Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo News 2024

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Jambo said:
I went a few weeks ago and there's still nothing there, just an empty fenced off area. There is a secondary path that looks like it has been built but it just goes straight behind the Elephant Hut towards the Butterfly House; probably taking into account the closure of thewhole elephant complex once they leave in the coming months, still giving visitors access to the Butterfly House.

Vegatation has also been cleared behind Hutan's enclosure, so you can now view the back of Hutan's enclosure from the top of the Gorilla enclosure. Not sure whether this is also in preparation for an entire overhaul of the whole Asian trail.
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very late response. But when the land was originally being cleared I heard from volunteers it was being done for the comfort of Hutan, they had claimed he had shown a preference to the more open space without such dense foliage around him. This did of course only come from volunteers though and they may not have up to date information
 
FunnyJamie said:
very late response. But when the land was originally being cleared I heard from volunteers it was being done for the comfort of Hutan, they had claimed he had shown a preference to the more open space without such dense foliage around him. This did of course only come from volunteers though and they may not have up to date information
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It makes sense when you think about it as tigers are apex predators who like to have maximal view of their surrounds. There would be many smaller felids who would thrive in a well vegetated environment; but it’s easy to see how Hutan would favour a more open exhibit like Indrah (who incidentally I saw several times on my visits last year).

Hamilton Zoo’s exhibit was initially planted out with bamboo thickets that the cautious females would vanish behind. Years later it was cut back and one of those females, who was previously considered a shy tigress was soon content to nap in full view of the public.
 
FunnyJamie said:
very late response. But when the land was originally being cleared I heard from volunteers it was being done for the comfort of Hutan, they had claimed he had shown a preference to the more open space without such dense foliage around him. This did of course only come from volunteers though and they may not have up to date information
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I travel around a lot for my job, and they seem to put me in Melbourne a fair amount so I head in often.

I chatted to a volunteer too and was told the exact same thing. He can now view the gorillas and he's showed a lot of interest in them which is the type of response keepers wanted.

Lovely enrichment for him and I personally believe it's helped reduce his pacing habit. He has more to observe now which is only natural for a tiger.
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
In October Monarto sent 8.0 Ring-tailed Lemurs (US-born Hendrix imported by Australia Zoo and his seven sons) to be mixed with Melbourne Zoo’s current bachelor group - confirmed via email.
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Very exciting news. They'll be mixed with Melbourne's current eight boys who've been living together for over a decade now. Will make for a fascinating display that will hopefully utilise the entirety of the Lemur enclosure more efficiently!
 
WhistlingKite24 said:
In October Monarto sent 8.0 Ring-tailed Lemurs (US-born Hendrix imported by Australia Zoo and his seven sons) to be mixed with Melbourne Zoo’s current bachelor group - confirmed via email.
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Jambo said:
Very exciting news. They'll be mixed with Melbourne's current eight boys who've been living together for over a decade now. Will make for a fascinating display that will hopefully utilise the entirety of the Lemur enclosure more efficiently!
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I found Melbourne’s Ring-tailed lemur exhibit to be underwhelming on my visit due to the sparsely populated exhibit. The arrival of these males will create a hive of activity, rivalled only by the large breeding troops at Monarto, Wellington etc.
 
Zoofan15 said:
I found Melbourne’s Ring-tailed lemur exhibit to be underwhelming on my visit due to the sparsely populated exhibit. The arrival of these males will create a hive of activity, rivalled only by the large breeding troops at Monarto, Wellington etc.
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And the fact that Melbourne's old boys are very lazy too - hopefully these new boys (most being younger too) will help spice up the troop dynamics and reinvigorate the entire exhibit!
 
Jambo said:
And the fact that Melbourne's old boys are very lazy too - hopefully these new boys (most being younger too) will help spice up the troop dynamics and reinvigorate the entire exhibit!
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Given the size of the exhibit, I wouldn’t mind seeing a mixed species exhibit with Ruffed lemur. Unlike RTL, the females (even related) are a challenge to house together in the presence of males, so having a second exhibit could facilitate breeding.
 
