Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo News 2015

Fishing Cat import

A female Fishing Cat is due to arrive all the way from Newquay in the UK shortly:

Newquay Zoo bids farewell to a four legged resident.

One of its female fishing cats, Maew, is moving to a new home Down Under at Taronga Zoo, in New South Wales, Australia.

Maew (cat in Thai) , aged 3 ½ years old, was born at Newquay Zoo and is moving to Australia as part of the breeding and conservation programme designed to protect the species, classified as "endangered " by the IUCN (International Union For The Conservation of Nature).

There are currently only eight collections holding fishing cats in zoos in the UK and the Prionailurus viverrinus are native species in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia (Jawa), Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Pakistan.

The logistics of transporting the animal to Australia are highly complex, requiring a long drive from Newquay Zoo to Heathrow Airport followed by an even longer journey on a Qantas flight to Australia.

John Meek, Curator Of Animals, Newquay Zoo said: "It is a logistical jigsaw exporting an animal as you have many elements to supply including the animal's health certificate, the dimensions of the shipping crate, photographs of the animal, the animal's diet and a behavioural profile.

"Additionally, we also have to specify to the airline the temperature required for the cargo hold and no other animals will be transported on board the same flight, so you can imagine this type of activity requires the co-operation of many different parties."
A specialist cargo handling company - JCS Livestock - is used for this specific task and they are experts in this specialised field of animal logistics and transportation.

Owen Taylor, Senior Carnivore Keeper commented: "We will be very sorry to say goodbye to Maew but I am sure she will settle in very well in her new home at Taronga Zoo."

However, Maew's parents, Bing and Ping, will remain at the zoo in the hope that that they will breed and continue contributing to the captive population of fishing cats within European Zoos.
Newquay Zoo is a richly rewarding visitor attraction, based on the key principles of animal conservation and education that allows visitors to get a get closer animal experience.

The Zoo is an education, research and conservation charity dedicated to protecting global wildlife heritage and is owned by Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), a Devon based charity which also owns Paignton Zoo and Living Coasts in Torquay, as well as a number of nature reserves.

Pirate FM - News - PHOTOS: Big Cat Moves From Newquay To Australia
 
Notes from my visit today (27/11):

-the path leading from the barbary sheep down Thar Mountain is closed due to construction for Sumatran Tiger Adventure.
-green iguana are back in one exhibit, and boa constrictor are back in theirs.
-Brazilian agouti have taken up residence in the fishing cat exhibit while they wait for the arrival of a new female (from Newquay). Red-lored Amazon are currently in the agouti exhibit.
-orangutans not on display "for an exciting new experience" (renovation to accomodate Sumatrans?).
-Port Jackson sharks no longer on display

EDIT:
also forgot to add that the scheltopusik has replaced veiled chameleon in her original exhibit.
 
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Backyard to Bush species list (in order):

"Living room" (smaller room):
-golden orb spider
-Children's python
-bearded dragon
-electric blue cichlid
-green tree frog
-green and golden bell frog
-eastern snake-necked turtle

"Kitchen room" (larger room):
-domestic mouse
-goliath stick insect
-American cockroach
-black house spider
-white-tailed spider
-daddy long legs
-net casting spider
-red back spider
-huntsman spider
-"scorpion" (scientific name not included)

-red-bellied black snake

"Phasmid tent":
-spiny-leaf insect
-violet-winged stick insect/ strong stick insect/ Children's stick insect

-domestic rabbit/ guinea pig
-budgerigar/ king quail
-domestic (Merino) sheep
-domestic goat

"Goat shed":
-shingleback
-communal hunstman
-"locusts" (species name not included)
-domestic mouse
-eastern blue-tongue lizard
-diamond python

-domestic pig
-chickens (silkie bantam)
-domestic ducks (Saxony)

-quokka/ red kangaroo
[INSIDE "CAVE" SECTION":]
-spinifex hopping mouse
-southern hairy nosed wombat
-burrowing cockroach

-lace monitor
 
orangutans not on display "for an exciting new experience" (renovation to accomodate Sumatrans?).
Click to expand...
Maybe to accommodate some of the excess chimps before they introduce the new 5? I hope so!

T.
 
it seems the old fishing cat at Taronga (born 2002) has probably died, as the only individual listed on ZIMS for Australia is the new female from Newquay (now at Taronga).
 
Chlidonias said:
it seems the old fishing cat at Taronga (born 2002) has probably died, as the only individual listed on ZIMS for Australia is the new female from Newquay (now at Taronga).
Click to expand...

Considering the fishing cat exhibit was occupied by agouti on my last visit (you would think if Cantik the old fishing cat was still alive she would be in there), I would support that statement.
 
I'm not positive of course, because I would have expected Taronga to release a "Vale Cantik" notice like they do for other notable individuals when they die.

But if she had simply been moved to a smaller zoo for "retirement" it would be to a zoo registered on ZIMS.

I think she must be dead.
 
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