Melbourne Zoo Future of Melbourne Zoo 2022 (Speculation / Fantasy)

[Josh F]

I really like where this thread it going. I must say I do agree with those who suggested condensing the Devils and Tigers down to one exhibit, Melbourne did show some initiative in doing this with their meerkat populations. It would seem that they will also be doing this long term with the giant tortoises as work was being done to expand that exhibit in front of the rep house. In turn these amendments allow for much greater space needing filling. I would suggest that Komodos be on the list as a draw card especially considered that they have been bred for the first time in the region this year. I like the Sun Bear idea although I’d suggest in an ideal world maybe they go for something new/different although unlikely. Wouldn’t it be great to see a new ‘carnivore’ species brought into the region, or something that is rarely displayed at least. They did so well with this re: snow leopards surely they can do it again with something else.

An often forgotten about group is their reptile collection with many ‘single’ individuals of a species represented in the region at the zoo, surely some of these could be ‘managed’ or at the very least produced to be held in the region for at least another 20-30 years. Just some thoughts!

 

[Zoofan15]

I really like where this thread it going. I must say I do agree with those who suggested condensing the Devils and Tigers down to one exhibit, Melbourne did show some initiative in doing this with their meerkat populations. It would seem that they will also be doing this long term with the giant tortoises as work was being done to expand that exhibit in front of the rep house. In turn these amendments allow for much greater space needing filling. I would suggest that Komodos be on the list as a draw card especially considered that they have been bred for the first time in the region this year. I like the Sun Bear idea although I’d suggest in an ideal world maybe they go for something new/different although unlikely. Wouldn’t it be great to see a new ‘carnivore’ species brought into the region, or something that is rarely displayed at least. They did so well with this re: snow leopards surely they can do it again with something else.

An often forgotten about group is their reptile collection with many ‘single’ individuals of a species represented in the region at the zoo, surely some of these could be ‘managed’ or at the very least produced to be held in the region for at least another 20-30 years. Just some thoughts!

Sri Lankan leopards at Melbourne:

Melbourne Zoo should really condense their tigers to a single exhibit and dedicate their resources to breeding other species.

Sri Lankan leopard could be a suitable replacement for the second tiger exhibit. They’re well suited to the Australian climate and we will soon have a thriving population of this species in Australia.

There aren’t a lot of breeding recommendations given for Sumatran tigers these days and Melbourne’s pair (siblings aged 12 years) are designated as non breeding due to a genetic eye condition.

Other zoos are better equipped to breed Sumatran tigers and hold larger numbers of them (Australia Zoo, Auckland Zoo and Taronga Zoo), which in turn will see them receive more frequent breeding recommendations; versus the other zoos which will likely breed once every one to two decades.

 

[Josh F]

Sri Lankan leopards at Melbourne:

Melbourne Zoo should really condense their tigers to a single exhibit and dedicate their resources to breeding other species. Sri Lankan leopard could be a suitable replacement for the second tiger exhibit. They’re well suited to the Australian climate and we will soon have a thriving population of this species in Australia.

There aren’t a lot of breeding recommendations given for Sumatran tigers these days and Melbourne’s pair (siblings aged 12 years) are designated as non breeding due to a genetic eye condition.

Other zoos are better equipped to breed Sumatran tigers and hold larger numbers of them (Australia Zoo, Auckland Zoo and Taronga Zoo), which in turn will see them receive more frequent breeding recommendations versus the other zoos which will likely breed once every one to two decades.

That’s exactly the sort of thing I’d be keen to see. Brining further light to lesser appreciated species!

 

[Zoofan15]

That’s exactly the sort of thing I’d be keen to see. Brining further light to lesser appreciated species!

There’s a couple of ways Melbourne could exhibit Sri Lankan leopard:

1. They could replace one of the Sumatran tiger exhibits with a Sri Lankan leopard exhibit and receive a surplus leopard (or sibling pair) to house as an ambassador species (non breeding).

2. They could build something on a large scale in place of the elephants. Think world class exhibits with over head tunnels and multiple leopards. They could establish themselves as a breeding hub; or integrate it alongside other exhibits for other species, telling a conservation story (I wish they still had Temminck’s golden cats!).

The first idea is simple, cost effective and will bring in more visitors; while the second is costly and while the end result will be phenomenal, the elephant exhibits could be refurbished for ungulates at a fraction of the cost.

 

[Jambo]

There’s a couple of ways Melbourne could exhibit Sri Lankan leopard:

1. They could replace one of the Sumatran tiger exhibits with a Sri Lankan leopard exhibit and receive a surplus leopard (or sibling pair) to house as an ambassador species (non breeding).

