I visited Mogo on the 18th, 23rd and 24th of January. My last visit was in 2022 so a lot has changed.
- Spinifex Hopping Mice are no longer on display. They have been replaced by more Plains Rats.
- There were only two tigers on display - one Sumatran and one hybrid. Does that add up?
- There seem to no longer be free roaming guineafowl.
- Serval are no longer on display and the Caracals are in their old exhibit.
- Due to the fact that the main red panda exhibits are closed for breeding (although the animals are still visible from a distance and I saw three individuals), one red panda has been moved into the Radiated Tortoise exhibit, making for a very odd mix.
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- The exhibit next door to the tortoises and red panda which I believe used to hold Fennec Foxes (which left in 2021) has a pair of Koalas and signage for Quokka which I did not see.
- When I was there in 2022, there were two Cheetah exhibits next to each other between the otters and kangaroos, one housing a male who had been acquired for breeding. However, he didn’t get on with the resident female and went back to the zoo from whence he came. The exhibit opposite the row of tamarin exhibits now houses a pair of Dingoes.
- Lots of changes in the Animal Feeding Area. In 2022 there was a walkthrough with Kangaroo Island Kangaroos with a large rest area at the back and a side paddock for European Fallow Deer. Now Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Swamp Wallaby have been added to the walkthrough, and the two Dromedary Camels have been moved to the large kangaroo rest area. A smaller area in the main walkthrough has been roped off so that the macropods can get away from both the camels and the visitors. The side paddock now has the two female Ostriches mixed with the deer.
- The reason for the camels and ostriches being added to the feeding area is (I assume) because of the two young giraffe calves. In 2022, the camels and ostriches were mixed with the zebras and the entire Giraffe herd was kept together and without being mixed with any other species. Now the calves are in that exhibit with about 5 adults, and the rest of the herd is mixed with the zebras. The former feeding deck for the camels and ostriches has been closed off.
- A second zebra foal was born yesterday morning.
- The most exciting piece of news as far as I’m concerned is that the partially off-display aviary between the lions and gorillas (which held surplus Golden Lion Tamarins and Pygmy Marmosets in 2022) now houses two pairs of macaws. They are clearly either Military or Buffon’s Macaws but I couldn’t tell which. Either would be very exciting due to the rarity of both species in Australia!! I have attached a photo for identification purposes; there are a pair of the macaws in the top left (sorry for the terrible image quality, I had to take the photo on my phone - a very old iPhone SE!)
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- All the gorillas are now in together after the reintroduction of Kaius and G-Anne. Kaius was almost entirely independent and today seemed much more interested in the visitors than the other gorillas; though yesterday I did observe some interaction between Kaius and Kisane. Didn’t manage to spot G-Anne on the 18th or 23rd, but I did manage to see her at the back of the exhibit today.
- Due to G-Anne being integrated with the rest of the gorilla troop, her former island exhibit now just houses the Wandering Whistling Ducks and Egyptian Geese that used to be mixed with her.
- There are currently 4 Siamangs on display - 2 on each island. In 2022 there were about 7 so three have either gone off display or have left the zoo.
- The former Lar Gibbon island has a pair of Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs.
- The island that had Cotton-top Tamarins in 2022 now has a family of 6 Golden Lion Tamarins.
- I noticed two male Ostriches in the water buffalo paddocks along Tomakin Rd.
Species lost since my last visit in January 2022:
- Spinifex Hopping Mouse
- Helmeted Guineafowl
- Serval
- Snow Leopard
Species gained since my last visit in January 2022:
- Caracal
- Sri Lankan Leopard
- Koala
- Quokka (not seen)
- Dingo
- Eastern Grey Kangaroo
- Swamp Wallaby
- Military/Buffon’s(?) Macaw
- Spotted Hyena
Overall a net gain of 5 species, with the number of native species doubling since my last visit (there are now 8 native species compared to 4 three years ago).