Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo News 2021

Taronga are currently undertaking some work on the chimpanzee enclosure. During this time the chimps are being housed in the enclosed mesh area. Upon speaking with a member of staff, I found out that this is being done due to a successful breakout. A cleaner was walking past the chimps in the early morning and spotted an unknown male chimp, when the chimp saw the cleaner it quickly moved back into its enclosure. The chimp was out of view of any cameras, so his identity is unknown. The works include deepening and widening the moat. Taronga are also taking this opportunity to repair some of the mortar in the brick wall, as the chimps have been scraping it out. I have attached some photos of the construction.

Construction on Chimp Enclosure

Construction on Chimp Enclosure

  • Media owner ReaganM
  • Date added
Construction on Chimp Enclosure

Construction on Chimp Enclosure

  • Media owner ReaganM
  • Date added
 
ReaganM said:
Taronga are currently undertaking some work on the chimpanzee enclosure. During this time the chimps are being housed in the enclosed mesh area. Upon speaking with a member of staff, I found out that this is being done due to a successful breakout. A cleaner was walking past the chimps in the early morning and spotted an unknown male chimp, when the chimp saw the cleaner it quickly moved back into its enclosure. The chimp was out of view of any cameras, so his identity is unknown. The works include deepening and widening the moat. Taronga are also taking this opportunity to repair some of the mortar in the brick wall, as the chimps have been scraping it out. I have attached some photos of the construction.

Construction on Chimp Enclosure

Construction on Chimp Enclosure

  • Media owner ReaganM
  • Date added
Construction on Chimp Enclosure

Construction on Chimp Enclosure

  • Media owner ReaganM
  • Date added
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Did they figure out his escape route?
 
Pertinax said:
Did they figure out his escape route?
Click to expand...

There was a narrow section in the moat the chimp was believed to have breached. Initial speculation focussed on Fumo, but video footage revealed it to be one of the adult males (Shabani, Samaki, Furahi, Shikamoo or Sule).

The positive of the chimpanzees being subjected to their own lockdown is that they’ve finally determined an alpha. Samaki is now the alpha, supported by Sule as his right hand man.

Even more exciting, is that there’s plans to take multiple females off contraception when the exhibit reopens early next year.
 
Zoofan15 said:
There was a narrow section in the moat the chimp was believed to have breached. Initial speculation focussed on Fumo, but video footage revealed it to be one of the adult males (Shabani, Samaki, Furahi, Shikamoo or Sule).

The positive of the chimpanzees being subjected to their own lockdown is that they’ve finally determined an alpha. Samaki is now the alpha, supported by Sule as his right hand man.

Even more exciting, is that there’s plans to take multiple females off contraception when the exhibit reopens early next year.
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I saw this exhibit back in the 1990's. I thought then it was the best Chimp exhibit I'd seen anywhere (including photos of others I hadn't). By contrast I was disappointed with the Gorilla exhibit as it seemed far too small for the (then) quite large group- about 9 animals. Is it correct it was originally built for Giant Pandas?- some people say yes, others, no...
 
Pertinax said:
I saw this exhibit back in the 1990's. I thought then it was the best Chimp exhibit I'd seen anywhere (including photos of others I hadn't). By contrast I was disappointed with the Gorilla exhibit as it seemed far too small for the (then) quite large group- about 9 animals. Is it correct it was originally built for Giant Pandas?- some people say yes, others, no...
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Not sure it was specially built for the pandas (I recall seeing a photo with a tapir in the exhibit), but believe that it was heavily modified and modernised prior to the pandas with knowledge that once they left the gorillas would be arriving. The nightquarters/kitchen/office space at the back was all very modern when I saw it in 98. Agree that the exhibit was very average, being wide but not very deep, with little cover. Melbourne's exhibit was the complete opposite and actually looked like a patch of rainforest.
 
