Correct but hotels and plastic dinosaur’s seem to have taken priority over a lot of animal issues
Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo News 2022
- Thread starter WhistlingKite24
- Start date
I've never understood the appeal of animatronic dinosaurs at a zoo. I've been to see dinosaur exhibitions with my kids and I can confirm they're 100% more focused on the experience when not distracted by something more exciting around them i.e. a zoo with playgrounds and gift shops. Not to mention, anything a zoo can throw together as a free side show will always be a let down compared to dedicated exhibitions that charge admission and are of higher quality.
Its probably someone who needs to justify their job to come up with ideas for making money the focus is shifted away from running a zoological park and incorporating more of a theme park style to generate cash flow
Its probably someone who needs to justify their job to come up with ideas for making money the focus is shifted away from running a zoological park and incorporating more of a theme park style to generate cash flow
It's always frustrating to see resources diverted to something we'd consider irrelevant like mini golf or dinosaurs.
A few zoos have found the right balance. Auckland Zoo used to do zoo sleepovers in the elephant house for school parties, with the sleeping area inside Kashin and Burma's old stalls. It made use of a historic building and engaged thousands of kids each year through the sleepover and night safari tour (all at an affordable price). Accommodation needs not be luxury hotels.
Sheru, the new lion from Sydney Zoo has successfully been introduced to the two resident females Nilo and Asali - reported on their social media.
Source: Zoos Victoria's Facebook page
Source: Zoos Victoria's Facebook page
Great news! We could have cubs as early as this spring. Nilo, I imagine will be given preference to have a litter first, and then possibly Asali in a year or so.
A few notes from my visit today:
If anyone’s interested here’s the numbers I’ve counted for all the animals I saw one display:
Tammar Wallaby- 3
Emu- 4 (plus at least 6 more off display)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo- 13
Koala- 2
Vervet Monkey- 5
African Wild Dog- 4
African Lion- 3 (Sheru, Nilo, Asali)
Hippos- 5 (Primrose, Brindabella, Lotus, Tulip, Pansy)
Gorillas- 3 (Motoba, Yakini, Ganyeka)
Leopard Tortoise- 2
Bison- 11
Ankole Cattle- 3
Dromedary camel- 5
Prezwalski’s horse- 8
Ostriches- 8 females waterhole, 4 males lower Savannah
Blackbuck- 6 males on upper Savannah, 30+ waterhole
Scimitar Horned Oryx- 7 males lower Savannah, 23 Arid area
Waterbuck- 6
Eland- 20
Zebra- 13
Giraffe- 5
Rhino- 6 (Make, Kipenzi, Kifaru, Letaba, Umgana, Sisi)
- Werribee are down to four African Wild Dogs (after having five initially in 2019).
- Male Sheru is quite a quiet male, sitting in the corner of the enclosure. He is apparently rather shy around visitors. This is rather different compared to Johari who was always sitting with his girls. He’s settling in well though, and is now living in the front enclosure with Nilo and Asali. Breeding will likely begin later this year, assuming everything goes well from here.
- Werribee lost Leroy the White Rhino in 2019. They now hold their rhinos in two groups (Kipenzi, Kifaru and Make live on the Lower Savannah). Mating has been observed excitingly and visitors were told a baby might be present the next time they visit! Fingers crossed, Werribee haven’t had a baby rhino in almost a decade now. Letaba and Sisi have been retired from breeding.
- A new male Zebra, Atero is planned to become Werribee’s new colt. Werribee also have multiple females due soon on the lower Savannah.
If anyone’s interested here’s the numbers I’ve counted for all the animals I saw one display:
Tammar Wallaby- 3
Emu- 4 (plus at least 6 more off display)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo- 13
Koala- 2
Vervet Monkey- 5
African Wild Dog- 4
African Lion- 3 (Sheru, Nilo, Asali)
Hippos- 5 (Primrose, Brindabella, Lotus, Tulip, Pansy)
Gorillas- 3 (Motoba, Yakini, Ganyeka)
Leopard Tortoise- 2
Bison- 11
Ankole Cattle- 3
Dromedary camel- 5
Prezwalski’s horse- 8
Ostriches- 8 females waterhole, 4 males lower Savannah
Blackbuck- 6 males on upper Savannah, 30+ waterhole
Scimitar Horned Oryx- 7 males lower Savannah, 23 Arid area
Waterbuck- 6
Eland- 20
Zebra- 13
Giraffe- 5
Rhino- 6 (Make, Kipenzi, Kifaru, Letaba, Umgana, Sisi)
I believe the outcome of the 3 pending elephant births will determine much of the herds future in numbers and breeding success, if they were lucky enough to have more female births or even 3 female calf’s will point Werribee plan for years to come. The herd at Rockton seems to have many female births which has certainly boosted their ranks over the years to the success it is today
Three female calves would be ideal:
A female calf from Num Oi would allow her to establish her own matrilineal line. This is important not just for Num Oi, but for the genetics of the herd to prevent it becoming too dominated by the genes of Dokoon and her line.
