I visited the Perth Zoo on the 1st October. It was my first visit here and I was very impressed with it. Everything looks really nice and I honestly can't remember any "bad" enclosures at all. The zoo is divided into three broad sections: Australia, rainforest, and Africa. Unfortunately the entire Wetlands area, which opens the Australian section, was closed for renovation; I didn't mind missing out on the little blue penguins and pelicans, but it did mean I couldn't see the Western swamp tortoise (to use the Australian name 
) or the frogs which was disappointing. Most of the Australian section is taken up with a walk-through enclosure for kangaroos and what-not with side-exhibits for koalas and wombats, all of which is kind of lost on me but obviously something non-Australasian tourists find appealing. The whole area looks great I must admit but I was more interested in the aviaries and the numbats. Perth Zoo has a very important breeding programme for numbats, from which they have released something like 100 animals back into the wild. The numbat (I think there's just one on display) was hiding when I first went to see him but on my return later was out and about being very active and photogenic. They really are a beautiful and colourful creature, far more so than I had imagined. There are also quokkas in the enclosure next door, of which I got some poor photos (they did insist on sitting in the shade at the back!). The reptile house was also much better than many zoos' efforts, attractive terrariums, nicely set-out, well-lit, with a good selection of native species (the only exotics were a very large reticulated python and red-eared terrapins): again, I can't think of anything to say against it.
The rainforest section is a sort of mixed bag of exhibits, mostly southeast Asian species like sun bears and small-clawed otters because that's what Australasian zoos focus on. To be honest I don't find these species particularly interesting because every major zoo in the region has them, and they're often displayed in similar ways. The cluster of cages for mainly-South-American small primates here was exceedingly well done however, all nicely planted and well designed (apart for reflections off the glass fronts which in some cases were very bad but that can't really be helped). Right next to these, sort of stuck in between the rainforest and African sections, was the nocturnal house which was fantastic, one of the best in Australia and in my opinion worth visiting the zoo for this alone. Almost everything inside is native, with the sole exception of a slow loris which to my delight was wide awake and full of beans. I've seen quite a few lorises in Asian zoos but they have always been asleep. This was the first one I'd ever seen actually being active and it was a real eye-opener. For a start, it was completely belying its common name of slow loris: this one was all over the show at a pace that I would describe, if he was a human, of a very fast walk (if you imagine being late for the bus but you don't want to run so you just walk extra fast). Other interesting species in the nocturnal house include red-tailed and brush-tailed phascogales, woylie, ghost bat, western quoll, western ringtail possum, dibbler (!!!), bilby, feathertail glider, the extraordinary Australian owlet-nightjar....and the list just goes on and on.
The African section is pretty standard -- you know the score, lions and giraffes and meerkats -- but they also have spotted hyaenas here. I'd never seen a hyaena of any species before....and I still haven't because they were hiding
Overall, nothing at all to really complain about at the Perth Zoo. I would have to rank it in the very top zoos in Australasia, and quite possibly I'd rate it higher than either Taronga or Melbourne (as much as I love those zoos they both have numerous bad points).
Photos to come at some point.....
) or the frogs which was disappointing. Most of the Australian section is taken up with a walk-through enclosure for kangaroos and what-not with side-exhibits for koalas and wombats, all of which is kind of lost on me but obviously something non-Australasian tourists find appealing. The whole area looks great I must admit but I was more interested in the aviaries and the numbats. Perth Zoo has a very important breeding programme for numbats, from which they have released something like 100 animals back into the wild. The numbat (I think there's just one on display) was hiding when I first went to see him but on my return later was out and about being very active and photogenic. They really are a beautiful and colourful creature, far more so than I had imagined. There are also quokkas in the enclosure next door, of which I got some poor photos (they did insist on sitting in the shade at the back!). The reptile house was also much better than many zoos' efforts, attractive terrariums, nicely set-out, well-lit, with a good selection of native species (the only exotics were a very large reticulated python and red-eared terrapins): again, I can't think of anything to say against it.The rainforest section is a sort of mixed bag of exhibits, mostly southeast Asian species like sun bears and small-clawed otters because that's what Australasian zoos focus on. To be honest I don't find these species particularly interesting because every major zoo in the region has them, and they're often displayed in similar ways. The cluster of cages for mainly-South-American small primates here was exceedingly well done however, all nicely planted and well designed (apart for reflections off the glass fronts which in some cases were very bad but that can't really be helped). Right next to these, sort of stuck in between the rainforest and African sections, was the nocturnal house which was fantastic, one of the best in Australia and in my opinion worth visiting the zoo for this alone. Almost everything inside is native, with the sole exception of a slow loris which to my delight was wide awake and full of beans. I've seen quite a few lorises in Asian zoos but they have always been asleep. This was the first one I'd ever seen actually being active and it was a real eye-opener. For a start, it was completely belying its common name of slow loris: this one was all over the show at a pace that I would describe, if he was a human, of a very fast walk (if you imagine being late for the bus but you don't want to run so you just walk extra fast). Other interesting species in the nocturnal house include red-tailed and brush-tailed phascogales, woylie, ghost bat, western quoll, western ringtail possum, dibbler (!!!), bilby, feathertail glider, the extraordinary Australian owlet-nightjar....and the list just goes on and on.
The African section is pretty standard -- you know the score, lions and giraffes and meerkats -- but they also have spotted hyaenas here. I'd never seen a hyaena of any species before....and I still haven't because they were hiding
Overall, nothing at all to really complain about at the Perth Zoo. I would have to rank it in the very top zoos in Australasia, and quite possibly I'd rate it higher than either Taronga or Melbourne (as much as I love those zoos they both have numerous bad points).
Photos to come at some point.....