Pertinax said:
I saw this exhibit back in the 1990's. I thought then it was the best Chimp exhibit I'd seen anywhere (including photos of others I hadn't). By contrast I was disappointed with the Gorilla exhibit as it seemed far too small for the (then) quite large group- about 9 animals. Is it correct it was originally built for Giant Pandas?- some people say yes, others, no...
Click to expand...
Yes it was originally built for the visit by a pair of pandas for the bi-centenary of European colonization in 1988. Some at the zoo hoped to get pandas on a permanent basis so the exhibit was retained. The exhibit was built on the old ratite yards.

No it was not built with gorillas in mind. The decision to move back into gorillas at Taronga was not made till 1991. Given the need for a gorilla exhibit at fairly short notice, the old panda exhibit was modified for their use. There is a longer story if anybody is interested.
 
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MRJ said:
Yes it was originally built for the visit by a pair of pandas for the bi-centenary of European colonization in 1988. Some at the zoo hoped to get pandas on a permanent basis so the exhibit was retained. The exhibit was built on the old ratite yards.

No it was not built with gorillas in mind. The decision to move back into gorillas at Taronga was not made till 1991. Given the need for a gorilla exhibit at fairly short notice, the old panda exhibit was modified for their use. There is a longer story if anybody is interested.
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My mistake then. Presume the tapir was between pandas and gorillas.
 
tetrapod said:
My mistake then. Presume the tapir was between pandas and gorillas.
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It is quite possible you saw a tapir there, I have no idea what they did with the enclosure in the interim. But it would have been more "what are we going to put in there?" or "where are we going to put that tapir?" rather than any long term plan to exhibit tapirs in that space.
 
@MRJ @tetrapod

Hey yeah remember the male Brazilian Tapir (think he was named Toby?) that was living in that part of the zoo still in late 1994. Don't remember seeing him again on a return visit in 1995, and not long after that the area seemed to be getting mildly constructed for the arrival of the Gorillas at the end of '96.

Hey MRJ would be very interested to hear the longer story
 
MRJ said:
The decision to move back into gorillas at Taronga was not made till 1991. Given the need for a gorilla exhibit at fairly short notice, the old panda exhibit was modified for their use. There is a longer story if anybody is interested.
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I think the successful transfer of that whole group of (10?) gorillas from the Netherlands to Australia is still a fairly unique event even today. The only similar one has been the more recent repatriation of Djala's whole group from Kent, UK to Africa, though that ended mainly in tragedy later on.
 
Pertinax said:
I think the successful transfer of that whole group of (10?) gorillas from the Netherlands to Australia is still a fairly unique event even today. The only similar one has been the more recent repatriation of Djala's whole group from Kent, UK to Africa, though that ended mainly in tragedy later on.
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Yes, 10 Western lowland gorillas were imported:

1.0 Kibabu (1977)
0.1 Mouila (1972)
0.1 Kriba (1979)
0.1 Frala (1981)
0.1 Shinda (1991) Kibabu x Frala
1.0 Haoko (1993) Kibabu x Mouila
0.1 Kijivu (1993) Kibabu x Kriba
0.1 Anguka (1994) Kibabu x Frala
0.1 Safiri (1996) Kibabu x Kriba
1.0 Shabani (1996) Kibabu x Mouila

The youngest were infants Safiri and Shabani, who were aged five months and six weeks respectively.

Not included in the transfer were Kriba’s daughter (Joa) and Mouila’s son (Bauwi) - who were both aged seven and a half (born July 1989).
 
MRJ said:
It is quite possible you saw a tapir there, I have no idea what they did with the enclosure in the interim. But it would have been more "what are we going to put in there?" or "where are we going to put that tapir?" rather than any long term plan to exhibit tapirs in that space.
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I never saw it in person. Think there is a photo in the archives. First time I saw the gorillas and exhibit was 98 (ARAZPA conference). IIRC you were there too!
As per the tapir I think your first suggestion was probably correct.
 
tetrapod said:
I never saw it in person. Think there is a photo in the archives. First time I saw the gorillas and exhibit was 98 (ARAZPA conference). IIRC you were there too!
As per the tapir I think your first suggestion was probably correct.
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Indeed I was there!
 
