Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo News 2024

loganjmuir said:
Taronga will have to wait for an IRA to import a bull Pygmy Hippo, and they won’t be in a terrible hurry. Given that Lololi is still at the zoo, the plan most likely will be to display Kambiri and Lololi until it is time for Lololi to move to another zoo.


Kambiri and Lololi aren’t seperated, although Lololi is beginning to become independent. The idea of a new exhibit being built is becoming more and more likely, because as far as I am aware, Rodney’s move into the Hippo exhibit is permanent, and the zoo is looking for a female for him. The fight between Rodney and Guillermo(I’m assuming) happened around a year ago but there hasn’t been an empty exhibit until now.
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It’s worth bearing in mind that Taronga bred with Kambiri’s mother, Petre, for the first time at 24 years without issue. Female hippopotamus apparently aren’t subject to the sterility issues that afflict female elephants, rhinoceros and zebras after long periods of non-breeding; so in that regard, they could quite comfortably wait another decade and breed both/either/or Kambiri (14 years old) and Lololi (9 months old) with an imported bull. Fingers crossed it doesn’t take a decade however!

The transfer of a Capybara to that exhibit has surely been the plan for a while. A number of us have being commenting for a while that Taronga’s Pygmy hippopotamus exhibits are comparatively cramped by today’s standards. I’ll be excited to see the new exhibit!
 
@Zoofan15

Well said.

Yeah those exhibits have looked after the Pygmy Hippos until now (and Malayan Tapirs previously) very well.

But with (source ZooLex): ''..Two outdoor exhibits with 237 sqm (land area 170 sqm and water area 67 sqm) and 202 sqm (land area 122 sqm and water area 80 sqm) respectively and 3 pens, each 12 sqm (4 m x 3 m), as well as a multi-use area of 16 sqm.''

much smaller with current standards and much better suited for the Capybaras long term.

Will be interesting to see if Kambiri does go to Melbourne or another zoo in the long or short term.

Rest in peace Fergus :( , you left a legacy with your offspring and will be missed.

Re: Capybaras, didnt realise Rodney had a conflict with another Capybara a year ago (missed the posts about).

ps think the rainforest trail will have a good future as a multi-continental precinct of representative tropical zone residing representative species from different places (maybe leaning most towards SE Asia and South America, a boost in South American animal ambassadors will be a welcome thing in Australasian zoos, though big credit to many zoos here for still keeping big numbers of Sth American animals).

@Osedax So awesome that Steve Backshall was at Taronga and you met him. Absolute legend he is. Bet he was so chuffed and fascinated to meet JR and Matilda.
 
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steveroberts said:
@Zoofan15

Well said.

Yeah those exhibits have looked after the Pygmy Hippos until now (and Malayan Tapirs previously) very well.

But with (source ZooLex): ''..Two outdoor exhibits with 237 sqm (land area 170 sqm and water area 67 sqm) and 202 sqm (land area 122 sqm and water area 80 sqm) respectively and 3 pens, each 12 sqm (4 m x 3 m), as well as a multi-use area of 16 sqm.''

much smaller with current standards and much better suited for the Capybaras long term.
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Thanks for providing the stats on Taronga’s Pygmy hippopotamus facilities. This is how they compare to Melbourne’s:

Taronga Zoo:

Exhibit 1: 237 m2
Exhibit 2: 202 m2

Yard 1: 16 m2

Stall 1: 12 m2
Stall 2: 12 m2
Stall 3: 12 m2

Melbourne Zoo:

Exhibit 1: 600 m2
Exhibit 2: 600 m2

Yard 1: 46 m2
Yard 2: 46 m2

Stall 1: 4 m2
Stall 2: 4 m2
Stall 3: 4 m2

Taronga will hopefully aspire to building something of a similar size for their new exhibit. Melbourne’s complex is especially impressive considering it opened in 1992.
 
