Electus Parrot
Well-Known Member
Isis is showing that Melbourne Zoo has 1.4 Brown-nosed Coati. Does this mean Melbourne has imported some?
Melbourne Zoo Brown-nosed Coati
- Thread starter Electus Parrot
- Start date
You'd think they'd update the online census before ISIS, but it's certainly been on the cards for a while.
Yes, if you are a financial individual member of ZAA.
Ah - the wonders of modern technology!!!
While you are there would you like to take some pics of the animals and also of the display enclosure??????
While you are there would you like to take some pics of the animals and also of the display enclosure??????
That will have to wait I'm afraid - my crappy iPhone camera is not worthy of the Zoochat gallery, but I'll do so on my next visit. The enclosure is unchanged since the last of the previous group of coatis died, anyhow.
No, although that might be a sensible place to put them... because I was talking to a staff member who said that they arrived at the zoo 3 weeks ago, were put on display and a female coati promptly escaped on the first day.
She didn't go far and returned to the enclosure herself, but clearly there's a re-think required.
Where is it situated then? I cannot recall the slightest where the coati enclosure would be situated other than the 'Treetop Monkeys & Apes' exhibits from my visit last month.
It's next to the agouti enclosure on the eastern side of the zoo. Also next to the school classroom.
Sorry, I still can't remember where that is (after all, I have only visited once). Is it near the dog row and Syrian brown bear exhibit?
Between the bear and seals.
Ok, now I get the area it is in. Hopefully this means that other Australian (or possibly even New Zealand) zoos will follow Melbourne and import more animals, because in my opinion, coati can become a very successful managed species in the region, and are very interesting animals.
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
I really hope they do filter through to NZ in time, as they do look to be very good display animals (based mostly on the movie Fierce Creatures
). It is possible that they may even following the footsteps of their esteemed colleagues the Asian small-clawed otters, red pandas, meerkats and ring-tailed lemurs, and become the next 'big' small mammals here!While their acquisition is not currently planned by any NZ ZAA zoos (according to the online census), I imagine that, if they became a managed species in the region, several NZ zoos would quickly sign up to be holders.
I suspect you'll see other Australasian zoos jump on the coati bandwagon once Melbourne starts breeding theirs.
Some other small observations from my relatively short visit yesterday:
- There are now two groups of emperor tamarins. One pair is in the Rainforest Room enclosure (the one behind the function centre that you'll only see if you know it's there, as it's not at all sign-posted). There are another group of four tamarins (sex breakdown unknown) in what was the golden lion tamarin enclosure. The GLTs have in turn been moved to the original emperor tamarin cage. I couldn't find the cotton-tops that were previously in the Rainforest Room enclosure.
- The former collared peccary enclosure has been demolished for... yet another function centre. I was unimpressed with the new peccary enclosure(s) which are next to the off-display tapir's old, more or less the same distance from the northern entrance to the zoo but on the opposite side. There are two enclosures, and the second can only be seen behind the first, making it very hard to view the peccaries in what is, I think, the larger family group. I only saw one peccary in the front enclosure which is very much a mud-bowl at the moment. It also looks like they've tried to obscure that there are two separate exhibits, with a sunken colourbond fence between the two. But if they've tried, they've failed miserably, as it's very obvious.
- Baboon move is supposedly scheduled for about two weeks from now. There are travelling crates in the old cage to get them used to them. They had the glass doors attached for the first time today, which resulted in me watching as each of the 16 baboons approached, hooted at the obnoxious interloping baboon staring back at them, and either shoving the crate away, kicking it or throwing things at it. However, looking at the exhibit - I'd want long odds on it actually happening in two weeks. It looks like construction on the night den is at least another week away from completion, and that's before things like electrical work is done. The exhibit has some plants and trees in it now, but the public space is still just mud.
- The red-fronted macaws have moved into the former green-winged macaw aviary, where they have been joined by a pair of Hahn's macaws. The green-wingeds were nowhere to be seen.
- Some new terraria are being built in the Wild Seas precinct, in the education room as you first enter the building. Somehow, jacky dragons and green tree frogs are supposed to fit into the Victorian coasts theme. There will also be a cuttlefish tank, which makes more sense.
- The zoo once again has tree shrews on display.
- Felix the pygmy hippo seems quite settled in his new home.
- Estelle the abandoned spider monkey is on display in the primate nursery (the small building that was used to display all the gorilla babies).
Some other small observations from my relatively short visit yesterday:
- There are now two groups of emperor tamarins. One pair is in the Rainforest Room enclosure (the one behind the function centre that you'll only see if you know it's there, as it's not at all sign-posted). There are another group of four tamarins (sex breakdown unknown) in what was the golden lion tamarin enclosure. The GLTs have in turn been moved to the original emperor tamarin cage. I couldn't find the cotton-tops that were previously in the Rainforest Room enclosure.
- The former collared peccary enclosure has been demolished for... yet another function centre. I was unimpressed with the new peccary enclosure(s) which are next to the off-display tapir's old, more or less the same distance from the northern entrance to the zoo but on the opposite side. There are two enclosures, and the second can only be seen behind the first, making it very hard to view the peccaries in what is, I think, the larger family group. I only saw one peccary in the front enclosure which is very much a mud-bowl at the moment. It also looks like they've tried to obscure that there are two separate exhibits, with a sunken colourbond fence between the two. But if they've tried, they've failed miserably, as it's very obvious.
- Baboon move is supposedly scheduled for about two weeks from now. There are travelling crates in the old cage to get them used to them. They had the glass doors attached for the first time today, which resulted in me watching as each of the 16 baboons approached, hooted at the obnoxious interloping baboon staring back at them, and either shoving the crate away, kicking it or throwing things at it. However, looking at the exhibit - I'd want long odds on it actually happening in two weeks. It looks like construction on the night den is at least another week away from completion, and that's before things like electrical work is done. The exhibit has some plants and trees in it now, but the public space is still just mud.
- The red-fronted macaws have moved into the former green-winged macaw aviary, where they have been joined by a pair of Hahn's macaws. The green-wingeds were nowhere to be seen.
- Some new terraria are being built in the Wild Seas precinct, in the education room as you first enter the building. Somehow, jacky dragons and green tree frogs are supposed to fit into the Victorian coasts theme. There will also be a cuttlefish tank, which makes more sense.
- The zoo once again has tree shrews on display.
- Felix the pygmy hippo seems quite settled in his new home.
- Estelle the abandoned spider monkey is on display in the primate nursery (the small building that was used to display all the gorilla babies).
On my visit I saw the cotton tops in an off-exhibit cage past the gorilla indoor/preparation area. The keepers were monitoring them as they chased each other around (possibly introductions/mating behaviour?).
I also saw the tree shrews in the last exhibit of 'Treetops Monkeys and Apes' complex which were fairly active (I liked how you could see into the nest box).
BTW, do you know if the room (which looked like it had some sort of terrariums in it) next to the 'Researcher's Hut' in the Gorilla Trail is still in use? It was closed off on my visit and looked like it had some exhibits in it?
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monkey_obsessed
Member
That room is a classroom, for school groups
Ah, ok, thanks for that. I thought it might have been an extra 'research' room or something.