Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo News 2024
- Thread starter Zoofan15
- Start date
Southern white rhinoceros calf makes debut:
Meet Jabulani - Zoo unveils baby rhino
Werribee zoo has officially unveiled their eight week old baby rhino.
Jabulani was born eight weeks, though the zoo chose not to reveal the new born until now.
Meet Jabulani - Zoo unveils baby rhino
Werribee zoo has officially unveiled their eight week old baby rhino.
Jabulani was born eight weeks, though the zoo chose not to reveal the new born until now.
NathanTheAsian
Well-Known Member
Werribee Zoo will be running a new experience called 'Raising Rhinos,' in which visitors will be taken "for an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience" with regard to how the crash is cared for. It will be run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays "for a limited time."
Common hippopotamus import (2025):
Exciting news that Werribee Open Range Zoo are hoping to import a male Common hippopotamus by the end of 2025. No information yet on the individual or where he’ll be coming from.
Australia set to become home to new hippopotamuses after 40-year ban
The last verified record of import I’m aware of for Zoos Victoria is a bull from Auckland Zoo in 1946. Another bull arrived in 1966, but myself and @Jambo were unable to determine if this bull was imported or Australian born (with the latter appearing more likely given they were breeding well in Australian zoos; and Auckland Zoo has no record of an export to Melbourne around that time).
Exciting news that Werribee Open Range Zoo are hoping to import a male Common hippopotamus by the end of 2025. No information yet on the individual or where he’ll be coming from.
Australia set to become home to new hippopotamuses after 40-year ban
The last verified record of import I’m aware of for Zoos Victoria is a bull from Auckland Zoo in 1946. Another bull arrived in 1966, but myself and @Jambo were unable to determine if this bull was imported or Australian born (with the latter appearing more likely given they were breeding well in Australian zoos; and Auckland Zoo has no record of an export to Melbourne around that time).
It can be pretty much confirmed he was captive born (potentially at Taronga). There was an article from when they first went to Werribee and it was mentioned it was his first time on natural sand after living on concrete his whole life.
I guess I could be taking this too literally (especially if he was an older hippo who had been imported from the wild quite young); but it did seem to imply it was his first ever experience of it.
I agree Taronga is a likely assumption. Interestingly, they exported Bonnie to Auckland Zoo in 1966, so may have had a hippopotamus clear out, so to speak, with numerous calves born around that time and in the years that followed.
On that note, a contributing factor to the lack of imports was the breeding success across all holders. Even zoos which had limited capacity to seperate mothers and neonates had reasonable success in rearing surviving calves; and by the 1990’s, it’d become exceedingly difficult to place surplus calves.
NathanTheAsian
Well-Known Member
Finally visited Werribee this year so I have a few small updates:
- the elephant precinct looks pretty much finished, and a large statue of an African Elephant calf stands next to what I assume will be the trail entrance.
- female Ostrich have been moved out and are sitting in a pen in the arid zone. According to a keeper they will be featuring in the Elephant precinct.
- Rhino calf JB, as the keepers call him, is growing well. He's now at around 300-350 kilos and still stays very close to mum.
- The eldest female rhino (forgot her name) recently had her horn trimmed and filed down since it had gotten to a point where it hindered her ability to feed.
- The three lion cubs are also growing fast, with the two boys' manes developing well. I visited them multiple times throughout the day and it appears that the three occupy the exhibit closest whilst the adults occupy the exhibit further back.
- Once again I had no luck with the bull Nyala, one keeper said the only male in the collection is a younger immature one lacking the grey coat.
Photos will be posted to the gallery soon.
- the elephant precinct looks pretty much finished, and a large statue of an African Elephant calf stands next to what I assume will be the trail entrance.
- female Ostrich have been moved out and are sitting in a pen in the arid zone. According to a keeper they will be featuring in the Elephant precinct.
- Rhino calf JB, as the keepers call him, is growing well. He's now at around 300-350 kilos and still stays very close to mum.
- The eldest female rhino (forgot her name) recently had her horn trimmed and filed down since it had gotten to a point where it hindered her ability to feed.
- The three lion cubs are also growing fast, with the two boys' manes developing well. I visited them multiple times throughout the day and it appears that the three occupy the exhibit closest whilst the adults occupy the exhibit further back.
- Once again I had no luck with the bull Nyala, one keeper said the only male in the collection is a younger immature one lacking the grey coat.
Photos will be posted to the gallery soon.
Thanks for the update.
Make is the eldest female rhinoceros at Werribee:
0.1 Make (1984)
0.1 Letaba (1992)
0.1 Sisi (1996)
That’s interesting to hear the adolescent lions are living separately from the older three lions. I wonder if they’re being managed fission-fusion or whether it’s a permanent split and the older trio will be a retirement group; possibly with the younger three going into breeding prides in the future.
Really good news, I was hopeful this part of the trail prior to entering the elephant complex would be filled with animals as there was a chance they would just leave it empty in the meantime due to financial constraints. I wonder what other species will be displayed here - it will mostly be species that can be seen on safari I'd assume.
It's possible they may have just had access to both exhibits; I know Sheru does indeed prefer the back habitat as he's a more reserved individual. It's also possible the younger trio were just separated and on display at the front rather than having all six lions in the back enclosure.
On the other hand, this could be a permanent arrangement with the female or all three cubs going to be transferred elsewhere soon- they aren't entirely valuable cubs but with Nairobi no longer breeding (and her cubs all in non breeding situations), Nilo's line is now quite valuable.
Shoalhaven were planning to import a female lion from South Africa, with the backup plan to receive a female from an Australian zoo if they’re unable to raise sufficient funds. It’s possible the female from Werribee could be transferred there, though like you say, there’s more genetically valuable alternatives - namely Billabong’s females.
It’s also possible Werribee’s young male lions could be transferred to Melbourne, with their brothers (sons of Nairibi) going into a breeding placement - e.g. heading up a second pride at Werribee.
Any pics of Werribee's elephant complex in its current stage? Given Melbourne's removal of the elephants on their most recent map, they must be gearing up for moving them over to their new home...
They were planning to transfer them over late December 2024/early January 2025 at the latest due to the size of the calves. Two of the four moving crates are designed to allow mothers and calves to travel together (physically separated but in tactile contact).
The transfer order is:
1.0 Luk Chai (2009) - first/transferring alone
A few days later:
0.1 Kulab (2000)
0.1 Num-Oi (2001)
0.1 Kati (2023)
24 hours later:
0.1 Mek Kepah (1973)
0.1 Dokkoon (1993)
0.1 Mali (2010)
0.1 Aiyara (2022)
1.0 Roi-Yim (2022)