Melbourne Zoo Future of Melbourne Zoo 2023 (Speculation / Fantasy)

[Zoofan15]

After having worked and safari'd in Uganda several years ago I do wish that Werribee had some Ankole Longhorns. They were mighty impressive. I did a Mountain Gorilla trek in Bwindi and after saw an Ankole Longhorn with full length horns right up close and to me it was up their with the Gorilla.
I guess that asthey are domestic they probably wouldn't meet the exotic/wild themeing, but they are African...

I just looked them up and they’re like an upgraded Aurochs! There’s less than 20 purebreds in Australia, so it might not be easy to source regionally. They’d be a good fit as an African species (Dubbo has an African goat breed), but I don’t believe Zoos Victoria would go to the extent of importing from overseas to acquire them.

 

[Jambo]

After having worked and safari'd in Uganda several years ago I do wish that Werribee had some Ankole Longhorns. They were mighty impressive. I did a Mountain Gorilla trek in Bwindi and after saw an Ankole Longhorn with full length horns right up close and to me it was up their with the Gorilla.
I guess that asthey are domestic they probably wouldn't meet the exotic/wild themeing, but they are African...

The Texas Longhorns are/were 'fill ins' for Ankole Cattle. Tour guides have always referred to them as Ankole Cattle. They were a key part in Zoos Vic's 'beads for wildlife' campaign. It was no coincidence their enclosure was just prior to the small huts that reflected to that campaign.

If Zoos Vic could acquire Ankole Cattle, I imagine they would've.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

Is there at all a possibility of WORZ holding Barbary sheep? I know they’re not box office, but they’re held in large numbers regionally, and are a great compliment to any African section, not to mention the other open range zoos in the region hold them. A bit of a side tangent, I’m very disappointed WORZ are demolishing the arid part of the safari. In its current state it does not offer much, but it could easily be adapted into a wonderful showcase of Africa, showcasing Gemsbok, Scimitar Horned Oryx, Addra Gazelle, Barbary Sheep and Dromedary Camel. Not to mention there is potential for off shoot enclosures containing Aardvark, fennec Fox, bat eared fox, sand cat, cape porcupine etc.

Edit: A zoochatter told me not long ago that Vervet Monkeys are likely being phased out of WORZ, and I have noticed their numbers have seemingly dwindled. Can anyone confirm or (hopefully) deny this? Are they not the only holders in Australia, because it would be terrible if so

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

The Texas Longhorns are/were 'fill ins' for Ankole Cattle. Tour guides have always referred to them as Ankole Cattle. They were a key part in Zoos Vic's 'beads for wildlife' campaign. It was no coincidence their enclosure was just prior to the small huts that reflected to that campaign.

If Zoos Vic could acquire Ankole Cattle, I imagine they would've.

Do you believe the fact that Texas Longhorn are being phased out indicates they may have gotten their hands on Ankole cattle? Just a thought, but I believe it to be a possibility

 

[Zoofan15]

Is there at all a possibility of WORZ holding Barbary sheep? I know they’re not box office, but they’re held in large numbers regionally, and are a great compliment to any African section, not to mention the other open range zoos in the region hold them.

Though they don’t appear to be in their current plans, they’d be a great addition to Werribee and would be easy to source. As a caprine, they can’t be imported; but one of the other holders in Australia could easily supply them.

A zoochatter told me not long ago that Vervet Monkeys are likely being phased out of WORZ, and I have noticed their numbers have seemingly dwindled. Can anyone confirm or (hopefully) deny this? Are they not the only holders in Australia, because it would be terrible if so

Werribee are the only holders in Australasia of Vervet monkey. Though they haven’t publicly confirmed their phase out, the lack of breeding and dwindling numbers strongly suggests they’re being phased out. They could potentially be reimported, but they’re not a species of interest; nor are they endangered.

