Melanesia Exhibit Questions

StoppableSan

StoppableSan

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
I have an idea as far as retrofitting Bronx Zoo's old Monkey House, and I'm basing a Melanesia exhibit concept primarily on the WCS' priority map of the region.

jz20yu9jq_Screen_Shot_2019_08_21_at_10.32.04_AM.jpg


I also debated having a New Caledonia section besides everything else (@OkapiJohn's thread for a realistic New Caledonia exhibit is phenomenal), mainly to fill out as much space as possible while highlighting some genuinely incredible species.

So far, this is the list I'm going for; please feel free to critique or add species. These species could theoretically be obtained from AZA or EAZA facilities, which Bronx has worked with in the past (ring-tailed vontsira comes to mind; I *want to say* geladas, too?)

MELANESIA!
Papua New Guinea (Bismarck Forest Corridor)
  • New Guinea Singing Dog *exterior exhibit*
  • Matschie's Tree Kangaroo, Dusky Pademelon, Short-Beaked Echidna
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise, Victoria Crowned Pigeon
  • Blue-winged Kookaburra
  • Masked Lapwing, Wandering Whistling Duck
  • Frilled Lizard
  • White-lipped Tree Frog
Bismarck Seascape
  • insert fish species here
Solomon Islands
  • Solomon Island Ground Skink
  • Potential other species
Kavachi Seascape
  • insert fish species here
Vanuatu
  • Coconut Crab
  • Santa Cruz Ground Dove
New Caledonia
  • New Caledonian Giant Gecko
  • Crested Gecko, Bavay’s Giant Gecko
  • Red-throated Parrotfinch, Red-bellied Fruit Dove, Pacific Imperial Pigeon (not endemic, highlight invasive species), Horned Parakeet, Rainbow Lorikeet, Kagu
  • Giant Spiny Stick Insect
  • Redback Spider
Fiji
  • Red-vented Bulbul, Many-colored Fruit Dove, Fiji Parrotfinch
  • Fiji Banded Iguana
  • Fiji Boa
Vatu-i-Ra Seascape
  • insert fish species here
 
Last edited:
StoppableSan said:
Papua New Guinea (Bismarck Forest Corridor)
  • New Guinea Singing Dog *exterior exhibit*
  • Matschie's Tree Kangaroo, Dusky Pademelon, Short-Beaked Echidna
  • Red Bird-of-Paradise, Victoria Crowned Pigeon
  • Blue-winged Kookaburra
  • Masked Lapwing, Wandering Whistling Duck
  • Frilled Lizard
  • White-lipped Tree Frog
Click to expand...
I understand using substitute species like Matschie's Tree Kangaroo, but the Bismarck Forest Corridor is montane forest so species like Masked Lapwing and Frilled Lizard are wildly out of place.
 
StoppableSan said:
Solomon Islands
  • Solomon Island Ground Skink
  • Potential other species
Click to expand...
Prehensile-tailed skinks seem like an obvious choice here. I also second @wild boar's recommendation for Solomon Island leaf frogs. Buffalo Zoo actually keeps those leaf frogs in a mixed-species exhibit alongside prehensile-tailed skinks.

As you are probably aware, a few of those species are either completely absent or very rare in US zoos (e.g., blue-winged kookaburra, dusky pademelon). I'm not very knowledgeable about import laws and/or what is common in EAZA zoos, so am not going to comment on how feasible (or infeasible) these are.
 
Neil chace said:
Prehensile-tailed skinks seem like an obvious choice here. I also second @wild boar's recommendation for Solomon Island leaf frogs. Buffalo Zoo actually keeps those leaf frogs in a mixed-species exhibit alongside prehensile-tailed skinks.

As you are probably aware, a few of those species are either completely absent or very rare in US zoos (e.g., blue-winged kookaburra, dusky pademelon). I'm not very knowledgeable about import laws and/or what is common in EAZA zoos, so am not going to comment on how feasible (or infeasible) these are.
Click to expand...
As far as EAZA imports go, they aren't *impossible* per se - as evidenced with Bronx' ring-tailed vontsira imports from Berlin or Memphis' Sulawesi bear cuscus import from (I want to say the Czech Republic?)
 
Just one tiny snake? I can somehow understand the emission of PNG taipans, but no magnificiant Boelen's python, no XXL Papuan Olive python, not even a Green Tree python?

And no cockatoos, eclectus parrots and cassowaries? No chelonians, amphibians and rainbowfishes? For shame sir; for shame. ;)
 
Batto said:
Just one tiny snake? I can somehow understand the emission of PNG taipans, but no magnificiant Boelen's python, no XXL Papuan Olive python, not even a Green Tree python?

