Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo Developments
- Thread starter patrick
- Start date
update 07/06/07...
the entrance to the old great ape grottoes has been planted out and screened off near the asian rainforest entrance. the other end has a temporary fence up. i imagine this is to give the batchelor gorillas some peace and quiet whilst they settle in. a keeper said to me on my last visit that both taronga and melbourne are now intending to hold both breeding and batchelor groups of gorillas to solve their own problem of surplus males. apparently any other australian zoo hoping to aquire gorillas will have to do the same. i aimagine this means that its pretty certain the ape grottoes will be refurbished or rebuilt permanatly as a second gorilla enclosure. a good thing i think - especially if the two groups are rotated reguarly.. the gorilla rainforest is looking as though it has recovered a bit since the young gorillas have grown up and the boys have left. the young gorillas made a decent effort to trash the place - killing among other things, the mature pepercorn tree and damaging many others.
the pygmy hippo was still here. now i'm resigned to him moving i just want them to get a move on. those hippo are not getting any younger..
the mandrills have a new baby. though i only counted two adult females the infant and yonaton, (or something like that) the male. i imagine the young feamle born a while back has been moved so as to have breeding opportunities (adelaide? OS?)..
the baby colobus is growing up and becoming quite a crowd pleaser. they have a good sized troop at melbourne now - about five animals and they a far less lethargic than they used to be - though most major interactions are play fighting between mum and baby.
the arboral boardwalk is looking old and desperate in need of a refurb.
the big angled glass windows have been replaced with cheapo little upright "porthole" windows since they were at risk of falling out. the first smaller enclosure that used to hold african gery parrots has been torn down. originally these very small cages (there is another still standing at the other end of teh boardwalk) held tamarins but i assume were unsuitably small and lacking in privacy for the animals. i would say that the enclosure was even too small for grey parrots but the lovebirds in the other do well and i'm supprised the zoo didn't put some easily acquireable african finches or small parrots in there?.. anyhow, i'm hoping the zoo rebuilds the boardwalk in a similar style rather than tear it down completely. the exhibit is a unique and interesting design - the treetop idea works well and the enclosures are suitable for many species - not just monkeys. i suggest they rebuild so that the primate section still had a central hub of facilities at ground level for the staff, but that the visitor viewing areas were split between and asian and african rainforest trail - displaying only the continants respective species.
the elephants were being themselves. lots of keeper interaction. the area needs some additional trees planted out in the visitor areas - some of the matured transplants disn't survive and thus left empty beds..
the tigers are growing up fast.
the orangutan exhibit now has the "puzzles" installed for visitors and apes. you have to move a ball around in a maze using little sticks that you can poke through holes. santan was instead enjoying demolishing his indoor enclosure - unthreading rope and using his strength to snap bits. i couldn't do the puzzle myself. i think you need orangutan patience and four "arms" to hold enough stick at any given time..
the tree kangaroos had new signage and.... wait for it........ A DONATION BOX!!!!!!!
yes, new interprative colourful signage about the tenkile project, a donation box and a style of "taxonomy" signage for the goodfellows. i wonder if this new design, that used photographs instead of illustrations and was full coulour printed on a green metallic plate, will become the norm for all the zoo animals.
oh and the baboons still live in a **** hole..
interestingly i heard a bogan express her distaste for the gorilla rainforest. apparently she "liked it better when they were all separated over there [waves towards grottoes] cos you could see em better". there was however a whole family of the "monkeys" sitting right infront of the filthy fat trashbag..
man i hate bogans...
the entrance to the old great ape grottoes has been planted out and screened off near the asian rainforest entrance. the other end has a temporary fence up. i imagine this is to give the batchelor gorillas some peace and quiet whilst they settle in. a keeper said to me on my last visit that both taronga and melbourne are now intending to hold both breeding and batchelor groups of gorillas to solve their own problem of surplus males. apparently any other australian zoo hoping to aquire gorillas will have to do the same. i aimagine this means that its pretty certain the ape grottoes will be refurbished or rebuilt permanatly as a second gorilla enclosure. a good thing i think - especially if the two groups are rotated reguarly.. the gorilla rainforest is looking as though it has recovered a bit since the young gorillas have grown up and the boys have left. the young gorillas made a decent effort to trash the place - killing among other things, the mature pepercorn tree and damaging many others.