Visited today and there was a bunch of Komodo dragon stuff next to keeper kids. I forgot to take photos but the empty exhibit had a sign for them and there was an exterior section with a sign mentioning the "First Komodo dragon bred in Australia", or something like that anyway. This coupled with most of the elephant theming already being replaced by insects was pretty jarring, anybody know anything about this?
 
Krookaburra said:
Visited today and there was a bunch of Komodo dragon stuff next to keeper kids. I forgot to take photos but the empty exhibit had a sign for them and there was an exterior section with a sign mentioning the "First Komodo dragon bred in Australia", or something like that anyway. This coupled with most of the elephant theming already being replaced by insects was pretty jarring, anybody know anything about this?
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How exciting! A number of us have been hoping Melbourne Zoo would acquire this species for some time.

The sign would refer to one of the hatchlings bred at the Australian Reptile Park:

Australian Reptile Park - Australian First! Komodo Dragons Hatch at the Reptile Park

Melbourne’s elephant herd will be transferring to Werribee within the next month; but little has been disclosed about their replacements.
 
The Sleepy Hippo said:
And insect theming going up means I might get my Insectarium after all! ;)
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It would certainly tie in with Butterfly House (1985), which is part of the Trail of the Elephants Complex, though insects replacing elephants is a plot twist none of us saw coming.

Hopefully it takes the form of something structured like an Insectarium and Arachnidary rather than a generalised nature trail/kids play area; though anything of an invertebrate nature should be complimenting mammal exhibits in my opinion. In terms of visitor appeal, insects aren’t gonna draw the crowds.
 
Krookaburra said:
Visited today and there was a bunch of Komodo dragon stuff next to keeper kids. I forgot to take photos but the empty exhibit had a sign for them and there was an exterior section with a sign mentioning the "First Komodo dragon bred in Australia", or something like that anyway. This coupled with most of the elephant theming already being replaced by insects was pretty jarring, anybody know anything about this?
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That certainly points to an imminent arrival of some ARP Komodo youngsters....!

I am excited about the move of the Melbourne elephant herd up to Werribee. How about darn time it was! Keep wondering what replacement for the area would be suitable. I would love to see that Heart of Africa development taking off... (but that seems to have stalled too).
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
That certainly points to an imminent arrival of some ARP Komodo youngsters....!

I am excited about the move of the Melbourne elephant herd up to Werribee. How about darn time it was! Keep wondering what replacement for the area would be suitable. I would love to see that Heart of Africa development taking off... (but that seems to have stalled too).
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Could you give a breakdown of the Heart of Africa development?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
I think some of the Aussie regulars here are better at informing you what is the status of the Heart of Africa now and beyond 2024/25 Futures!
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I believe you’re referring to Werribee’s African Waterhole Trail. I was told that everything has been put on hold until the elephant complex is complete due to that being a priority for funding.

Once the elephant complex opens early next year, Zoos Victoria will hopefully be able to focus on the other projects outlined in the Werribee masterplan - including an expansion of their lion facilities; and acquiring new species like Spotted hyena. As part of the African Waterhole Precinct, a breeding facility for Cheetah was also in the plans, which would be exciting. There was also a SkySafari.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
No, I am in particular referring to what will happen to the elephant habitat once the elephants leave for Werribee! Plus what other projects are in store later on Futures 2025 beyond at Melbourne where the loss of zoo visitor favourites need recompensating!
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I’ve literally never heard of Heart of Africa of Futures 2025, so please feel free to share any information you’re allowed to disclose.

I agree Melbourne Zoo will need some big draw cards to replace the elephants. Initially reports were this would take the form of several smaller species; while more recent reports have been around a ropes course (temporary replacement); and as of yesterday, insects.
 
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