Osedax
Well-Known Member
I forgot to add there are Central Bearded Dragons in the Herp Room and a Variegated Fairy Wren in the Woodland Classroom.
Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter loganjmuir
- Start date
@Zoofan15 Thanks heaps for the link hey
RAACC
Alligator snapping turtle
Australian scrub python
Black-headed python
Booroolong frog/Riverine frog
Boyd's forest dragon
Broad-headed snake
Centralian carpet python
Chinese three-striped box-turtle
Coastal taipan
Corroboree frog (Northern and or Southern subspecies?)
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
Eyelash viper
Fijian crested iguana
Frilled lizard
Gila monster
Grassland earless dragon
Green tree monitor
Green (tree) python
Indian star tortoise
Inland taipan/Fierce snake
Komodo dragon
Merten's water monitor
Monocled cobra
Philippine crocodile
Plumed basilisk
Pygmy python
Radiated tortoise
Red-barred dragon
Red-bellied black snake
Red-eyed tree frog
Reticulated python
Rhinoceros iguana
Rusty desert monitor
Shingleback skink
Tuatara
Turtle (Macquarie short-necked turtle??)
Veiled chameleon
Yellow spotted bell frog
38 species at least (21 Australian native/17 overseas-exotic species, albeit some from places that are quite close to Australia like other islands in Oceania). An approximately 55% native species to 45% exotic species ratio seems like a decision that makes a fair bit of sense suppose.
RAACC
Alligator snapping turtle
Australian scrub python
Black-headed python
Booroolong frog/Riverine frog
Boyd's forest dragon
Broad-headed snake
Centralian carpet python
Chinese three-striped box-turtle
Coastal taipan
Corroboree frog (Northern and or Southern subspecies?)
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
Eyelash viper
Fijian crested iguana
Frilled lizard
Gila monster
Grassland earless dragon
Green tree monitor
Green (tree) python
Indian star tortoise
Inland taipan/Fierce snake
Komodo dragon
Merten's water monitor
Monocled cobra
Philippine crocodile
Plumed basilisk
Pygmy python
Radiated tortoise
Red-barred dragon
Red-bellied black snake
Red-eyed tree frog
Reticulated python
Rhinoceros iguana
Rusty desert monitor
Shingleback skink
Tuatara
Turtle (Macquarie short-necked turtle??)
Veiled chameleon
Yellow spotted bell frog
38 species at least (21 Australian native/17 overseas-exotic species, albeit some from places that are quite close to Australia like other islands in Oceania). An approximately 55% native species to 45% exotic species ratio seems like a decision that makes a fair bit of sense suppose.
Last edited:
I was astounded by Melbourne Zoo’s reptile house and it looks like Taronga have an impressive collection. The mixture of exotics (17) and natives (21) is fantastic as it will satisfy people wanting to see Australian species (especially ones aligned with the zoo’s conservation projects); while the exotics are undoubtedly huge drawcards - Komodo dragon, Philippine crocodile, Plumed basilisk and Monocled cobra being my personal highlights. I know Tuatara will be popular too, considering there’s only three in the country.
@Zoofan15
Yeah Taronga has chosen their exotic species very carefully and well, while ensuring a majority focus on species home to Australia especially conservation orientated given the number of endangered and threatened species. Do really like that a considerable number of the exotic species are actually from neighbouring island nations so it gives some attention to some of the unique species endemic to neighbours like the Green tree monitors of Papua, 'Crested iguanas of Fiji, Komodo dragons of (just 4 islands in) the Lesser Sunda archipelago in Indonesia and Tuatara of New Zealand.
Yeah Taronga has chosen their exotic species very carefully and well, while ensuring a majority focus on species home to Australia especially conservation orientated given the number of endangered and threatened species. Do really like that a considerable number of the exotic species are actually from neighbouring island nations so it gives some attention to some of the unique species endemic to neighbours like the Green tree monitors of Papua, 'Crested iguanas of Fiji, Komodo dragons of (just 4 islands in) the Lesser Sunda archipelago in Indonesia and Tuatara of New Zealand.
The inclusion of Komodo dragon in the RACC house is a nice continuation of what is a long standing history of the species at Taronga Zoo. Last year marked 60 years since the import of the original pair in 1963!
How fitting that the first holder of Komodo dragon in the region will soon be exhibiting a juvenile from the first clutch hatched in an Australasian zoo.
When I went through the cert 2 in animal care back in 2010 in year 12, it was very heavily based around the zoos. Taronga and TAFE new had a very strong relationship. That seems to have deteriorated so they could set up the education part of the zoo. Same with the uni stuff, western Sydney uni and Sydney uni had/have very strong ties to the zoo. Hawkesbury campus is where they get the majority of there koala food (or did when I attended). It was the reason that I went to western Sydney over Sydney uni. Because they were so closely tied to Taronga.
The programs the zoo runs are great, but they were great before they rebuilt and took up extra space. And that's the issue, they took up extra space so they could do more educational stuff in house and charge more money for it. None of it was necessary with the majority already being done beforehand. While education is important, it didn't need to be set up at the zoo as a revenue raising taking up so much on site space and funds. When they were already very heavily tied to multiple outside facilities which could have acted as hubs without taking up zoo space.
That's the issue, space is given to species like it is at the accomodation space. That regular zoo paying guests can't access. So more viable land that could have been used to increase the zoos collection or used to create bigger exhibits to keep species. Was given over to essentially non zoo programs. That they very loosely base on the zoo but are designed to raise revenue.
