Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo News 2025

[Kifaru Bwana]

Our zoos are not going to import bongo. Im not sure why there was even time spent on the IRA for antelope importation. It has been years and not one majour zoo has important any. Yet plenty of cafes, playgrounds, visitor centres, education facilities have been updated or created. The people running our zoos are more than happy to have, eland, zebra, giraffe, rhino, Nyala and scimitar horned oryx as our African line up. With asian black buck as a filler because no one can be arsed (in the larger gov run zoos) to import actual impala, or any other type of antelope.

That is exactly the issue .... You have staffers at the helm at most major Australian zoos that have little understanding nor affinity with species conservation and animal collection management. There are a few nice exceptions, but most of the major ones simply lack a vision....!

I would love to see ZAA / Australasia import more endangered and conservation relevant species like bongo, yet if the region and the species coordinator and like staffers in the currently participating zoos do not act now quite speedily they will become functionally irrelevant to global species management.

The sad thing about this is ... that exactly the eastern mountain bongo are a very sexy and public attractive proposition for ex situ conservation management and potential linkages to field conservation in Kenya and hopefully at some point also in other former range countries in the Eastern Arc Mountain ranges in East Africa.

 

[Tiger91]

That is exactly the issue .... You have staffers at the helm at most major Australian zoos that have little understanding nor affinity with species conservation and animal collection management. There are a few nice exceptions, but most of the major ones simply lack a vision....!

I would love to see ZAA / Australasia import more endangered and conservation relevant species like bongo, yet if the region and the species coordinator and like staffers in the currently participating zoos do not act now quite speedily they will become functionally irrelevant to global species management.

The sad thing about this is ... that exactly the eastern mountain bongo are a very sexy and public attractive proposition for ex situ conservation management and potential linkages to field conservation in Kenya and hopefully at some point also in other former range countries in the Eastern Arc Mountain ranges in East Africa.

They are even trying to reintroduce them to home range areas where they have been locally extinct. They are in basically the same boat as the wild horses and scimitar horned oryx. Which our zoos love to use as examples of their relevance. So it is baffling that we haven't made a move to at least import some new animals to try and kickstart breeding regionally. While scarcity in captive populations can be an issue the IRA has been passed for years now and no new movement has been undertaken. It's time to stop giving them leeway and start accepting that management in the current form is simply not interested.

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

They are even trying to reintroduce them to home range areas where they have been locally extinct. They are in basically the same boat as the wild horses and scimitar horned oryx. Which our zoos love to use as examples of their relevance. So it is baffling that we haven't made a move to at least import some new animals to try and kickstart breeding regionally. While scarcity in captive populations can be an issue the IRA has been passed for years now and no new movement has been undertaken. It's time to stop giving them leeway and start accepting that management in the current form is simply not interested.

It is not a lack of interest, it is a complete lack of concern and at the top a managerial line that is just way out of touch with global conservation priorities and realities in international zoo collection management (which includes transfer/import and export and vet health regulations).

Quite regularly, the excuse that gets bandied around is that Australian and New Zealand zoos are way off the center of our Planet and that there are comparatively fewer zoos in the region than elsewhere. I just find that excuse too lame and incredibly out-of-touch that on the Antipodes' doorstep lies a big Continent Asia where most of the species they would like to maintain are quite easily available and traded over international borders.

Where it comes to international borders please do not give me this ... jaded talk that Australasian vet health regulations are soo tight bc these are just pandering to Big Agriculture only and have no concern with / for the regions' native species and those endemics under threat or on the endangered list. The lack of concern with animal welfare and zoonosis within the livestock industry itself (is not just an issue in Australasia, it is most evident globally....).

The final nail in that coffin is the mind-boggling almost impossible bureacracy around import/export of exotic wildlife and this being soo unbelieveably and insanely tight while having no regard nor consideration for conservation relevance issues nor does it heed the proper CITES protocols on ex-situ conservation breeding that allow for import/export for this purpose.