@Zoofan15

Go Melbourne once again. Another great example of their many excellent exhibit sizes, that have actually been around a fair while (1992 in this case right? along with their 400 sq m (former) Mandrill exhibit at the same time, very big for the time). Taronga got the stalls 3x larger, but the exhibits are on the small side (no doubt they care for their animals amazingly though, space can be tricky at Taronga working with the hillside terrain of ridges and cliffs). Am positive Taronga will aim for new exhibits of a similar size to Melbourne's ones for the last 32 years (the now seemingly scrapped new Gorilla habitat Taronga had sketched out was on a similar scale to Melbourne's 1990 opened one, maybe someday Taronga will revisit the idea potentially).

ps Thanks for the stats on Melbourne's Pygmy Hippo exhibits btw.
 
steveroberts said:
@Zoofan15

Go Melbourne once again. Another great example of their many excellent exhibit sizes, that have actually been around a fair while (1992 in this case right? along with their 400 sq m (former) Mandrill exhibit at the same time, very big for the time). Taronga got the stalls 3x larger, but the exhibits are on the small side (no doubt they care for their animals amazingly though, space can be tricky at Taronga working with the hillside terrain of ridges and cliffs). Am positive Taronga will aim for new exhibits of a similar size to Melbourne's ones for the last 32 years (the now seemingly scrapped new Gorilla habitat Taronga had sketched out was on a similar scale to Melbourne's 1990 opened one, maybe someday Taronga will revisit the idea potentially).

ps Thanks for the stats on Melbourne's Pygmy Hippo exhibits btw.
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That’s correct. Melbourne’s Mandrill and Pygmy hippopotamus exhibits opened in April 1992, two years after the Gorilla Rainforest precinct.

Taronga’s gorilla complex, as part of the Congo precinct, would have been spectacular. They would have been the only zoo in Australasia at this point in time to house a breeding troop and a bachelor troop. I really hope gorillas feature in Taronga’s long term plans. They’re an iconic species and Taronga has had great success, successfully rearing nine infants to adolescence/adulthood since 2003.
 
Sad news about Fergus, hippos in this country are really struggling over the last decade.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Melbourne transfer there male to taronga and taronga transfer lololi to Melbourne. Especially if taronga are planning to build purpose built pygmy hippo enclosures.

The capybara on the rainforest trail taking up an exhibit feel like a bit of waste to be honest. Geographically there not really a rainforest species, and they are a species that are not really worth a doubling up of exhibit space that taronga lacks.
 
Tiger91 said:
It wouldn't surprise me to see Melbourne transfer there male to taronga and taronga transfer lololi to Melbourne. Especially if taronga are planning to build purpose built pygmy hippo enclosures.

The capybara on the rainforest trail taking up an exhibit feel like a bit of waste to be honest. Geographically there not really a rainforest species, and they are a species that are not really worth a doubling up of exhibit space that taronga lacks.
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Possible, however I doubt it considering it would involve transferring two hippos at once; it would be far easier just to send Kambiri to Melbourne, especially if Taronga intend to keep Capybara in one of the exhibits long term.

Pygmy Hippos are a more solitary species, so I also doubt Taronga plans to keep Lololi with Kambiri into adulthood. Or, perhaps maybe there was already a pre designated destination for Lololi (whether that is Melbourne or another regional facility). If it was indeed Melbourne, plans could easily change now following Fergus's passing with Kambiri transferred instead.
 
Tiger91 said:
Sad news about Fergus, hippos in this country are really struggling over the last decade.

It wouldn't surprise me to see Melbourne transfer there male to taronga and taronga transfer lololi to Melbourne. Especially if taronga are planning to build purpose built pygmy hippo enclosures.

The capybara on the rainforest trail taking up an exhibit feel like a bit of waste to be honest. Geographically there not really a rainforest species, and they are a species that are not really worth a doubling up of exhibit space that taronga lacks.
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Jambo said:
Possible, however I doubt it considering it would involve transferring two hippos at once; it would be far easier just to send Kambiri to Melbourne, especially if Taronga intend to keep Capybara in one of the exhibits long term.

Pygmy Hippos are a more solitary species, so I also doubt Taronga plans to keep Lololi with Kambiri into adulthood. Or, perhaps maybe there was already a pre designated destination for Lololi (whether that is Melbourne or another regional facility). If it was indeed Melbourne, plans could easily change now following Fergus's passing with Kambiri transferred instead.
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Pygmy hippopotamus breed relatively well in captivity, but due to the capacity limitations (they can’t be housed in groups), sustainable levels of breeding haven’t been possible.

