Healesville Sanctuary Healesville Sanctuary News 2015

zooboy28

zooboy28

Well-Known Member
I visited Healesville Sanctuary yesterday - first zoo visit of 2015, and here are some notes (some of these are older developments that I can't remember if I've previously mentioned):

-There is now an Echidna sharing the Koala exhibit in the entry area (before you buy tickets).
-The young Cassowary in the first exhibit (empty for last couple of years at least) was very active and showy.
-A couple of Emu chicks are on display and are available for up-close encounters.
-The High Country Birds Aviary opposite the dingos, which previously held a range of birds (Little Lorikeet, Turquoise Parrot, Star Finch, Black-throated Finch, Superb Fairy Wren, Diamond Firetail) and reptiles (Blotched Blue-tongue, Cunningham's Skinks), now just holds one Laughing Kookaburra.
-There are now signs for Australian Water Rats and Swamp Rats in the waterbird aviary, but these must just be for wild animals.
-The renovated Lyrebird Aviary looks great, and now features a Spotted Tree Frog terrarium in the entry-way. The elevated lookout is great, we saw both Superb Lyrebirds roosting in a tree. The species list is fairy similar to what was previously held, mostly pigeons and the Lyrebirds, King Parrots, Crimson Rosellas and Satin Bowerbirds, complemented by various wild small passerines. There are no longer any Black Cockatoos or Pademelons though :(
-The Bird Show was excellent as per usual - Black Kite, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Eclectus Parrot, Galah, Major Mitchell's Cockatoo, Long-billed Corella, Barking Owl, Nankeen Kestrel, Black-breasted Buzzard and Wedge-tailed Eagle all put in a performance, and the latter almost hit us in the face when its take-off was hampered by a cross-wind!
-Pair of Magpie Geese now housed with the Brolga.
-The Woodland Birds aviary has reopened, although this seems to have fewer species than previously.
-In one of the small Woodland birds aviaries - the one that previously housed Orange-fronted Parrots, Swift Parrot, White-breasted Wood-swallow and Painted Button-Quail - there is now just a Tawny Frogmouth.
-A Koala has replaced the Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo that died last year.
-Everything else is still the same, and looking very tidy.

-The highlight was seeing a very curious Leadbeater's Possum tearing around its exhibit in the Nocturnal House - definitely the most active critter in there!
-The lowlight was definitely the reduction in the bird collection - something Zoos Victoria is very proficient at. I'm not sure if this is a temporary thing due to issues with the aviaries - it seems odd to take a pile of small bird species off-display from two (identically contructed) small aviaries and replace them both with a single large bird (previously/currently displayed elsewhere in the zoo). Perhaps there is an issue with mice or mesh or something?
 
DDcorvus said:
And Orange-fronted Parrots are orange-bellies (Neophema)?
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Yes, sorry, Orange-bellied Parrots (must of been thinking of the NZ parakeets!). These are also dispalyed in a conservation aviary, so are not off-display at all.
 
I visited Healesville Sanctuary today, here is some news:

-There are now Long-nosed Potoroo in the freely-viewable enclosure at the entrance, with the Koala and Echidna.
-A female Black-necked Stork has been added to the Wetland Aviary. This is a new bird from "up north", there are no plans to obtain a male for breeding.
-The nocturnal house exhibit that previously held a Numbat, which then died and was replaced with Mountain Pygmy-Possums, now again holds a Numbat. Interestingly, it appears to not be configured as a diurnal exhibit with tinted glass to fit with the nocturnal theme, but rather a typical nocturnal exhibit, with a couple of heat lamps.
-A new indoor exhibit for the Lace Monitors has been constructed, allowing viewing of these during the winter months.
-I went to the afternoon bird show for the first time, and collected my first captive life tick of the year, which was quite exciting and a new family too: Osprey :cool:
 
No Cookies | Herald Sun

HEALESVILLE residents are up in arms after the region — including Healesville Sanctuary — was identified for potential gold mining.

Caulfield-based company Nugget and Stone has applied for a 44sq km exploration licence 2km south of Healesville, with boundaries just north of Airlie Rd extending east to beyond Don Rd, west to include the river flats and south to include Badger Creek, the sanctuary and the Don Rd sporting complex.

If approved by the State Government, the licence will permit preliminary goldmining research in a region that includes residential areas, three significant waterways, and places of cultural significance to the Wurundjeri community.

Government spokesman Kosta Pandos said Energy and Resources Minister Lily D’Ambrosio had applied a 1km buffer around the sanctuary.

Forget the farm gate. The visitors’ gate at Healesville Sanctuary has come under threat from miners.
Healesville Action Group chairman John Anwin said although the licence did not explicitly allow mining, it could be a step towards the destruction of the area.

“Needless to say we were pretty annoyed about the application,” Mr Anwin said.

“The concerns were that people could lose their houses and also there is the scenic side of it and tourism, plus we don’t want our waterways chewed up.”

The licence allows only for low-impact exploration, which comes with stringent regulations and requires the licensee to obtain written consent from owners or occupiers of any affected land.

Mr Anwin said the application, which was launched in March this year, could have been made in a bid to appeal to potential investors.

If this was the case, it might have no serious intentions to mine in the area.

Healesville Environment Watch also objected to the proposal, citing the risk of waterway contamination and harm to vegetation.

The application is being assessed by the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

There is no time frame on the assessment process, but native title implications could draw it
out.

Regardless of the outcome, Ms D’Ambrosio has determined to remove the Healesville township and sanctuary from any future mining activities.

Nugget and Stone did not respond to the Lilydale and Yarra Valley Leader’s requests for comment.
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