That is 100% correct well put
Tasmania Zoo Tasmania Zoo review
- Thread starter Grant Rhino
- Start date
I can’t really speak much in the regulations in Queensland as I don’t know much about them but can say that Tasmania would be giving them a good run for their money!
For any species not currently in Tasmania a species risk assessment has be undertaken before a species can be allowed in (note that this is different to federal IRAs). The species is then assessed based on its potential to establish itself in the wild in Tasmania and the potential risk it then poses to Tasmanian wildlife and agriculture, the species is then allowed or prohibited, and in some cases restrictions are put in place. These are also put up for public comment and are open to criticism, which has in the past caused a lot of trouble, with the local farmers association fighting back wanting African Wild Dogs prohibited in case the escape and interbreed with domestic dogs (which isn’t possible). As a result the species can only be held in non breeding groups.
It’s worth noting as well that the majority of these risk assessments have been put through by Tasmania Zoo, who have to develop a species profile and proposed pros and cons for the species before the local authorities will assess it, all of which costs time and money.
Working with similar species that are already held makes it a lot easier, ie similar primates are already held and approved and have low risk of survival in Tasmania so are a better chance of being approved. However the opposite is also true in that deer have already established and built wild populations in Tasmania and are prohibited from importing, as are Himalayan Tahr (as a result of wild populations in NZ). Bison have recently been approved but I believe only male/nonbreeding groups. In this case it makes it harder for zoos to warrant putting months of staff time into a document only to get knocked back. Addax have been approved but never imported by any zoos to my knowledge so may be some restrictions in place that have deterred zoos acquiring them. That’s not to say Tasmania Zoo won’t look at some of these in the future but this, along with difficulties in the transport logistics of moving these animals across the bass strait, would probably offer some reason for the lower number of ungulates in the collection.
As a side note too that might be of interest, there are a number of Australian native species that are prohibited, including macropods, dingos and birds, as a result of the risk levels of escaped. There were previous Agile wallabies held at wildlife park down here and there is now a wild population of escaped animals established around Bicheno.
Here’s a link to a list of approved species of it’s of interest to anyone:
Species Risk Assessments | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
For any species not currently in Tasmania a species risk assessment has be undertaken before a species can be allowed in (note that this is different to federal IRAs). The species is then assessed based on its potential to establish itself in the wild in Tasmania and the potential risk it then poses to Tasmanian wildlife and agriculture, the species is then allowed or prohibited, and in some cases restrictions are put in place. These are also put up for public comment and are open to criticism, which has in the past caused a lot of trouble, with the local farmers association fighting back wanting African Wild Dogs prohibited in case the escape and interbreed with domestic dogs (which isn’t possible). As a result the species can only be held in non breeding groups.
It’s worth noting as well that the majority of these risk assessments have been put through by Tasmania Zoo, who have to develop a species profile and proposed pros and cons for the species before the local authorities will assess it, all of which costs time and money.
Working with similar species that are already held makes it a lot easier, ie similar primates are already held and approved and have low risk of survival in Tasmania so are a better chance of being approved. However the opposite is also true in that deer have already established and built wild populations in Tasmania and are prohibited from importing, as are Himalayan Tahr (as a result of wild populations in NZ). Bison have recently been approved but I believe only male/nonbreeding groups. In this case it makes it harder for zoos to warrant putting months of staff time into a document only to get knocked back. Addax have been approved but never imported by any zoos to my knowledge so may be some restrictions in place that have deterred zoos acquiring them. That’s not to say Tasmania Zoo won’t look at some of these in the future but this, along with difficulties in the transport logistics of moving these animals across the bass strait, would probably offer some reason for the lower number of ungulates in the collection.
As a side note too that might be of interest, there are a number of Australian native species that are prohibited, including macropods, dingos and birds, as a result of the risk levels of escaped. There were previous Agile wallabies held at wildlife park down here and there is now a wild population of escaped animals established around Bicheno.
Here’s a link to a list of approved species of it’s of interest to anyone:
Species Risk Assessments | Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania
@Steve Robinson
What’s your view on the colobus enclosure at Canberra? (And the siamang enclosure).
Personally I really like this enclosure - it’s large, open air and even though it’s not an island it still doesn’t have any mesh.