A female calf from Mali would ensure succession of her matrilineal line, following on from Dokoon and Mali. Mali will be a young mother and subsequently would be a young grandmother, with decades ahead to support her daughter in turn as she breeds.
A female calf from Dokoon would represent the best chance at creating a splinter off group down the line. A few decades from now, this female and her offspring could be transferred; with Mali and her offspring remaining to support Dokoon in her old age.
Breeding Plan for Werribee
Werribee is aiming for a herd numbering in the 20’s, but the plan is to achieve this through succession. A run of female births (all retained within the herd) would lead to an ageing population decades from now bearing in mind these elephants could reach 70 years of age.
The ideal would be around four females a decade - with a slightly higher number needed to account for stillbirths, deaths as neonates/juveniles etc.
One way to achieve this is via a four year breeding rotation. Calving slots are allocated at four year intervals, with intervals removed if the cow had a female calf on the last rotation, or if there’s an elephant less represented that takes priority.
It’s pointless to speculate beyond 2032 (as female calves from the upcoming cohort would be entering the breeding rotation) given we don’t know the genders of these calves, but a plan for the next decade could look like this.
D2023 D2027 D2031 ———— D2035 Retired
N2023 N2027 N2031 ———— N2035 N2039 Retired
M2023 M2027 M2031 ———— M2035 M2039 M2043 M2047 Retired
In this fictional scenario, they aim to produce two calves every four years. Dokoon and Num Oi are chosen for the second rotation (and Mali omitted) because Num Oi is underrepresented and Dokoon is older than Mali. In the next rotation, Dokoon is omitted due to over representation; while Mali is included as it’s been eight years since her last calf (conceives 2029, six years after her last birth).
Dokoon would then breed for the final time in 2035, alongside any female calves from the upcoming (2022/2023) cohort.
Werribee is aiming for a herd numbering in the 20’s, but the plan is to achieve this through succession. A run of female births (all retained within the herd) would lead to an ageing population decades from now bearing in mind these elephants could reach 70 years of age.
The ideal would be around four females a decade - with a slightly higher number needed to account for stillbirths, deaths as neonates/juveniles etc.
One way to achieve this is via a four year breeding rotation. Calving slots are allocated at four year intervals, with intervals removed if the cow had a female calf on the last rotation, or if there’s an elephant less represented that takes priority.
It’s pointless to speculate beyond 2032 (as female calves from the upcoming cohort would be entering the breeding rotation) given we don’t know the genders of these calves, but a plan for the next decade could look like this.
D2023 D2027 D2031 ———— D2035 Retired
N2023 N2027 N2031 ———— N2035 N2039 Retired
M2023 M2027 M2031 ———— M2035 M2039 M2043 M2047 Retired
In this fictional scenario, they aim to produce two calves every four years. Dokoon and Num Oi are chosen for the second rotation (and Mali omitted) because Num Oi is underrepresented and Dokoon is older than Mali. In the next rotation, Dokoon is omitted due to over representation; while Mali is included as it’s been eight years since her last calf (conceives 2029, six years after her last birth).
Dokoon would then breed for the final time in 2035, alongside any female calves from the upcoming (2022/2023) cohort.
Great plan.
It would be a wonder if all upcoming calves would be female, and would be a great boost to Werribee’s future hopes of achieving a herd of 20+ females. As far as I was told, all females will be breeding from artificial intervals, so I’m assuming the same would be done with Num Oi. With succession, it’s harder for Werribee as they have Dokkoon (29), Num Oi (21) and Mali (12), who are all almost a decade apart. I was informed that Mali could’ve been held off from breeding until the arrival at Werribee, but it was recommended she does to align with the breeding plan. I’d imagine breeding will also be held off for a few years after the herd’s arrival just to let the females settle in.
The first calf would be conceived in around 2026, meaning a first birth at Werribee won’t be until around 2028, from Num Oi. Dokkoon and Mali could then follow in around 2031, followed by Num Oi and any of the female calves from 2022/2023 in 2035.
Great plan.
It would be a wonder if all upcoming calves would be female, and would be a great boost to Werribee’s future hopes of achieving a herd of 20+ females. As far as I was told, all females will be breeding from artificial intervals, so I’m assuming the same would be done with Num Oi. With succession, it’s harder for Werribee as they have Dokkoon (29), Num Oi (21) and Mali (12), who are all almost a decade apart. I was informed that Mali could’ve been held off from breeding until the arrival at Werribee, but it was recommended she does to align with the breeding plan. I’d imagine breeding will also be held off for a few years after the herd’s arrival just to let the females settle in.
The first calf would be conceived in around 2026, meaning a first birth at Werribee won’t be until around 2028, from Num Oi. Dokkoon and Mali could then follow in around 2031, followed by Num Oi and any of the female calves from 2022/2023 in 2035.