the pygmy hippo was still here. now i'm resigned to him moving i just want them to get a move on. those hippo are not getting any younger..
the mandrills have a new baby. though i only counted two adult females the infant and yonaton, (or something like that) the male. i imagine the young feamle born a while back has been moved so as to have breeding opportunities (adelaide? OS?)..
the baby colobus is growing up and becoming quite a crowd pleaser. they have a good sized troop at melbourne now - about five animals and they a far less lethargic than they used to be - though most major interactions are play fighting between mum and baby.
the arboral boardwalk is looking old and desperate in need of a refurb.
the big angled glass windows have been replaced with cheapo little upright "porthole" windows since they were at risk of falling out. the first smaller enclosure that used to hold african gery parrots has been torn down. originally these very small cages (there is another still standing at the other end of teh boardwalk) held tamarins but i assume were unsuitably small and lacking in privacy for the animals. i would say that the enclosure was even too small for grey parrots but the lovebirds in the other do well and i'm supprised the zoo didn't put some easily acquireable african finches or small parrots in there?.. anyhow, i'm hoping the zoo rebuilds the boardwalk in a similar style rather than tear it down completely. the exhibit is a unique and interesting design - the treetop idea works well and the enclosures are suitable for many species - not just monkeys. i suggest they rebuild so that the primate section still had a central hub of facilities at ground level for the staff, but that the visitor viewing areas were split between and asian and african rainforest trail - displaying only the continants respective species.
the elephants were being themselves. lots of keeper interaction. the area needs some additional trees planted out in the visitor areas - some of the matured transplants disn't survive and thus left empty beds..
the tigers are growing up fast.
the orangutan exhibit now has the "puzzles" installed for visitors and apes. you have to move a ball around in a maze using little sticks that you can poke through holes. santan was instead enjoying demolishing his indoor enclosure - unthreading rope and using his strength to snap bits. i couldn't do the puzzle myself. i think you need orangutan patience and four "arms" to hold enough stick at any given time..
the tree kangaroos had new signage and.... wait for it........ A DONATION BOX!!!!!!!
yes, new interprative colourful signage about the tenkile project, a donation box and a style of "taxonomy" signage for the goodfellows. i wonder if this new design, that used photographs instead of illustrations and was full coulour printed on a green metallic plate, will become the norm for all the zoo animals.
oh and the baboons still live in a **** hole..
interestingly i heard a bogan express her distaste for the gorilla rainforest. apparently she "liked it better when they were all separated over there [waves towards grottoes] cos you could see em better". there was however a whole family of the "monkeys" sitting right infront of the filthy fat trashbag..
man i hate bogans...
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i love melbourne's arboreal boardwalk, im surprised taronga didnt come up with a similar solution in the past (when money was tight and the hills were steep-now we just demolosh the hill and chuck a good bash at icebergs 
)
id certainly love to see melbourne retain this feature-i know pat, that you hate non-geographic based displays but if they redeveloped this area, still with a raised boardwalk id like to see a range of enclosures that would suit primates, birds, macropods, small cats, even tapirs....my idea being that such a display could both tie together africa and asia, be interpreted carefully and most importanly, remain flexible to future changes in collection planning or surplus stock. for example, if melbourne persisted with malayan tapir, and ended up with a surplus tapir for which a place had to be found in say, adelaide zoo, who didnt quite have room, the animal could be displayed temporarily in this section. or a cassowary, and keep retheming it.
with limited holding capacity, such a display would be a great alternative and compliment more purpose built enclosures like the gorilla, elephant and orang. glad to hear melbourne is moving along well, and that the tree roo exhibit is now linked to the field project. any news in victoria about visitor numbers at the zoo? were they above budget for the summer season (given the elephants arrival and the orangs new home)???
