Australian zoos exhibit animals for various reasons: Some animals are exhibited because they are high profile and bring the public through the gate (eg. elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, meerkats etc), some are exhibited because they are endangered (eg. prezwalski horse, addax, oryx etc). However, some animals are exhibited in specific zoos for other reasons - and this is the basis of this piece.
I want to have a look at the animals displayed in specific zoos for "historic" or "cultural" reasons. When you think of a specific zoo, this animal (or exhibit) comes to mind instantly! And on the reverse side of the coin, the zoo simply wouldn't be the same without this species or exhibit!
Which animals are displayed in the Australian zoos you've visited which make that particular zoo what it is? The ones that have been there for years and which are part of the zoos identity. The ones that are the face of the zoo in question.
Here are mine for the Australian zoos I've visited in the last year (3 for each zoo) - I'd love to hear your views too!
MELBOURNE ZOO
SNOW LEOPARD: Melbourne is the only big, government zoo with snow leopards - but it's more than that. Go into the MZ gift shop, and you will see them on everything from tea towels to mugs to postcards etc. Approximately 10 years ago they had cubs, and they were all over the newspapers. Their new enclosure is currently being built and apparently it's going to amazing! And even while now while they're off display temporarily, the zoo just doesn't feel the same.
GORILLA: Melbourne made headlines when Mzuri was born, as the first gorilla born from artificial insemination, and the gorilla troop has been popular and high profile ever since. I remember as a kid when the gorilla rainforest was constructed - it was an amazing exhibit for the era. When Rigo died the whole zoo was in mourning, and when Julia the gorilla died the story also made headlines. Even when the news is not good news, the gorillas are just such a "Melbourne Zoo thing".
BUTTERFLY HOUSE: When this was created back in the 1980s, it was huge! I'm not sure how many similar enclosures exist now, but back then it was enormous - it was so far ahead of it's time, that Melbournians simply hadn't seen anything like it. It has hardly changed at all since it was built, but it is still an amazing exhibit! To put the enormity into perspective, two of the most loved characters on "Neighbours" (Australia's most high profile TV show) got married in there!
WERRIBEE ZOO
HIPPO: Werribee wouldn't be the same without the hippos. All the females have been traditionally named after flowers (Brindabella, Pansy, Lotus, Tulip and Primrose) and the enclosure itself is both picturesque and fun for the kids with the life sized statues in the water playground alongside it.
AFRICAN SAVANNAH: I'm not 100% sure if this is true, but I heard that the location of the zoo was chosen because of the red cliffs near the savannah area, which were meant to look like the Great Rift Valley in Africa. In any case, this enclosure epitomizes what an open range zoo is supposed to be about. The whole of Melbourne Zoo fits into this are 1.5 times, and the enclosure houses iconic African species: White rhino, giraffe, zebra, eland and ostrich.
LION: Most zoos have lions, but the enclosure is what makes this one iconic. The jeep bisected by the glass window makes this enclosure a winner for children and the lioness eating on top of the jeep bonnet is something that many visitors find special (even if it might seem a bit tacky to some).
SYDNEY ZOO
HIMALAYAN TAHR: Sydney just wouldn't be the same without the huge mock-rock mountain housing the Himalayan tahr. They aren't high profile, I don't think they're particularly endangered, they aren't even particularly interesting, but they are an iconic part of this zoo. Maybe it's because the zoo is built on a the side of a mountain, but the zoo just wouldn't be the same without them.
CHIMPANZEE: The huge chimp enclosure has been at Sydney for years and it hasn't seemed to have changed in that time either. I'm not sure when it was built, but the dark brown bricks make it look like something from the early 1980s - yet it's still functional, and it still works as a great exhibit!
GIRAFFE: Has anybody been to Sydney Zoo and not taken a picture of the giraffes with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and the harbour itself in the background? That says it all.
DUBBO
RHINOS: White rhinos, black rhinos, Indian rhinos, Dubbo has all three - and breeds all three too! I can't imagine Dubbo without them, and I certainly hope that they keep breeding the Indian rhinos!
