Taronga zoo visit. Sept. 2022

[boof]

I visited Taronga for the first time in at least 5 years yesterday. I used to visit a few times a year and it was my local zoo before I moved to central NSW in 2017.
The place has changed so much. It was my first look at the tiger precinct. While I was impressed with the actual exhibits I found that the village, aeroplane and supermarket didn’t excite me. What a waste of space. Hardly anyone stopped in any of these areas. They just moved past them. A few small exhibits or aviaries would have been better in my opinion.

The new lion exhibit has improved the waterhole area, but again, so much empty space. A few simple aviaries with African grey parrots or small African birds could have been added.

I’m looking forward to seeing the new reptile building. The old one is looking a bit “tired”.

What is happening in the old Australian area? No nocturnal house or platypus anymore? What’s the plan for up there?

 

[Zoofan15]

I visited Taronga for the first time in at least 5 years yesterday. I used to visit a few times a year and it was my local zoo before I moved to central NSW in 2017.
The place has changed so much. It was my first look at the tiger precinct. While I was impressed with the actual exhibits I found that the village, aeroplane and supermarket didn’t excite me. What a waste of space. Hardly anyone stopped in any of these areas. They just moved past them. A few small exhibits or aviaries would have been better in my opinion.

The new lion exhibit has improved the waterhole area, but again, so much empty space. A few simple aviaries with African grey parrots or small African birds could have been added.

I’m looking forward to seeing the new reptile building. The old one is looking a bit “tired”.

What is happening in the old Australian area? No nocturnal house or platypus anymore? What’s the plan for up there?

Many of us share your views on the Sumatran tiger precinct. There’s a huge amount of wasted space (especially for a city zoo which didn’t have a lot to begin with) and unsurprisingly, visitors aren’t interested in interacting with it when there’s more exciting things going on around them - namely the animals they’ve paid to see.

The other complaint I’ve heard about the precinct is that there’s no other species besides tigers. Imagine how much better it’d be if the fake supermarket etc had been replaced with an aviary or a couple of exhibits filled with small primates, birds etc.

 

[boof]

Yep. So many exhibits lost from that area. Surely they could have squeezed in something else.

 

[Zoofan15]

Yep. So many exhibits lost from that area. Surely they could have squeezed in something else.

Auckland Zoo have demonstrated how to design a South East Asian precinct . Aerial ropes create a 2km pathway taking up only the floor space the supporting towers require; and elevated pathways that traverse the Asian small-clawed otter exhibit allow visitors to witness an interaction between two species. The average visitors can’t be bothered to read information panels and learn - they want to see world class exhibits with clear, unobstructed views of the animals they’ve paid to see.

 

[Zorro]

Many of us share your views on the Sumatran tiger precinct. There’s a huge amount of wasted space (especially for a city zoo which didn’t have a lot to begin with) and unsurprisingly, visitors aren’t interested in interacting with it when there’s more exciting things going on around them - namely the animals they’ve paid to see.

The other complaint I’ve heard about the precinct is that there’s no other species besides tigers. Imagine how much better it’d be if the fake supermarket etc had been replaced with an aviary or a couple of exhibits filled with small primates, birds etc.

I agree they are missing the mark, It could be a cheap cop-out by only having one or perhaps two species in a exhibit complex it just comes across as a easy way out ,perhaps if they put less effort in the hotel and more into the real exbihits they could do better!

 

[Zoofan15]

I agree they are missing the mark, It could be a cheap cop-out by only having one or perhaps two species in a exhibit complex it just comes across as a easy way out ,perhaps if they put less effort in the hotel and more into the real exbihits they could do better!

I honestly think zoos get too caught up with the idea of creating an experience or telling a story. It’s a well intentioned idea, it’s part of the ethos of any modern zoo and it sounds great in theory; but it falls flat in reality when the average zoo visitor comes wanting to be entertained or looking for something to do with their kids.

Have an information panel by all means - that way the info’s there for those who want it; but it shouldn’t be obstructive in taking up unnecessary space or detract from the exhibits.

The core memories/teachable moments/buzzword buzzword come from kids seeing animals up close - seeing the size of their claws or the pattern of their fur, seeing them eat inches from where they’re standing or play with their young. That’s the stuff they remember and are inspired by.