)id certainly love to see melbourne retain this feature-i know pat, that you hate non-geographic based displays but if they redeveloped this area, still with a raised boardwalk id like to see a range of enclosures that would suit primates, birds, macropods, small cats, even tapirs....my idea being that such a display could both tie together africa and asia, be interpreted carefully and most importanly, remain flexible to future changes in collection planning or surplus stock. for example, if melbourne persisted with malayan tapir, and ended up with a surplus tapir for which a place had to be found in say, adelaide zoo, who didnt quite have room, the animal could be displayed temporarily in this section. or a cassowary, and keep retheming it.
with limited holding capacity, such a display would be a great alternative and compliment more purpose built enclosures like the gorilla, elephant and orang. glad to hear melbourne is moving along well, and that the tree roo exhibit is now linked to the field project. any news in victoria about visitor numbers at the zoo? were they above budget for the summer season (given the elephants arrival and the orangs new home)???
Writhedhornbill
Well-Known Member
Hate to be a pain, but whats a macropod?
i dont like non-geographic displays much either, but i think in the future if melbourne developed mainly along the lines of asian and african rainforests, australia and marine, asian highlands and some png, south american and madagascan fauna then such a display would be suitable.
there are flaws too in basing whole areas of the zoo around precise geographic themes, as such displays dont account for future changes in priority, etc. it mightnt be one of taronga's premier exhibits, but it is an example of an incredibly adaptable exhibit. it could very neatly be changed into a northern australian or new guinean diplay, or even some gibbons on the background islands with saltwater crocodiles in the front...on the other hand, indian rhinos, sun bears and brazilian tapirs in an african waterhole just look messy. but if the zoo developed a flexible display along these lines and interpreted it well, along the themes of say poaching, then i think it could get away with it...im actually a big fan of san diego's heart of the zoo concept
there are flaws too in basing whole areas of the zoo around precise geographic themes, as such displays dont account for future changes in priority, etc. it mightnt be one of taronga's premier exhibits, but it is an example of an incredibly adaptable exhibit. it could very neatly be changed into a northern australian or new guinean diplay, or even some gibbons on the background islands with saltwater crocodiles in the front...on the other hand, indian rhinos, sun bears and brazilian tapirs in an african waterhole just look messy. but if the zoo developed a flexible display along these lines and interpreted it well, along the themes of say poaching, then i think it could get away with it...im actually a big fan of san diego's heart of the zoo concept
yeah - i like additional themes, but wanna see them still based within geographical precincts. for example the asian zone could focus on deforestation for plantations, the african bushmeat and poaching..
i kinda think by splitting things up into geographical themes you have a better opportunity to educate about the specific problems of that particualr region - i think speaking broadly does little to gain understanding of the real issues.
i kinda think by splitting things up into geographical themes you have a better opportunity to educate about the specific problems of that particualr region - i think speaking broadly does little to gain understanding of the real issues.
from Rigo the gorilla thread....
the otter will go nicely in the hippo pool. it will certainly give them a MASSIVE deep pool to swim in so it'll no doubt be fantastic to see them underwater like we have never seen them before. however, they havn't bred them in a while now and are down to just a couple of males. time for some new additions i think.
its a pity they never kept those brazilian tapir. they would have been a perfect choice for the hippo exhibit (though its a bit skimpy on the land space). if they shaded the area better they could always put the otters in one and the malayn tapir in the other.
unfortunately however, suppose thats the end of our "african" rainforest precinct. i so very much hope i see pygmy hippo return to melbourne in a couple of years time.
the clouded leopard is ancient. i think she's about 20 years old. small cats is one of the *********, smallest exhibits at melbourne. hopefully she'll have access to her night den during the day so she cat stay off display if she chooses. i'm assuming this is too free up space for the sumatran tiger cubs in the big cats exhibit?
and on a last note...stories by the sea (ugh, what a crappy name!) do you know how big the final precinct will be? i assume since you say the clouded leopard is moving to small cats it will not swallow up this area, something
i'm very supprised about. where abouts will the seals be moved to? or will they construct another pool, move them in and then demolish the old?