ONAGER: The only zoo in the country to house them, and the last of the species in Australia unique to Dubbo (except for the Indian rhinos).
BLACKBUCK: Blackbuck are the new black! An open range animal for a large open zoo with a lot of space.
ADELAIDE
DUSKY LANGUR: These beautiful and charismatic monkeys are housed in an enclosure with a huge Morton Bay fig tree in the heart of the zoo - and this enclosure is the centrepiece of the zoo - the jewel in the crown! In my opinion this one enclosure is the face of the zoo and the thing that makes the zoo what it is!
MALAYAN TAPIR: While the monkeys have the Morton Bay fig tree, the tapirs dwell on the ground level of the enclosure eating the leaves that the monkeys drop. Without either species the enclosure wouldn't work as well as it does - but together they make it brilliant. Best mixed species exhibit I've ever seen!
GIANT PANDA: I was reluctant to use them, because as far as I'm aware they are only there on a ten year loan, but part of history involves creating one's own history - and if they manage to breed them, then it will never be forgotten!
MONARTO
YELLOW FOOTED ROCK WALLABY: I'm not sure if they are the state animal for South Australia, but they are beautiful and endangered and look pretty against the red dust backdrop of Monarto Zoo. I think they are the logo of Zoos South Australia too! Both Monarto and Adelaide wouldn't be the same without them. They are as South Australian as Farmers Union Iced Coffee, Foodland and Balfours Pies!
GIRAFFE: Any zoo with a breeding herd of 17 giraffe has to cool! The wide open spaces suit them, and the fact that they come down to the feeding platform and interact is something visitors never forget. (See my notes on the African Savannah for Werribee - the same things apply here).
LION: The idea of a drive through lion enclosure impresses me. The size of the enclosure impresses me, and the fact that they are the biggest pride of lions in Australia makes them iconic to this zoo.
CANBERRA
TREE KANGAROO: A lot of zoos have tree kangaroos, but at Canberra you always seem to see them! It's the "National Zoo", in the national capital, so the Australian fauna somehow stands out more there! Canberra is also a slightly quirky place, so a slightly bizarre animal kind of suits the zoo there!
CHEETAH: National Zoo was well known for the King Cheetahs, but they don't have those any more, however the zoo still gets associated with them. Therefore, regular cheetahs will have to do.
COLOBUS MONKEY: The last stronghold of this beautiful monkey species.
MOGO
RED PANDA: A cute, attractive and happy animal to represent a cute, attractive and happy zoo! Apparently Mogo put a lot of money into the conservation of this species and they are certainly the face of the zoo! Visitors can do an experience with them climbing on them, and they are on the cups, cards etc in the gift shop. I couldn't imagine Mogo without red pandas.
SILVERY GIBBON: Pretty much the first animal you see when you walk in the gate - and in the Australian region, unique to Mogo and Perth. Mogo breed them, and in my view they are prettier than the other gibbon species.
TAMARINS: The place is full of them! And why shouldn't it be? It's a smaller zoo, so it makes sense to specialise in smaller animals. I love how they have 3 different species too. I also like the fact that visitors can do an experience with them climbing all over them.
ALTINA
MANED WOLF: Everyone else fazed them out, Altina got them in, bred them up and now others want them. This species has single-handedly put Altina on the map and made them a serious player. Yes, they have other high profile animals and the list is growing all the time, but this is the species that they can call their own and the one that they can build their own legacy around.
HOG DEER: I personally think Altina has too many ungulates. I have no time at all for the Scottish Highland cattle, domestic pigs, water buffalo, banteng, red deer and wapiti - they are just "fillers" and make the place tacky. But I love the fact that they have hog deer! They are an interesting ungulate, not seen in many zoos in Australia, and I love the fact that they are breeding them successfully too!
ALPACA: Normally I just see alpacas as "fillers" (see my note in the hog deer section), but I like these particular alpacas. They have interesting colours and somehow they just suit the place.
