Australia Zoo Australia Zoo News 2021

[WhistlingKite24]

Visit to Australia Zoo – 13/01/2021:

*a new sign has now been placed for the Elongated Tortoises in the rhino iguana enclosure. I still haven’t actually seen them but I remain hopeful they will eventually show themselves.

New Tortoise Sign

• WhistlingKite24
• 13 Jan 2021
• 4

*the cassowary complex remains closed off to visitors as the male is still incubating the eggs. Fingers crossed they are successful. On the topic of birds, I finally managed to see the new Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor) in the Rainforest Aviary. I think I have now managed to see every species in there – exactly 20 bird species (unless the bowerbird is still around).

*another elusive species made an appearance for the first time today; I saw a Land Mullet (Bellatorias major) in the main native lizard enclosure. It had long been one of those species at the zoo that had been signed for many years but you never manage to see. Nice to know it’s actually in there.

Land Mullet (Bellatorias major)

• WhistlingKite24
• 13 Jan 2021

*a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is now part of the main bird show. This particular individual was brought into their wildlife hospital but wasn’t able to be released due to its reliance on humans (fisherman were feeding it as a juvenile) – a nice message as well to tie in the presentation.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)

• WhistlingKite24
• 13 Jan 2021

For more photos see here: Australia Zoo - ZooChat

 

[Zorro]

Visit to Australia Zoo – 13/01/2021:

*a new sign has now been placed for the Elongated Tortoises in the rhino iguana enclosure. I still haven’t actually seen them but I remain hopeful they will eventually show themselves.

New Tortoise Sign

• WhistlingKite24
• 13 Jan 2021
• 4

*the cassowary complex remains closed off to visitors as the male is still incubating the eggs. Fingers crossed they are successful. On the topic of birds, I finally managed to see the new Noisy Pitta (Pitta versicolor) in the Rainforest Aviary. I think I have now managed to see every species in there – exactly 20 bird species (unless the bowerbird is still around).

*another elusive species made an appearance for the first time today; I saw a Land Mullet (Bellatorias major) in the main native lizard enclosure. It had long been one of those species at the zoo that had been signed for many years but you never manage to see. Nice to know it’s actually in there.

Land Mullet (Bellatorias major)

• WhistlingKite24
• 13 Jan 2021

*a Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is now part of the main bird show. This particular individual was brought into their wildlife hospital but wasn’t able to be released due to its reliance on humans (fisherman were feeding it as a juvenile) – a nice message as well to tie in the presentation.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus)

• WhistlingKite24
• 13 Jan 2021

For more photos see here: Australia Zoo - ZooChat

Any idea where the Elongated Tortoises came from?

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Any idea where the Elongated Tortoises came from?

No but presumably from one of the majors zoos like Adelaide, Taronga or Melbourne as they are mature individuals. Three Elongated Tortoises arrived in June 2019 and they produced their first offspring in 2020.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Australia Zoo's old male Rhinoceros Iguana, Rhino has been declared by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living rhino iguana in the captivity. He was hatched 23rd February 1980 at Taronga Zoo which means he will turn 41 in about a month. He moved to Australia Zoo in 1993 and has since bred at the zoo. This new record almost doubles the previous record of 22 years, 11 months: Oldest living rhino iguana in captivity

Rhino:

 

[Jana]

Nice age for an iguana from the genus Cyclura. Maybe the good sunny Australian weather is beneficial?

In Prague lives one Cuban rock iguana (C.nubila) male called Pepino whose current age is estimated at 35-40 years (imported from Cuba in year 1992 as fully grown), he is currently the oldest one within the EAZA. One his daughter is 28 years old and that is pretty good too because females seem to have considerably shorter lifespan than males in captivity.

 

[Zorro]

Nice age for an iguana from the genus Cyclura. Maybe the good sunny Australian weather is beneficial?

In Prague lives one Cuban rock iguana (C.nubila) male called Pepino whose current age is estimated at 35-40 years (imported from Cuba in year 1992 as fully grown), he is currently the oldest one within the EAZA. One his daughter is 28 years old and that is pretty good too because females seem to have considerably shorter lifespan than males in captivity.