the otter will go nicely in the hippo pool. it will certainly give them a MASSIVE deep pool to swim in so it'll no doubt be fantastic to see them underwater like we have never seen them before. however, they havn't bred them in a while now and are down to just a couple of males. time for some new additions i think.
its a pity they never kept those brazilian tapir. they would have been a perfect choice for the hippo exhibit (though its a bit skimpy on the land space). if they shaded the area better they could always put the otters in one and the malayn tapir in the other.
unfortunately however, suppose thats the end of our "african" rainforest precinct. i so very much hope i see pygmy hippo return to melbourne in a couple of years time.
the clouded leopard is ancient. i think she's about 20 years old. small cats is one of the *********, smallest exhibits at melbourne. hopefully she'll have access to her night den during the day so she cat stay off display if she chooses. i'm assuming this is too free up space for the sumatran tiger cubs in the big cats exhibit?
and on a last note...stories by the sea (ugh, what a crappy name!) do you know how big the final precinct will be? i assume since you say the clouded leopard is moving to small cats it will not swallow up this area, something
i'm very supprised about. where abouts will the seals be moved to? or will they construct another pool, move them in and then demolish the old?
I'm pretty sure melbourne zoo will have first choice of any of Timothy's (hippo) offspring.....a sort of new for old replacement...ha ha. Another problem with his enclosure is that the water filter needs replacing....at the moment it's not suitable for a pygmy hippo but OK for otters - I guess they don't mess up the water as much.
I liked the Brazilian tapir....at least you could see them. The Malayan tapir is gorgeous but I believe her eye problems are pretty chronic. She's let out at night....after every one as gone home.
Nona the clouded leopard is 17 I think but she's pretty healthy and yes, the small cats exhibits are pretty ******. They face the wrong direction...they should be facing north. Part of the problem is that the cats disappear over the top or into the off limits areas to get some sun/warmth.
Stories of the sea will take over the existing seal exhibit and class rooms initially. There's a new entrance being put in at the Eastern end of the zoo/car park for easy access during contruction. The path will be blocked off just before you get to the bistro/food area. So if you're heading to buy a latte you'll have to turn right, past 'small cat alley' which is to remain open. Then you end up on the main drive near platypus again. I'm pretty sure small cats are being revamped at a later stage (but I may have dreamt it).
The South American parrots and agoutis will be placed in other enclosures around the zoo...haven't been told where yet.
One of the trees has been transplanted (the name is on the tip of my tongue...) from in front of the p'pus to the zoo's rail gate entrance. I believe there are more trees being transplanted as well....costs a bomb. There will be new 'temporary' maps issued. Small cats aren't on it b/c no one is sure how they'll react to the construction and they may hide for a few weeks.
The seals are being moved to some temporary pools which have been built next to the new water treatment plant. Again, they're not on the map, because no-one knows how well they'll settle. It's really tiny compared to what they're used to and if there are problems with the seals I think there's a "Plan B" and an alternate location but I don't know where.
There'll be another map issued in a few months once construction has started and animals have been rehoused and settled.
An additional tiger exhibit is planned on the other side of the wooden bridge where the tigers are at the moment. There's a lake there at the moment but the plan is to fill it in. The pelicans and cormorants are going to the new 'stories of the sea' (LUUURRVV that name) exhibit along with the penguins. I've heard whispers about a Dholl (is this spelt correctly) being put here also....but again I may have dreamt it.
Yes, the otters are old. That group will probably be replaced with another one eventually. I'm not aware of any plans to phase out the otter so I'm pretty sure they'll be replaced with a new group.....like the cape hunting dogs, I guess. (They WERE replaced by a new group when the original group got too old.)
There's also a young male snow leopard on it's way for the young female. The other two are well into their teens and the old female is almost blind and Melbourne Zoo is part of a regional breeding program. Not sure where the male is coming from.
.....I thinks that's it for now.....
ooooh, just remembered, the two adolescent mandrills (Lara the female and her younger brother) have gone to Adelaide. Young Leroy is still at Melbourne with the adults.
