Australia is notable for having 3 massive open range zoos, and these institutions are famous for having enormous paddocks and a range of hoofstock that is not seen in the urban zoo collections. The zoos often receive around 250,000 visitors a year, which is a lot less than their urban counterparts, but the space given to the animals is hundreds of acres more and thus larger herds can be maintained.
There is the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, about 6 hours from Sydney, which is affectionately called Dubbo by most people and was once groundbreaking for the size of its paddocks. Werribee Open Range Zoo near Melbourne only has a few hundred animals but several world class exhibits, including the lion and hippo enclosures. The third establishment is the Monarto Zoo near Adelaide, which has come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years. Monarto is the only one of the 3 that I've visited, and the 20 giraffes, huge african wild dog paddock and incredibly large enclosures are all brilliant for the animals. The upcoming $1.6 million chimpanzee exhibit is reportedly one of the largest on the planet, and there are now plans for an African Serengeti, drive-thru experience.
All 3 locations have huge fields for their hoofstock, bus tours that either go around or into the exhibits, and large herds of animals in spacious surroundings. The tendency is for visitors to spend about an hour on the guided tour, and then disembark for a few walking trails around the habitats that couldn't be seen from the main tour. I personally feel that there is definitely a place for huge open range zoos around the world, and the fact that the Taronga, Melbourne and Adelaide Zoos all have ownership over 3 nearby open range collections means that often animals can be shuttled back and forth between the zoos. The breeding record at the open range institutions is often better than the urban zoo, and the same setup can be seen at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park in southern California.
Which of the 3 open range Australian parks is the best?
There is the Taronga Western Plains Zoo, about 6 hours from Sydney, which is affectionately called Dubbo by most people and was once groundbreaking for the size of its paddocks. Werribee Open Range Zoo near Melbourne only has a few hundred animals but several world class exhibits, including the lion and hippo enclosures. The third establishment is the Monarto Zoo near Adelaide, which has come on in leaps and bounds over the past few years. Monarto is the only one of the 3 that I've visited, and the 20 giraffes, huge african wild dog paddock and incredibly large enclosures are all brilliant for the animals. The upcoming $1.6 million chimpanzee exhibit is reportedly one of the largest on the planet, and there are now plans for an African Serengeti, drive-thru experience.
All 3 locations have huge fields for their hoofstock, bus tours that either go around or into the exhibits, and large herds of animals in spacious surroundings. The tendency is for visitors to spend about an hour on the guided tour, and then disembark for a few walking trails around the habitats that couldn't be seen from the main tour. I personally feel that there is definitely a place for huge open range zoos around the world, and the fact that the Taronga, Melbourne and Adelaide Zoos all have ownership over 3 nearby open range collections means that often animals can be shuttled back and forth between the zoos. The breeding record at the open range institutions is often better than the urban zoo, and the same setup can be seen at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park in southern California.
Which of the 3 open range Australian parks is the best?
