Taronga Zoo Taronga Zoo Update

[nrg800]

Hey everyone... I went to the zoo today...

First thing is that the Horseshoe aviaries have been turned into a volenter work station and most of the animals have been moved to the Rainforest Aviary, The other Australian Bush Birds and the Wollemi aviary.

Speaking of the Wollemi enclosure the female lyrebird has started building a nest in the east cornor of the exhibit.

The free Flight bird show now only very briefly features the Brolga and they are training a new Wedge-tailed Eagle, a new Galah, new rats and two new keepers.

The Wetlands Aviary in Wild Asia is closed for renovations, though the birds can still be seen from the side and the top.

The Cassowaries are settling in well.

The Helmeted Guineafowl have had a chick

Monfia has grown heaps and has fun chasing the Ruddy Shelducks in her enclosure.

The Malaysian Tapir has had it's blindfold taken off

The Regent Bowerbird in the Rainforest Aviary is displaying

The new Red Panda Exhibit is in it's final stage of development, planting the trees.

The Langur has had a baby

The Meekats have had two more young

I will update with pictures when I can be bothered

 

[PAT]

Sounds like a good visit and I'm glad to here that Monifa is growing fast...Hopefully it won't be long until she makes the journey south.

I have been wondering for a while about the creatures in the creatures of the woolemi exhibit. Does anyone have a current list of species in there:-

Family: Species: Common Name: Capacity:
Alisterus scapularis King Parrot 2.0.0
Bettongia penillata Brush-tailed Bettong 1.0
Burhinus grallarius Bush Stone-curlew 1.1.0
Callocephalon fimbriatum Gang-Gang Cockatoo 1.1.0
Calyptorhynchus funereus Yellow-tail Black Cockatoo 1.1.0
Calyptorhynchus lathami Glossy Black Cockatoo 1.1.0
Chelodina longicollis Eastern Snake-necked Turtle 0.0.10
Dacelo novaeguineae Kookaburra 0.0.4
Egernia cunninghami Cunningham Skink 0.0.8
Egernia major Land Mullet 0.1.0
Geopelia striata placida Peaceful Dove
Glossopsitta pusilla Little Lorikeet 5.5.0
Halcyon sanctus Sacred Kingfisher 0.0.2
Lichenostomus melanops Yellow-tufted Honeyeater 1.0.0
Macropus parma Parma wallaby 1.1.0
Malurus lamberti lamberti Variegated Fairy-wren 0.0.3
Morelia spilota Diamond Python 1.1.0
Morelia spilota varigata Carpet Python 1.1.0
Neochmia temporalis Red-Browed Finch 0.0.30
Ornithorhynchus anatinus Platypus 1.2.0
Petrogale penicillata Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby 1.2.0
Phalacrocorax melanoleucos Little Pied Cormorant 0.0.3
Phyisignathus lesueurii lesueurii Eastern Water Dragon 3.1.0
Pitta versicolor Noisy Pitta 0.1.0
Platycercus eximius Eastern Rosella 0.5.0
Plectorhyncha lanceolata Striped Honeyeater 2.0.0
Pogona barbata Coastal Bearded Dragon 2.0.0
Psephotus haematonotus Red Rumped Parrot 2.2.0
Ptilinopus regina Rose-crowned Fruit Dover 0.30
Ptilonorhychus violaceus Satin Bowerbird 1.1.0
Rhipidura leucophrys Willie Wagtail 1.0
Sphecotheres viridis Figbird 1.2.0
Stagonopleura guttata Diamond Firetail Finch 0.0.15
Tachyglossus aculeatus Short-beaked Echidna 0.0.1
Tiliqua scincoides scincoides Eastern Blue-tongued Lizard 0.0.15
Trichoglossus haematodus Rainbow Lorikeet 0.2.0
Xanthomyza phrygia Regent Honeyeater 5.0.0
Zosterops lateralis Silvereye 0.0.5

This is a list of the species in there when it opened (from zoolex).

 

[Hix]

As far as I'm aware, the only macropods in there are the Rock Wallabies. I haven't recently seen King Parrots, Eastern Rosellas, Rainbow Lorikeets or Little Lorikeets, Silvereyes, nor Diamond Python or Carpet Python (but King Parrot and Silvereyes are in the Rainforest Aviary). There are other birds in that list I haven't seen, but they could be there and just shy.

I can confirm the presence of the Bush Stone Curlews, Peaceful Doves (lots of them), Gang Gangs, Yellow Tailed Cockatoos, Red-rumped Parrot, Echidna, Platypus, Bearded Dragon and Blue-tongue Lizard. Also - not on your list - Dollarbird, Superb Fruit Dove, Australasian Grebe, Masked Plover, Black-faced Cuckoo Shrike, Scaley-breatsed Lorikeet, Bush Bronzewing, Hooded Robin, and Superb Lyrebird.



Hix

 

[nrg800]

Updated, and because the post length need to be longer then one word I am writing this

 

[LOU]

I'm glad to here that Monifa is growing fast...Hopefully it won't be long until she makes the journey south.

Monifa's coming to Melbourne? Is this new news or am i missing something?

 

[PAT]

I thought the whole reason for Harry to go up to Sydney was to breed pygmy hippos and send the babies done to Melbourne.

 

[torie]

I thought the whole reason for Harry to go up to Sydney was to breed pygmy hippos and send the babies done to Melbourne.

Harry? I though the make was called timmy? and yes monifa is destined to go to melbourne fairly soon (before she is a year old i was told)

in the first post you say the meerkats have had two more young so does that mean there are four now or are you just talking about zanzibar and Nariobi?

 

[nrg800]

I imagine I am speaking about them XD

 

[jay]

while doing a search on old newspaper articles about Taronga Zoo I came across this article. Could it be possible that this is the same Timothy that sired Monifa?
The Sydney Morning Herald. - Google News Archive Search

 

[Hix]

Thanks for the link. I just loved looking at the TV Guide, the movie guide and the advertisments - a Nissan Pulsar for $8990 - those were the days!



Hix

 

[Chuckface]

why did the tapir have a blindfold on?

 

[Coquinguy]

they are modified horse veils and they are to exclude the sunlight and protect the animals eyes...here in Australia malayan tapirs have developed eye problems because they were kept in too sunny enclosures....well thats the theory anyway.
due to the animals developing these eye problems australian zoos have discontinued breeding this species

 

[MikeG]

here in Australia malayan tapirs have developed eye problems because they were kept in too sunny enclosures....well thats the theory anyway.
due to the animals developing these eye problems australian zoos have discontinued breeding this species

Why not simply ensure that tapirs are kept in well-shaded enclosures? Or am I missing something?

 

[Chuckface]

ok thanks Glyn. But I thoguth the male was ok? I thougth only Denise had the problems when she was there.

 

[Ara]

I believe that eventually every Malayan Tapir kept in any Australian zoo over the years has gone blind - too much light? disease? bacteria in the soil? no-one seems to know.

Does this happen in other zoos throughout the world?

 

[Chuckface]

I heard also that rat pee caused really bad illneses in them? liek theres something in it they cant cope with.

 

[phoenix]

Does this happen in other zoos throughout the world?

yes - and the situation here seems worse, with every tapir having gone blind, but its worth remembering that we only had six in the country at the peak. hardly what you could call a study group.

add to this that no zoo really provided shade on par with what they would experience in the wild (adelaide included) and its hardly surprising.