I liked the Brazilian tapir....at least you could see them. The Malayan tapir is gorgeous but I believe her eye problems are pretty chronic. She's let out at night....after every one as gone home.
Nona the clouded leopard is 17 I think but she's pretty healthy and yes, the small cats exhibits are pretty ******. They face the wrong direction...they should be facing north. Part of the problem is that the cats disappear over the top or into the off limits areas to get some sun/warmth.
Stories of the sea will take over the existing seal exhibit and class rooms initially. There's a new entrance being put in at the Eastern end of the zoo/car park for easy access during contruction. The path will be blocked off just before you get to the bistro/food area. So if you're heading to buy a latte you'll have to turn right, past 'small cat alley' which is to remain open. Then you end up on the main drive near platypus again. I'm pretty sure small cats are being revamped at a later stage (but I may have dreamt it).
The South American parrots and agoutis will be placed in other enclosures around the zoo...haven't been told where yet.
One of the trees has been transplanted (the name is on the tip of my tongue...) from in front of the p'pus to the zoo's rail gate entrance. I believe there are more trees being transplanted as well....costs a bomb. There will be new 'temporary' maps issued. Small cats aren't on it b/c no one is sure how they'll react to the construction and they may hide for a few weeks.
The seals are being moved to some temporary pools which have been built next to the new water treatment plant. Again, they're not on the map, because no-one knows how well they'll settle. It's really tiny compared to what they're used to and if there are problems with the seals I think there's a "Plan B" and an alternate location but I don't know where.
There'll be another map issued in a few months once construction has started and animals have been rehoused and settled.
An additional tiger exhibit is planned on the other side of the wooden bridge where the tigers are at the moment. There's a lake there at the moment but the plan is to fill it in. The pelicans and cormorants are going to the new 'stories of the sea' (LUUURRVV that name) exhibit along with the penguins. I've heard whispers about a Dholl (is this spelt correctly) being put here also....but again I may have dreamt it.
Yes, the otters are old. That group will probably be replaced with another one eventually. I'm not aware of any plans to phase out the otter so I'm pretty sure they'll be replaced with a new group.....like the cape hunting dogs, I guess. (They WERE replaced by a new group when the original group got too old.)
There's also a young male snow leopard on it's way for the young female. The other two are well into their teens and the old female is almost blind and Melbourne Zoo is part of a regional breeding program. Not sure where the male is coming from.
.....I thinks that's it for now.....
ooooh, just remembered, the two adolescent mandrills (Lara the female and her younger brother) have gone to Adelaide. Young Leroy is still at Melbourne with the adults.
sheez, big movements!!!
otters arn't going anywhere i can assure you. the region has a program in place for the species. if they move them to the hippo exhibits for a few years they could probably afford to get another pair and breed them as they would have space for two groups, in fact overseas zoos have mixed binturong and otter together, so theres an option there for housing for even a third group potentially.
i was hoping the pelicans and cormorants would move to the new coastal area. however, the idea of filling in th elake for another tiger exhibit doesn't impress me much. not in the slightest. moreso, i think it'd be best to get the birds out, let the water unfoul and just do a bit of gardening on the islands to house white-cheeked gibbons and javan langurs (to be replaced by francois' long-term as to plan). that would be much cheaper and would also allow the primates to be viewed from both the tiger bridge and the raised platforms at the orangs. zoos victoria does need more tiger exhibit space, but they may as well either add that next door to the current exhibit (where there is just a very small holding enclosure for ramalon and undeveloped space) or build another at werribee, which has to get over its african safari obsession and get on board with programs for other species i say!
dhole, or asian wild dogs ARE planned for melbourne long-trem. taronga imported a pair from cambodia recently that have since had a pup. i wasn't so excited about tis addition to the region. would have liked to see the maned wolf secured first (theres another one that should move to werribee!) so far only melbourne and dubbo keep them and both zoos have filled all available space...
otters arn't going anywhere i can assure you. the region has a program in place for the species. if they move them to the hippo exhibits for a few years they could probably afford to get another pair and breed them as they would have space for two groups, in fact overseas zoos have mixed binturong and otter together, so theres an option there for housing for even a third group potentially.
