PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
T
Tapir should still mix well with the mild mannered capybara though
Melbourne Zoo Future of Melbourne Zoo 2023 (Speculation / Fantasy)
- Thread starter Jambo
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PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
How were other zoos able to import in that time and Melbourne weren’t? I assume just laziness
There’s a number of European zoos which successfully mix Bairds and Brazilian tapir with Caybara. The majority of incidents involving an aggressive tapir have involved a mother with a young calf - but there’s no fear of seeing one of those at Melbourne anytime soon.
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
I thought I’d see a flying pig before a Melbourne import, but here we are, so who knows? Malayan tapirs are the most striking species, but I’d certainly settle for a Brazilian. In an ideal world, we would see both, or one species at each siteThere’s a number of European zoos which successfully mix Bairds and Brazilian tapir with Caybara. The majority of incidents involving an aggressive tapir have involved a mother with a young calf - but there’s no fear of seeing one of those at Melbourne anytime soon.
Prior to the import by Darling Downs Zoo/Tasmania Zoo of 2.2 Javan Binturong in 2022, the last import was 1.1 imported by Hunter Valley Zoo in 2019. This likely represents the affect of Covid on international transfers, which we’ve only seen resume in the last year or so.
Taronga Zoo have also received Binturong in the last year (2022), but were able to receive a sibling pair bred at Perth in 2019.
Not sure. Presumably there weren't any options within the region and so they had to extend to Singapore (who provided them with their last sibling pair back in 2003).
For the most part, the ZAA tends to focus on one species, so I’d say in the short term (the next five years), Brazilian tapir are the most likely. It’d be great to see Malayan tapir long term, but I’d rather a well supported and sustainable breeding population of Brazilian tapir than an attempt by half the number of zoos to manage them both. A small founder population and lack of breeding has been the undoing of both species.
@Zoofan15 @Jambo
Started doing this post reply in Binturong thread but then thought probably better for this thread.
So is Bhalu born in south-east Asia and same parents as Selasa at Perth (Selasa was imported in late 2016 right?).
This last week had a discourse of personal belief around whether Bhalu and Tugu (thanks @Zoofan15 for finding out about them) should move where the Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys are...but thats to do with being a bigtime Binturong fan so personal opinion has a biased agenda, though could argue the point that when that precinct of the zoo was finalised in 1993 that Binturongs were an original resident and the se Asian focus....but the funny thing is actually quite like Squirrel Monkeys and understand their popularity with other people (the sea of visitors in this case) but kind-of thought if there was space for the Squirrel Monkeys in the arboreal walk area (though sounds like its full up, unless the Colobuses went to the former Mandrills exhibit...although think losing Zillie the Cassowary to another zoo would be disappointing, unless the walkthrough aviary had space). I liked your idea ZooFan15 about looking to the future with Pygmy Hippo living space expansion when the Hippo import process is looking feasible. But I also really dig your idea about an immersive walkthrough area focused for Javan Binturongs.
ps: I suppose there might be space in the Lion Gorge/Carnivore Trail precinct like you guys mentioned at some point...but I suppose that some point means when the Coatis pass on?
Started doing this post reply in Binturong thread but then thought probably better for this thread.
So is Bhalu born in south-east Asia and same parents as Selasa at Perth (Selasa was imported in late 2016 right?).
This last week had a discourse of personal belief around whether Bhalu and Tugu (thanks @Zoofan15 for finding out about them) should move where the Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys are...but thats to do with being a bigtime Binturong fan so personal opinion has a biased agenda, though could argue the point that when that precinct of the zoo was finalised in 1993 that Binturongs were an original resident and the se Asian focus....but the funny thing is actually quite like Squirrel Monkeys and understand their popularity with other people (the sea of visitors in this case) but kind-of thought if there was space for the Squirrel Monkeys in the arboreal walk area (though sounds like its full up, unless the Colobuses went to the former Mandrills exhibit...although think losing Zillie the Cassowary to another zoo would be disappointing, unless the walkthrough aviary had space). I liked your idea ZooFan15 about looking to the future with Pygmy Hippo living space expansion when the Hippo import process is looking feasible. But I also really dig your idea about an immersive walkthrough area focused for Javan Binturongs.
ps: I suppose there might be space in the Lion Gorge/Carnivore Trail precinct like you guys mentioned at some point...but I suppose that some point means when the Coatis pass on?
That’s correct. Bhalu and Selasa are twins born 20/10/2013 in Singapore. It’s possible Tegu is their younger brother.
I thought the idea of housing the Binturong in the Carnivores precinct was a good one, but the coati may well have a few more years in them.
With this in mind, housing them elsewhere in the zoo seems likely and the removal of the cassowary from her exhibit is more than a little coincidental. I have no idea when this long awaited Hippopotamus IRA will be finished to say whether my third Pygmy hippopotamus exhibit idea is likely - but it’s a species Taronga are reportedly giving thought to, which made me think Melbourne will consider prioritising them too.