I'm very keen to hear your views on the animals that are the face of the zoos you visit!
I want to have a look at the animals displayed in specific zoos for "historic" or "cultural" reasons. When you think of a specific zoo, this animal (or exhibit) comes to mind instantly! And on the reverse side of the coin, the zoo simply wouldn't be the same without this species or exhibit!
Which animals are displayed in the Australian zoos you've visited which make that particular zoo what it is? The ones that have been there for years and which are part of the zoos identity. The ones that are the face of the zoo in question.
Here are mine for the Australian zoos I've visited in the last year (3 for each zoo) - I'd love to hear your views too!
MELBOURNE ZOO
SNOW LEOPARD: Melbourne is the only big, government zoo with snow leopards - but it's more than that. Go into the MZ gift shop, and you will see them on everything from tea towels to mugs to postcards etc. Approximately 10 years ago they had cubs, and they were all over the newspapers. Their new enclosure is currently being built and apparently it's going to amazing! And even while now while they're off display temporarily, the zoo just doesn't feel the same.
GORILLA: Melbourne made headlines when Mzuri was born, as the first gorilla born from artificial insemination, and the gorilla troop has been popular and high profile ever since. I remember as a kid when the gorilla rainforest was constructed - it was an amazing exhibit for the era. When Rigo died the whole zoo was in mourning, and when Julia the gorilla died the story also made headlines. Even when the news is not good news, the gorillas are just such a "Melbourne Zoo thing".
BUTTERFLY HOUSE: When this was created back in the 1980s, it was huge! I'm not sure how many similar enclosures exist now, but back then it was enormous - it was so far ahead of it's time, that Melbournians simply hadn't seen anything like it. It has hardly changed at all since it was built, but it is still an amazing exhibit! To put the enormity into perspective, two of the most loved characters on "Neighbours" (Australia's most high profile TV show) got married in there!
WERRIBEE ZOO
HIPPO: Werribee wouldn't be the same without the hippos. All the females have been traditionally named after flowers (Brindabella, Pansy, Lotus, Tulip and Primrose) and the enclosure itself is both picturesque and fun for the kids with the life sized statues in the water playground alongside it.
AFRICAN SAVANNAH: I'm not 100% sure if this is true, but I heard that the location of the zoo was chosen because of the red cliffs near the savannah area, which were meant to look like the Great Rift Valley in Africa. In any case, this enclosure epitomizes what an open range zoo is supposed to be about. The whole of Melbourne Zoo fits into this are 1.5 times, and the enclosure houses iconic African species: White rhino, giraffe, zebra, eland and ostrich.
LION: Most zoos have lions, but the enclosure is what makes this one iconic. The jeep bisected by the glass window makes this enclosure a winner for children and the lioness eating on top of the jeep bonnet is something that many visitors find special (even if it might seem a bit tacky to some).
SYDNEY ZOO
HIMALAYAN TAHR: Sydney just wouldn't be the same without the huge mock-rock mountain housing the Himalayan tahr. They aren't high profile, I don't think they're particularly endangered, they aren't even particularly interesting, but they are an iconic part of this zoo. Maybe it's because the zoo is built on a the side of a mountain, but the zoo just wouldn't be the same without them.
CHIMPANZEE: The huge chimp enclosure has been at Sydney for years and it hasn't seemed to have changed in that time either. I'm not sure when it was built, but the dark brown bricks make it look like something from the early 1980s - yet it's still functional, and it still works as a great exhibit!
GIRAFFE: Has anybody been to Sydney Zoo and not taken a picture of the giraffes with the Opera House and Harbour Bridge and the harbour itself in the background? That says it all.
DUBBO
RHINOS: White rhinos, black rhinos, Indian rhinos, Dubbo has all three - and breeds all three too! I can't imagine Dubbo without them, and I certainly hope that they keep breeding the Indian rhinos!
