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

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Not sure but I think the Porcupines will be apart of the new Waterhole trail, which should open within the next few years, probably following the completion of the elephant complex.

The plan is to create a new breeding complex for the Wild Dogs and Cheetahs in the upcoming waterhole trail, so adding Hyenas into the current Wild Dog exhibit would make a lot of sense imo.

The original plan was to have the Spotted hyena and African wild dog housed adjacent to each other, but this would inhibit breeding of the latter - which breed poorly when housed near hyenas or rival wild dog packs.

Building a complex dedicated to housing a breeding pack of African wild dogs is a much better move given the litter size can number in the teens and it’s become a regional trend for the open range zoos (Dubbo, Monarto etc) to breed and the city zoos hold same sex non breeding packs.
 
Not sure but I think the Porcupines will be apart of the new Waterhole trail, which should open within the next few years, probably following the completion of the elephant complex.

The plan is to create a new breeding complex for the Wild Dogs and Cheetahs in the upcoming waterhole trail, so adding Hyenas into the current Wild Dog exhibit would make a lot of sense imo.
No the porcupine enclosure should be next year in the waterhole trail near the elephants because the elephants will be in the waterhole trail so does this make any sense
 
No the porcupine enclosure should be next year in the waterhole trail near the elephants because the elephants will be in the waterhole trail so does this make any sense

According to the masterplan, the Waterhole precinct will be a large area that’s linked to the Elephant Sanctuary, but a seperate entity.

A species list has yet to be confirmed for the Waterhole precinct but antelope species are a strong likelihood (as well as the porcupines). In any case, I agree with @Jambo that we’re looking at a few years away. The elephants (2024) are the priority at this stage.

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According to the masterplan, the Waterhole precinct will be a large area that’s linked to the Elephant Sanctuary, but a seperate entity.

A species list has yet to be confirmed for the Waterhole precinct but antelope species are a strong likelihood (as well as the porcupines). In any case, I agree with @Jambo that we’re looking at a few years away. The elephants (2024) are the priority at this stage.

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im gonna say this but for porcupines they might be able to get it done like they can do parts of the waterhole trail or what if they complete it who knows but if it opens its probobly gonna be not finished but it would then have just a few things does this make sence
 
According to the masterplan, the Waterhole precinct will be a large area that’s linked to the Elephant Sanctuary, but a seperate entity.

A species list has yet to be confirmed for the Waterhole precinct but antelope species are a strong likelihood (as well as the porcupines). In any case, I agree with @Jambo that we’re looking at a few years away. The elephants (2024) are the priority at this stage.

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where will the bison mongolian wild horses and rhinos go will they be in the waterhole trail too
 
where will the bison mongolian wild horses and rhinos go will they be in the waterhole trail too

Przewalski wild horse and North American bison are located as per the map I posted above. There’s more info here:

Major Milestones For Werribee Open Range Zoo Expansion | Premier of Victoria

The grounds of Werribee Open Range Zoo are rumbling under the charging hooves of American bison and Asian wild horse, marking a major milestone in the Andrews Labor Government’s $88 million expansion project.

Minister for Environment Ingrid Stitt today announced the completion of Stage 1 of the Werribee Open Range Zoo Expansion, which includes two management yards, new paddocks and veterinary facilities for the two priority conservation species.
 
Przewalski wild horse and North American bison are located as per the map I posted above. There’s more info here:

Major Milestones For Werribee Open Range Zoo Expansion | Premier of Victoria

The grounds of Werribee Open Range Zoo are rumbling under the charging hooves of American bison and Asian wild horse, marking a major milestone in the Andrews Labor Government’s $88 million expansion project.

Minister for Environment Ingrid Stitt today announced the completion of Stage 1 of the Werribee Open Range Zoo Expansion, which includes two management yards, new paddocks and veterinary facilities for the two priority conservation species.
OK but when will there be a list of animals that will be at werribee open range zoo
 
@LucaTheStarWarsDude Zoo I think you can find the answers to your many questions just by simply searching them in the search bar. We've already discussed most of the topics you bring up before, and to save the thread being further clogged, it's best you do this before asking any questions that may have not been asked before.;)
 
I’m speculating that the government who owns the zoo will eventually close Melbourne zoo to sell the land and that’s why they are developing Werribee and Kyabram

That won't happen at all.

Why are you so certain they sell everything else
Certainly won't be happening at least during our lifetimes. There's absolutely no reason why Melbourne should be closed anyway.

I can see a lot of the species being transferred over to Werribee eventually where there is more space, but aside from that Melbourne will still be up and running.
 