 

[Jambo]

I visited Taronga for the first time in at least 5 years yesterday. I used to visit a few times a year and it was my local zoo before I moved to central NSW in 2017.
The place has changed so much. It was my first look at the tiger precinct. While I was impressed with the actual exhibits I found that the village, aeroplane and supermarket didn’t excite me. What a waste of space. Hardly anyone stopped in any of these areas. They just moved past them. A few small exhibits or aviaries would have been better in my opinion.

The new lion exhibit has improved the waterhole area, but again, so much empty space. A few simple aviaries with African grey parrots or small African birds could have been added.

I’m looking forward to seeing the new reptile building. The old one is looking a bit “tired”.

What is happening in the old Australian area? No nocturnal house or platypus anymore? What’s the plan for up there?

Thanks for the little review, you've pretty much summed up my exact thoughts on Taronga's new precincts too.

I remember visiting seven years ago prior to the new constructions you named, and you can really notice the change in collection ever since then. That area which once held Giraffe, Zebra, Ostrich, Pygmy Hippo, Snow Leopards, Lions, Tigers, Dholes, Himalayan Tahr, Bongo, Fennec Foxes and Meerkats is now just used for Lions, Fennec Foxes, Meerkats, Giraffe, Zebra and Tigers. It appears they just completely demolished the lower row (which used to hold Fennec Foxes, Pymgy Hippos, Meerkats, Dholes and had a small aviary at the end). This space is now sitting unused.

Initially I think you had to pass through the aeroplane to get to the Tiger trail. Covid of course prevented that. The supermarket at the end, was mostly passed through by many, but some; especially kids, usually stop by to check it out. I'm thinking they got the idea for that from Melbourne who have a pretty identical one at their Orangutans.

The Giraffe enclosure is pretty much the exact same size wise, slightly a little bigger now. They've just done it up a bit. The Zebras on the other hand have a much smaller enclosure (that is, if they're still separated from the Giraffe). The Lion enclosure is really the only pro of the precinct; and imo one of the best exhibits at the Zoo.

The old Australian area is being demolished and the plan is for Iyora Australia (a whole new precinct) to open next year. The platypus were up in the new Wildlife retreat for a while, but had been moved off display as of last year (not sure if that was temporary or not).

 

[Zoofan15]

The Giraffe enclosure is pretty much the exact same size wise, slightly a little bigger now. They've just done it up a bit. The Zebras on the other hand have a much smaller enclosure (that is, if they're still separated from the Giraffe). The Lion enclosure is really the only pro of the precinct; and imo one of the best exhibits at the Zoo.

The old Australian area is being demolished and the plan is for Iyora Australia (a whole new precinct) to open next year. The platypus were up in the new Wildlife retreat for a while, but had been moved off display as of last year (not sure if that was temporary or not).

Taronga’s new giraffe exhibit has been a disappointment to many given what people loved most about the old exhibit was the view of the Sydney Opera House in the background. A shot of the giraffes with this iconic piece of architecture in the background is something you can guarantee any tourist taking photos would aspire to photograph.

Platypus will always have a home at Taronga Zoo. They’re in their logo and are effectively a symbol of the zoo. However their main stronghold will of course be the magnificent $12 million Platypus Conservation Centre in Dubbo, which will accomodate up to 65 Platypus. It will be a huge drawcard for the zoo; as well as actively supporting their conservation work.

 

[Jambo]

Taronga’s new giraffe exhibit has been a disappointment to many given what people loved most about the old exhibit was the view of the Sydney Opera House in the background. A shot of the giraffes with this iconic piece of architecture in the background is something you can guarantee any tourist taking photos would aspire to photograph.

The enclosure does give a much better view of the city, but I think has disappointed many just solely on the fact that it's not much larger than the previous enclosure, and dosen't differ much from the previous enclosure.

I think an easy way to make the enclosure much better would've been incorporating it in with the Lion enclosure right next door eg. Giving the Lions an overlook out onto the Giraffe enclosure. With immersion, a giraffe enclosure with Lions in the background could've been achieved.