A surprise announcement today that Leakey (1994) and her daughter Mzuri (2021) will be transferred in from Rockhampton Zoo next month.
In exchange, Sile (2006) will be sent to Rockhampton Zoo.
It’s an exciting move that will provide Sydney Zoo with an experienced breeding age female and hopefully see them welcome their first chimpanzee infant in the future.
Primate Boulevard
- Several unsigned fish have been added to the moats around the lemur and capuchin islands. I'm not very good with fish IDs, but I believe I saw Golden Perch, as well as something that could have been Silver Perch or Barcoo Grunter.
- Recent births in Primate Boulevard include capuchins and a baboon.
Africa
- Saw a meerkat pup in the porcupine mixed exhibit. There were probably more (I was more interested in the porcupines).
- Three of the male Nyala have now been replaced by three females, meaning there are now 1.4. I'm guessing this means they are planning to breed!
Asia
- New signage has been installed around the tiger and orangutan exhibits. The new tiger signage just has generic facts about tigers, while the new orangutan signage is about a rescue centre for orphaned wild orangutans.
- Viewing for the orangutans (apart from their outdoor area, but they hardly ever use that) is now completely indoors.
Australia
- Tammar Wallabies are back in the walkthrough, meaning the zoo now once again has three Tammar Wallaby exhibits in close proximity to each other. Didn't see any of the Red-necked Wallabies, so maybe they were removed in order for the Tammars to live more comfortably in the walkthrough exhibit.
- The male Southern Koala is currently not on display.
- Many joeys among the Tammar and Swamp Wallabies
Reptile and Nocturnal House
- The zoo has reacquired Fat-tailed Dunnart. I only saw one individual, and only two Spinifex Hopping Mice.
- The two adjacent Yellow-bellied and Squirrel Glider exhibits have been connected, and a Long-nosed Potoroo has been added to the mix.
Aquarium
- Merten's Water Monitor seems to have replaced Eastern Water Dragon in the riparian forest / mangrove themed tank, although I didn't see any lizards in there today.
- Speaking of that tank, a new sign has been placed inside with information about how three times a week, insects are placed on the land portion of the tank as food enrichment for the archerfish.
- Spotted Gar is now signed for the cichlid tank (I didn't see any though)! I'm guessing they're from Sydney Aquarium.
- There are now Smooth Yabbies in the penguin tank.
- The second last tank in the aquarium (frustratingly still with no signage) has received a change in species. I did my best, and I think I have correctly identified every species I saw.
Guppy, Tiger Barb, Bristlenose Catfish, Murray River Rainbowfish, Black-banded Rainbowfish, Glowlight Tetra, Green Swordtail, Green Neon Tetra, Smooth Yabby
Primate Boulevard
- Several unsigned fish have been added to the moats around the lemur and capuchin islands. I'm not very good with fish IDs, but I believe I saw Golden Perch, as well as something that could have been Silver Perch or Barcoo Grunter.
- Recent births in Primate Boulevard include capuchins and a baboon.
Africa
- Saw a meerkat pup in the porcupine mixed exhibit. There were probably more (I was more interested in the porcupines).
- Three of the male Nyala have now been replaced by three females, meaning there are now 1.4. I'm guessing this means they are planning to breed!
Asia
- New signage has been installed around the tiger and orangutan exhibits. The new tiger signage just has generic facts about tigers, while the new orangutan signage is about a rescue centre for orphaned wild orangutans.
- Viewing for the orangutans (apart from their outdoor area, but they hardly ever use that) is now completely indoors.
Australia
- Tammar Wallabies are back in the walkthrough, meaning the zoo now once again has three Tammar Wallaby exhibits in close proximity to each other. Didn't see any of the Red-necked Wallabies, so maybe they were removed in order for the Tammars to live more comfortably in the walkthrough exhibit.
- The male Southern Koala is currently not on display.
- Many joeys among the Tammar and Swamp Wallabies
Reptile and Nocturnal House
- The zoo has reacquired Fat-tailed Dunnart. I only saw one individual, and only two Spinifex Hopping Mice.
- The two adjacent Yellow-bellied and Squirrel Glider exhibits have been connected, and a Long-nosed Potoroo has been added to the mix.
Aquarium
- Merten's Water Monitor seems to have replaced Eastern Water Dragon in the riparian forest / mangrove themed tank, although I didn't see any lizards in there today.
- Speaking of that tank, a new sign has been placed inside with information about how three times a week, insects are placed on the land portion of the tank as food enrichment for the archerfish.
- Spotted Gar is now signed for the cichlid tank (I didn't see any though)! I'm guessing they're from Sydney Aquarium.
- There are now Smooth Yabbies in the penguin tank.
- The second last tank in the aquarium (frustratingly still with no signage) has received a change in species. I did my best, and I think I have correctly identified every species I saw.
Guppy, Tiger Barb, Bristlenose Catfish, Murray River Rainbowfish, Black-banded Rainbowfish, Glowlight Tetra, Green Swordtail, Green Neon Tetra, Smooth Yabby
That’s great news about the baboon infant. Following the import of the troop in 2019, Sydney Zoo welcomed eight infants between 2020-2022; but haven’t had any births in the last two years.