Why are you so certain they sell everything else

If by “they sell everything else” you’re referring to the Victorian government selling surplus land, then take note of the following:

Government land sales

The Landholding Policy and Guidelines define land as being ‘surplus’ if it no longer contributes to an agency’s current or future service delivery needs.”

What makes you think that definition aligns with a facility that daily attracts 2.5K visitors and is investing in renewal projects to ensure it remains fit for purpose for decades to come?

Some ZooChat members dislike speculation threads because many contain spurious claims that constitute utter nonsense. For the most part, this thread has been a source of constructive discussion based on known facts; so please refrain from posting (one line) inflammatory rhetoric.
 
guys because no one is replying on worz news 2023 someone reply back
what animals are coming to worz i know asian elephants from melbourne zoo
hyenas and porcupines will be there in 2024 but what else
and when will they start the porcupine exhibit and the other exhibits have they already started the new wild dog exhibit cuz the hyenas will be in the wild dog exhibit and the wild dogs are moving to i think the bus because i was told that or at least near the bus where the bison are and btw have you guys seen the elephant exhibit its there but its not completed its on google maps near the bus
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Truthfully we don’t know much, albeit Jambo may be the exception. We are merely enthusiasts, as opposed to staff. I’ve visited WORZ numerous times to ask question and no ETAs have been given for anything aside from Elephants. Hyenas are planned, as are porcupines, but anything can change. I was told there may be an interest in Bongo returning to Victoria, though MZ is the leading candidate. The Hyenas will 100% not be held near the Wild Dogs, where exactly is still unbeknownst to us. No idea when a species list will come out, likely close to finishing. For potential other new species, Monarto indicated an interest in Greater Kudu and Impala according to @Swanson02 . There is not enough space to hold rhinos and giraffe without conflict. As for the tapir, we again have no idea, however capybara have been floated as an option, and I personally believe this could provide an avenue for the reintroduction of Brazilian Tapir. I personally believe Malayan Tapir will return to MZ as a replacement for the elephants, but that can be affiliated to optimism. Apologies for being petty, but is it possible that your future queries are punctuated correctly, as it can become difficult to read at times.
 
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Truthfully we don’t know much, albeit Jambo may be the exception. We are merely enthusiasts, as opposed to staff. I’ve visited WORZ numerous times to ask question and no ETAs have been given for anything aside from Elephants. Hyenas are planned, as are porcupines, but anything can change. I was told there may be an interest in Bongo returning to Victoria, though MZ is the leading candidate. The Hyenas will 100% not be held near the Wild Dogs, where exactly is still unbeknownst to us. No idea when a species list will come out, likely close to finishing. For potential other new species, Monarto indicated an interest in Greater Kudu and Impala according to @Swanson02 . There is not enough space to hold rhinos and giraffe without conflict. As for the tapir, we again have no idea, however capybara have been floated as an option, and I personally believe this could provide an avenue for the reintroduction of Brazilian Tapir. I personally believe Malayan Tapir will return to MZ as a replacement for the elephants, but that can be affiliated to optimism. Apologies for being petty, but is it possible that your future queries are punctuated correctly, as it can become difficult to read at times.
Sorry I haven’t heard much from Werribee (or Melbourne) either about the Werribee developments. All I’ve heard is the waterhole trail will feature a new Carnivore breeding facility (for Cheetahs and Wild Dogs) and that’s about it. I’ve heard other things too but don’t want to share them as they’re not from reliable sources and seem very unlikely to me.

Regarding Bongo, I feel Werribee will certainly acquire them sometime going forward if the region was to actually have a successful breeding program. Hopefully the new IRA will allow new imports and hopefully Werribee and other facilities can jump on board.

The likely location for the Hyenas is the current Wild dog enclosure imo. It’s close proximity to the Lions assists the connection between the two species. The enclosures also sizeable enough for a large group.

To my knowledge there are no plans for Tapir (of either species) at Werribee. I wouldn’t be surprised if Melbourne acquired either however.

This member is (I believe) rather young. The age restriction of having to be over 13 is there for a reason. ;)
 
Sorry I haven’t heard much from Werribee (or Melbourne) either about the Werribee developments. All I’ve heard is the waterhole trail will feature a new Carnivore breeding facility (for Cheetahs and Wild Dogs) and that’s about it. I’ve heard other things too but don’t want to share them as they’re not from reliable sources and seem very unlikely to me.