2. They could build something on a large scale in place of the elephants. Think world class exhibits with over head tunnels and multiple leopards. They could establish themselves as a breeding hub; or integrate it alongside other exhibits for other species, telling a conservation story (I wish they still had Temminck’s golden cats!).

The first idea is simple, cost effective and will bring in more visitors; while the second is costly and while the end result will be phenomenal, the elephant exhibits could be refurbished for ungulates at a fraction of the cost.

Melbourne are thoroughly focused on Snow Leopards at the moment, but I agree, it would be much better if they turned their focus to another species such as Sri Lankan Leopards.

Melbourne have the space to hold a breeding pair of tigers + cubs in that main enclosure (as they have multiple cages behind the scenes). They also have a similar set up behind the Snow Leopard enclosures, as Sundar is currently living there off display. This leads me to believe that they could maybe hold both a breeding pair of Sri Lankan Leopards and Snow Leopards at the same time (in the Snow Leopard and Tiger enclosures part of Tiger Trail), but they’ll have to alternate breeding on a yearly or so basis.

 

[Zoofan15]

Melbourne are thoroughly focused on Snow Leopards at the moment, but I agree, it would be much better if they turned their focus to another species such as Sri Lankan Leopards.

Melbourne have the space to hold a breeding pair of tigers + cubs in that main enclosure (as they have multiple cages behind the scenes). They also have a similar set up behind the Snow Leopard enclosures, as Sundar is currently living there off display. This leads me to believe that they could maybe hold both a breeding pair of Sri Lankan Leopards and Snow Leopards at the same time (in the Snow Leopard and Tiger enclosures part of Tiger Trail), but they’ll have to alternate breeding on a yearly or so basis.

Melbourne Zoo will need to weigh up the demand for both Snow leopards and Sri Lankan leopards from other zoos within the region.

I can’t see much of future for Snow leopards in the region. Wellington are the only other main zoo holding them and they’ll likely be happy to maintain the 0.2 they’re receiving from Melbourne (which could live for up to 20 years). A handful of small zoos may be interested, but the National Zoo have recently phased them out; and Mogo will likely follow suit upon the death of their elderly female.

I believe Sri Lankan leopard have a bright future in the region. They’re well suited to the climate, which makes them cheaper to house than Snow leopards. Given the regional population is likely to increase, with several new holders coming on board over the next decade or so, Melbourne Zoo would be wise to get in on the ground floor. As one of the initial holders, they’ll have faster opportunities to breed as we saw with the Sumatran tiger breeding programme - especially if they have the set up to do so.

With this in mind, I’d prioritise the holding of a Sri Lankan leopard pair for breeding; the retention of the Snow leopard pair as a point of difference (with the option to breed if it arises); and cease efforts to hold more than one or two non breeding Sumatran tigers within a single exhibit.

 

[tetrapod]

Follow up points:
The Carnivore trail appears to be (sorry I haven't seen it in the latest incarnation) a confused opportunity to shoe-horn a variety of species which have little in common. Obviously the zoo wanted to utilise existing exhibits (brown bear/snow leopard) while improving others (lions). But it seems to be very short on theming.
Geographical habitat theming is absolutely fine if you have access to enough species. Unfortunately as we have seen over the decades, Australian zoos have reduced diversity and so even the major zones like African savannah and Asian rainforest now have limited choices. MZ's African rainforest was visionary when it opened but only contained 3 species (gorilla, mandrill, pygmy hippo)! It would be more advantageous to condense the African rainforest, Arboreal Primates, Elephant Trail and Butterfly House into a generalised rainforest zone. They have to a certain extent already approached this idea. Having general habitat zones could solve some issues while giving the zoo multiple options on what to house.
It is a counterproductive argument to suggest that multiple individuals/exhibits are necessary for some species to be retained in the region, and then talk about reducing the number of exhibits in order to house new species! I'm sure for most zoo-goers having two exhibits of tigers is not wasted on them, as it is twice the opportunity to view a tiger. I'm not suggesting that every species held in the zoo needs this situation, but certainly some species benefit from extra exhibits. Also if MZ really wanted to keep Sri Lankan leopards alongside Sumatran tigers, Snow leopards and African lions then they would find the space, without having to compromise exhibit numbers. One could argue to keep/breed leopards properly you would need at least two separate exhibits anyway.

 

[Zoofan15]

Geographical habitat theming is absolutely fine if you have access to enough species. Unfortunately as we have seen over the decades, Australian zoos have reduced diversity and so even the major zones like African savannah and Asian rainforest now have limited choices. MZ's African rainforest was visionary when it opened but only contained 3 species (gorilla, mandrill, pygmy hippo)! It would be more advantageous to condense the African rainforest, Arboreal Primates, Elephant Trail and Butterfly House into a generalised rainforest zone.