If there was any transfer to occur, I would expect it to be Kambiri (a mature female) to Melbourne to breed with Felix, replacing the match of Fergus and Felix; as by the time Lololi is mature (2-3 years), they’ll hopefully be the opportunity to import an unrelated female for Melbourne’s bull.

I’m of the understanding Kambiri and Lololi will both remain at Taronga; so the intention may well be for Taronga to import a bull to increase genetic diversity (in line with Melbourne and others importing). As Steve Robinson previously mentioned, this will ultimately be dictated by international availability.
 
WalkingAgnatha said:
How difficult is it to see JR normally?
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He’s pretty easy to see. I haven’t not seen him since just after he moved in. Although, the part of Nguwing Nura he is in is very dark.
Steve Robinson said:
Thanks!

I watch television very rarely - hence my ignorance.
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He’s basically a British Steve Irwin, although not quite as famous.
 
Zoofan15 said:
Pygmy hippopotamus breed relatively well in captivity, but due to the capacity limitations (they can’t be housed in groups), sustainable levels of breeding haven’t been possible.

If there was any transfer to occur, I would expect it to be Kambiri (a mature female) to Melbourne to breed with Felix, replacing the match of Fergus and Felix; as by the time Lololi is mature (2-3 years), they’ll hopefully be the opportunity to import an unrelated female for Melbourne’s bull.

I’m of the understanding Kambiri and Lololi will both remain at Taronga; so the intention may well be for Taronga to import a bull to increase genetic diversity (in line with Melbourne and others importing). As Steve Robinson previously mentioned, this will ultimately be dictated by international availability.
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Isnt that baby that has blown up on social media a bull ? He could work :D. He is in a Thai zoo or in that general region.
By the time our IRA passes, if ZAA has good relations with any breeding zoos they could literally kick of breeding with the idea to place the offspring here. If they were in countries where space is limited and breeding has slowed.
 
Jambo said:
Possible, however I doubt it considering it would involve transferring two hippos at once; it would be far easier just to send Kambiri to Melbourne, especially if Taronga intend to keep Capybara in one of the exhibits long term.

Pygmy Hippos are a more solitary species, so I also doubt Taronga plans to keep Lololi with Kambiri into adulthood. Or, perhaps maybe there was already a pre designated destination for Lololi (whether that is Melbourne or another regional facility). If it was indeed Melbourne, plans could easily change now following Fergus's passing with Kambiri transferred instead.
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It will be interesting to see what happens, as it will give an idea as possible plans long term for the species. If taronga do plan to import a new bull if they keep the two they have that's two females they have to breed with him when he arrives.
 
Tiger91 said:
Isnt that baby that has blown up on social media a bull ? He could work :D. He is in a Thai zoo or in that general region.
By the time our IRA passes, if ZAA has good relations with any breeding zoos they could literally kick of breeding with the idea to place the offspring here. If they were in countries where space is limited and breeding has slowed.
Click to expand...
Tiger91 said:
It will be interesting to see what happens, as it will give an idea as possible plans long term for the species. If taronga do plan to import a new bull if they keep the two they have that's two females they have to breed with him when he arrives.
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Moo Deng is also female and aside from the fact I doubt they’ll want to part with their biggest drawcard anytime soon, Thailand isn’t on the list of approved countries for import.

Historically Melbourne held two breeding female Pygmy hippopotamus (1.2 adults) and looking back on Taronga’s records, I see in 1978, they had a mother Sneezy; her daughter, Cleo; and her grandaughters, Katrina and Cookie. A bull was imported after Sneezy’s death and sired offspring to one of the three remaining females (Cookie).
 
Zoofan15 said:
Moo Deng is also female and aside from the fact I doubt they’ll want to part with their biggest drawcard anytime soon, Thailand isn’t on the list of approved countries for import.

Historically Melbourne held two breeding female Pygmy hippopotamus (1.2 adults) and looking back on Taronga’s records, I see in 1978, they had a mother Sneezy; her daughter, Cleo; and her grandaughters, Katrina and Cookie. A bull was imported after Sneezy’s death and sired offspring to one of the three remaining females (Cookie).
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Interestingly I can't find the post now, I assumed male as taronga released a thing about how they had there own moo Deng for kids to visit this school holidays in lololi. And I swear they mentioned male or at leas that was my take away. Rather unfortunate, it would appear we need some more male births to occur.
 
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