 

[The Sleepy Hippo]

... Where it comes to international borders please do not give me this ... jaded talk that Australasian vet health regulations are soo tight bc these are just pandering to Big Agriculture only and have no concern with / for the regions' native species and those endemics under threat or on the endangered list. The lack of concern with animal welfare and zoonosis within the livestock industry itself (is not just an issue in Australasia, it is most evident globally....).

I would argue that the Australian zoo community is concerned about native species, and collectively are putting in a lot of effort to improve their lot through many initiatives.
I would also point out that animal welfare in the livestock industry is a political issue that comes up most elections - live sheep exports being present at the most recent election, and set to end by 1 May 2028 - a bit down the track, but most environmental and animal related policies are a long lead in policy area in Australia. I'm not saying everything is rosy, but its not all doom and gloom.

 

[Zorro]

I believe a lot of us can see that many mistakes by some zoo management have been made that should never have been made first and foremost the importation of the Thai elephants into two city zoos instead of the two open range zoos was a waste of time and money.
The importation of a tiny amount of Bongo antelope and then exported the first female calf overseas instead of retaining her.Now to have the remaining few aging and shrinking in number.
The import of just one pair of Sitatunga antelope only to become badly inbred and phased out due to lack of bloodlines.
The import of only a trio of Waterbuck antelope into the region which have also become badly inbred which without further imports will die out as did the Sitatunga.
The overlooked Pygmy hippos which lavished individuals were in different city zoos for years before someone woke up and realised that they should be paired up and bred before they too were lost to their collections.
The list could go on but at the end of the day it should and could be made better as is the mentioned case of the Nyala importation and the outstanding job that was made of it!

 

[Jambo]

Popped into Werribee on the weekend and have some HUGE news.

Werribee will be receiving two Hippo bulls from France before the years end!!

This is spectacular news for the regeneration of Werribee's breeding program which has been at loose ends following Harry's death a decade ago.

Werribee currently have three cows;

0.1 Primrose (1990) Harry x Genevieve
0.1 Tulip (2003) Harry x Primrose
0.1 Lotus (2008) Harry x Primrose

Photos from my visit have been posted in the gallery - and I'll post a full list of updates shortly.

 

[Zoofan15]

Popped into Werribee on the weekend and have some HUGE news.

Werribee will be receiving two Hippo bulls from France before the years end!!

This is spectacular news for the regeneration of Werribee's breeding program which has been at loose ends following Harry's death a decade ago.

Werribee currently have three cows;

0.1 Primrose (1990) Harry x Genevieve
0.1 Tulip (2003) Harry x Primrose
0.1 Lotus (2008) Harry x Primrose

Photos from my visit have been posted in the gallery - and I'll post a full list of updates shortly.

That’s fantastic news. I’ll be interested to see how breeding is managed as the zoo have three cows they can potentially breed from.

If the zoo imports two males that are unrelated, it wouldn’t surprise me to see one bull put to work siring calves (ideally female), with the long plan being for that bull to transfer to Monarto (or Dubbo) once he’s sired daughters - which could then breed with the second bull in the future.

Consideration will need to be given to the separation of the mother and calf for the first several months, but any opportunity to build on numbers within the existing pod would be exciting indeed.

 

[Tiger91]

That’s fantastic news. I’ll be interested to see how breeding is managed as the zoo have three cows they can potentially breed from.

If the zoo imports two males that are unrelated, it wouldn’t surprise me to see one bull put to work siring calves (ideally female), with the long plan being for that bull to transfer to Monarto (or Dubbo) once he’s sired daughters - which could then breed with the second bull in the future.

Consideration will need to be given to the separation of the mother and calf for the first several months, but any opportunity to build on numbers within the existing pod would be exciting indeed.

Any bull offspring will be able to be placed at either Dubbo or monarto without issue. So for a time id imagine unrestricted breeding would happen. As unless the other zoos are going to import new animals. The offspring will have breeding application at basically any zoo.

 

[Zoofan15]

Any bull offspring will be able to be placed at either Dubbo or monarto without issue. So for a time id imagine unrestricted breeding would happen. As unless the other zoos are going to import new animals. The offspring will have breeding application at basically any zoo.

