Melbourne Zoo Melbourne Zoo visits...

[MARK]

he is definitely fully fertile. melbourne tested both their existing animals before the zoo had imported the three thai elephants.

he used to mount kapah, but from what i have heard - i don't think he actually knows what he's doing and doesn't go all the way.

so i don't have massively high hopes for natural breedings just yet. however like taronga melbourne has all elephants trained in AI procedures and i was told they have plenty of bong-su "on ice"

Patrick, I had seen tv footage of Bong-su mounting Kapah a few years ago in the old elephant house, Glad to hear they have plenty of "Bong-su on ice", would you know if Taronga did the same with Heman would be a big plus if they had.

 

[patrick]

yeah. they were probably just talking rubbish. why would you need bong-su on ice when he is there available to ejaculate when needed?


by the way, not a job i would like to have.

 

[MARK]

Zooboy, Semen from Whipsnades Asian bull was flown out of the UK to Israel to a couple of years ago then inplanted into an Asian cow with a living calf resulting from this, I cant rememeber the time frame with the transporting of it now, but it took a while!

 

[Zoo_Boy]

Thats great, It's not impossible, but extremely hard to do, and must have invloved percise managment and planning.

 

[Pertinax]

he is definitely fully fertile. melbourne tested both their existing animals before the zoo had imported the three thai elephants.

he used to mount kapah, but from what i have heard - i don't think he actually knows what he's doing and doesn't go all the way.

so i don't have massively high hopes for natural breedings just yet. however like taronga melbourne has all elephants trained in AI procedures and i was told they have plenty of bong-su "on ice"

the logical thing would be to get another male to teach him as coming to melbourne as a baby he clearly has teh interest but not teh knowledge of what to do. of course i don't see any way the zoos would bother doing that.

I doubt bringing another bull in- even if it was possible- would help him at all. I think mating for elephants is purely an instinctive process, rather than learned behaviour. With Kapah, the problem could have been he'd lived with her so long in a one/one situation without any other elephants for extra stimulation that sexual interest had dulled so he only mounted her, but didn't actually mate her. The new females, being comparative strangers, are obviously stimulating him- I really hope he gets his act together and they don't have to resort to AI.

 

[dragon(ele)nerd]

I doubt bringing another bull in- even if it was possible- would help him at all. I think mating for elephants is purely an instinctive process, rather than learned behaviour. With Kapah, the problem could have been he'd lived with her so long in a one/one situation without any other elephants for extra stimulation that sexual interest had dulled so he only mounted her, but didn't actually mate her. The new females, being comparative strangers, are obviously stimulating him- I really hope he gets his act together and they don't have to resort to AI.

Your right Bong Su does quite know how to mate but the two mantained a brother-sister vrealationship because they grew up together since the age of 3 and 4. Bong Su might get Dokkon pregnant, a bull in Rockton zoo Cananda didn't have a descendent until he was 36, bong su is 34.

Then again Bong Su has met the Thai since Nov.2006 he should be used to them by now a Rotterdam bull called Alexander went to Antwerp zoo for a few months and got Khaing Phyo Phyo pregnant he then moved to Amersfoort.

 

[dragon(ele)nerd]

Thats great, It's not impossible, but extremely hard to do, and must have invloved percise managment and planning.

Apparently there is only one team in the world that has successfully artificial inseminated elephants they are from germany,

 

[snowleopard]

Melbourne Zoo parkers to pay | Herald Sun

Lots of zoos in the U.S. charge for parking, with prices averaging a few dollars per vehicle. But I've never heard of a time limit imposed on zoo visitors, and 5 hours to see Melbourne Zoo means that a visitor who enjoys taking his/her time might feel rushed in order to avoid a parking ticket.

 

[patrick]

that said, there is a bit of a parking problem at the zoo, and the explanation that non-zoo visitors use the carpark makes sense. i'm okay with it - its easy to get to the zoo using public transport, and thus a fee encourages more people to use an environmentally alternative.

ideally however the time limit would be avoided by a manned gate or "smartcard" type system. so that if you paid entry to the zoo, the maximum cost is $2, all day, whereas without a ticket its a $2 per half hour type deal.

 

[jay]

Melbourne zoo has excellent public transport. I like taking the tram and seeing the elephants as you approach the zoo is a great introduction. Then if it isn't hot a gentle stroll home across the park to the stops outside the university.

