PaddyRickMFZ
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Not to mention I was told they’d have an exhibit in the elephant walking trail, whether this is males or not I’m not sure
Melbourne Zoo Future of Melbourne Zoo 2023 (Speculation / Fantasy)
- Thread starter Jambo
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It makes sense to have male nyala in the elephant walking trail. The females can cohabit with other species in larger mixed species exhibits. The integrate well with rhinoceros and giraffe, so presumably Melbourne will look to explore that option in the future too.
Werribee could easily grow their breeding herd and if they castrated surplus bulls, they should be able to remain in the herd. There’s multiple paddocks they could be accommodated across.
Future of Tigers at Melbourne Zoo
Following the passing of Jalur the Sumatran tiger at Tasmania Zoo, Cinta is once again on her own. She missed him during his breeding loan to Darling Downs Zoo by all accounts and no doubt is similarly missing his companionship now. With this in mind, it could be mutually beneficial to transfer Hutan to Tasmania Zoo.
The benefits to Cinta/Tasmania Zoo are obvious, but for Melbourne Zoo, this would mean one of two things:
TOTE is due for a large-scale redevelopment. We don’t have confirmation either way on whether this will include the tiger exhibit; but even if the redevelopment soley focuses on expanding the orangutan exhibit into the what is now the elephant paddocks, the construction work will be potentially disruptive to Hutan.
If the disruption from the construction work can be mitigated to a level that won’t impact upon the tigers, then it presents an opportunity to bring in a larger social grouping. A young trio of siblings (or even a pair) would make far greater use of this impressive exhibit than a single ageing male tiger.
Both would require crate training of Hutan, which is completely achievable (darting him as per any routine medical procedure being a back up option).
Following the passing of Jalur the Sumatran tiger at Tasmania Zoo, Cinta is once again on her own. She missed him during his breeding loan to Darling Downs Zoo by all accounts and no doubt is similarly missing his companionship now. With this in mind, it could be mutually beneficial to transfer Hutan to Tasmania Zoo.
The benefits to Cinta/Tasmania Zoo are obvious, but for Melbourne Zoo, this would mean one of two things:
TOTE is due for a large-scale redevelopment. We don’t have confirmation either way on whether this will include the tiger exhibit; but even if the redevelopment soley focuses on expanding the orangutan exhibit into the what is now the elephant paddocks, the construction work will be potentially disruptive to Hutan.
If the disruption from the construction work can be mitigated to a level that won’t impact upon the tigers, then it presents an opportunity to bring in a larger social grouping. A young trio of siblings (or even a pair) would make far greater use of this impressive exhibit than a single ageing male tiger.
Both would require crate training of Hutan, which is completely achievable (darting him as per any routine medical procedure being a back up option).
The Sleepy Hippo
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I know regionally this would be a good idea, but I adore Hutan and would hate to share him.
I thought Hutan would be especially suitable as it was noted by keepers that Aceh’s more dominant personality meant he was more suited as a breeding male at Canberra. However, Cinta is post reproductive, so the more docile Hutan would be well suited as a companion.
Several zoos including Honolulu, Sydney and Hamilton have been successful in keeping docile male tigers with post reproductive females for companionship purposes.
The Sleepy Hippo
Well-Known Member
Send Cinta north then
Sorry Hobart, but Melbourne Zoo is far closer to Tigerland...
Potentially Tasmania Zoo could receive either the two females from this litter at Adelaide (or even all three):
1.0 Ketambe (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Marni (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
0.1 Susu (21/12/2022) Kembali x Delilah
Thus freeing up Cinta to come to Melbourne Zoo.
Though I maintain the three young siblings listed above would make for a fantastic exhibit at Melbourne.
I very much agree!
The TOTE exhibit is really under-utlised, and would much better suit a young trio who'll make for an engaging display. It's been a while since I've seen a crowd at that tiger exhibit.
Speaking of crowds, TOTE was a nightmare in the 2010 era with baby elephants, tigers and a baby orangutan!
Don't think we'll ever see a zoo as crowded as it was at the time again.
I very much agree!
The TOTE exhibit is really under-utlised, and would much better suit a young trio who'll make for an engaging display. It's been a while since I've seen a crowd at that tiger exhibit.
Speaking of crowds, TOTE was a nightmare in the 2010 era with baby elephants, tigers and a baby orangutan!
The difference between Kirana, the younger female at Hamilton when I visited a couple of years ago was evident compared to the elderly Mencari. Something caught her eye across the other side of the exhibit and she sprinted at full speed, jumping of rocks. Auckland’s pair are similarly full of life and exploring every inch of their complex.