ONAGER: The only zoo in the country to house them, and the last of the species in Australia unique to Dubbo (except for the Indian rhinos).
BLACKBUCK: Blackbuck are the new black! An open range animal for a large open zoo with a lot of space.
ADELAIDE
DUSKY LANGUR: These beautiful and charismatic monkeys are housed in an enclosure with a huge Morton Bay fig tree in the heart of the zoo - and this enclosure is the centrepiece of the zoo - the jewel in the crown! In my opinion this one enclosure is the face of the zoo and the thing that makes the zoo what it is!
MALAYAN TAPIR: While the monkeys have the Morton Bay fig tree, the tapirs dwell on the ground level of the enclosure eating the leaves that the monkeys drop. Without either species the enclosure wouldn't work as well as it does - but together they make it brilliant. Best mixed species exhibit I've ever seen!
GIANT PANDA: I was reluctant to use them, because as far as I'm aware they are only there on a ten year loan, but part of history involves creating one's own history - and if they manage to breed them, then it will never be forgotten!
MONARTO
YELLOW FOOTED ROCK WALLABY: I'm not sure if they are the state animal for South Australia, but they are beautiful and endangered and look pretty against the red dust backdrop of Monarto Zoo. I think they are the logo of Zoos South Australia too! Both Monarto and Adelaide wouldn't be the same without them. They are as South Australian as Farmers Union Iced Coffee, Foodland and Balfours Pies!
GIRAFFE: Any zoo with a breeding herd of 17 giraffe has to cool! The wide open spaces suit them, and the fact that they come down to the feeding platform and interact is something visitors never forget. (See my notes on the African Savannah for Werribee - the same things apply here).
LION: The idea of a drive through lion enclosure impresses me. The size of the enclosure impresses me, and the fact that they are the biggest pride of lions in Australia makes them iconic to this zoo.
CANBERRA
TREE KANGAROO: A lot of zoos have tree kangaroos, but at Canberra you always seem to see them! It's the "National Zoo", in the national capital, so the Australian fauna somehow stands out more there! Canberra is also a slightly quirky place, so a slightly bizarre animal kind of suits the zoo there!
CHEETAH: National Zoo was well known for the King Cheetahs, but they don't have those any more, however the zoo still gets associated with them. Therefore, regular cheetahs will have to do.
COLOBUS MONKEY: The last stronghold of this beautiful monkey species.
MOGO
RED PANDA: A cute, attractive and happy animal to represent a cute, attractive and happy zoo! Apparently Mogo put a lot of money into the conservation of this species and they are certainly the face of the zoo! Visitors can do an experience with them climbing on them, and they are on the cups, cards etc in the gift shop. I couldn't imagine Mogo without red pandas.
SILVERY GIBBON: Pretty much the first animal you see when you walk in the gate - and in the Australian region, unique to Mogo and Perth. Mogo breed them, and in my view they are prettier than the other gibbon species.
TAMARINS: The place is full of them! And why shouldn't it be? It's a smaller zoo, so it makes sense to specialise in smaller animals. I love how they have 3 different species too. I also like the fact that visitors can do an experience with them climbing all over them.
ALTINA
MANED WOLF: Everyone else fazed them out, Altina got them in, bred them up and now others want them. This species has single-handedly put Altina on the map and made them a serious player. Yes, they have other high profile animals and the list is growing all the time, but this is the species that they can call their own and the one that they can build their own legacy around.
HOG DEER: I personally think Altina has too many ungulates. I have no time at all for the Scottish Highland cattle, domestic pigs, water buffalo, banteng, red deer and wapiti - they are just "fillers" and make the place tacky. But I love the fact that they have hog deer! They are an interesting ungulate, not seen in many zoos in Australia, and I love the fact that they are breeding them successfully too!
ALPACA: Normally I just see alpacas as "fillers" (see my note in the hog deer section), but I like these particular alpacas. They have interesting colours and somehow they just suit the place.
I'm very keen to hear your views on the animals that are the face of the zoos you visit!