Those concert lawns used to have a bunch of beautiful and well stocked aviaries. I understand why they can’t have exhibits down there now because of stress to the animals from concerts, but I’d prefer they just got rid of the concerts. A bunch of dated acts performing to a pretty small crowd three times a year is not justification for such a waste of space in a zoo.
It’s extra frustrating that so many of the human “attractions” like cafes, stands and giftshops are almost always closed. The entire southern oceans area - near the escalators - is always closed when I visit, with only the bigger gift shop next to the eles ever open. The restaurant above the concert lawns is always closed. The education stands seem to only be open on weekends and public holidays? Waste of space if they functioned, but it’s infuriating that they don’t even bother to run them.
I think the TAFE is well justified, and at least the species it holds are also viewable in other areas of the zoo (once the reptile house opens).
It’s like EA has taken over Taronga. A dramatic loss of function and interest, lost to empty shells and a lack of interaction. The conservation message is not delivered through cafes and playgrounds.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Not the Chaco Tortoise (the only ones in the region), Pygmy Marmosets or the Eastern Box Turtle. Spotted Python, Cane Toad (understandable as they must be held in a high-security facility), Magnificent Tree Frog, Murray-Darling Python and Estuarine Crocodile hatchlings aren't on display and they are not in the plans for the RACC. Woylie, Squirrel Glider, Galah, Red-necked Pademelon, Tawny Frogmouth and Gouldian Finch aren't on display either, though that's not exactly a loss with the frogmouths, Gouldians or baby crocs as they are so common.
Last edited:
loganjmuir
Well-Known Member
The restaurant by the camels is open most of the time, but the lower "restaurant" at the Concert Lawns is only open during special events and concerts. Funnily enough, the concerts and special events only come around 12 times a year, with 3 concerts. As I mentioned, seems like a royal waste of space, especially for such an infrequently used "facility".
A lot of these species are kept in the interactive classrooms contained within the Institute. While I am in favour of the building, these 3 classrooms are completely useless and take up an extraordinary amount of space given their purpose. For starters, the classrooms are only used for schools or special tours, defeating the entire purpose of being an educational facility. What it comes down to is quite ironically, money. You'd think given they're a Government funded institute money isn't an issue, yet Taronga bases a majority of the zoo primarily on making money ie. Wild Ropes, Wildlife Retreat, ZooSnooz/Camps and the countless animal interactions available only through an excessive, unjustifiable amount of money. Over the last few years, Taronga has become largely a money-hoarding containment facility for a few exotic animals(if we aren't counting the half of the zoo containing natives).
It's increasingly becoming an issue, and I'll repeat what has been said recently, I hope Sydney Zoo becomes favourable, and Taronga receives a wake up call.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Not entirely. The youth volunteers (YATZ) go in there a lot!
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Getting this thread back on to news:
As reported by @WhistlingKite24 in the Australia Zoo news thread, 9 Pacific Emerald Doves have been transferred from Australia Zoo to Taronga. They have been introduced into the Australian Rainforest Aviary and have already started nest building.
A welcome acquisition as the ARA was down to I believe only one or two of these doves before this. It seems that Taronga is really doubling down on native birds!
As reported by @WhistlingKite24 in the Australia Zoo news thread, 9 Pacific Emerald Doves have been transferred from Australia Zoo to Taronga. They have been introduced into the Australian Rainforest Aviary and have already started nest building.
A welcome acquisition as the ARA was down to I believe only one or two of these doves before this. It seems that Taronga is really doubling down on native birds!
Unfortunately the zoos have left a lot of exotic avian species go. To the point where if they didn't go for Australian species that are not that common in captivity. They are keeping species commonly kept in by people and seen in pet shops or bird sales. Which is the equivalent of having chital deer or camels on display. They don't really give the zoo species feel.
It is good thought they do have a nice collection of native birds, and we are a very bird rich country with lots of great species to display.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
I think you mean fallow deer. Chital deer are not at all common in Australian zoos.
Taronga used to have Chital Deer, so I'm assuming that's where the confusion lies.
Exactly!.
Fallow and chital look very similar. The average person wouldn't know the difference. But the average person isnt going to the zoo to see deer either. While they make up hoof stock species in many parts of the world, here they are farmed and feral and not a species people really go to the zoo for. The same with camels.
Largest Bellinger turtle release:
From crisis to conservation
In a significant milestone for one of the most critically endangered species in NSW, a further 97 zoo-bred juvenile Bellinger River snapping turtles have been released into the Bellinger River on Gumbaynggirr Country in northern NSW.
This is the fifth and largest wild release since 2018 when the species was on the brink of extinction. It takes the number of Bellinger River snapping turtles released into the wild to 179.
From crisis to conservation
In a significant milestone for one of the most critically endangered species in NSW, a further 97 zoo-bred juvenile Bellinger River snapping turtles have been released into the Bellinger River on Gumbaynggirr Country in northern NSW.
This is the fifth and largest wild release since 2018 when the species was on the brink of extinction. It takes the number of Bellinger River snapping turtles released into the wild to 179.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Zoo Friends members were sent an email today which gave more details on the new reptile house. It has been renamed the Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Centre (ARC); it was previously going to be called the Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Centre (RACC). The ARC will be organised into six themed areas, including alpine regions, deserts, tropical rainforests and urban areas. The exhibit will open in July, but Zoo Friends members will be able to get a sneak peek sometime in late June.