Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo News 2023

[PaddyRickMFZ]

It’s all about priorities. There’s only so much funding and priority has to go to projects like the elephant complex. Melbourne are already over capacity and the calves aren’t getting any smaller. With Luk Chai and Man Jai maturing as well, if they can’t transfer out by next years there’s gonna be problems.

The SkySafari isn’t under time constraints and can be added any time. This funding Zoos Victoria received wasn’t a one off - they’ll be eligible to receive more funding down the line and can complete it then.

And as previously stated, the revenue stemming from the elephants will be insane. On top of this, breeding programs will almost certainly be in place upon their arrival, and the chance of more baby elephants definitely can’t hurt membership numbers.

 

[Zoofan15]

And as previously stated, the revenue stemming from the elephants will be insane. On top of this, breeding programs will almost certainly be in place upon their arrival, and the chance of more baby elephants definitely can’t hurt membership numbers.

The complex at Werribee will allow a succession of calves to be bred over the decades that follow their arrival.

Elephant calves are at the peak of cuteness/visitor engagement up to three or four years of age, so combined with their arrival as 18 month olds in 2024; and the novelty of the new complex, I’d anticipate we won’t see further breeding until the calves are around three years of age - with new calves born around 2027 as the novelty of the complex begins to wear off; and the current cohort of calves transition into their next phase of development.

 

[The Sleepy Hippo]

The SkySafari isn’t under time constraints and can be added any time. This funding Zoos Victoria received wasn’t a one off - they’ll be eligible to receive more funding down the line and can complete it then.

Completely agree. It is just a matter of time. As it is mentioned/highlighted in all the publishings by Development Victoria (as recently as last month) and as the Elephant Keeper at MZ when discussing the progress of the new facility indicated preliminary construction for the Sky Safari was commencing, I'd imagine if there are indeed constraints on their budget, that potentially as part of the Elephant precinct, they may be just doing pre-work on the locations of the station building, and/or pole locations.
Seeing as Zoos Victoria is a state-owned body I am confident further required funding will be forthcoming in future budgets.

 

[Zoofan15]

Seeing as Zoos Victoria is a state-owned body I am confident further required funding will be forthcoming in future budgets.

It undoubtedly will.

Kyabram lags significantly behind the other three zoos in the Zoos Victoria family, so I anticipate they’ll be the focus of future funding; alongside Melbourne Zoo, who will be undertaking significant redevelopment post-elephants - but the SkySafari remains a project that can continue to progress in the background as funding allows, with infrastructure added as and when.

The Sky Safari is something that will greatly enhance the visitor experience and not something they will abandon due to a temporary set back.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

The complex at Werribee will allow a succession of calves to be bred over the decades that follow their arrival.

Elephant calves are at the peak of cuteness/visitor engagement up to three or four years of age, so combined with their arrival as 18 month olds in 2024; and the novelty of the new complex, I’d anticipate we won’t see further breeding until the calves are around three years of age - with new calves born around 2027 as the novelty of the complex begins to wear off; and the current cohort of calves transition into their next phase of development.

Sorry, I meant they will be planned. They will no doubt give the elephants time to become acclimated before breeding them. Point is, the fact they elephants can be bred will no doubt increase membership numbers, on top of the fact they are moving to WORZ. I just don’t see any way profits don’t increase, which means it’s possible that the full masterplan will be achieved, including hyenas, porcupines, expansions and the sky safari

 

[Jambo]

Yes, my assumption is the volunteer was as much stating what replacement species she’d like to see for the Vervet monkey at Werribee, without giving further consideration to the logistics.

Melbourne advised me they remain committed to Hamadryas baboon and have no plans to phase out this popular exhibit.

The enclosure would be far too small for Baboons. So they're definitely not an option. If we're thinking reasonably, Colobus are the only option, unless Werribee elect to import a new species from overseas. Considering they still have a decently sized group though, and some could still live another decade, they probably haven't put much thought into a replacement as of yet.

 

[Jambo]

Here’s a couple of note from my visit:
Re. Vervets As far as I know a replacement for Vervet Monkey has not been announced. Interestingly though a volunteer said she would love to see baboons in the exhibit, so I don’t know what to make of that.
Re. New species: Unfortunately I wasn’t able to decipher any new species, just more of the same. I am able to confirm WORZ have interest in adding multiple cheetahs. The elephant walking trail will be very large, and there is so far not much planned for it, aside from maybe some rhino, bison and Nyala. Also, if hyenas are implemented they will not be housed near the Wild Dogs, and a Wild Dog breeding program likely hinges on how much space is available after the elephant expansion.
Re. Hippos: There is so far not a timeline for Brindabella and Pansy’s moves, but they are almost certainly going to acquire a bull in the future.
Wasn’t able to find any information on Rhino or lion breeding, but the vibe I got from the keeper was that neither species are overly close to pregnancies. I was informed they may be interested in housing some more rhinos though