This birth should take the zoo’s troop to 20 baboons - the largest in the Australasian region.
This should bring Sydney Zoo's zebra population up to 2.0 Grant's and 2.0 hybrids, correct? It'll be pretty crowded on the savannah with 4 zebras, 3 giraffes, 3 ostriches, 4 Nyala and Tino the rhino!
This should bring Sydney Zoo's zebra population up to 2.0 Grant's and 2.0 hybrids, correct? It'll be pretty crowded on the savannah with 4 zebras, 3 giraffes, 3 ostriches, 4 Nyala and Tino the rhino!
The zebras are separated into three seperate groups? Every time I've been they've been in together.
Or did you mean that the animals on the savannah are separated? The paddock is split into three sections if that's what you mean. Tino is in one, the giraffes, zebras and ostriches are in the other, and the middle area is for the nyala, which also can often be seen in Tino's section and occasionally in the giraffe/ostrich/zebra area.
The zebras are separated into three seperate groups? Every time I've been they've been in together.
Or did you mean that the animals on the savannah are separated? The paddock is split into three sections if that's what you mean. Tino is in one, the giraffes, zebras and ostriches are in the other, and the middle area is for the nyala, which also can often be seen in Tino's section and occasionally in the giraffe/ostrich/zebra area.
Yes, sorry for the confusion I meant the Savannah animals. Have the giraffes always been in with the zebras and ostriches? As far as I was aware, they were being kept seperate.
Yes, sorry for the confusion I meant the Savannah animals. Have the giraffes always been in with the zebras and ostriches? As far as I was aware, they were being kept seperate.
The map shows them as separate, but the giraffes and zebras have been mixed since at least February this year. I would assume their time apart was due to the young age of the giraffes upon their respective arrivals; but now the youngest (Akiki) is three years old. There are also no calves in the herd.
On that note, with the bull giraffe now three years old, we can hopefully expect a calf in the next 1-2 years - Sydney Zoo’s first giraffe birth!
Yes, sorry for the confusion I meant the Savannah animals. Have the giraffes always been in with the zebras and ostriches? As far as I was aware, they were being kept seperate.
I had a very enjoyable first time visit to Sydney Zoo with @steveroberts and @Abbey.
Updates:
The Spotted hyena pair have welcomed twins. This is their second litter, following the birth of a female cub named Zawati in November 2023. The cubs are the first hyena multiples born in Sydney for serval decades.
The Hamadryas baboon infant mentioned by @Osedax in September is thriving and was being babysat by an adolescent female on my visit. I’d estimate the infant is around 3-4 months old. The troop was very female heavy, with an adult male and at least one adolescent male seen; but the rest, females and young.
Visiting Sydney for new years and I was wondering whether Sydney Zoo was worth a visit? I'll be going to Taronga and from what I can tell there isn't anything at Sydney I'd be interested in that's missing from Taronga, are the exhibits especially nice?
Visiting Sydney for new years and I was wondering whether Sydney Zoo was worth a visit? I'll be going to Taronga and from what I can tell there isn't anything at Sydney I'd be interested in that's missing from Taronga, are the exhibits especially nice?
I visited with @steveroberts and @Abbey last month and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. I would rate Taronga Zoo higher - for one, it’s a day out versus Sydney Zoo, which is a half-day; however Sydney Zoo has a few species you can’t see at Taronga:
Sydney Zoo have announced via socials that Akiki the Cheetah has passed away. Preliminary findings from Sydney Zoo's veterinary team indicate a progressive neurological disorder. Further laboratory testing is currently underway to confirm the underlying cause for his deterioration. My thoughts are with the Sydney Zoo team at this difficult time
Sydney Zoo have announced via socials that Akiki the Cheetah has passed away. Preliminary findings from Sydney Zoo's veterinary team indicate a progressive neurological disorder. Further laboratory testing is currently underway to confirm the underlying cause for his deterioration. My thoughts are with the Sydney Zoo team at this difficult time
Very sad news he was only seven years of age so quite young for a Cheetah.
Hopefully Obi is doing well, cheetahs are usually solitary animals although in this case Obi's been living in a coalition with Akiki for a while now. I'm confident the keepers will assess Obi to ensure he's coping well with this sudden change over the coming days/weeks and make any changes that need to be made to ensure his wellbeing.
Very sad news he was only seven years of age so quite young for a Cheetah.
Hopefully Obi is doing well, cheetahs are usually solitary animals, although in this case Obi's been living in a coalition with Akiki for a while now so I'm confident keepers will assess Obi to ensure he's coping well with this sudden change.
Very sad news he was only seven years of age so quite young for a Cheetah.
Hopefully Obi is doing well, cheetahs are usually solitary animals although in this case Obi's been living in a coalition with Akiki for a while now. I'm confident the keepers will assess Obi to ensure he's coping well with this sudden change over the coming days/weeks and make any changes that need to be made to ensure his wellbeing.
Deaths of Cheetah around 8-10 years (especially females) are very common due to kidney disease; but neurological conditions are much less common in this species compared to lions etc.
Have the giraffes always been in with the zebras and ostriches? As far as I was aware, they were being kept seperate.