And no cockatoos, eclectus parrots and cassowaries? No chelonians, amphibians and rainbowfishes? For shame sir; for shame. ;)
Click to expand...
Papua New Guinea
  • New Guinea singing dog (exterior)
  • Southern cassowary (exterior)
  • Matschie's tree kangaroo, Dusky pademelon, Short-beaked echidna
  • Red bird-of-paradise, Victoria crowned pigeon, Crimson rosella
  • Blue-winged kookaburra
  • Red-finned rainbowfish
  • Eclectus Parrot, Wandering whistling duck
  • White-lipped tree frog
  • Boelen’s python
  • Papuan olive python
  • Green tree python
Bismarck Seascape
  • Insert species here
Solomon Islands
  • Solomon Island ground skink
  • Prehensile-tailed skink, Solomon Island leaf frog
  • Solomon Island spiny-tailed monitor
Kavachi Seascape
  • Insert species here
Vanuatu
  • Coconut crab
  • Santa Cruz ground dove
New Caledonia
  • New Caledonian giant gecko
  • Crested gecko, Bavay’s giant gecko
  • Red-throated parrotfinch, Red-bellied fruit dove, Pacific imperial pigeon (not endemic, highlight invasive species), Horned parakeet, Rainbow lorikeet, Kagu
  • Giant spiny stick insect
  • Redback spider
Fiji
  • Red-vented bulbul, Many-colored fruit dove, Fiji parrotfinch, Blue-crowned lorikeet
  • Fiji banded iguana
  • Fiji boa
  • Spinefoot foxface, Orange-fin anemonefish, Staghorn coral, Brain coral
Vatu-i-Ra Seascape
  • Insert species here
How about now?
 
Last edited:
Just saying but for Fiji you can also add the Fijian crested iguana and for the Solomon Islands there’s also bats and the northern common cuscus since it has been introduced to the Solomon Islands and there’s also the saltwater crocodile, Mangrove Monitor, the yellow bibbed lory, Solomons frogmouth, woodfords rail and Vangunu Giant Rat.
 
Last edited:
Tigeanderson said:
Just saying but for Fiji you can also add the Fijian crested iguana and for the Solomon Islands there’s also bats and the northern common cuscus since it has been introduced to the Solomon Islands and there’s also the saltwater crocodile, Mangrove Monitor and the yellow bibbed lory.
Click to expand...
Fijian crested iguana works! As for everything else, there's only so much space in Bronx' former Monkey House, and I'm not sure if mangrove monitors or yellow bibbed lories are obtainable. Tryna keep it realistic. ;)
 
StoppableSan said:
Fijian crested iguana works! As for everything else, there's only so much space in Bronx' former Monkey House, and I'm not sure if mangrove monitors or yellow bibbed lories are obtainable. Tryna keep it realistic. ;)
Click to expand...
Oh okay I was just throwing out some ideas that’s all but would the saltwater crocodile work.
 
Haliaeetus said:
This kind of exhibit would be an interesting alternative to the Australian zones, that often display common parrots, songbirds, emus, waterfowl and kangaroo/wallaby species.
Especially with PNG that is an entire world in itself.
Click to expand...
Well the main goal was

- Do something that relates to the work the WCS does in the wild. They do stuff in Melanesia but not in Australia proper
- Fit it in the Monkey House as, rn, that building's closed
 
Papua New Guinea
  • New Guinea singing dog (exterior)
  • Southern cassowary (exterior)
  • Matschie's tree kangaroo, Dusky pademelon, Short-beaked echidna
  • Red bird-of-paradise, Victoria crowned pigeon, Crimson rosella
  • Blue-winged kookaburra
  • Red-finned rainbowfish
  • Eclectus Parrot, Wandering whistling duck
  • White-lipped tree frog
  • Boelen’s python
  • Papuan olive python
  • Green tree python
Bismarck Seascape
  • Ocellaris clownfish, blue tang, fire goby, banggai cardinalfish
Solomon Islands
  • Solomon Island ground skink
  • Prehensile-tailed skink, Solomon Island leaf frog
  • Solomon Island spiny-tailed monitor
Kavachi Seascape
  • Flame hawkfish, Mandarinfish, Yellow hawknose butterflyfish
Vanuatu
  • Coconut crab
  • Santa Cruz ground dove
  • Bubble-tip anemone, Cinnamon clownfish, Firefish, Flame angelfish, Pacific cleaner shrimp, Purple queen anthias, Pyramid butterflyfish, Ternate damselfish, Whitespotted surgeonfish, Whitetail dascyllus
New Caledonia
  • New Caledonian giant gecko
  • Crested gecko, Bavay’s giant gecko
  • Red-throated parrotfinch, Red-bellied fruit dove, Pacific imperial pigeon (not endemic, highlight invasive species), Horned parakeet, Rainbow lorikeet, Kagu
  • Giant spiny stick insect
  • Redback spider
Fiji
  • Red-vented bulbul, Many-colored fruit dove, Fiji parrotfinch, Blue-crowned lorikeet
  • Fiji banded iguana
  • Fiji boa
  • Spinefoot foxface, Orange-fin anemonefish, Staghorn coral, Brain coral
Vatu-i-Ra Seascape
  • Royal gramma, threadfin butterflyfish, bluehead wrasse
Any other easily obtainable animals I could highlight here?
 
Batto said:
Depending on the species, your location, professional network and financial background, not all of the listed species are "easily obtainable"...;)
Click to expand...
Well, relatively speaking - within an AZA/EAZA context. This is a part of a hypothetical renovation of Bronx Zoo's former Monkey House in a similar vein to their Lion House being repurposed as a Madagascar complex.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top