Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo 2014

Poor Lulu. :(
 
A new tree-top ropes adventure course thing is being developed above the Australian Walkabout. Due to open in November...thoughts?
 
Where did you hear this?

If it's anything like the 'Green Challenge' at Currumbin Sanctuary then I definitely have views/mixed feelings about it.

:p

Hix
 
read about it here:
Taronga announces high ropes adventure | Taronga Conservation Society Australia
Visitors to Taronga Zoo will soon be able to experience the Zoo’s amazing wildlife and spectacular harbour views from an entirely new perspective, with the addition of a treetop, high ropes adventure experience.

Taronga today announced plans to build a high ropes course above its Australian Walkabout exhibits, giving visitors the chance to navigate a series of exciting challenges, including suspension bridges, rope climbs and zip-lines while enjoying a bird’s eye view of unique Australian animals, such as koalas, kangaroos and wallabies

The Taronga high ropes course is a collaboration between two of the State’s award-winning tourism operators, Taronga Zoo and Ecoline.

Specialising in tree-based eco adventures, Ecoline has multi-site experience designing, building and operating ropes courses in ecologically sensitive environments and recently won Gold at the 2013 NSW Tourism Awards for its work on the TreeTop Adventure Park Sydney.

The announcement of the Taronga high ropes course also comes in an award-winning year for Taronga Zoo, which claimed the Gold Award for Major Tourist Attraction at the Australian Tourism Awards in February.

Taronga’s General Manager for Marketing, Fundraising and Commercial Services, Paul Davies said: “This unique eco-tourism experience will add another dimension to Taronga, enabling visitors to experience nature from a new perspective and enjoy a treetop view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.”

“The ropes course has been designed as a low environmental impact, high adventure experience that will encourage outdoor play and appreciation of Australian wildlife,” said Mr Davies.

Construction of the Taronga high ropes course will begin shortly with the official opening scheduled for November.
Click to expand...
 
ridiculous. what next? waterslides and roller coasters. Taronga ZOO, not taronga theme park.
 
Pertinax said:
Far too young to leave without suffering trauma (and the mothers too) but no doubt they will go ahead as planned, as they have already convinced themselves by saying they are 'coming up to the age when they would leave in the wild' - not so.:(
Click to expand...

There has been a major change in plans, which will ease concerns about the boys being separated from their mothers:

Taronga Western Plains Zoo will welcome four Asian Elephants from Taronga Zoo later this year or early next year, including mothers Porntip and Thong Dee and their calves Pathi Harn and Luk Chai.
Click to expand...

From TWPZ's Facebook page.
 
glyn said:
A new tree-top ropes adventure course thing is being developed above the Australian Walkabout. Due to open in November...thoughts?
Click to expand...

I'm not a fan of building a ropes adventure course inside the grounds of a zoo but these things are major money-makers in North America. I bet that there are now 15-20 American zoos with similarly-themed courses and often ticket prices are very high and thus financially it is no wonder that every few months a zoo builds another "adventure zone". They are everywhere these days and I'm not surprised that Taronga Zoo has jumped on the bandwagon.
 
boof said:
ridiculous. what next? waterslides and roller coasters. Taronga ZOO, not taronga theme park.
Click to expand...

I'd feel the same way if my entrance fees were subsidising it's operations (like a roller coaster) but more than likely they'll charge an extra fee for interested parties and it'll pay for itself. Melbourne has a carousel and it's easy to ignore as a casual visitor with no kids.
 
A few years ago I saw The Green Challenge at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was built on top of a hill and was predominantly in a forested part of the park that had no exhibits and no visitors (predominantly - part of the beginning did go past a couple of exhibits and over some roads).

There was an extra charge to go on the Challenge, and from what I understand it was drawing people in and making a lot of money. So much so that during the holidays they had to restrict the number of people who wanted to try it.

I gave it a go, and really, really enjoyed! I spent the better part of an hour completing the first two parts of the course and decided to stop there as the muscles in my arms and legs were aching. And I was wearing sensible shoes, hiking boots would have been better (or any footwear with a tread).

Yes, it will make money for Taronga and will bring people in. Lots of people will want to try it out (mainly guys). So I can see why the zoo would do this, but I don't like the idea of it being in - or over - the Australian Walkabout section, at the top of the zoo. There are still forested parts of the zoo with no exhibits that the public rarely visit which would be ideal for this venture.

Just my 2 cents worth.

:p

Hix
 
And Gung will be staying on at Taronga. I guess at some point we always knew the herd would need to be split if more room couldn't be found at Sydney. I guess at least this way the issue of housing the two male calves safely is solved, without undue stress caused by separating them from their mothers.
 
glyn said:
And Gung will be staying on at Taronga. I guess at some point we always knew the herd would need to be split if more room couldn't be found at Sydney. I guess at least this way the issue of housing the two male calves safely is solved, without undue stress caused by separating them from their mothers.
Click to expand...

@glyn, can you elaborate on this for us?

Reading parts of the thread I cannot phantom what the set up between the out-station at Dubbo and at Taronga will be for the Asian elephants?
Will they split up the breeding herds (along various matriarchal lines) or am I reading it the wrong way up or down?
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
@glyn, can you elaborate on this for us?

Reading parts of the thread I cannot phantom what the set up between the out-station at Dubbo and at Taronga will be for the Asian elephants?
Will they split up the breeding herds (along various matriarchal lines) or am I reading it the wrong way up or down?
Click to expand...

The animals going to Dubbo will be Thong Dee, Porntip, Luk Chai (Gung x Thong Dee) and Pathi Harn (Bong Su [Melbourne] x Porntip).

Staying at Taronga will be Gung, Pak Boon, Tang Mo and Tukta (Gung x Pak Boon).

So it appears that yes, they will be splitting the elephants along matriarchal lines. I do not now, however, if they will integrate the two females from Taronga with the two existing females at Dubbo to re-form a 'herd' (breeding and non-breeding females for companionship) at Dubbo rather than just a breeding pair.
 
Last edited:
Would it not be simpler to just have the breeding group at Dubbo and the non-breeders take their place in Taronga Park? The proposed arrangement could be storing up future problems as it prevents more breeding at Taronga unless the females are sent to Dubbo for mating etc and what happens to the calf in the interim?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top