Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo News 2025

[Jambo]

Forgot to mention that I also spotted an Australian Ringneck Parrot in the aviary at the end of the Australian trail (opposite the Koala cage). It joins the pair of Red Tailed Black Cockatoos and White Browed Woodswallows there.

This is a new species for Melbourne. I do note that Healesville does have this species though.

 

[Zoofan15]

Breeding plans for Canberra grassland earless dragons:

Melbourne Zoo to breed endangered Earless Dragons for ACT in $2 million program | Region Canberra

The ACT Government will pay Melbourne Zoo almost $2 million for a four-year program to breed critically endangered Canberra Grassland Earless Dragons.

Melbourne Zoo is required to build the captive colony to 200 breeding individuals and generate further Earless Dragons ready for reintroduction to the wild, as well as improve their genetic diversity.

Under the contract, the zoo is expected to build the breeding colony to 50 to 100 dragons by 28 February 2027, 80 to 130 by 28 February 2028 and up to 200 by 28 February 2029.

 

[CGSwans]

The enclosure itself is poorly designed for engagement for this species anyway. The monkeys are rarely at the front of the enclosure anyway, and they'd surely receive more engagement in one of the Treetop Boardwalk enclosures. As you say, the Binturong would be far more suitable to that enclosure, as they'd sleep in the nest boxes right at the front of the exhibit.

Here’s an even better idea - remove the undercover section at the front of the exhibit entirely, and restore it back to the excellent medium-sized planted aviary it was originally. It’s a complete waste of space the way it is, because you can barely see into it.

 

[Jambo]

Here’s an even better idea - remove the undercover section at the front of the exhibit entirely, and restore it back to the excellent medium-sized planted aviary it was originally. It’s a complete waste of space the way it is, because you can barely see into it.

Do you recall what birds were there? I remember Peacocks, but that's about it. I also remember a much smaller aviary located next to the main elephant paddock. That's been long demolished though.

It's a shame as the bird collection within that area has dramatically dropped off, and could absolutely do with more species of birds especially when you consider the other Rainforest precinct (Gorilla Rainforest), doesn't have a single bird species there. Outside of the Australian trail, there's only ten bird species that can be found elsewhere in the zoo..

 

[Astrobird]

Do you recall what birds were there? I remember Peacocks, but that's about it. I also remember a much smaller aviary located next to the main elephant paddock. That's been long demolished though.

It's a shame as the bird collection within that area has dramatically dropped off, and could absolutely do with more species of birds especially when you consider the other Rainforest precinct (Gorilla Rainforest), doesn't have a single bird species there. Outside of the Australian trail, there's only ten bird species that can be found elsewhere in the zoo..

That aviary had a single "green" peacock, plus usually a pair or group of pheasants (i remember both Reeves and Lady Amhursts being kept in there) and various plum headed parrots, ecelectus parrots, green winged doves and possibly bleeding hearts at one stage also. The other small aviary once held a pair of red lory's and then a single barn owl from memory

 

[Zoofan15]

Western lowland gorilla cause of death revealed:

In responding to a visitor comment, Zoos Victoria have advised Kimya the Western lowland gorilla died as a result of a “sudden and severe infection”.

No further information is given, though I did wonder at the time whether it was Pyometra, which is a sudden and severe infection (of the uterus).

Kimya was 20 years old when she died in February 2025.

 

[Zorro]

Western lowland gorilla cause of death revealed:

In responding to a visitor comment, Zoos Victoria have advised Kimya the Western lowland gorilla died as a result of a “sudden and severe infection”.

No further information is given, though I did wonder at the time whether it was Pyometra, which is a sudden and severe infection (of the uterus).

Kimya was 20 years old when she died in February 2025.

That's a real shame and a major setback for the zoo!

 

[Zoofan15]

That's a real shame and a major setback for the zoo!

The loss of Kimya (a prime aged breeding female) and also that of Fikiri (juvenile female at Taronga Zoo) were indeed both major set backs and together contributed to the decision to transfer Taronga’s females to Melbourne Zoo.

Allowing Melbourne’s troop to dwindle to a 1.1 pair and their daughter was always going to place them in a precarious position, but I imagine the hope was for them to continue on, with Kanzi’s maturation tieing them over until Fikiri could be transferred across.

 

[Zoofan15]

Taxidermy of Kiani (Orangutan) and Bong Su (Elephant)

Kiani the hybrid orangutan (died 2024) and Bong Su the Asian elephant (died 2017) are set to be exhibited at Melbourne Museum after being prepared for display by a taxidermist.

