Openning A Private Zoo

[Jo]

Hello Blake,

b). Mate you've got no idea what you getting yourself into so why even bother...

More power to you..!

1. no one has said the first one, they may have said you obviously don't have experience but no one said don't bother, but they did say you need to research fully before going ahead.

2. funny, I said those words myself in the above post, if Blake does the right thing by the animals and the region I said great, more power to you.

Also, I can see you have a vested interest in his plan going ahead as you are hoping he will chose you to help, but for those of us who live here, and are literally on the door step it is our concern that zoos are run ethically and properly. Small zoos already have a horrendous reputation and to have another failure is another nail in the coffin for all of us.

If it is going to be considered then the negatives must be known so they can be factored in as well to see if it is viable.

I am not going to comment on Blake's income, but I hope he does have deep pockets because a zoo doesn't come cheap. When you consider that the chimp enclosure at Monarto is going to cost over a million (and that is not even counting the perimeter fencing or other infrastructure already there that would need to be built from scratch), that is a good example of the costings, and you cannot cut corners on dangerous animals.

 

[ZYBen]

but for those of us who live here, and are literally on the door step it is our concern that zoos are run ethically and properly. Small zoos already have a horrendous reputation and to have another failure is another nail in the coffin for all of us.

We being the ones that work with these private parks, who live and breath these private parks will only suffer more if more of these "second rate' parks pop up, we dont need even more bad cred syurronding South Australian Zoos and Wildlife Parks, Whyalla Zoo, Warrawong the list goes on........

 

[NZ Jeremy]

Do i smell a suck up?

and rainforests will survive really well in swan reach!

I don't know the climate there, the whole plan was theoretical, for fun...

 

[ZYBen]

i thoght if you were to go to that much trouble in your post you would have atleast gone to Home Page - Bureau of Meteorology

 

[NZ Jeremy]

Also, I can see you have a vested interest in his plan going ahead as you are hoping he will chose you to help

I'm not going to leave my own country, my girlfriend and job I love for what is in all likelihood a pipe dream (no offence)...

I said earler in the thread I'd go over for free to help (truthfully that is just bravado)...

I'd appreciate some comment on the viability of my plan though..?

 

[Jarkari]

Any planned zoo should be done at the very least under the guidance of a professional. you would want atleast $1 million in the bank and probably an extra $1 million to grow interest to continue to grow support. How far is Swan Reach from Adelaide and Monarto? Your costs in setup will be significantly lower if you don't wish to be open to the public however this then reduces your potential to earn income to support the property financially. The minimum is an eight foot security fence with barb angling out, to prevent the public gaining access. This is something that requires serious consideration and a primarily some knowledg of at the very least the laws. But If this truly is your passion, go for it and don't let anyone tell you not to. But Ben, Jo and ZooPro do know what they are talking about, moreso than, no offence, Patrick and probably NZJeremy and I would take their advice very seriously.

 

[ZYBen]

Thanks Jarkari.

I wasnt going to say this but...

In South Australia you will need a class A Zoo permit for any of the species you want.

It is possible to get a class B zoo permit which allows you to keep many other species, a requirement of the class B is that you are open for atleast 350 days of the year, so in essence there are no Private Zoos in SA, just Privatley Owned, i belive this is simliar all over the country, but dont hold me to that.

The requirments for a Class A permit are only available to holders of a Class B, to the best of my knowledge Lions would be on Class A, as would many of the asscoiated Circus Species, Elephants, Tigers. You can have Macacques on a Class B though, they are fun...

 

[Jarkari]

Yes NSW is similar. you require a declared pest permit to hold exotic animals in private hands and not be open to the public. There are ways around this however if you wish to limit visitor numbers. But pest permits are now usually only issued to people that had the animals prior to new laws being introduced.

 

[siuk]

I'm interested too. I know someone (my auntie) who plans on doing something similar. How do you go about getting the animals in the first place?

google the specialist keepers assosiation, and drop Rory an email he will be able to help you out.

 

[PAT]

So Blake how did this go. I didn't remember this thread for a while and when I did I wondered if you were still around and still trying to achieve you dream.

 

[CGSwans]

Ah, the dream that I'm sure everyone here dreams.

I won't say where my idea for a zoo location would be, but my thoughts about how to go about it are roughly equivalent to NZ Jeremy's post from this thread's previous life. Easy to get natives first (kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, wombats, quolls, echidnas, dingoes, a free-flight aviary and native reptiles). Then I'd like to do a marine tropical fish exhibit and, if I don't get further than that - that is, if it's viable with that collection but not more, then that's ok. I'd be happy doing that. Let's say that's where you want to be after 3 years.

*If* another zoo for exotics proved viable in Australia, I'd start with small, well-established species first. Capuchins, ring-tailed lemurs, cotton-top tamarins, red pandas, small-clawed otters and meerkats are the species in this category. Along with ungulates that are feral/semi-domesticated in Australia - dromedaries, water buffalo, chital and llamas. Also, exotic birds and reptiles acquired opportunistically. ARAZPA membership would be applied for and hopefully obtained during this time. Let's say, that's where we want to be after 6 years.