 

[Zoofan15]

Do you believe the fact that Texas Longhorn are being phased out indicates they may have gotten their hands on Ankole cattle? Just a thought, but I believe it to be a possibility

I personally wouldn’t say one indicates the other. There’s less than 20 purebred Ankole cattle in Australia; and there’s many valid reasons Werribee phased out Texas longhorn - including them not fitting their species criteria.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

Though they don’t appear to be in their current plans, they’d be a great addition to Werribee and would be easy to source. As a caprine, they can’t be imported; but one of the other holders in Australia could easily supply them.


Werribee are the only holders in Australasia of Vervet monkey. Though they haven’t publicly confirmed their phase out, the lack of breeding and dwindling numbers strongly suggests they’re being phased out. They could potentially be reimported, but they’re not a species of interest; nor are they endangered.

Have they stopped breeding Vervets entirely? That’s a shame. On a caprine note, does that mean moufflon, bighorn sheep etc. cannot be imported? Would have made a great addition alongside bison. Also, as inbred as our Barbary Sheep population is, I was insinuating they would indeed come from within the region. They seem to be relatively inexpensive to keep, and are a no brained for diversity imo

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

I personally wouldn’t say one indicates the other. There’s less than 20 purebred Ankole cattle in Australia; and there’s many valid reasons Werribee phased out Texas longhorn - including them not fitting their species criteria.

Are ankole cattle unable to be imported? If not, I understand they might not want to put the effort in, but as others have stated they are great for the beads for wildlife campaign

 

[Zoofan15]

Are ankole cattle unable to be imported? If not, I understand they might not want to put the effort in, but as others have stated they are great for the beads for wildlife campaign

Yes they can be imported, but it would be a significant logistical undertaking for a species that doesn’t fit Zoos Victoria’s criteria and isn’t a focus species of the region. Irregardless of how impressive I think they look, I don’t foresee them making any great effort to acquire a domestic species.

 

[Zoofan15]

Have they stopped breeding Vervets entirely? That’s a shame. On a caprine note, does that mean moufflon, bighorn sheep etc. cannot be imported? Would have made a great addition alongside bison. Also, as inbred as our Barbary Sheep population is, I was insinuating they would indeed come from within the region. They seem to be relatively inexpensive to keep, and are a no brained for diversity imo

I believe the last Vervet monkey was bred in 2007 (am open to correction here) meaning they have an ageing troop.

That’s correct, the Bovid IRA excludes caprines. If they acquire Barbaby sheep from within the region, I’d love to see them displayed on a mountain themed exhibit. Their exhibit at Taronga was a masterpiece.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

Yes they can be imported, but it would be a significant logistical undertaking for a species that doesn’t fit Zoos Victoria’s criteria and isn’t a focus species of the region. Irregardless of how impressive I think they look, I don’t foresee them making any great effort to acquire a domestic species.

Fair enough, it’s also what I anticipated. On another side not, Are there any banned canids? Something like black backed jackals could be interesting in a mini canid precinct featuring AWD and Hyenas. I know hyenas are more closely related to cats, but no amount of convincing is going to sway the general public. Even if the meerkat enclosure near the lions was expanded a little it should be able to accommodate a pair. Wouldn’t necessary be on Zoos Vic agenda but a good complimentary species nonetheless

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

I believe the last Vervet monkey was bred in 2007 (am open to correction here) meaning they have an ageing troop.

That’s correct, the Bovid IRA excludes caprines. If they acquire Barbaby sheep from within the region, I’d love to see them displayed on a mountain themed exhibit. Their exhibit at Taronga was a masterpiece.

The Barbary sheep exhibit at Taronga was personally one of the highlights of my trip there

 

[Jambo]

Vervet numbers are dwindling but that dosen't necessarily mean they are phasing them out. They reached capacity in the late 2000's (the group peaked at almost 25 I believe) and so halted breeding. By then all/most of their monkeys were related.

They may or may not be phased out, but I think we can be confident there will be a monkey species there going forward. If not Vervets, than maybe Colobus monkeys?