I’m glad that Mali’s first reproduction was aligned with the other two cows. Aside from the fact it gives them more time to work with re. creating succession (for all we know her first couple of calves will be males) it’s better for herd dynamics to synchronise calves.
With the four year gaps I proposed, this plan would see bull calves from two cohorts prior removed from the herd at seven years old, prior to the birth of the new calves the following year. The previous cohort will be four years old, which is an ideal time for females to observe the birth/neonate stage. Any younger e.g. two years and they’ll neither learn anything; nor be of support to the new calves - Sabai (2016) was a pain for all involved following the birth of Kanlaya (2018).
Synchronising the births (a minimum of two at a time) also ensures the herd have a shared focus on caring for the calves versus a calf being born when you have 1-2 year old calves crashing around or six year old bulls testing the boundaries. Obviously synchronisation represents an ideal scenario - but with natural breeding, it’s easier to achieve as we’ve seen with Luk Chai and the three expectant cows.
Werribee imported 2.6 Chapman's zebra from Rotterdam Zoo in 1980, which was supplemented by the import a stallion from Singapore Zoo in the late 1990’s. Sadly this herd has since become hybridised like the once purebred herds of Grant’s zebra at Auckland and Hamilton Zoo.
Synchronisation seems best, and it’s also completely natural for them too. They tend to cycle around the same time, which makes it easier to bred from all cows at once. Synchronisation also allows all females to contribute to the raising the calf. At Melbourne, Num Oi and Kulab also participated in raising Man Jai, and he actually became quite close to Num Oi. Over at Taronga, Luk Chai was pretty much herd raised by all the females, with Thong Dee being a young, first time mother and also being one to not be to over protective of her calf. This, alongside growing up with Pathi Harn and Tukta has obviously helped Luk Chai’s social skills.
Yes they now have hybrids. Due to the recent success of Melako, Werribee’s group have increased a bit over the last few years. 13 is a decent number, and with three, four births upcoming very soon they’re well on their way to reaching 20, especially with the upcoming introduction of Atero, their new colt.
It seems being the eldest calf taught Luk Chai a lot about patience and restraint when dealing with the younger elephants, given he was typically gentle with them and has had similar interactions with Man Jai at Melbourne. Pathi Harn certainly hasn’t inherited this disposition and it appears Man Jai hasn’t either. I assume this was a consequence of them them being the youngest in the herd (Pathi Harn only had Tukta, who was eight months younger) rather than an inheritable trait given Bong Su was regarded as a gentle soul versus Gung, who can be highly strung and forceful.
Thong Dee was much the same second time around, with Porntip pitching in. Porntip was also the most proactive in keeping Sabai away from Kanlaya versus Melbourne’s herd where all cows involved shielded Ongard from Mali in the early months.
I believe Luk Chai’s patience and experience with calves was one of the main reasons he was chosen over Putra Mas.
It’s really interesting to know Pathi Harn isn’t quite the gentle male. His mother is quite a dominant and forceful female, so maybe he’s much like her. Him and Luk Chai were quite close when they were younger, but he was always protected by Porntip which may have deprived him from the amount of complete socialisation Luk Chai got.
Man Jai has never been around calves, so it’s understandable for him to think he’s still the calf of the herd, even around Luk Chai. He pushes the boundaries a lot, and is much more outgoing, unlike Ongard who was much quieter, a very similar character to his father, Bong Su. Those two when grouped together would always be so gentle with one another, unlike Man Jai and Luk Chai who are always wrestling.
Swanson02
Well-Known Member
I find it really interesting that most of Bong Su's offspring (an amicable bull) are boisterous and most of Gung's offspring (a more erratic bull) are rather sensitive. I agree that it is likely a learnt behaviour, I think primarily from their mothers. I assume like apes the calves of female elephants will to an extent inherit their mothers status within the herd, thats why Pathi Harn and Man Jai are more assertive towards other elephants, its a behaviour they have observed their matriarch mothers doing. Whereas, Luk Chai has viewed his mother being passive and he wouldn't of had the same 'diplomatic immunity' Pathi Harn would of had via his mum. I don't know whether the same is true for female calves, we have an even smaller sample. Kanlaya seems quite boisterous for a female calf so that may be a trait shes inheritted from her mother. Mali on the otherhand seems less assertive than Dokoon but that may be due to her small size.
I agree Luk Chai is beyond his years in maturity. If I'm correct most bulls don't start to calm down until they are in their late 30's 40's. Pathi Harns aggression I think is mostly natural, being aggresive would to an extent be advantageous in the wild, its just not in a zoo setting. Saying that Pathi Harn has seemed to get along well with Sabai in Luk Chai's absence, they have spent months together while Sabai can't visit the cows due to Anjalee. I think it may be due to Pathi Harn not perceiving Sabai to be a threat to his leadership like he did with Luk Chai.