I mean like in imports from Thailand or Sumatra, kinda like how Australia Zoo imported elephants from Sumatra back in 2019 or so.
Intersting Elephant Replacements
- Thread starter MonkeyBat
- Start date
Detroit's current rhino exhibit used to be the elephant exhibit until they were moved out back in 2005.
Circus World Museum isn't a zoo, but last year most of their elephant yard was turned into one for Domestic Horses. They still keep elephants in the space, but the exhibit is now tiny.
That seems unwise!
Elephantelephant
Well-Known Member
If they want to have elephants again, they should get some lone cows out of terrible conditions rather than import more elephants to Japan.
The old elephant paddock at Colchester Zoo first housed Bactrian camels after the elephants moved out. When the camels then moved out to a new enclosure, the old elephant enclosure was transformed into the current Patagonian sea lion pool.
Budapest Zoo want to rebuild their current elephant paddocks for Nile hippos.
Bib Fortuna
Well-Known Member
Nobody mentioned Vienna. First, the former Elephant house was used for mandrills, since 2003, it is home for the Giant Pandas....
Auckland Zoo are phasing out their Asian elephants in 2022 (after 99 years of holding this species). Their exhibit will be redeveloped for Southern white rhinoceros, which has come as a disappointment for many since the zoo already holds this species (and has done for the last 41 years).
Melbourne Zoo are phasing out their elephants in 2024 (after 141 years of holding this species). They haven’t announced the replacement yet. Many have speculated Indian rhinoceros will be the replacement, but given the elephant trail currently considers of South East Asian species, I’m predicting an expansion to the orangutan exhibit (high ropes and the like).
Melbourne Zoo are phasing out their elephants in 2024 (after 141 years of holding this species). They haven’t announced the replacement yet. Many have speculated Indian rhinoceros will be the replacement, but given the elephant trail currently considers of South East Asian species, I’m predicting an expansion to the orangutan exhibit (high ropes and the like).
Truly a pity they're leaving; honestly, I think a better idea would be to relocate the elephants or bring in a couple of specimens to a larger park, like Orana after some remodeling. Hamilton could also be a good choice, seeing how they have a second giraffe exhibit on a well-sized swath of land. Also, if the white rhinos in Auckland are moved to that enclosure, what about the one they have now with the ostriches and such? Honestly I'd keep that as is and, if the elephants MUST be replaced, bring hippos back.
Sadly Orana Wildlife Park and Hamilton Zoo are nowhere near being able to afford elephants. They’d be great additions to either zoo however, and a lot of people think it’d be good to see African elephants housed at Orana.
We were all hoping for a return of hippos to Auckland Zoo, but sadly I agree with speculation that the soon to be vacated rhino exhibit will become an extension of the main savannah exhibit (giraffe, zebra etc). This would be extremely disappointing but would fit in with the obsession Australasia’s zoos currently have of downsizing the number of species held at each zoo.
Aside from hippos, other ideas for remodelling the rhino exhibit I’d like to see include a walk through flamingo aviary, a world class lion exhibit (linked to the dated current exhibit via tunnels) and a Mandrill exhibit. Anyone of these would be more crowd pleasing than extending the already decent sized savannah.
Bristol's Elephant house(which also housed Giraffe and later Okapi) was converted for Gorillas directly after the last Elephant died. Initially they had half the house with Okapi in the former Giraffe section. Then more recently the Okapi left (for their country park) and the Gorilla accomodation extended to use the whole building.
Now Bristol Zoo is closing, the gorillas will move out and the old Elephant House, which is a listed building, could end up being converted into human dwellings...
Dr Bright N04
Well-Known Member
The Central Florida Zoo had 2 Asian elephants, but when one died and the other transferred, the exabit held a dromedary camel. It now holds an Indian rhino.
Omuta city used their former elephant enclosure as a capybara enclosure before removing the capybara to the squirrel monkey enclosure and moving their porcupines to the elephant enclosure.
I felt the interior height of London's elephant house would have allowed for a good tropical house with bats and sloth and the outer area for a more interesting hoofed species, or two.