Nocturnal –Walkthrough - 10th December 2023:
The Wild Walk, named Nocturnal now, is a large new area comprised of new native animal exhibits situated within the zoo’s eucalypt plantation. The area is accessed through a gate just past the farm animals and there is a clear looped system that include corrugated-iron exhibits that incorporate a range of open-topped enclosures. There are dusk and night tours the zoo conducts to allow visitors to observe the animals at their best but fortunately this area is also open during the day as well. Not many species were seen during the day but I was able to get a very good understanding of the layout and exhibits as well. I was surprised to see that the first exhibit was a small walkthrough enclosure for visitors with a clear roped pathway with a range of shelters, thick grasses and small shade structures. No species were seen but the three species were signed –
Red-legged Pademelon, Rufous Bettong and
Long-nosed Potoroo. While I can understand why zoos would be hesitant to create a space for these shy species, walkthrough exhibits for small macropods are very uncommon so it was a unique point of difference and I am sure it would be neat experience at the right time for these species to hop across the pathway.
Walkthrough exhibit
Along the main boardwalk, opposite the walkthrough exhibit was a very large space with a big mix of
Red-legged Pademelon, Rufous Bettong, Long-nosed Potoroo and also
Northern Brown Bandicoot. After a very careful search, I finally spotted three pademelons in a far corner and the exhibit allowed them excellent coverage and privacy. I imagine this gives the night tours a second chance at seeing some of the species that might not show well in the walkthrough space. Another excellent exhibit. Continuing there were three enclosures for
Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats with rugged terrain, deep burrows and artificial hiding structures. There were dense vegetation and trees throughout all three hairy-nosed wombat exhibits and it will be interesting to see how it holds over the coming years. The eucalypts looked mature enough to hold up against any wombat renovations. There were more open-air exhibits for
Common Wombats as well which were even denser in plantings. This provides Lone Pine with lots of holding space for wombats and even opportunities for breeding. From a visitor perspective, there is very limited viewing during the day for wombats as there are no longer any viewing opportunities from a den area. In terms of aesthetics and welfare, it’s a win for wombats.
Mixed enclosure
Red-legged Pademelon
Hairy-nosed Wombat enclosure
Following something like six wombat enclosures, there was a clear pathway with two rectangular exhibits on either side; one was signed with
Short-beaked Echidna and the other wasn’t signed but was of a similar design. Nice and shady with multiple options for varied hiding opportunities and a small pool which is always an excellent addition for echidnas as they are adept swimmers. Continuing further, there was a large meshed holding space and larger open-topped exhibit with a very tall tree that towered above everything else. This was the exhibit for their male
Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo that was very visible fortunately snoozing in the top corners. I’ve seen about a dozen tree kangaroo exhibits all up but never had a tree-roo had access to such height and it could travel across the entire canopy with no tree guards. The photo below does a good job to show the complexity of the upper canopy and how the tree-roo – which is just visible - could completely meld into the foliage. There is some space opposite the exhibit (potential expansion?) and a browse garden for the tree-roo which allows visitors to see an interesting aspect of their husbandry. Superb.
Tree-kangaroo enclosure
Tree-roo high up
The two final species housed here were lots of
Tasmanian Devils in about six or seven exhibits that were structured like a large-scale breeding operation with lots of doorways and gates allowing access into neighbouring exhibits. Several spaces could be opened and close to make very large exhibits or smaller ones. A lot of flexibility here in particular and several devils were seen from their hides. Finally, two enclosures contained
Koalas on either side of the pathway. One of them contained some of the browse plantation trees allowing the koalas access to some natural leaf. These attractive enclosures contrast the old concrete blocks for koalas at the front of the park. Overall, it must be emphasised that I toured the entire complex during a very hot day but did see a few species throughout. This is definitely an experience that would be best enjoyed during the dusk or night tours for maximum sightings especially if you are visiting from overseas and would like to see some of these species clearly. I was simply pleased to see Lone Pine complete a significant development that made used of the plantation trees to create a really organic feel to the displays here. This frees up a lot of the old exhibits in the front of the park that either remain under construction or empty so hopefully this will be the park’s next step to development. Overall, I encourage others to visit and share their thoughts as always. For more photos see the gallery:
Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - ZooChat
Tasmanian devil enclosure - example
