San Diego Zoo Safari Park Australian Rainforest

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Birdman7487

Well-Known Member
Does anybody know what species they previously held in the australian rainforest exhibit along the kilimanjaro safari walk? It was torn down for the flightline and i have tried emailing the park but they wont give me any answers.

Thanks
 
Over the years a number of animals were kept there. On my last visit before they closed it, it had a dwarf cassowary, Javan rhinoceros hornbills, and another hornbill species, Sulawesi Red-knobbed I think. Over the years it also displayed emus, gray kangaroos, swamp wallabies, kookaburras, and galahs. not necessarily all at the same time.

EDIT

A quick scan of my old guidebooks adds pheasant-coucals to the list and throws a little doubt as to whether it ever housed kookaburras.
 
Thanks geomorph. It is kind of funny to note how few of these animals actually occur in Australian rainforests.
 
As I recall, it wasn't much of an exhibit. Just a path through the side of the eucalyptis hill (I am sure path is still there, just closed off). Only thing I really remember was the cassowary. I am surprised there were so many other residents over the years, as you mention, since I don't remember seeing any other enclosures.

I think the wallabies were an added exhibit at the end of the trail that didn't last very long. It was a walk-through exhibit at the end of the large grass field (next to the old cheetah yards). I remember going once and it was there (I didn't go in), then going back about a year later and it was already gone.
 
Its botanical collection was much more important and impressive than the zoological one. I recall the temporary Kangaroo/Wallaby walkthrough exhibit of which you speak. It was about where Lion Camp is now. This was seperate from the Australian Rainforest, which at various times has had both swamp wallabies and gray kangaroos.
 
There is a picnic area where the walk through kangaroo/wallaby exhibit was located. The wooden bridge that was the entry into the exhibit is still there.
 
April 1996:

- Blyth's Hornbill (first aviary)
- Dwarf Cassowary (pen)
- Bush Thick-knee, Pigeons, Pheasant Coucal, Noisy Pitta, Magpie Lark (second aviary) ... no signs so I couldn't identify the Pigeons, possibly White-headed Pigeon or some kind of Imperial Pigeon

April 2004:

- Red-knobbed Hornbill (first aviary)
- Dwarf Cassowary (pen)
- Javan Rhinoceros Hornbill (second aviary)
 
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