 

[Coquinguy]

absolutely. the more incentives there are to dissuade people from using private vehicles the better. the fee itself is unlikely to put people off going to the zoo, but as Patrick pointed out it may help to get non-zoo visitors out of the park, and raises a little extra revenue.
anyone visiting any of our major Australian zoos really doesnt have an excuse not to use public transport. reaching Perth Zoo is a quick and enjoyable ferry trip and a skip across a park. Likewise, Id say that anyone who arrives at Taronga by car is missing out on the one of the best parts of visiting the zoo.
And as for Melbourne, this zoo is easily and practically within walking distance from the city. and train and tram options.
GO PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

 

[dragon(ele)nerd]

that said, there is a bit of a parking problem at the zoo, and the explanation that non-zoo visitors use the carpark makes sense. i'm okay with it - its easy to get to the zoo using public transport, and thus a fee encourages more people to use an environmentally alternative.

I saw constuction the other day around a group a trees carpark perhaps?
I personally just get dropped off and go in for free one of the many previlges of being a member, but it kinda sucks when your a kid, last time i went some guy tripped me, i got a blood nose.

 

[PAT]

Did they really. I've been going alone since i was like 10 or 11 and that's never happened. I feel so sorry for you.

 

[dragon(ele)nerd]

Did they really. I've been going alone since i was like 10 or 11 and that's never happened. I feel so sorry for you.

you don't have to i've been bashed up in primary school. plus i'm used to racist comments. But thank you

 

[PAT]

Now your making me feel worse for you. Do you live in melbourne and go to a city school. I went to a small, country primary school and nothing like that ever happened.

 

[dragon(ele)nerd]

Now your making me feel worse for you. Do you live in melbourne and go to a city school. I went to a small, country primary school and nothing like that ever happened.

My primary school was in Rowville, Park ridge, big school 700 kids

 

[PAT]

We had like 120'ish. But back on topic I was gonna visit last wednesday but all you melbournians (and maybe snowleopard haha jokes) will know how bad the weather was. I had my camera ready to tkae a picture of the infamous baboon cage, of which there isn't one in the gallery, but it was dust storming and raining and hot. Funny weather.

 

[dragon(ele)nerd]

We had like 120'ish. But back on topic I was gonna visit last wednesday but all you melbournians (and maybe snowleopard haha jokes) will know how bad the weather was. I had my camera ready to tkae a picture of the infamous baboon cage, of which there isn't one in the gallery, but it was dust storming and raining and hot. Funny weather.

Good thing that no animals escaped

 

[snowleopard]

@pat: I'm feeling more like an Aussie every day! You should take a few photos of the infamous baboon exhibit, as then others can see what we've all been complaining about.

 

[patrick]

19/4/08

A quick visit today to sweat out the alcohol abuse from after work drinks..

the new enterance to the gorilla rainforest is finished and it a big improvement. unfortunately the gardening staff have completely abandoned teh idea of an "african rainforest" and are planting the place out with australian birds nest fern and south american bromeliads. which i think loooks lame, given there are a billion african plants in melbourne nurseries they could use instead.

they have also filled in part of the mandrills moat and permanently lowered the water. it no longer cascades into the ex-hippo pool. it looked like a half-arsed job and made what has lately been a shabby looking exhibit even shabbier. i wan't impressed with the quality of work.

sadly a lot of trees have fallen during the recent winds. including one that "popped out" of teh boardwalk at teh orangs. saw the baby siamang. the family was singing away (in fact i heard them as i was in the shower this morning - which is what made me decide to walk to the zoo).

the dead boring asian aviary was being relandscaped, finally! hopefully this means we might actually see the birds when they put some back!

the lories were gone and an unlabled owl was in their aviary.

the "elephant forest station" had american cornsnakes, bluetoungues and stumpy tails on display. which i think is dumb.

saw the peccaries - three on display and another three were pacing "out back". the "baby" is actually almost as big as the adults. i hope the zoo continue to breed these animals.

virtually nothing has happened on the new marine precinct since my last visit. just a bit of rubble etc removed. its actually going to be quite large and extends into areas on the northern side never before used by the public. i'm assuming the heritage cocky/amazon avairy will be incorperated into the theme. sea eagles would be good...

and lastly it seems every time i visit the zoo they have made some "add on" to something somewhere. unfortunately they never make any effort to blend these "add-ons" with teh existing architecture. TOTE looks like a big fat overbaked mess to me with pilons, sails, steel railings, and ugly signs thrown all over the place as a later addition, that as far as i can tell serve little purpose. meanwhile nice original features, like the bamboo waterwheel in the village garden has sat broken, rotting and falling apart for years.

oh and remeber teh signs that i complained about inside the asian aviaries last time i went? (i wondered why they couldn't be outside the aviaries) - well the birds have crapped all over them!

lovely.