Rainforests of the World Precinct

I can see a lot of potential in this idea.

A large rainforest forest trail could be created with four geographical zones:

- South East Asia
- Africa
- Australia
- South America

It would be highly educational and allow visitors to compare and contrast the geographical regions, which would be linked by an overarching theme (rainforest biome). It could easily become a renowned complex within the region.

Many of the exhibits are already in place e.g. Sumatran tiger, Sumatran orangutan, Siamang and Asian-small clawed otter representing South East Asia; and Western lowland gorilla, Pygmy hippo and Ring-tailed lemur representing Africa.

With the elephants leaving, they'll be multiple options for how their exhibit space could be utilised to support this.

 

[Jambo]

Here's a current map of Melbourne to help with discussion, and to help those not entirely familiar with Melbourne:

https://www.zoo.org.au/media/6021/39383-mz-autumn-property-maps-web.pdf

 

[steveroberts]

@Zoofan15 Amazing idea, a collection of different species from the rainforests around the world would be outstanding as a mega-exhibit precinct of any big zoo (and logically makes a lot of sense if the funds can be found as often when a zoo goes for a particular region rainforest exhibit like over the last thirty years eventually species from other continents end up in that precinct after a while anyway like Bongos and Pygmy Hippo in Taronga's Asian Rainforest trail so why not make it a combination). Really think you are on to something great here (also think the same thing about your nocturnal and diurnal complex with accessibility to outdoor sunlight through revolving roofs/walls). Tetrapod has just instilled a big interest in wanting to check out Alice Springs Desert Park also to see how their nocturnal & diurnal house works, but quickly back to thread topic (Melbourne) really think they (Zoos Victoria management) should hear your idea, as pointed out too their African and Asian rainforest areas are already adjacent to one another so they've kind of got the foundations for doing a 'Rainforests of the World' (extra large)-precinct to work with.

 

[Zoofan15]

@Zoofan15 Amazing idea, a collection of different species from the rainforests around the world would be outstanding as a mega-exhibit precinct of any big zoo (and logically makes a lot of sense if the funds can be found as often when a zoo goes for a particular region rainforest exhibit like over the last thirty years eventually species from other continents end up in that precinct after a while anyway like Bongos and Pygmy Hippo in Taronga's Asian Rainforest trail so why not make it a combination). Really think you are on to something great here (also think the same thing about your nocturnal and diurnal complex with accessibility to outdoor sunlight through revolving roofs/walls). Tetrapod has just instilled a big interest in wanting to check out Alice Springs Desert Park also to see how their nocturnal & diurnal house works, but quickly back to thread topic (Melbourne) really think they (Zoos Victoria management) should hear your idea, as pointed out too their African and Asian rainforest areas are already adjacent to one another so they've kind of got the foundations for doing a 'Rainforests of the World' (extra large)-precinct to work with.

A large scale rainforest complex at Melbourne Zoo makes a lot of sense as it’s a point of difference against Werribee Open Range Zoo, which has mostly Savannah and Grasslands habitats. Zoos Victoria will be wanting people to visit both attractions, so Melbourne needs to have drawcards the open range zoo doesn’t. Not to mention, nothing on this scale has ever been attempted within the region.

A rainforest is diverse by definition. People will walk into the complex expecting to see mammals, birds and reptiles; whereas a precinct themed around carnivores conjures up images of felids and canids in the minds of most visitors. This means the carnivores precinct can never win, as stocking it to public perception is limited by the species we have available; and thinking outside the box (raptors, alligators etc) would make it more of a mash up than it already is.

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

Great idea zoofan15
South America is one of the most underrepresented continents in Melbourne zoo
Melbourne always said that they wanted to be in geometrical climate zones the only trails I can think that are like that are trail of the elephants and the Australian area, Gorrila rainforest is nearly there with mandrills highly likely to come and zillie moved to Australia the only area to be changed is the tree top monkeys and apes, there are three ways of doing it they could turn growing wild into a little South American area and move cotton top tamarins,spider monkey and emperor tamarin into new exhibits but that is highly unlikely, second they could keep the monkeys there and have the African primates first and then the south American primates leading to a new South American area with maned wolf, cabybara and Mara. The trail of the elephants has squirrel monkeys they could go in one of the tree top apes exhibits and could bring in Bintarong to replace them South America would be represented rainforest Africa is good and Asia is pritty good

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

The main drive which houses the giraffes, zebras, baboons and soon to be nyala could be called a slice of Africa if tapir and peccaries exhibit are uninhabited could import some small animals i would love to see fennec fox and could move meerkats up there two

 

[Josh F]

Cloud Forest Theme?
I would imagine our summer is the main reason why I’ve not seen a cloud forest type of theme done. Although this would be a great way to highlight some unique species from PNG and South America in particular. Could fit the rainforest theme as well but part of a ‘microclimate’ maybe. Just a thought for something a little different.