Grant Rhino said:
Yes - I'm interested to hear this!
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Hope I have not built up expectations as it is really not that dramatic.

Back in the early to mid '80's the major Australian zoos looked at the Great Ape situation and taking a realistic appraisal of what was possible decided that Taronga should concentrate on chimpanzees, Melbourne on gorillas, and Perth on orangutans (don't know how Adelaide fitted in). Subsequent to that Taronga sent their last pair of gorillas to Melbourne.

Taronga got a new Director who had not been involved in this process. By the end of the '80's he had formed the view that a zoo of the standing of Taronga should have a large family group of gorillas. His staff advised that it would not be possible to put together a group over a short period from within programs, and that the only option was to purchase one of two groups that were then available outside a program, that being a group at Howletts and a group at Apenheul. I'm not sure if the group at Howletts was ever a realistic option, however a deal was made with Apenheil. It was all paid for by a prominent Sydney business family.

History would repeat itself a few years later over Asian elephants.

Part of the confusion regarding pandas and gorillas could be because Melbourne Zoo did exbibit the bi-centennial pandas in their partially-completed gorilla exhibit. By the way, this exhibit in my opinion remains one of the very best in the country.
 
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MRJ said:
Hope I have not built up expectations as it is really not that dramatic.

Back in the early to mid '80's the major Australian zoos looked at the Great Ape situation and taking a realistic appraisal of what was possible decided that Taronga should concentrate on chimpanzees, Melbourne on gorillas, and Perth on orangutans (don't know how Adelaide fitted in). Subsequent to that Taronga sent their last pair of gorillas to Melbourne.

Taronga got a new Director who had not been involved in this process. By the end of the '80's he had formed the view that a zoo of the standing of Taronga should have a large family group of gorillas. His staff advised that it would not be possible to put together a group over a short period from within programs, and that the only option was to purchase one of two groups that were then available outside a program, that being a group at Howletts and a group at Apenheul. I'm not sure if the group at Howletts was ever a realistic option, however a deal was made with Apenheil. It was all paid for by a prominent Sydney business family.

History would repeat itself a few years later over Asian elephants.

Part of the confusion regarding pandas and gorillas could be because Melbourne Zoo did exbibit the bi-centennial pandas in their partially-completed gorilla exhibit. By the way, this exhibit in my opinion remains one of the very best in the country.
Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing @MRJ.

Your account explains Melbourne Zoo’s management of their chimpanzee troop. They had several young females (including two adolescents recently imported from Rotterdam), but bred for the last time in 1980 - the year Taronga transferred their gorillas to Melbourne. Melbourne held a small chimpanzee troop until 1993 - when they euthanised, exported and transferred the remnants of the troop.

It appears Adelaide Zoo just continued to do their own thing as they collaborated with Perth on Sumatran orangutans; while maintaining their chimpanzee troop. Adelaide Zoo last bred chimpanzee in 1993 and phased them out in 2009.
 
Agree that MZ's gorillas have the best exhibit. Interesting that both TPZ and MZ both combined gorillas and pandas (separately) with the use of exhibits.
Adelaides position on apes was always limited by small enclosures. Logically they would lean towards orangs.
 
@MRJ @tetrapod @Zoofan15 When it comes to Melbourne, Perth and Taronga and that decision in the early '80s for Melb' to focus on Gorillas, Perth on Orangs' and Taronga on Chimps', funnily enough (or probably should say deliberately enough) the three zoos each at present have the best exhibits for their respective 'flagship' great apes (certainly in the region, amongst the best on world scale too?) and with Melb' and Taronga they presently have two great ape species but the aforementioned exhibits are the standout (though have heard Melbourne's Orangutan habitat is excellent considering they only keep a smaller number of individuals). Would love to get to see Melbourne Zoo's Gorilla habitat in the new year (well the entire zoo of course but their Gorilla forest sounds amazing).
 
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