This is a couple of updates to the recent changes made at Taronga. I visited last June just after the new entrance was opened (although the official opening was a couple of days ago), visited again last week to see the new chimp enclosure, and while there I also saw the new walkway from the chimps past the Barbary Sheep and down to the Tahrs.
Firstly, the lower carpark: attached below is an image of what we used to call the lower carpark – this area next to the zoo’s northern perimeter wall was five feet lower than the rest of the carpark and was popular with Zoo Friends (and some staff) as you could park in the shade all day, were near the main gate, or right beside the Ed Centre. In the attached photo (taken two years ago), the long grey building you see is the back of the original reptile house (at this time used for storage). The yellowish building is the top terminal for the Cabin Ride and Conservation Lecture Theatre. The Main Entrance was just out of shot on the left – closed for renovations, the temporary entrance was just out of shot to the right. You can see the trees here removed for the construction work. This area has now been grassed and has markers indicating parking areas, but is not yet in use. I suspect it will be available for special functions only and not day-to-day use.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/carpark-next-entry-240024/
The second attachment is a photo of the main entrance taken in April 2008 – notice the garden beds, the pavers ramping up to the entrance, and the door to the right of the main arch. The door leads into a staircase that takes you up to the second floor where for many years the Royal Zoological Society of NSW had their offices, and until recently Zoo Friends were based there. The old bus shelter opposite the main entrance has been renovated and is now the new Zoo Friends office.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/bus-shelter-216661/
The Main Entrance building is now just a shell: the gardens have gone and stairs lead up to the room where the ticket boxes use to be. They have retained the mosaic on the floor. The door to the upstairs area has been bricked up, and access to the staircase is hidden.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/outside-main-entrance-216662/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/outside-main-entrance-216663/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/mosiac-floor-main-entrance-building-216659/
Just to the west of the Main Entrance was the giftshop and exit – this is now just a large empty room. Well, empty except for a large archway with lots of photos and six TVs showing footage of different animals. You leave this room through one of three arches – when this was a gift shop the middle arch was glassed and the register was in front of it, and there was another wall behind that, then a covered ramp that led down three feet (one metre) to the road inside the zoo. That covered area has gone and the ground level has been raised and levelled. See photos below.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216657/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216655/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216651/
The old reptile house has been knocked down and brand new building erected in its place. This houses ticket sales, the guides/information area, and toilets (much larger than the old ones in this area. Opposite this (where wombats and koalas used to be) is a cafe and large gift shop. The actual entrance to the zoo is down a new walkway next to Amazonia/Alligators. So the public can come through the Main building to the cafe/gift shop, and not even enter the zoo. From this area you can view the top Waterfowl ponds (the bridge is only accessed from inside the zoo, near the kangaroos), you can peer over a fence into the Kangaroo Walkthrough, and a see new exhibit for Tree Kangaroos on the site of the old dingo enclosure (and nearing completion). The whole area is open, with benches for people to sit and have something to eat, and will probably be used as a gathering point for large tour and school groups.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216652/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216653/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/waterfowl-ponds-viewed-inside-new-entry-216672/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/waterfowl-ponds-viewed-inside-new-entry-216671/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/macropod-walkthrough-viewed-new-entry-precinct-216658/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/fig-tree-inside-new-entry-precinct-216654/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/tree-kangaroo-enclosure-240032/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/tree-kangaroo-enclosure-240030/
The biggest change to the Chimp enclosure is the addition of a mesh wall and roof at the western end of the exhibit so individuals or groups may be physically separated from the rest of the troop. The bottom half of the mesh wall is actually perforated metal, the holes so small I don’t think even a baby chimp could get a fingerhold. There are two or three doors at ground level which can be opened and closed by the keepers as needed.
The public viewing at the western end used to be through three or four large windows set in frames – now it is many large windows with comparatively thin frames and you have more of a feeling of actually being in the exhibit. There is also an ugly replica of a termite mound, half of which is on one side of the glass, the other half extending into the public area. There is a door on the public side with a pane of glass so the public can see the sticks being poked into the tray of honey/peanut butter/strawberry jam/vegemite or whatever. Previously, the termite mounds were in the middle of the exhibit and were filled when the keepers cleaned the exhibit early in the morning. Now keepers can fill it at any time during the day.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/new-chimp-viewing-secondary-enclosure-240018/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/termite-mound-240029/
There is also a large concrete log, big enough for a large child (or small adult) to climb through which leads into the exhibit.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/hollow-log-children-chimp-exhibit-240025/
The viewing area at the eastern end of the enclosure is unchanged apart from some signage.