Very true. Dubbo’s cows (Cuddles, Kibibi and Kendi) are the most distantly related due to their maternal ancestors (Dizze and Fatima) being unrepresented by any other hippos in the region. They would therefore be an ideal choice for pairing with a bull calf bred at Werribee.

 

[Jambo]

Any bull offspring will be able to be placed at either Dubbo or monarto without issue. So for a time id imagine unrestricted breeding would happen. As unless the other zoos are going to import new animals. The offspring will have breeding application at basically any zoo.

I got the impression they would be looking at breeding from all the cows (or at least, they'd all be given the chance).

In saying that, it would be difficult to manage breeding from all three cows when you account for the necessity to separate mothers and calves. But Primrose will be 35 years old this year so will perhaps be too old to conceive anyway, so breeding from her two daughters may be more manageable numbers wise.

 

[Zoofan15]

I got the impression they would be looking at breeding from all the cows (or at least, they'd all be given the chance).

In saying that, it would be difficult to manage breeding from all three cows when you account for the necessity to separate mothers and calves. But Primrose will be 35 years old this year so will perhaps be too old to conceive anyway, so breeding from her two daughters may be more manageable numbers wise.

The best way to proceed would be to breed from the most dominant cow (last I heard that was still Primrose) as she would stand the best chance of protecting her calves from the other two during an introduction context.

Females have successfully bred into their 40’s (e.g. Suzie at Adelaide who was 42), so while it’s been 17 years since Primrose last produced a calf, she should still be able to conceive.

 

[Tiger91]

Very true. Dubbo’s cows (Cuddles, Kibibi and Kendi) are the most distantly related due to their maternal ancestors (Dizze and Fatima) being unrepresented by any other hippos in the region. They would therefore be an ideal choice for pairing with a bull calf bred at Werribee.

It would be interesting to see what Dubbo's holdings are. If they have been left the same. I could see them also acquiring an imported bull as well. As they had the ability to house a few hippos, certainly more than what they currently have. They did have multiple bulls at one point.

 

[Tiger91]

I got the impression they would be looking at breeding from all the cows (or at least, they'd all be given the chance).

In saying that, it would be difficult to manage breeding from all three cows when you account for the necessity to separate mothers and calves. But Primrose will be 35 years old this year so will perhaps be too old to conceive anyway, so breeding from her two daughters may be more manageable numbers wise.

Id image some private zoos are interested in hippo's. Which is great for Werribee. A new elephant complex and baby hippo's, baby lions. The public will forget MZ exists

It will mean they can manage hippos and breeding better if they can place and move them easily.

 

[Jambo]

Visited Werribee on the weekend and had a great time. Following is a few updates;

• The old nocturnal house at the beginning of the Australian trail has been converted into a small Reptile House with the following three species displayed; Madagascan Ground Boa in two terrariums, and a shared display with Blue Tongue Lizard and Shingleback Lizard. Truthfully I haven't visited the Australian trail in a while, so not sure how new this is.
• The Emus also apparently have eggs per a sign at their exhibit - unsure whether these are fertile or not.
• Only saw a pair of Eastern Grey Kangaroos which was a surprise - unsure where the rest are.
• Only saw a single Vervet Monkey too - appears numbers are continuing to dwindle. They were at five as of June last year.
• Main Hippo pond was re-filled. I only saw two hippos today sleeping on the shore in the main enclosure.
• Only saw two camels - Aloe and Sahara. It appears Saffron the elderly girl may have sadly passed - or is now kept off display in her twilight years.
• White Rhinos - Only Kifaru, Kipenzi and Jabulani are on the Lower Savannah. Make, Letaba and Sisi have been moved off display onto the upper savannah, alongside Umgana. I saw all four from the Safari Bus.
• Another baby Nyala has been born - there are now two on display on the Safari Tour.
• The female Ostrich have switched with the Zebras on the Waterhole Trail, meaning they now are in the first exhibit (which is also visible on the Safari Tour). There are four male Zebras in the second exhibit - presumably still the Melbourne boys.
• Blackbuck have still not been moved into the Elephant Complex. It appears the bachelor group of males might be the group being moved across, meaning the breeding group will remain on the Safari Tour.
• Elephant herd is settling in really well - Luk Chai was enjoying a social session with the main herd. It was phenomenal to see a complex on such a large scale.