Unfortunately Asian Elephants will likely be an ambassador for African Elephants, and I have been told they will be sticking with the African theme.
Wasn’t able to ask about waterbuck unfortunately.
Elephant construction is so far planned for mid 2024, meanwhile some bison have already been moved from their existing habitat to off display exhibits near where the longhorn were held. The 2 bull Nyala were still held away from the females.
The sky safari is likely abandoned if not heavily postponed due to the huge increase in costs after Covid. Apparently it hinges on member numbers.
Unfortunately there seemed to be more bad news than good news.
That’s all I recall for the moment, but I may have omitted some information so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me.

Multiple Cheetahs seem like an interesting concept. Presumably over multiple enclosures of which will be apart of the new waterhole precinct.

Bison for the new waterhole precinct also seems like an interesting idea although Nyala and Rhino were among those species expected. Housing Rhino along the walking trail is hopefully something Werribee have expressed interest in, and small groups of Zebra and Ostrich might be other options too.

If the Hyenas were not going to go next to the Wild Dogs, the only other option would be in the new Waterhole precinct too. That whole precinct's still at least another year or two away from beginning construction as well so it might be a while until we see them at Werribee.

Hopefully a Hippo IRA will be worked out soon. If not, Werribee won't be able to obtain a bull until one is born at Monarto which could be another five or so years away. I wouldn't be surprised if Brindabella and Pansy weren't sent away until later this year. It would be good if Werribee had an agreement to import a couple of their offspring down the line. Wishful thinking

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

The complex at Werribee will allow a succession of calves to be bred over the decades that follow their arrival.

Elephant calves are at the peak of cuteness/visitor engagement up to three or four years of age, so combined with their arrival as 18 month olds in 2024; and the novelty of the new complex, I’d anticipate we won’t see further breeding until the calves are around three years of age - with new calves born around 2027 as the novelty of the complex begins to wear off; and the current cohort of calves transition into their next phase of development.

Here are a couple things I forgot to add:
I couldn’t find where the Addax went, and 2 are still held off display.
The animals in the arid of the section of the zoo will indeed remain at the zoo, just moved around a bit. I was told it was possible they may be off display for a short period of time as this is worked out.
@Jambo
My understanding was that the hyenas would be near the elephants, likely along the walking trail. Was extremely disappointed to hear they would not be diversifying and using the elephants as an ambassador for their African counterpart

 

[Jambo]

Here are a couple things I forgot to add:
I couldn’t find where the Addax went, and 2 are still held off display.
The animals in the arid of the section of the zoo will indeed remain at the zoo, just moved around a bit. I was told it was possible they may be off display for a short period of time as this is worked out.
@Jambo
My understanding was that the hyenas would be near the elephants, likely along the walking trail. Was extremely disappointed to hear they would not be diversifying and using the elephants as an ambassador for their African counterpart

Yeah, the Addax are off display next to the Longhorns. They probably won't be returning on display unfortunately.

The Dromedary Camels are really the only ones who won't necessarily have a place elsewhere in the zoo. The Scimitar Horned Oryx will probably be moved to the Lower Savannah. I guess the Camels could join them there too, but I'm not sure they fit the 'Savannah' theme.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

I

Yeah, the Addax are off display next to the Longhorns. They probably won't be returning on display unfortunately.

The Dromedary Camels are really the only ones who won't necessarily have a place elsewhere in the zoo. The Scimitar Horned Oryx will probably be moved to the Lower Savannah. I guess the Camels could join them there too, but I'm not sure they fit the 'Savannah' theme.

assume they’ll just take up space on the walking trail or something, wasn’t able to get a concrete answer. The addax will hopefully be moved for breeding purposes instead of living their lives out here off display. Bit of a shame they can’t have them on display for a little while

 

[Jambo]

I

assume they’ll just take up space on the walking trail or something, wasn’t able to get a concrete answer. The addax will hopefully be moved for breeding purposes instead of living their lives out here off display. Bit of a shame they can’t have them on display for a little while

Not sure where they would fit, but it would be exciting to have the Camels somewhere along the walking trail. Potentially the new Waterhole trail as well, but they don't necessarily fit that theme do they?

With Brindabella and Pansy going to Monarto too, I wonder what that means for the drive through hippo exhibit. Do they split their other trio to move a hippo into that exhibit? Or do they leave it empty? It'll be interesting to see which route they go there.

 

[Zoofan15]

Not sure where they would fit, but it would be exciting to have the Camels somewhere along the walking trail. Potentially the new Waterhole trail as well, but they don't necessarily fit that theme do they?