The enclosure itself has been landscaped and instead of a fallen forest and some tall straight trees to climb on there are new towers – some 12 metres high with platforms, cross-branches and ropes. The towers are made of steel girders with wood bolted to the exterior to make it look a bit more natural. And there are similar structures in the enclosed area at the western end.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240022/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240021/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240020/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240019/
While I was there none of the chimps was in the enclosed area – apparently they are not too keen on it and prefer to have open skies above them (then again, it is still pretty new to them).
Continuing westward from the chimps leads to the Barbary Sheep, and the road that led around the outside of the enclosure (and then to the Bongos and African Waterhole) has been upgraded into a walkways and ramps for strollers that lead to a new viewing are for the Barabsy Sheep, a view of the Harbour, Bridge and Opera House, an upgraded Rotunda, and a new path that leads down to the Tahrs and Snow Leopards.
The new viewing of the Barbary Sheep extends a platform into the enclosure, but you end up looking down on the animals, something I don’t like (too much like the bear pits of yesteryear). However, there is storage space under this platform where I’m sure the keepers now keep their tools and animal feed. Previously they were kept outside the exhibit (next to the Ostrich rotunda) and was a pain to lug the wheelie bin down, open the gate and get the bin and tools inside (ensuring none of the occupants were nearby), and then lug it back up and out again when it was full. Some new plantings have been made in a small garden around the roots of the fallen fig.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/barbary-sheep-enclosure-240016/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/viewing-barbary-sheep-240015/
The path leading to the Waterhole is pretty much the same, but a new path heads on down to the Tahrs and passes around the back of the exhibit. In fact, most of the front of the enclosure has a brush wall and wooden shelters constructed so the best viewing now is only from the back. The walkway is elevated a couple of metres above the ground, and another higher platform is available for the keepers to hose the mountain down each morning. Viewing the Tahrs this way puts you on a similar level to them on the mountain; viewing from the front of the exhibit generally meant you were always looking up at them.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/walkway-barbary-sheep-bongos-tahrs-240027/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/walkway-tahr-mountain-240033/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/walkway-behind-tahr-mountain-240034/
Hix
Firstly, the lower carpark: attached below is an image of what we used to call the lower carpark – this area next to the zoo’s northern perimeter wall was five feet lower than the rest of the carpark and was popular with Zoo Friends (and some staff) as you could park in the shade all day, were near the main gate, or right beside the Ed Centre. In the attached photo (taken two years ago), the long grey building you see is the back of the original reptile house (at this time used for storage). The yellowish building is the top terminal for the Cabin Ride and Conservation Lecture Theatre. The Main Entrance was just out of shot on the left – closed for renovations, the temporary entrance was just out of shot to the right. You can see the trees here removed for the construction work. This area has now been grassed and has markers indicating parking areas, but is not yet in use. I suspect it will be available for special functions only and not day-to-day use.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/carpark-next-entry-240024/
The second attachment is a photo of the main entrance taken in April 2008 – notice the garden beds, the pavers ramping up to the entrance, and the door to the right of the main arch. The door leads into a staircase that takes you up to the second floor where for many years the Royal Zoological Society of NSW had their offices, and until recently Zoo Friends were based there. The old bus shelter opposite the main entrance has been renovated and is now the new Zoo Friends office.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/bus-shelter-216661/
The Main Entrance building is now just a shell: the gardens have gone and stairs lead up to the room where the ticket boxes use to be. They have retained the mosaic on the floor. The door to the upstairs area has been bricked up, and access to the staircase is hidden.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/outside-main-entrance-216662/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/outside-main-entrance-216663/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/mosiac-floor-main-entrance-building-216659/
Just to the west of the Main Entrance was the giftshop and exit – this is now just a large empty room. Well, empty except for a large archway with lots of photos and six TVs showing footage of different animals. You leave this room through one of three arches – when this was a gift shop the middle arch was glassed and the register was in front of it, and there was another wall behind that, then a covered ramp that led down three feet (one metre) to the road inside the zoo. That covered area has gone and the ground level has been raised and levelled. See photos below.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216657/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216655/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216651/