I'll update this thread with a species list shortly; Werribee Open Range Zoo Species List [Werribee Open Range Zoo]

 

[Zorro]

Popped into Werribee on the weekend and have some HUGE news.

Werribee will be receiving two Hippo bulls from France before the years end!!

This is spectacular news for the regeneration of Werribee's breeding program which has been at loose ends following Harry's death a decade ago.

Werribee currently have three cows;

0.1 Primrose (1990) Harry x Genevieve
0.1 Tulip (2003) Harry x Primrose
0.1 Lotus (2008) Harry x Primrose

Photos from my visit have been posted in the gallery - and I'll post a full list of updates shortly.

That is indeed fantastic news I would guess the second bull could be for Monarto zoo. I get the impression the opening of the new elephant exhibit/complex might have boosted new life into the Werribee zoo which for a long time seem to have stagnated!

 

[Zoofan15]

That is indeed fantastic news I would guess the second bull could be for Monarto zoo. I get the impression the opening of the new elephant exhibit/complex might have boosted new life into the Werribee zoo which for a long time seem to have stagnated!

I agree that seems likely. Even if Zoos Victoria aren’t coordinating a group import (with the second bull to transfer across shortly after), then once the first breeding bull has served his purpose of siring female calves, he could transfer over to Monarto to do the same.

Dubbo’s breeding cows are more distantly related to Werribee’s cows, so could instead acquire a first generation Australian bred bull.

 

[Zorro]

I agree that seems likely. Even if Zoos Victoria aren’t coordinating a group import (with the second bull to transfer across shortly after), then once the first breeding bull has served his purpose of siring female calves, he could transfer over to Monarto to do the same.

Dubbo’s breeding cows are more distantly related to Werribee’s cows, so could instead acquire a first generation Australian bred bull.

Its highly likely when young are produced we may see some of the regional zoos want to become holders, maybe dare I say it even Australia zoo!

 

[Zoofan15]

Its highly likely when young are produced we may see some of the regional zoos want to become holders, maybe dare I say it even Australia zoo!

I really hope so. Australia Zoo and Crocodylus (historically) have both expressed an interest in acquiring hippopotamus.

Werribee’s import of two bulls could merely be a wise contingency should one die prematurely; but it could also signal renewed regional interest, which in turn means we could expect a flurry of breeding recommendations. It’s been 12 years since Werribee last bred Common hippopotamus, so it’ll be great to see some new calves.

 

[Zorro]

I really hope so. Australia Zoo and Crocodylus (historically) have both expressed an interest in acquiring hippopotamus.

The import of two bulls could merely be a wise contingency should one die prematurely; but it could also signal renewed regional interest, which in turn means we could expect a flurry of breeding recommendations. It’s been 12 years since Werribee last bred Common hippopotamus, so it’ll be great to see some new calves.

I would like to see a 3rd bull imported as we all know large dangerous aggressive animals do die and having at least one "backup" bull in the country is not going to hurt. We have seen quite a few more regional zoos pop up across the country in resent years who have never had a chance to hold hippos but this may change now, Altina has/had shown interest on the zoos website of holding them and there could well be more interest shown once we see young appearing!

 

[Tiger91]

Blackbuck have still not been moved into the Elephant Complex. It appears the bachelor group of males might be the group being moved across, meaning the breeding group will remain on the Safari Tour.

Absolutely no way is an Australian safari experience not going to have there asian knock of version of an African antelope out on there African safari. No way.


It's also an issue when you tell the public there antelopes. But then the antelopes are actually asian that are out with the African animals. I have noticed while zoo's don't hide it they certainly gloss over it. The general public are not great at the whole 'stand in for another species' concepts.