With Brindabella and Pansy going to Monarto too, I wonder what that means for the drive through hippo exhibit. Do they split their other trio to move a hippo into that exhibit? Or do they leave it empty? It'll be interesting to see which route they go there.

I too am curious to see what they do with this hippopotamus exhibit. I'm of the opinion they'll keep the remaining trio together as they're difficult to integrate and having a cohesive trio is a huge benefit to housing them.

Once a bull arrives, this is an oppotunity to split off a female from this trio to breed from, but this will be years off.

In the meantime, about the only thing we can guarantee is a sign promising something exciting is coming soon.

 

[Grant Rhino]

Yes, my assumption is the volunteer was as much stating what replacement species she’d like to see for the Vervet monkey at Werribee, without giving further consideration to the logistics.

One thing to note when asking volunteers about any of these things:

Most volunteers don't have a lot of info about future zoo plans. Many don't even have any interest in future plans either. For example, most volunteers are nowhere near as interested in this stuff as the people on this thread are.

Volunteers focus mainly on the things the zoo has at the moment - not on the things that might happen in a year or two.

The role of a volunteer is to engage with the public - and that means talking to them about the animals currently on display and about anything else they need assistance with.

However (and I speak from experience here), a volunteer will spend far more time answering questions such as "where is the nearest toilet?", "which way is the safari bus?", "can I get a pass out so I can have a cigarette?", "has a mobile phone been handed in?" etc, than discussing which species may be coming to the zoo soon. I'd say that when it comes to conversations with the public, my typical shift would be broken down to this:

90%: conversations such as "where is the nearest toilet?" etc
8%: conversations about animals currently on display
1%: conversations about future species
1%: other things

That said, some volunteers (such as myself) do have more interest in future developments than others do - but don't assume that all will know about these things. It really depends a bit on which volunteer you end up speaking to on the day.

Most volunteers (including myself) get most of their enjoyment out of speaking to the public about what the zoo has to offer. Any info you can get about future developments is just a bonus.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

One thing to note when asking volunteers about any of these things:

Most volunteers don't have a lot of info about future zoo plans. Many don't even have any interest in future plans either. For example, most volunteers are nowhere near as interested in this stuff as the people on this thread are.

Volunteers focus mainly on the things the zoo has at the moment - not on the things that might happen in a year or two.

The role of a volunteer is to engage with the public - and that means talking to them about the animals currently on display and about anything else they need assistance with.

However (and I speak from experience here), a volunteer will spend far more time answering questions such as "where is the nearest toilet?", "which way is the safari bus?", "can I get a pass out so I can have a cigarette?", "has a mobile phone been handed in?" etc, than discussing which species may be coming to the zoo soon. I'd say that when it comes to conversations with the public, my typical shift would be broken down to this:

90%: conversations such as "where is the nearest toilet?" etc
8%: conversations about animals currently on display
1%: conversations about future species
1%: other things

That said, some volunteers (such as myself) do have more interest in future developments than others do - but don't assume that all will know about these things. It really depends a bit on which volunteer you end up speaking to on the day.

Most volunteers (including myself) get most of their enjoyment out of speaking to the public about what the zoo has to offer. Any info you can get about future developments is just a bonus.

That’s precisely why I made sure to ask a variety of both Volunteers and keepers. Was able to collect a lot of information, some of which I can’t share on here for obvious reasons

 

[Jambo]

One thing to note when asking volunteers about any of these things:

Most volunteers don't have a lot of info about future zoo plans. Many don't even have any interest in future plans either. For example, most volunteers are nowhere near as interested in this stuff as the people on this thread are.

Volunteers focus mainly on the things the zoo has at the moment - not on the things that might happen in a year or two.

The role of a volunteer is to engage with the public - and that means talking to them about the animals currently on display and about anything else they need assistance with.

However (and I speak from experience here), a volunteer will spend far more time answering questions such as "where is the nearest toilet?", "which way is the safari bus?", "can I get a pass out so I can have a cigarette?", "has a mobile phone been handed in?" etc, than discussing which species may be coming to the zoo soon. I'd say that when it comes to conversations with the public, my typical shift would be broken down to this:

90%: conversations such as "where is the nearest toilet?" etc
8%: conversations about animals currently on display
1%: conversations about future species
1%: other things

That said, some volunteers (such as myself) do have more interest in future developments than others do - but don't assume that all will know about these things. It really depends a bit on which volunteer you end up speaking to on the day.

Most volunteers (including myself) get most of their enjoyment out of speaking to the public about what the zoo has to offer. Any info you can get about future developments is just a bonus.

I’ve come to find most volunteers and even most keepers have no idea of future plans (unless they’re of course immediate and widely discussed between the staff).