Melbourne Museum taxidermy exhibit: How scientists brought back Melbourne’s most famous orangutan and elephant

Using photos of the orangutan to capture her natural motion, preparators created a body out of polystyrene and clay. Kiana’s coat was tanned and then spread over its new skeleton, and she was given a new tree branch to hang from.

 

[Pertinax]

Taxidermy of Kiani (Orangutan) and Bong Su (Elephant)

Kiani the hybrid orangutan (died 2024) and Bong Su the Asian elephant (died 2017) are set to be exhibited at Melbourne Museum after being prepared for display by a taxidermist.

Melbourne Museum taxidermy exhibit: How scientists brought back Melbourne’s most famous orangutan and elephant

Using photos of the orangutan to capture her natural motion, preparators created a body out of polystyrene and clay. Kiana’s coat was tanned and then spread over its new skeleton, and she was given a new tree branch to hang from.

Unfortunately the news article has a blocker on it but I managed to read snippets before it times out and see the photo of Kiani as a taxidermy. It looks very natural. Why do they say a 'new' tree branch though if she hasn't been exhibited before?

 

[Zoofan15]

Unfortunately the news article has a blocker on it but I managed to read snippets before it times out and see the photo of Kiani as a taxidermy. It looks very natural. Why do they say a 'new' tree branch though if she hasn't been exhibited before?

Yes, the wording was rather strange. She died last year and this is definitely her first time being on display, so I suppose it’s just a way of saying she’s been given a tree branch so people can see her as she was in life. The article details capturing her image from photos to recreate her body, so they clearly aimed to be as naturalistic as possible. There’s been some horrific attempts at taxidermy throughout history, so they with the technology available in the 21st century, they were keen to do their upmost to be representative of what an orangutan would look like.

Bull elephant Bong Su looks magnificent. His tusks (obviously replicas in the taxidermy) have been captured to perfection - right down to his perfectly straight right tusk.

 

[The Sleepy Hippo]

What happened to Bong Su's tusks?

 

[Zoofan15]

What happened to Bong Su's tusks?

I assume they were donated to the museum along with his hide and the rest of his skeleton. Auckland Museum has Auckland Zoo’s bull elephant (Rajah) on display and holds his bones off display in the Musuem’s osteology collection. His real tusks were stolen many years ago (as was his tail), so fake replicas were created to replace them. Musuems have extensive collections of items not on display and so it seems sensible to have something as valuable as ivory secured.

 

[Zoofan15]

Female Koala joey emerges from the pouch:

From socials:

Meet Peach, our adorable female Koala joey at Melbourne Zoo!

Born to first-time mum Pretzel, lil' Peach is now seven months old and has started to climb on mum's back.

 

[Jambo]

Female Koala joey emerges from the pouch:

From socials:

Meet Peach, our adorable female Koala joey at Melbourne Zoo!

Born to first-time mum Pretzel, lil' Peach is now seven months old and has started to climb on mum's back.

Great news! There should still be a few more Koala joeys to emerge assuming all has gone well.

It's equally nice to hear for Pretzel, who was rescued from the devastating bushfires back in 2020.

 

[austrlain zoo gower]

A few wild sea updates -

A new glass pool fence has been installed around the seal enclosure giving visitors a better view

Melbourne Zoo has welcomed 3 new little penguin chicks.
“
Two of our chicks have already ventured out of their burrows and can often be spotted splashing about in the pool alongside the adults. Next time you pass by, keep an eye out for their wing bands, brown-brown and green-black.

One of the chicks recently weighed in at an impressive 1.36 kg, even bigger than either of her parents! All three have also been confirmed as females. They're about to shed their fluffy down and grow a sleek new coat of glossy black and blue feathers.

The third chick hatched a couple of weeks later, so she's still finishing her moult and hasn't emerged from the burrow just yet. You can catch a glimpse of her on our live-stream cameras in The Deep for a special behind-the-scenes look.“

 

[Zoofan15]

A few wild sea updates -

A new glass pool fence has been installed around the seal enclosure giving visitors a better view

Melbourne Zoo has welcomed 3 new little penguin chicks.
“
Two of our chicks have already ventured out of their burrows and can often be spotted splashing about in the pool alongside the adults. Next time you pass by, keep an eye out for their wing bands, brown-brown and green-black.

One of the chicks recently weighed in at an impressive 1.36 kg, even bigger than either of her parents! All three have also been confirmed as females. They're about to shed their fluffy down and grow a sleek new coat of glossy black and blue feathers.