Along the way, I'd want to fill out the Australian collection - tree kangaroos, bilbies, platypi, Tassie devils, cassowaries, wedge-tailed eagles and wetlands birds. Again, probably acquired as available.

Stage 3 is moving into some of the bigger, more charismatic exotic mammal species, that are nevertheless well-established in Australian collections and relatively easy to obtain. Stage 3 assumes ARAZPA membership, and involves species like lions, tigers, sun bears, giraffes, zebras, tapir, white rhinos, antelope, seals, gibbons and chimpanzees. Smaller species such as colobus monkeys, coatis, maned wolves, servals and fishing cats are also acquired opportunistically. Antarctic penguins are also something that I'd like to see become better established in Australia and New Zealand.

A well-managed growing zoo might aim to add one large and one small mammal species each year. $5m or $50m enclosures might still be the preserve of Taronga and Melbourne, but I've seen plenty of enclosures with six rather than seven-figure price tags that I feel are excellent for both animals and visitors.

Let's say that's the zoo after 20 years. From there, stage 4 involves a small number of highly specialised, expensive to acquire and maintain species - elephants, dolphins, orangutans and gorillas (though who knows, by the time I could put any of these ideas into action some of these species might fit into stage 3). Also, because this is a dream and I'm not interested in being told it can never happen ( ), imports of flamingoes, crowned cranes, toucans, hornbills and birds-of-paradise to bring a reasonable collection of exotic birds to Australia.

That's the zoo after 30 years. From there, it's time for consolidation and a succession plan... though naturally I intend to see out my days in the little house I build on the edge of the zoo.

 

[nrg800]

Well as I'm not old enough to work I can't directly move and help, but I could help with the exhibit designs, Graphics and information about Native Animals.

 

[Quartz92]

Blake any update on your plan for a zoo?

 

[m575]

so what's the budget? Anyone can say "money doesn't matter" but in reality, it does. Animals require A LOT of maintance, and most keepers specialise in one or two types, so it's hard or even impossible to get an 'all rounder' So for wages alone you could be looking at $300,000+ PER YEAR. Then there's the incredible amount of food these animals eat. Medication etc.

Ontop of this, I'm sure public zoos would be given priority over private zoos, so if you're after an animal, and they want it, doubt you'd get it. And you've mentioned ex circus zoos.. ie, lions, chimps, elephants.

I honestly have NEVER seen a zoo in Australia with animals like that. The last one I saw had ponies.. I'm not saying there isn't any, just that they are rare.

And then if you end up buying one from overseas, the quarantine costs are something which you need to consider. They are SIGNIFICANT.

 

[CGSwans]

Ontop of this, I'm sure public zoos would be given priority over private zoos, so if you're after an animal, and they want it, doubt you'd get it.

Whilst I agree with your other points, I'm not sure why this should be the case. If a zoo is a member of ARAZPA, then by definition they have achieved the regional standard in animal care. As long as the private institution has the resources (money, space, expertise) to maintain an animal, I see absolutely no reason why they should be considered inferior to a statutory zoo.

On the topic of starting new zoos in Australia more broadly. I don't know how much space is left in Australia for new zoos. Most, though by my reckoning not all, of the potential markets are filled. South-east Queensland is the most obvious one, where no one institution seems to *quite* make it as a premier zoo. You have Alma Park in the Brisbane suburbs, but that is small, pricey and doesn't have a great collection nor high standard exhibits. The Gold Coast is served by several attractions with wildlife - Sea World, Dreamworld, Currumbin and David Fleay Wildlife Park - though they are either not true zoos, are pricey or are limited in scope. Finally, there's Australia Zoo - an hour north of Brisbane with very high prices and an as-yet smallish collection. Whether a new institution could compete with Australia Zoo's marketing machine I don't know.

I think anyone aspiring to open a new zoo is either going to have to be flush with cash before even starting out (to establish themselves in SEQ), or content to operate in a regional market, with the more limited scope for visitation and expansion that that entails. The exception might be an open-range zoo outside Perth.

 

[m575]

Whilst I agree with your other points, I'm not sure why this should be the case. If a zoo is a member of ARAZPA, then by definition they have achieved the regional standard in animal care. As long as the private institution has the resources (money, space, expertise) to maintain an animal, I see absolutely no reason why they should be considered inferior to a statutory zoo.

You're right. I guess I'm comapring it to a traditional "private zoo".

But if it comes down to what you said, I still think a public zoo would come out ahead. They'd most likely have better facilities, better vets, vets always on call, or on site, more money, more expierenced keepers, better enclosures and finally, if it's for breeding, a better breeding program + the certainty of long term comitment.

 

[ZYBen]

THis thread is old an dreally going no where, it should never have been bumped if you want to discuss the pro's and con's of opening a zoo, and base them on Fact and evidence please go ahead