
 
zooboy28 said:
Well neither species are shown on the current application plans - available here: African Savannah and Congo Exhibits
Bongo and pygmy hippo may be part of a second stage of Congo or something, as the plans do not include the existing gorilla exhibits which will be vacated - although I doubt the space there could accommodate bongo and hippo (perhaps the latter). I think if the okapi dream fails (fingers crossed) then bongo may replace them, but (based on the way the species has been abandoned in the region) bongo may be difficult to source anyway.
Click to expand...

If the Okapi breeding programme can be continued long term with the same enthusiasm in which it is trying to be established, I see no problem. Unfortunately, I can see it being abandoned after a few years as others have predicted, and as precedent has shown.
 
Chlidonias said:
This pdf has more detailed descriptions of the plans, as well as maps which will mean more to zooboy28 than me because I've only been to Taronga once. The Congo plan on the pdf (also accessible through zooboy28's link above) also includes colobus alongside the gorillas and okapi. The tahr are also specified as being in the areas to be removed for the savannah.
https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/038ff55db1676b67745b000b5cc32c81/16527_SEARs Request_RevB.pdf
Click to expand...

Huh, that's a little different to the plans I was looking at (and that PDF was from Oct 2016, so potentially is a little outdated).
The one I was looking at (from July 2017) is here: https://majorprojects.accelo.com/pu...ural Drawings_Taronga Zoo SSDA 8008_Part1.pdf
This lacks any mention of colobus that I can see, and shows that the tahr mountain will be retained (and I think its listed anyway?).
Regardless, I think the plans for the Congo development are more likely to change than the Savannah development, with the latter starting much earlier.
 
zooboy28 said:
Huh, that's a little different to the plans I was looking at (and that PDF was from Oct 2016, so potentially is a little outdated).
The one I was looking at (from July 2017) is here: https://majorprojects.accelo.com/public/12964498e0a937ee16aa914170472f44/Appendix D2_Architectural Drawings_Taronga Zoo SSDA 8008_Part1.pdf
This lacks any mention of colobus that I can see, and shows that the tahr mountain will be retained (and I think its listed anyway?).
Regardless, I think the plans for the Congo development are more likely to change than the Savannah development, with the latter starting much earlier.
Click to expand...
hmm yes, for the Tahr Mountain I was reading the start of the Site Description (2.3) which says "The Savannah exhibit area will replace the existing African Safari exhibits, including the Giraffe Encounter, Zebras, Himalayan Tahr, Barberry Sheep, Fennec Fox and Meerkats..."
But further down it actually says that it is listed and is south of the development. And both pdf maps show it outside the development area.

The descriptions say that the Congo plan replaces only the current gorilla and former orangutan enclosures. Does this imply that the current enclosures for bongo and pigmy hippo could remain alongside, or are they somewhere else? (Or within the footprint of the plan?)
 
Nisha said:
Could even be (potentially) mixed with the Gorilla's depending on what species they chose
Click to expand...
I hope they don't try that route. A lot of zoos which have tried mixing monkeys with gorillas end up with deaths, including Melbourne Zoo which had one of their De Brazza's monkeys killed by a gorilla.
 
Chlidonias said:
hmm yes, for the Tahr Mountain I was reading the start of the Site Description (2.3) which says "The Savannah exhibit area will replace the existing African Safari exhibits, including the Giraffe Encounter, Zebras, Himalayan Tahr, Barberry Sheep, Fennec Fox and Meerkats..."
But further down it actually says that it is listed and is south of the development. And both pdf maps show it outside the development area.

The descriptions say that the Congo plan replaces only the current gorilla and former orangutan enclosures. Does this imply that the current enclosures for bongo and pigmy hippo could remain alongside, or are they somewhere else? (Or within the footprint of the plan?)
Click to expand...

The exhibits for bongo and hippo are outside the Congo development area. The hippos are in (what was previously) Wild Asia, while the bongo are in the area which will become the African Savannah development. So the latter will definitely lose their exhibit once construction starts, and it is unclear where they will go. I am not aware of suitable space within the zoo (at least on show), as the only real hoofstock exhibit left would be the axis deer enclosure, but I think that would be a little too small and open. I think more likely they, and the Barbary sheep and zebra, will go to Western Plains (or perhaps other zoos). Not sure what the plan with the giraffes would be. Getting them out of the zoo would be a mission.
 
Chlidonias said:
I hope they don't try that route. A lot of zoos which have tried mixing monkeys with gorillas end up with deaths, including Melbourne Zoo which had one of their De Brazza's monkeys killed by a gorilla.
Click to expand...

A couple of places (Dublin being one) over here have successfully mixed Mangabey with Gorilla's before. It can be done if the right species is selected
 
Nisha said:
A couple of places (Dublin being one) over here have successfully mixed Mangabey with Gorilla's before. It can be done if the right species is selected
Click to expand...
yes, it can be done. My point is that it is reprehensible to choose to trial mixed exhibits which it has been shown repeatedly can lead to entirely avoidable animal deaths. A mixed exhibit of this nature is only successful up until a monkey is killed.
 
zooboy28 said:
The exhibits for bongo and hippo are outside the Congo development area. The hippos are in (what was previously) Wild Asia...
Click to expand...
okay I found the hippos on the map. They are a long way from Africa. It looks like their current exhibit space is smaller than the gorillas' current exhibit space though (from the map)? Is that accurate? Potentially they could be shifted over once the gorillas move.
 
Chlidonias said:
okay I found the hippos on the map. They are a long way from Africa. It looks like their current exhibit space is smaller than the gorillas' current exhibit space though (from the map)? Is that accurate? Potentially they could be shifted over once the gorillas move.
Click to expand...

Yes, so they could fit in a renovated enclosure there quite comfortably. However, the way the Congo is currently planned, the path wouldn't incorporate that area, so they wouldn't really be part of that zone if moved there, unless further changes are made. I think that area is actually on a much lower level than the rest of Congo will be too (a different terrace) so they may be quite disjunct and difficult to link in.
 
Wow! Okapi is very exciting! :D I hope they don't loose the bongo and pygmy hippos though. The African Savannah also sounds promising; I have high hopes for both developments.
 
I agree with zooboy 28 and I really hope I am wrong about this but I see another "Taronga: pipe dream in the making here all hype and can do and then next to nothing, Bongo are not that hard to get many are for sale in the USA also zoos in the UK are well stocked with them, I always wanted Okapi to come to Aust but would be shocked if they ever do, hope I got this wrong!
 
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