With the import of the Javans, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a breeding programme take off for them over the next decade and as another alternative for the Mandrill exhibit, an immersive series of exhibits to house Binturong would see Melbourne well placed to participate.
Melbourne Zoo’s Precincts
Theming:
I guess what Zoos Victoria need to consider is what theming (if any) their precincts will follow over the upcoming redevelopment phase.
Personally, I’d like to see Melbourne Zoo follow geographical theming. It became mainstream in zoos overseas decades ago - with a number of Australasian zoos following suit. It followed on from the arrangement of exhibits by taxonomy; but I’d hesitate to call the geographical arrangement of exhibits a trend - as I struggle to envisage a more logical trend that could follow.
Melbourne have to date shown little inclination to adhere to geographical arrangement of their exhibits and tbh there’s little reason to believe they will in the future. It’s disappointing as it would surely create a more immersive experience for the visitors (and a zoo’s role is to educate); but in all honesty, the average visitor can’t tell the difference between one spotted big cat from another - let alone tell you what continents they come from, so it could well be a wasted effort.
Melbourne Zoo’s current precincts are:
Trail of the Elephants
Gorilla Rainforest
Wild Sea
Australian Bush
Growing Wild
Carnivores
The next decade:
The latter three we can near guarantee will remain unchanged over the next decade. Despite our thoughts about them (especially Growing Wild) and the many ideas we have to improve them, the budget is the key parameter here. There’s no financial justification for redeveloping these three precincts in the next decade when there’s greater priorities.
Wild Sea is the unknown. Most of us agree pinnipeds will be phased out. Options here are to go the sea bird rescue and rehabilitation route; or redevelop it to compliment the Central Trail (giraffes, baboons etc).
It’s obvious Trail of the Elephants will undergo the most drastic redevelopment. An expansion of the orangutan facilities seems likely. Rainforest appears the obvious theme; but South East Asia would be preferable.
Gorilla Rainforest is the unknown. It contains a mixture of world class exhibits (gorilla complex) and dated exhibits. I’d like to see a redevelopment of an African rainforest theme (complimenting the aforementioned South East Asian rainforest precinct); but the replacement of the Southern cassowary will give an indication of whether this will happen (new Pygmy hippopotamus exhibit/colobus exhibit) or not (Binturong).
Theming:
I guess what Zoos Victoria need to consider is what theming (if any) their precincts will follow over the upcoming redevelopment phase.
Personally, I’d like to see Melbourne Zoo follow geographical theming. It became mainstream in zoos overseas decades ago - with a number of Australasian zoos following suit. It followed on from the arrangement of exhibits by taxonomy; but I’d hesitate to call the geographical arrangement of exhibits a trend - as I struggle to envisage a more logical trend that could follow.
Melbourne have to date shown little inclination to adhere to geographical arrangement of their exhibits and tbh there’s little reason to believe they will in the future. It’s disappointing as it would surely create a more immersive experience for the visitors (and a zoo’s role is to educate); but in all honesty, the average visitor can’t tell the difference between one spotted big cat from another - let alone tell you what continents they come from, so it could well be a wasted effort.
Melbourne Zoo’s current precincts are:
Trail of the Elephants
Gorilla Rainforest
Wild Sea
Australian Bush
Growing Wild
Carnivores
The next decade:
The latter three we can near guarantee will remain unchanged over the next decade. Despite our thoughts about them (especially Growing Wild) and the many ideas we have to improve them, the budget is the key parameter here. There’s no financial justification for redeveloping these three precincts in the next decade when there’s greater priorities.
Wild Sea is the unknown. Most of us agree pinnipeds will be phased out. Options here are to go the sea bird rescue and rehabilitation route; or redevelop it to compliment the Central Trail (giraffes, baboons etc).
It’s obvious Trail of the Elephants will undergo the most drastic redevelopment. An expansion of the orangutan facilities seems likely. Rainforest appears the obvious theme; but South East Asia would be preferable.
Gorilla Rainforest is the unknown. It contains a mixture of world class exhibits (gorilla complex) and dated exhibits. I’d like to see a redevelopment of an African rainforest theme (complimenting the aforementioned South East Asian rainforest precinct); but the replacement of the Southern cassowary will give an indication of whether this will happen (new Pygmy hippopotamus exhibit/colobus exhibit) or not (Binturong).
Redevelopment Priorities
If we were to divide Melbourne Zoo’s priorities into categories, I’d place it something like this:
High Priority:
Redevelopment of Trail of the Elephants - people are gonna notice the absence of the elephants and expect something spectacular in their place to justify coming to the zoo at the same admission price. This might be the one time the general public do us a favour, so I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
New species (tapir, bongo etc) are the dream, but an expanded orangutan facility would be fantastic too.