The third chick hatched a couple of weeks later, so she's still finishing her moult and hasn't emerged from the burrow just yet. You can catch a glimpse of her on our live-stream cameras in The Deep for a special behind-the-scenes look.“

It’s always encouraging to hear of investment in the Wild Seas precinct (or more specifically the pinniped exhibit), which gives confidence in a long term intention of Zoos Victoria to continue with pinnipeds.

Investment in supporting infrastructure (pumps, filtrations etc) will be required, but otherwise it remains a fully functional exhibit; and Melbourne Zoo certainly have enough priorities for renewal (including three empty elephant paddocks).

I’ll be interested to know what Melbourne’s plans are for replacing the elderly New Zealand fur seals upon their inevitable passing, which will leave behind the younger Bella (Australian fur seal). Taronga are certainly well placed to supply Melbourne with New Zealand fur seals; or even Australian sea lions following a string of recent births.

 

[Jambo]

A few wild sea updates -

A new glass pool fence has been installed around the seal enclosure giving visitors a better view

Melbourne Zoo has welcomed 3 new little penguin chicks.
“
Two of our chicks have already ventured out of their burrows and can often be spotted splashing about in the pool alongside the adults. Next time you pass by, keep an eye out for their wing bands, brown-brown and green-black.

One of the chicks recently weighed in at an impressive 1.36 kg, even bigger than either of her parents! All three have also been confirmed as females. They're about to shed their fluffy down and grow a sleek new coat of glossy black and blue feathers.

The third chick hatched a couple of weeks later, so she's still finishing her moult and hasn't emerged from the burrow just yet. You can catch a glimpse of her on our live-stream cameras in The Deep for a special behind-the-scenes look.“

It’s always encouraging to hear of investment in the Wild Seas precinct (or more specifically the pinniped exhibit), which gives confidence in a long term intention of Zoos Victoria to continue with pinnipeds.

Investment in supporting infrastructure (pumps, filtrations etc) will be required, but otherwise it remains a fully functional exhibit; and Melbourne Zoo certainly have enough priorities for renewal (including three empty elephant paddocks).

I’ll be interested to know what Melbourne’s plans are for replacing the elderly New Zealand fur seals upon their inevitable passing, which will leave behind the younger Bella (Australian fur seal). Taronga are certainly well placed to supply Melbourne with New Zealand fur seals; or even Australian sea lions following a string of recent births.

That's really good news - it explains why the top of the seals was closed on my most recent visit. One long time issue of mine was the lack of close opportunities to view the seals unless they were in the two small BTS pools. It was obviously a no brainer at this point to remove the land area that previously stood in between the visitor path and the seal enclosure and provide guests with a better viewing opportunity if the seals are on the rocks (albeit through glass).

Here's a photo from member's news:

 

[Alby]

I visited for a couple of hours yesterday and spent a lot of time watching the gorillas, seems an exciting time to see the five of them get settled together. Kanzi wandered off for a bit of time alone here and there, but otherwise there's plenty of intermingling going on. I noticed one had a pink fleshy area around her shoulder blade, maybe this was Frala (I can't ID them all yet!) and that lump has been removed?

Also I had a question about Khan the Komodo - when Khan arrived, the publicity material said "he", but now I've seen a couple of things saying "she". I gather that sexing a Komodo is not easy, does anyone know if they realised she was female in recent months?

 

[Zoofan15]

I visited for a couple of hours yesterday and spent a lot of time watching the gorillas, seems an exciting time to see the five of them get settled together. Kanzi wandered off for a bit of time alone here and there, but otherwise there's plenty of intermingling going on. I noticed one had a pink fleshy area around her shoulder blade, maybe this was Frala (I can't ID them all yet!) and that lump has been removed?

Yes, Frala was the female gorilla with the lump on her shoulder. It sounds like it’s been excised (and was hopefully benign). Frala is the oldest female in the troop.

If you see a prime aged female sticking to Otana like glue, that’s probably Mbeli. She’s very fond of him.

ID photos: Zoo News

Frala:



Mbeli:



Johari:

Also I had a question about Khan the Komodo - when Khan arrived, the publicity material said "he", but now I've seen a couple of things saying "she". I gather that sexing a Komodo is not easy, does anyone know if they realised she was female in recent months?

Yes, signage indicates Melbourne’s Komodo dragon (Kahn) is actually a female. It was clearly given the name Kahn prior to sexing being undertaken (Auckland Zoo do the same with Galapagos giant tortoise and Greater flamingo).

Kahn is only 3.5 years old and male and female Komodo dragons are usually indistinguishable in size until they reach sexual maturity at 5-7 years, so the gender must have been ascertained via another means such as genetic testing.