i was hoping the pelicans and cormorants would move to the new coastal area. however, the idea of filling in th elake for another tiger exhibit doesn't impress me much. not in the slightest. moreso, i think it'd be best to get the birds out, let the water unfoul and just do a bit of gardening on the islands to house white-cheeked gibbons and javan langurs (to be replaced by francois' long-term as to plan). that would be much cheaper and would also allow the primates to be viewed from both the tiger bridge and the raised platforms at the orangs. zoos victoria does need more tiger exhibit space, but they may as well either add that next door to the current exhibit (where there is just a very small holding enclosure for ramalon and undeveloped space) or build another at werribee, which has to get over its african safari obsession and get on board with programs for other species i say!
dhole, or asian wild dogs ARE planned for melbourne long-trem. taronga imported a pair from cambodia recently that have since had a pup. i wasn't so excited about tis addition to the region. would have liked to see the maned wolf secured first (theres another one that should move to werribee!) so far only melbourne and dubbo keep them and both zoos have filled all available space...
Melbourne zoo only has one maned wolf at the moment.
I think there's a whole lot going on already. Australia is kinda limited I guess as we're so far from everyone/where else. The collections are definitely getting smaller and everyone is being a lot more selective. There are no plans to bring in extra jaguars or leopards....fantastic animals....which is a great loss to the region.
I would love to see more bird species as well as more ungulates. We all know it's highly unlikely.
I think there's a whole lot going on already. Australia is kinda limited I guess as we're so far from everyone/where else. The collections are definitely getting smaller and everyone is being a lot more selective. There are no plans to bring in extra jaguars or leopards....fantastic animals....which is a great loss to the region.
I would love to see more bird species as well as more ungulates. We all know it's highly unlikely.
or heres an idea, just leave the lake as is. yeh the water is foul, but pelicans range throughout australasia which means that at least melbourne has this precinct correct.
its nice to hear the otters have a bigger exhibit, but disheartening at the same time. im normally pro zoo, pro ARAZPA, but given current and future investment in the species(pygmy hippo) in terms of exhibitory (melbourne's exhibit is amazing and im sure taronga and adelaide will catch up soon) i cant help but feel the few years wasted housing animals in single sex groups was unjustified.
i only hope the program at taronga works, and that mareeba get involved. also what happened to the melbourne offspring? where were the calves sent?
and whilst i can live with, and accept, the phase out of congo buffalo, the sad situation of bongo, and sitatunga, and envy okapi, the loss of pygmy hippo would be a big blow which would leave me resigned to more generic 'primate forests' exhibits of mandrill, gorilla and colobus.
its nice to hear the otters have a bigger exhibit, but disheartening at the same time. im normally pro zoo, pro ARAZPA, but given current and future investment in the species(pygmy hippo) in terms of exhibitory (melbourne's exhibit is amazing and im sure taronga and adelaide will catch up soon) i cant help but feel the few years wasted housing animals in single sex groups was unjustified.
i only hope the program at taronga works, and that mareeba get involved. also what happened to the melbourne offspring? where were the calves sent?
and whilst i can live with, and accept, the phase out of congo buffalo, the sad situation of bongo, and sitatunga, and envy okapi, the loss of pygmy hippo would be a big blow which would leave me resigned to more generic 'primate forests' exhibits of mandrill, gorilla and colobus.
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glyn,
I feel for you Ozzie zoo fans that so few species can be accomodated in ARAZPA zoos. It seems a fact of life with so few zoos to do the merry rounds.
I have recently joined ARAZPA as an associate member and look forward to getting more in at the deep end of discussions on which species would best suit ARAZPA's an Ozzie zoo fans long term plans .......
I feel for you Ozzie zoo fans that so few species can be accomodated in ARAZPA zoos. It seems a fact of life with so few zoos to do the merry rounds.
I have recently joined ARAZPA as an associate member and look forward to getting more in at the deep end of discussions on which species would best suit ARAZPA's an Ozzie zoo fans long term plans .......