The old reptile house has been knocked down and brand new building erected in its place. This houses ticket sales, the guides/information area, and toilets (much larger than the old ones in this area. Opposite this (where wombats and koalas used to be) is a cafe and large gift shop. The actual entrance to the zoo is down a new walkway next to Amazonia/Alligators. So the public can come through the Main building to the cafe/gift shop, and not even enter the zoo. From this area you can view the top Waterfowl ponds (the bridge is only accessed from inside the zoo, near the kangaroos), you can peer over a fence into the Kangaroo Walkthrough, and a see new exhibit for Tree Kangaroos on the site of the old dingo enclosure (and nearing completion). The whole area is open, with benches for people to sit and have something to eat, and will probably be used as a gathering point for large tour and school groups.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216652/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/inside-new-entry-precinct-216653/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/waterfowl-ponds-viewed-inside-new-entry-216672/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/waterfowl-ponds-viewed-inside-new-entry-216671/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/macropod-walkthrough-viewed-new-entry-precinct-216658/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/fig-tree-inside-new-entry-precinct-216654/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/tree-kangaroo-enclosure-240032/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/tree-kangaroo-enclosure-240030/
The biggest change to the Chimp enclosure is the addition of a mesh wall and roof at the western end of the exhibit so individuals or groups may be physically separated from the rest of the troop. The bottom half of the mesh wall is actually perforated metal, the holes so small I don’t think even a baby chimp could get a fingerhold. There are two or three doors at ground level which can be opened and closed by the keepers as needed.
The public viewing at the western end used to be through three or four large windows set in frames – now it is many large windows with comparatively thin frames and you have more of a feeling of actually being in the exhibit. There is also an ugly replica of a termite mound, half of which is on one side of the glass, the other half extending into the public area. There is a door on the public side with a pane of glass so the public can see the sticks being poked into the tray of honey/peanut butter/strawberry jam/vegemite or whatever. Previously, the termite mounds were in the middle of the exhibit and were filled when the keepers cleaned the exhibit early in the morning. Now keepers can fill it at any time during the day.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/new-chimp-viewing-secondary-enclosure-240018/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/termite-mound-240029/
There is also a large concrete log, big enough for a large child (or small adult) to climb through which leads into the exhibit.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/hollow-log-children-chimp-exhibit-240025/
The viewing area at the eastern end of the enclosure is unchanged apart from some signage.
The enclosure itself has been landscaped and instead of a fallen forest and some tall straight trees to climb on there are new towers – some 12 metres high with platforms, cross-branches and ropes. The towers are made of steel girders with wood bolted to the exterior to make it look a bit more natural. And there are similar structures in the enclosed area at the western end.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240022/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240021/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240020/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/chimp-enclosure-240019/
While I was there none of the chimps was in the enclosed area – apparently they are not too keen on it and prefer to have open skies above them (then again, it is still pretty new to them).
Continuing westward from the chimps leads to the Barbary Sheep, and the road that led around the outside of the enclosure (and then to the Bongos and African Waterhole) has been upgraded into a walkways and ramps for strollers that lead to a new viewing are for the Barabsy Sheep, a view of the Harbour, Bridge and Opera House, an upgraded Rotunda, and a new path that leads down to the Tahrs and Snow Leopards.
The new viewing of the Barbary Sheep extends a platform into the enclosure, but you end up looking down on the animals, something I don’t like (too much like the bear pits of yesteryear). However, there is storage space under this platform where I’m sure the keepers now keep their tools and animal feed. Previously they were kept outside the exhibit (next to the Ostrich rotunda) and was a pain to lug the wheelie bin down, open the gate and get the bin and tools inside (ensuring none of the occupants were nearby), and then lug it back up and out again when it was full. Some new plantings have been made in a small garden around the roots of the fallen fig.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/barbary-sheep-enclosure-240016/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/viewing-barbary-sheep-240015/
The path leading to the Waterhole is pretty much the same, but a new path heads on down to the Tahrs and passes around the back of the exhibit. In fact, most of the front of the enclosure has a brush wall and wooden shelters constructed so the best viewing now is only from the back. The walkway is elevated a couple of metres above the ground, and another higher platform is available for the keepers to hose the mountain down each morning. Viewing the Tahrs this way puts you on a similar level to them on the mountain; viewing from the front of the exhibit generally meant you were always looking up at them.
http://www.zoochat.com/34/walkway-barbary-sheep-bongos-tahrs-240027/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/walkway-tahr-mountain-240033/
http://www.zoochat.com/34/walkway-behind-tahr-mountain-240034/
Hix