Medium Priority:
Gorilla Rainforest Trail - there’s several older exhibits here and the Gorilla complex and Pygmy hippopotamus complex are both over 30 years old. Though not as greater priority as TOTE, Melbourne Zoo can multitask and I anticipate we’ll see redevelopments occurring simultaneously (beginning with the Mandrill/Southern cassowary exhibit).
Low Priority:
Main Trail - giraffes moving to Werribee; Wild Sea being redeveloped or even scrapped; baboons moving to Werribee; peccary and tapir exhibits being redeveloped. These are all changes we’ve predicted, but I can’t see them happening for a decade or so. The zoo has higher priorities budget wise.
Background Projects:
Inevitably things will come up that are small scale and occur in the background. An example is the replacement of African wild dog with Dingo.
An another (unconfirmed but widely predicted) example is the phase out of coati in the next few years - to be replaced with a new species. These are comparatively low budget projects/changes compared with redeveloping a precinct.
If we were to divide Melbourne Zoo’s priorities into categories, I’d place it something like this:
High Priority:
Redevelopment of Trail of the Elephants - people are gonna notice the absence of the elephants and expect something spectacular in their place to justify coming to the zoo at the same admission price. This might be the one time the general public do us a favour, so I look forward to seeing what they come up with.
New species (tapir, bongo etc) are the dream, but an expanded orangutan facility would be fantastic too.
Medium Priority:
Gorilla Rainforest Trail - there’s several older exhibits here and the Gorilla complex and Pygmy hippopotamus complex are both over 30 years old. Though not as greater priority as TOTE, Melbourne Zoo can multitask and I anticipate we’ll see redevelopments occurring simultaneously (beginning with the Mandrill/Southern cassowary exhibit).
Low Priority:
Main Trail - giraffes moving to Werribee; Wild Sea being redeveloped or even scrapped; baboons moving to Werribee; peccary and tapir exhibits being redeveloped. These are all changes we’ve predicted, but I can’t see them happening for a decade or so. The zoo has higher priorities budget wise.
Background Projects:
Inevitably things will come up that are small scale and occur in the background. An example is the replacement of African wild dog with Dingo.
An another (unconfirmed but widely predicted) example is the phase out of coati in the next few years - to be replaced with a new species. These are comparatively low budget projects/changes compared with redeveloping a precinct.
PaddyRickMFZ
Well-Known Member
I was just looking at the DDZ thread and I was wondering if De Brazza’s might have any future in the region, and if so at MZ. They’re a very attractive species, and I could see them replacing the Vervets at WORZ or the Colobus at MZ. I’d still love to see a walk in exhibit it with Pygmy hippo underneath as was briefly discussed before, and this could be a possibility if De Brazza’s, as opposed to colobus, replace the vervets
They're of least concern so would probably be unlikely imo as they wouldn't fit under Zoos Vic's categories, but then again they would be quite an attractive species to have especially for Melbourne's depleting primate collection.
It’s difficult to say what level of regional support De Brazza’s have at this stage - since there’s only one holder; but it’d be great to see more zoos acquire them. The Vervet monkeys are clearly on the way out and I’m of the opinion Black and white colobus will be their replacement.
Though De Brazza’s may not fit Zoos Victoria’s criteria, I believe with increasing pressure to make efficient use of space in city zoos, mixed species exhibits will become more and more prevalent. By housing them in the Pygmy hippopotamus exhibit (an existing exhibit), it’s not detracting from plans to create exhibits for more endangered species.
dylan downward
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if the cassowary will be staying in the GFA or she will be moving back to her exhibit near the gorillas seems to be a lot of cleaning up going on in there and I’m curious to know what be going in there
Nothing has been announced by the zoo, but I doubt she’ll move back to her old exhibit. It was perfectly suitable as it was, so this indicates renovations for a new species.
Southern cassowary were only ever a temporary replacement for Mandrill - with the import of a new species likely prolonged due to the pandemic. With that now behind us, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a new species - quite possibly a walk through for Binturong (recently imported from Singapore).
dylan downward
Well-Known Member
That would be cool to see
I’m replying to your question here @Zoos Victoria Fan:
The coati appear to be designated as phase out within the region. The regional population is post reproductive and sourcing more will be difficult.
Aside from Binturong, nothing has been confirmed re. upcoming species, but Capybara are widely predicted as a replacement for Malayan tapir (at least for the peccaries remaining 5-10 years).
An expansion of the orangutan exhibit into the space vacated by the elephants has been mentioned also, following the transfer of the elephants to Werribee in 2024.
dylan downward
Well-Known Member
The coati are now off display or no longer there as there was a sign out the front of the exhibit on the weekend saying upgrades are happening for a new animal
So something exciting is coming soon?
At least we know it’s Binturong, which will be a good addition to the Carnivores precinct. Due to their age, I’m guessing the coati may be living out their remaining days off display (if they’re still alive).- Status