I remember asking a keeper what would be replacing the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs when the initial pair died, and he responded that he had no idea and management would likely find a suitable replacement (which turned out to be a new pair of B+W Lemur), and he went on to explain that higher management usually does all of the planning and keepers are only usually notified when the move is imminent. Possibly due to plans often going out the window rather quickly due to some reasons or another.

So if you hear something from a keeper/volunteer, I’d say it’s *likely* that plan is being carried forward to the extent managements had to notify keepers.

I’ve also noticed some keepers (especially of other areas of expertise) have often provided out of date knowledge that is no longer the case. Things do spread, but for example, a meerkat keeper may learn of an impending lemur transfer when in fact that such transfer has then been cancelled by that point of time. I think we’ve seen some cases of that on here lately. Things can spread across zoo staff, and just like Chinese whispers they can change very quickly. So if I’m not getting info directly from a keeper from that department, I wouldn’t always trust/believe it.

 

[Zoofan15]

I’ve come to find most volunteers and even most keepers have no idea of future plans (unless they’re of course immediate and widely discussed between the staff).

I remember asking a keeper what would be replacing the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs when the initial pair died, and he responded that he had no idea and management would likely find a suitable replacement (which turned out to be a new pair of B+W Lemur), and he went on to explain that higher management usually does all of the planning and keepers are only usually notified when the move is imminent. Possibly due to plans often going out the window rather quickly due to some reasons or another.

So if you hear something from a keeper/volunteer, I’d say it’s *likely* that plan is being carried forward to the extent managements had to notify keepers.

I’ve also noticed some keepers (especially of other areas of expertise) have often provided out of date knowledge that is no longer the case. Things do spread, but for example, a meerkat keeper may learn of an impending lemur transfer when in fact that such transfer has then been cancelled by that point of time. I think we’ve seen some cases of that on here lately. Things can spread across zoo staff, and just like Chinese whispers they can change very quickly. So if I’m not getting info directly from a keeper from that department, I wouldn’t always trust/believe it.

I’ve similarly ran into volunteers who’ve admitted they’re very low on the information chain and haven’t heard even half the things people have been able to find out on here.

Some of the larger organisations e.g. Auckland Zoo have a brief of information that’s provided to the volunteers as a supplement that they can share with visitors. It’s insightful information, but rarely beyond what’s already been disclosed on socials and in the media; and it’s rare to meet a volunteer (at any zoo) who claims to have a knowledge of future plans.

A common phrase is “a transfer isn’t confirmed until it happens” and is indeed very apt. Several transfers have been cancelled last minute e.g. a chimpanzee that was discovered to be pregnant; and most famously, Australia Zoo cancelling the import of Burma the elephant.

Other transfers are kept quite when the subsequent introduction is deemed high risk. To put it bluntly, it’s bad PR when a new animal is killed during an introduction, so staff and volunteers are advised not to announce it until a media release announces its arrival and successful integration. Neonates with a high mortality also fall into this category.

 

[Jambo]

Rhino birth!!!!

First time mum, Kipenzi (2013) delivered a healthy female calf on Tuesday morning!

The calf was sired by first time father Kifaru (2009) and is Werribee’s first calf in almost a decade.

 

[PaddyRickMFZ]

Rhino birth!!!!

0.1 Kipenzi (2013) delivered a female calf on Tuesday morning!

The calf was sired by first time father Kifaru (2009) and is Werribee’s first calf in almost a decade.

That’s awesome!

 

[Jambo]

That’s awesome!

It’s very exciting news.

Kipenzi was one of only two successful Werribee born calves herself so it’s absolutely wonderful to see another calf born at Werribee.

This calf will also be the fourth generation of this herd too excitedly. Make (1984) - Sisi (1996) - Kipenzi (2013) - Unnamed female calf (2023).

 

[Jambo]

Here’s an article on the calf’s birth:

Victorian zoo welcomes birth of rare rhino calf
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A southern white rhino calf has been born at the Werribee Open Range Zoo for the first time in almost a decade.

First-time mother Kipenzi gave birth to the female calf about 4am on Tuesday after a 16-month pregnancy.

Kipenzi and her newborn did not bond straight away, so the calf was brought to the zoo's vet clinic for medical checks and supplementary feeding.

The calf, who is yet to be named, is receiving round-the-clock feeds of his mother's colostrum.

"The calf's health has begun to improve and it is now in the process of being reintroduced to mum," zoo director Mark Pilgrim said in a statement.

However, it will continue to remain under veterinary care during these critical early days."

"The arrival of this precious calf is an important achievement in the fight to save the species from extinction," Dr Pilgrim said.

"We are excited that visitors will be able to view the pair once we have navigated these typically high-risk early days following the birth."

He said the calf will be named in coming weeks through a voting competition for Zoos Victoria members.