Regarding Bongo, I feel Werribee will certainly acquire them sometime going forward if the region was to actually have a successful breeding program. Hopefully the new IRA will allow new imports and hopefully Werribee and other facilities can jump on board.

The likely location for the Hyenas is the current Wild dog enclosure imo. It’s close proximity to the Lions assists the connection between the two species. The enclosures also sizeable enough for a large group.

To my knowledge there are no plans for Tapir (of either species) at Werribee. I wouldn’t be surprised if Melbourne acquired either however.

This member is (I believe) rather young. The age restriction of having to be over 13 is there for a reason. ;)

With a handful of exceptions (Bison, Przewalski’s horse and a few Australian natives), Werribee have been largely African centric in their collection planning - even the Asian elephants will be ambassadors for their African counterparts. With this in mind, I’d agree it’s unlikely they’ll acquire Brazilian or Malayan tapir going forward.

Hopefully Melbourne will support a breeding programme for at least one of the tapir species in the future; though a change of ownership at Darling Downs Zoo will mean an end to their plans to import Brazilian tapir for several years (if not indefinitely).

I’m confident we’ll see Eastern bongo either return to Melbourne Zoo; or more likely housed at Werribee. Even if a pair is all that can be imported, other zoos (Dubbo, Monarto, Altina) will surely support the import of new stock and first generation females could be exchanged between the holders to increase the herd size.
 
Sorry I haven’t heard much from Werribee (or Melbourne) either about the Werribee developments. All I’ve heard is the waterhole trail will feature a new Carnivore breeding facility (for Cheetahs and Wild Dogs) and that’s about it. I’ve heard other things too but don’t want to share them as they’re not from reliable sources and seem very unlikely to me.

Regarding Bongo, I feel Werribee will certainly acquire them sometime going forward if the region was to actually have a successful breeding program. Hopefully the new IRA will allow new imports and hopefully Werribee and other facilities can jump on board.

The likely location for the Hyenas is the current Wild dog enclosure imo. It’s close proximity to the Lions assists the connection between the two species. The enclosures also sizeable enough for a large group.

To my knowledge there are no plans for Tapir (of either species) at Werribee. I wouldn’t be surprised if Melbourne acquired either however.

This member is (I believe) rather young. The age restriction of having to be over 13 is there for a reason. ;)
Not sure if this was a typo or misinterpretation, but I expect the tapir at MZ, not WORZ. The current Wild dog exhibit is Ofc a good candidate, but it wouldn’t surprise me to have that exhibit remain as a wild dog enclosure to have multiple sites. Forgot to mention before, Nyala will be held on the elephant walking trail. Potentially this allows for other forest antelope to be integrated, such as kudu. I do know that Zoofan15 and I have a soft spot for sitatunga though, which would be desirable. I expect the porcupines will be in the vicinity. Hopefully their small size means they can be integrated sooner rather than later. Hyenas may be a little bit longer term however
 
Not sure if this was a typo or misinterpretation, but I expect the tapir at MZ, not WORZ. The current Wild dog exhibit is Ofc a good candidate, but it wouldn’t surprise me to have that exhibit remain as a wild dog enclosure to have multiple sites. Forgot to mention before, Nyala will be held on the elephant walking trail. Potentially this allows for other forest antelope to be integrated, such as kudu. I do know that Zoofan15 and I have a soft spot for sitatunga though, which would be desirable. I expect the porcupines will be in the vicinity. Hopefully their small size means they can be integrated sooner rather than later. Hyenas may be a little bit longer term however

Re. African wild dog:

When breeding, Hamilton Zoo found it useful to have a second exhibit on the opposite side of the zoo. This was initially used to house seven females from the first litter once they reached adolescence (being a female dispersal species) and then to manage a split of the male pack (nine dogs) following the arrival of two unrelated females from Orana Wildlife Park.

Since African wild dogs breed poorly when housed in close proximity to another pack, Werribee may wish to have two exhibits (some distance apart); however, it’s important to note fewer city zoos are breeding this species than they were 15-20 years ago and therefore Werribee bred pups could likely transfer out to a non-breeding holder, negating the need to house them on site.

In an ideal world, the first batch of surplus Werribee bred pups would reclaim the Dingo exhibit at Melbourne - but another facility within the region seems more likely.

Sexual maturity is attained at 18-24 months, so a second litter could be bred within this timeframe (with most or all females across these two litters transferred out). Litters are typically male heavy - so even with litters numbering in their teens, the number of female pups may be low. In some cases e.g. Wellington Zoo, a small number of female pups have remained in the natal pack long term.
 
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