I would tend to agree the climate in south east Queensland would be a close match to the species native home!

 

[Tricoart]

Cassowary area is reopen. No sign of any chicks, though one was on display when I went, so one might still be off-display with them. If the hatching was successful, I expect Australia Zoo to post about it on their socials in the near future.

 

[Zorro]

Cassowary area is reopen. No sign of any chicks, though one was on display when I went, so one might still be off-display with them. If the hatching was successful, I expect Australia Zoo to post about it on their socials in the near future.View attachment 476066

Nice pic by the way
Just wondering if this news should be in a thread for Australia zoo news 2021?

 

[Tricoart]

Nice pic by the way
Just wondering if this news should be in a thread for Australia zoo news 2021?

Oh, didn't know that was a thread, just thought this one was for generic zoo news. Could you link that thread for me, please?

 

[Zorro]

Oh, didn't know that was a thread, just thought this one was for generic zoo news. Could you link that thread for me, please?

I dont believe there is one atm a new thread needs to be created

 

[TinoPup]

I dont believe there is one atm a new thread needs to be created

Zoos with less activity on here usually don't get new threads each year. This one has been around since 2012.

 

[Zorro]

Zoos with less activity on here usually don't get new threads each year. This one has been around since 2012.

Regardless its handy to know what year that zoo news is happening at a glance!

 

[Tricoart]

Another thing I found, the vivarium that connects to one of the shops underneath the Crocuseum (not the vivarium for the Burmese Pythons) is being renovated to house a Green Anaconda. Attached is the sign on the work walls for the Green Anaconda, and a photo I took of the old vivarium before the renovation.

 

[Jambo]

Regardless its handy to know what year that zoo news is happening at a glance!

It should say the date that it was posted below the post eg. November 13 2012, so you can still see the year the news was from.

A zoo like Australia Zoo doesn’t get a lot of news on the yearly basis, while a Zoo like Taronga will have a lot of news and therefore should have a thread every year, otherwise the thread will become to big eventually.

 

[WhistlingKite24]

Another thing I found, the vivarium that connects to one of the shops underneath the Crocuseum (not the vivarium for the Burmese Pythons) is being renovated to house a Green Anaconda. Attached is the sign on the work walls for the Green Anaconda, and a photo I took of the old vivarium before the renovation.View attachment 476072 View attachment 476073

Brilliant news, I have been waiting for the anaconda to go on display since they announced her arrival in August 2018. It’s great to see several new herptile displays develop at the zoo.

Did you manage to see the Elongated Tortoises in the rhino iguana enclosure?

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

Australia Zoo's old male Rhinoceros Iguana, Rhino has been declared by the Guinness World Records as the oldest living rhino iguana in the captivity. He was hatched 23rd February 1980 at Taronga Zoo which means he will turn 41 in about a month. He moved to Australia Zoo in 1993 and has since bred at the zoo. This new record almost doubles the previous record of 22 years, 11 months: Oldest living rhino iguana in captivity

Rhino:

Would be nice to get any in depth review of rhino iguana population in Australia proper too. I wish more zoos be interested in these Cyclura iguana species, most on islands and threatened or endangered.

 

[Zorro]

Another thing I found, the vivarium that connects to one of the shops underneath the Crocuseum (not the vivarium for the Burmese Pythons) is being renovated to house a Green Anaconda. Attached is the sign on the work walls for the Green Anaconda, and a photo I took of the old vivarium before the renovation.View attachment 476072 View attachment 476073

I thought a pool would of been a must for a semi aquatic snake species!

 

[Tricoart]

Brilliant news, I have been waiting for the anaconda to go on display since they announced her arrival in August 2018. It’s great to see several new herptile displays develop at the zoo.

Did you manage to see the Elongated Tortoises in the rhino iguana enclosure?

They still weren't on display, but the sign was still up.

 

[Thomas]

Here’s a video of the new crocodile habitat.

 

[Zoofan15]

Here’s a video of the new crocodile habitat.

This is arguably the most progressive development Australia Zoo has undertaken since Steve’s death.