Is something like that considered appropriate these days? Especially with adequate climbing structures (which that enclosure has) - or does the moat take up too much space?
What’s your view on the colobus enclosure at Canberra? (And the siamang enclosure).
Personally I really like this enclosure - it’s large, open air and even though it’s not an island it still doesn’t have any mesh.
Is something like that considered appropriate these days? Especially with adequate climbing structures (which that enclosure has) - or does the moat take up too much space?
Thanks for this Riley - it explains a lot and makes a lot of sense.
It really does show some of the challenges that these zoos face - especially from people who don’t have any expertise or knowledge of the issues (ie farmers views on dogs).
Winston Churchill once said that the best argument against democracy is a five minute chat with the average voter - this sounds a bit like that….
I’ve spent the past half hour reading some of these risk assessments for various species (just click on the link to each species) and some of these risks are laughable…. Whoever is in charge of these (in government that is) looks to have been instructed to present the worst case scenario every single time - to the point where it’s ridiculous. The glass is definitely half empty here and words such as wary, suspicious and paranoid come to mind….. I thought that red pandas and giraffes posing a moderate threat to humans seemed rather silly for example. That said, it’s an interesting read and it’s good that the government are transparent about this stuff.
I can only wholeheartedly agree. It must be a government official with little to no practical zoological training nor understanding of ecological concepts and leaning very much towards some local political and economic interest groups over a valid independent evaluation for introduction to the - admittedly ex situ - accomodation of a zoo as opposed to any real risk or potential for an exotic species from becoming established.
I wish the Tasmanian authorities would apply this rigor to conserving the local native old growth forests and critical habitats for native Tasmanian fauna and flora. An area where the local Govt. administration and authorities have a rather dim record over (and I don't just mean the earlier extinction and actively promoted by Govt. of say Tasmanian tiger, but also a few other high profile species as well).
SOURCE: Natural Tasmania: Extinct Species
Sorry Grant - I'm not going to be side tracked into giving my impressions on anything other than the subject of this thread.
@Steve Robinson
Wow yeah moats truly can be extremely risky and dangerous for some animals unfortunately, there have been many incidents involving drownings hey (ZooFan15 accounted about Snowy the Chimp's drowning at Taronga in 1999 in a bio post two years ago; the unfortunate Chimp who drowned at Sydney Blacktown). Found an incident likely known by many here but personally did not know about, an Orangutan saved by a keeper from drowning and given cpr at Vinpearl Safari Park in Phu Quoc Vietnam in 2022:
Sorry anywho back to Tasmania Zoo focus of this thread
Wow yeah moats truly can be extremely risky and dangerous for some animals unfortunately, there have been many incidents involving drownings hey (ZooFan15 accounted about Snowy the Chimp's drowning at Taronga in 1999 in a bio post two years ago; the unfortunate Chimp who drowned at Sydney Blacktown). Found an incident likely known by many here but personally did not know about, an Orangutan saved by a keeper from drowning and given cpr at Vinpearl Safari Park in Phu Quoc Vietnam in 2022:
Sorry anywho back to Tasmania Zoo focus of this thread
Australias feral animal history, or even native introduced into non native areas Is extensive and has lead to governments being more strict on species then its worth. However, we dont want to end up the next Florida. For example no white ibis, except for the occasional waylay was seen in Sydney, pre 1970's. And certainly were never a native breeder. The infamous bin chicken was held by taronga zoo and encouraged to breed as free range birds, starting what is not Sydneys and much of the surrounding areas permanent population. Palm squirrels escaped and set up wild populations in a few spots etc.
As for red panda and giraffe, I would say that giraffe are moderately dangerous to humans. If they were to get out and become feral I could 100% see interactions with humans ending up with human death or injury. Especially if one hits one with a car. And red panda while especially cute, are reported to be quite vicious when they want to be.
While this is undoubtedly true, I really do think that a giraffe escape from a zoo is very, very unlikely. Zoos do have fences (and moats) for a reason. I also believe that if one did escape, it would be found and recaptured before it could breed and start a new feral population - not that you were suggesting this. Balancing risks with the benefits of displaying animals in zoos is the key here. Both are important.
No arguments at all about the ibis plague though!