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

Vervet numbers are dwindling but that dosen't necessarily mean they are phasing them out. They reached capacity in the late 2000's (the group peaked at almost 25 I believe) and so halted breeding. By then all/most of their monkeys were related.

They may or may not be phased out, but I think we can be confident there will be a monkey species there going forward. If not Vervets, than maybe Colobus monkeys?

It would be a shame to lose vervets in the region, but it’s not as though there would ever be an issue getting them back. Moving colobus to WORZ alongside Verbets would be great imo, they are in dire need of more primates. Members here have proposed colobus moving to the cassowary exhibit, and mandrills coming back in place of baboons, who would also be moved to WORZ. Imo, another species should take that cassowary exhibit, potentially a macaque or other immersive primate. If this was to eventuate, it would stock WORZ well with primates and benefit Melbourne.

 

[Zoofan15]

Fair enough, it’s also what I anticipated. On another side not, Are there any banned canids? Something like black backed jackals could be interesting in a mini canid precinct featuring AWD and Hyenas. I know hyenas are more closely related to cats, but no amount of convincing is going to sway the general public. Even if the meerkat enclosure near the lions was expanded a little it should be able to accommodate a pair. Wouldn’t necessary be on Zoos Vic agenda but a good complimentary species nonetheless

There’s no banned canids, but not all species are on the live import list. In addition, some wouldn’t be possible to source (Ethiopian wolf) and others would be subject to CITES restrictions.

The region has no interest in wolves, but I’d love to see Grey wolves imported. North America is one of the most underrepresented regions in our zoos.

 

[Zoofan15]

It would be a shame to lose vervets in the region, but it’s not as though there would ever be an issue getting them back. Moving colobus to WORZ alongside Verbets would be great imo, they are in dire need of more primates. Members here have proposed colobus moving to the cassowary exhibit, and mandrills coming back in place of baboons, who would also be moved to WORZ. Imo, another species should take that cassowary exhibit, potentially a macaque or other immersive primate. If this was to eventuate, it would stock WORZ well with primates and benefit Melbourne.

Melbourne really need to expand their colobus troop and a larger exhibit at Werribee could be the way to go; though they’re a rainforest species and probably better suited to Melbourne. I’d personally put them in the cassowary (old Mandrill) exhibit.

When I last emailed Melbourne, they said they have no plans to phase out Hamadryas baboon - noting it’s a popular exhibit.

Unfortunately I don’t think Mandrill will be on the cards for many years, though when Adelaide import it may give them cause to rethink. Adelaide will presumably maintain a bachelor pair once their elderly female passes. They have a male who’s 18 years old and his six year old son.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

Melbourne really need to expand their colobus troop and a larger exhibit at Werribee could be the way to go; though they’re a rainforest species and probably better suited to Melbourne. I’d personally put them in the cassowary (old Mandrill) exhibit.

When I last emailed Melbourne, they said they have no plans to phase out Hamadryas baboon - noting it’s a popular exhibit.

Unfortunately I don’t think Mandrill will be on the cards for many years, though when Adelaide import it may give them cause to rethink. Adelaide will presumably maintain a bachelor pair once their elderly female passes. They have a male who’s 18 years old and his six year old son.

What is the expected time frame for an Adelaide import? I would love to see mandrill return in the near future. I just assumed there was a ban on the whole wolf family considering there are none at any of our zoos. Grey wolves are an extremely popular animals and could make much better use of that dingo exhibit that the dingos can themselves. If the pack was to expand, a mini North American precinct at WORZ could be ideal(I’m literally floating every region as a precinct for WORZ at this point). As I discussed in the past, a Himalayan precinct at WORZ could actually be very viable. They would be able to hold excess snow leopards from MZ, while holding Himalayan wolf, asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear, takin, (markhor, bharal and ibex if they can be imported )Himalayan tahr, yak, golden langur, Pallas’s cat, civets and diversify Victoria’s red panda stocks.They are right next door to the elephants and heavily speculated Indian rhino, not to mention brings a chance to implement tigers at WORZ(even if Sumatran tigers were a substitute for Bengal tigers, considering they Himalayan grasslands hold the highest density of them in the world). It presents an opportunity to then integrate dhole, and then a mixed species exhibit with Nilgai and blackbuck. It’s a shame Australia can no longer import birds, because Himalayan monal are beautiful. This precinct would no doubt be an amazing crowd drawer, would fit with the elephants and be a must see destination in Aus. I’m not gonna say it’s a no brainer, because it’s a massive investment, but I certainly believe it would be a wonderful addition.