It was before all of our times, but from the photos and footage I’ve seen, nothing could compare to the Giant pandas. Mzuri would have had the same appeal, but his presence at Melbourne wasn’t confident to a three month tour. I’ve often thought that in the 2010’s, baby elephants to Australia zoos were like the gorilla infants of decades past. Short of cloning an extinct animal, I honestly believe that only Giant panda cub could attract the same level of interest in an Australasian zoo these days.
The Sleepy Hippo
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Was pretty crowded first sunny day post-COVID...I very much agree!
The TOTE exhibit is really under-utlised, and would much better suit a young trio who'll make for an engaging display. It's been a while since I've seen a crowd at that tiger exhibit.
Speaking of crowds, TOTE was a nightmare in the 2010 era with baby elephants, tigers and a baby orangutan!
It almost made up for months of being closed due to the lockdown.
There’s no doubt great ape infants are the best value for money, considering their long childhood. They’re cute infants for three years, playful juveniles for five years and then remain active and engaging well into four years of adolescence. Compared to rhino calves, which are sedentary grazers by 12 months; and felids, which are adult size by two years.
A real shame when you consider Melbourne initially imported them with the intention of breeding. It was bad luck they couldn't get acclimated to a walkthrough enclosure!
Then their was a Polar bear cub born at the London Zoo decades ago that has mass crowds for days!It almost made up for months of being closed due to the lockdown.
There’s no doubt great ape infants are the best value for money, considering their long childhood. They’re cute infants for three years, playful juveniles for five years and then remain active and engaging well into four years of adolescence. Compared to rhino calves, which are sedentary grazers by 12 months; and felids, which are adult size by two years.
According to Auckland Zoo’s history book, the performing apes (chimpanzees and orangutans), elephants and hand raised leopard cubs were all major crowd pullers. In 1957, their first polar bear cub ‘Piwi’ reportedly attracted crowds four of five deep, who would watch her daily swimming lessons; while the next cub ‘Chimo’, who was born in 1960, was the first cub to survive to adulthood and was a huge attraction.
I feel novelty is the underlying influence on popularity. London Zoo’s first giraffes captivated the public, who’d never seen a giraffe before. Even kids find them boring nowadays.
I had read quite some time ago about two victorian (age) ladies visiting the London Zoo walked up to the Giraffe enclosure and stood looking at a Giraffe there, One turned to her friend and said, "I don't believe it" and simply walked away not believing what she had just seen for the first time.
The Sleepy Hippo
Well-Known Member
You may have swayed me...
It’ll also benefit Adelaide, who aspire to build a third tiger exhibit. Their cubs could transfer to Melbourne at 12 months old and then the male could return in two years when they reach sexual maturity (and would require separation from the females). Adelaide would have built their exhibit by then. The cubs aren’t particularly genetically valuable, even less so when you consider Hamilton Zoo are basically undertaking the same pairing with the siblings of Adelaide’s pair. Therefore, I doubt Adelaide will breed from Kembali and Delilah a second time.
I am wondering how hard it would be to import one or two unrelated ST into Australia from an overseas holder?
That would of great benefit to the region. The Indonesian imports have quickly become assimilated into the regional population and their first generation offspring are now being inbred to mates at Taronga, Adelaide and Hamilton Zoo.
Since most of our tigers descend from European imports, I’d recommend looking to the US again. Though their population is partly derived from European imports; they’ve sourced a few wild born founders of their own, including Kerinci (1985-2004).
Importing from Indonesia is clearly a challenge (not even Taronga could achieve it when they tried in the late 2010’s), so personally, I’d go the US route. Importing from the US is no picnic (two year process), but it’d be nice if Ramah and Zayana’s line wasn’t the only new bloodline over the next decade (even though I personally will enjoy them receiving regular breeding recommendations at Auckland Zoo
).Why not look to Japan I believe they also had imported some ST from Indonesia round about the same time as AZ!That would of great benefit to the region. The Indonesian imports have quickly become assimilated into the regional population and their first generation offspring are now being inbred to mates at Taronga, Adelaide and Hamilton Zoo.
Since most of our tigers descend from European imports, I’d recommend looking to the US again. Though their population is partly derived from European imports; they’ve sourced a few wild born founders of their own, including Kerinci (1985-2004).
Importing from Indonesia is clearly a challenge (not even Taronga could achieve it when they tried in the late 2010’s), so personally, I’d go the US route. Importing from the US is no picnic (two year process), but it’d be nice if Ramah and Zayana’s line wasn’t the only new bloodline over the next decade (even though I personally will enjoy them receiving regular breeding recommendations at Auckland Zoo
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