 

[Jambo]

The main drive which houses the giraffes, zebras, baboons and soon to be nyala could be called a slice of Africa if tapir and peccaries exhibit are uninhabited could import some small animals i would love to see fennec fox and could move meerkats up there two

I'd imagine Melbourne would want to keep the Meerkats were they are location wise (next to the entrance), but I wouldn't rule out a double-up enclosure.

I like the idea of using the area where the Tapir and Peccary enclosures for a smaller african species. Fennec Fox would be a great fit, and source-able from within the region, as would be Crested Porcupines. A small African sands area of species such as, Fennec Fox, Meerkats and Crested Porcupines would be amazing.

 

[Jambo]

Cloud Forest Theme?
I would imagine our summer is the main reason why I’ve not seen a cloud forest type of theme done. Although this would be a great way to highlight some unique species from PNG and South America in particular. Could fit the rainforest theme as well but part of a ‘microclimate’ maybe. Just a thought for something a little different.

It would be nice for South East Asia.

Just a note though about the whole Rainforest idea, not sure an Australian idea would be vision able. Healesville sanctuary focuses entirely on Australian animals, and aside from Koalas, Kangaroos ect. (the main, popular, well known species), they use the others as a point of difference. Asia, South America and Australia could still be used.

 

[Josh F]

It would be nice for South East Asia.

Just a note though about the whole Rainforest idea, not sure an Australian idea would be vision able. Healesville sanctuary focuses entirely on Australian animals, and aside from Koalas, Kangaroos ect. (the main, popular, well known species), they use the others as a point of difference. Asia, South America and Australia could still be used.

Perhaps a cloud forest reptile house along the walkway could be an option with species like Abronia lizards, dart frogs, funky insects from the area as well for a South American focus. Then species (in an ideal world) like a Boelens Python as well as birds of paradise or lories to fill the PNG/SE Asia section for the non-reptilian folks.

 

[Zoofan15]

Perhaps a cloud forest reptile house along the walkway could be an option with species like Abronia lizards, dart frogs, funky insects from the area as well for a South American focus. Then species (in an ideal world) like a Boelens Python as well as birds of paradise or lories to fill the PNG/SE Asia section for the non-reptilian folks.

A reptile house and an aviary would both be great additions to the rainforest precinct. At a glance, the exotic bird and reptile lists put together a strong case for a South East Asian reptile house and a South American aviary (though there are species for other geographic areas).

Again, these would be relatively novel concepts within the region (Auckland Zoo are building a South East Asian tropical dome) with most zoos housing native species in their aviary and either native reptiles or reptiles from around the globe in their reptile houses.

 

[Josh F]

A reptile house and an aviary would both be great additions to the rainforest precinct. At a glance, the exotic bird and reptile lists put together a strong case for a South East Asian reptile house and a South American aviary (though there are species for other geographic areas).

Again, these would be relatively novel concepts within the region (Auckland Zoo are building a South East Asian tropical dome) with most zoos housing native species in their aviary and either native reptiles or reptiles from around the globe in their reptile houses.

Interestingly, there is already a small reptile house along from the Gorillas which currently holds some Varanus hamersleyensis and Boyd's Forest Dragons amongst other things although it is not really visited or explicitly stated on the map. This could be simply altered and could incorporate a walk-through aviary into this space similar to how Healesville does their 'Endangered Species Aviary'.

 

[Jambo]

A reptile house and an aviary would both be great additions to the rainforest precinct. At a glance, the exotic bird and reptile lists put together a strong case for a South East Asian reptile house and a South American aviary (though there are species for other geographic areas).

Again, these would be relatively novel concepts within the region (Auckland Zoo are building a South East Asian tropical dome) with most zoos housing native species in their aviary and either native reptiles or reptiles from around the globe in their reptile houses.

Keep in mind Melbourne still has the iconic, Great Flight Aviary, so that may be why they've chosen to not build other large aviaries around the rest of the zoo, as most of the zoo's bird collection are found there.

A tropical dome, similar to Auckland's would be great. I've always envisioned a large tropical dome for South America, which could include free roaming primates (tamirans, spider monkeys ect), birds and even small mammals such as Capybara. Along the way, there could also be terrariums for reptiles and amphibians built into the rock. A tropical dome like the one at Henry Doorly would be great, but of course on a smaller scale.