Sorry for that colossal block of text. Are Ethiopian wolf impossible to source because there are little to no numbers in captivity?

 

[Zoofan15]

What is the expected time frame for an Adelaide import? I would love to see mandrill return in the near future. I just assumed there was a ban on the whole wolf family considering there are none at any of our zoos. Grey wolves are an extremely popular animals and could make much better use of that dingo exhibit that the dingos can themselves. If the pack was to expand, a mini North American precinct at WORZ could be ideal(I’m literally floating every region as a precinct for WORZ at this point). As I discussed in the past, a Himalayan precinct at WORZ could actually be very viable. They would be able to hold excess snow leopards from MZ, while holding Himalayan wolf, asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear, takin, (markhor, bharal and ibex if they can be imported )Himalayan tahr, yak, golden langur, Pallas’s cat, civets and diversify Victoria’s red panda stocks.They are right next door to the elephants and heavily speculated Indian rhino, not to mention brings a chance to implement tigers at WORZ(even if Sumatran tigers were a substitute for Bengal tigers, considering they Himalayan grasslands hold the highest density of them in the world). It presents an opportunity to then integrate dhole, and then a mixed species exhibit with Nilgai and blackbuck. It’s a shame Australia can no longer import birds, because Himalayan monal are beautiful. This precinct would no doubt be an amazing crowd drawer, would fit with the elephants and be a must see destination in Aus. I’m not gonna say it’s a no brainer, because it’s a massive investment, but I certainly believe it would be a wonderful addition.

Sorry for that colossal block of text. Are Ethiopian wolf impossible to source because there are little to no numbers in captivity?

It’s difficult to say when Adelaide Zoo will import Mandrill. Nothing will happen until their elderly female (born 1998) passes away. This will leave them with two males born 2005 and 2017.

Adelaide will likely maintain a bachelor pair of Mandrill until the older male passes away (which could easily be another five years) and import females once he’s passed on. This means the younger male will be middle aged by the time females are sourced; and his daughters in turn would still be of reproductive age when he passes and a new male is acquired.

No Ethiopian wolves are held in captivity. The Ethiopian government prohibits their export.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

It’s difficult to say when Adelaide Zoo will import Mandrill. Nothing will happen until their elderly female (born 1998) passes away. This will leave them with two males born 2005 and 2017.

Adelaide will likely maintain a bachelor pair of Mandrill until the older male passes away (which could easily be another five years) and import females once he’s passed on. This means the younger male will be middle aged by the time females are sourced; and his daughters in turn would still be of reproductive age when he passes and a new male is acquired.

No Ethiopian wolves are held in captivity. The Ethiopian government prohibits their export.

That’s a timeframe in which I would expect MZ to consider them. Zillie seems to be a temporary replacement, considering how out of place she is. She was a great aspect of the GFA imo, being Tf a major point of difference from the other birds

 

[Zoofan15]

That’s a timeframe in which I would expect MZ to consider them. Zillie seems to be a temporary replacement, considering how out of place she is. She was a great aspect of the GFA imo, being Tf a major point of difference from the other birds

I believe Zillie’s appearance in the old Mandrill exhibit was preceded by a “something exciting is coming soon” sign and true to form, it was a species/individual already held at the zoo. The exhibit was well suited to Mandrill and has a capacity of five adults.