Will 2025 be the year of the Open Range Zoos in Australia?

[Zorro]

I believe that 2025 will become the year of the Open Range Zoo/s in Australia with so many important projects and milestones achieved. With the new Asian elephant exhibit/complex at the Werribee open range zoo opening with a Muti generational herd arriving from the Melbourne zoo will catapult this important breeding herd into the future. This project will kick start the Werribee zoo after some years of stagnation. I am sure further projects will follow its success in the near future.

The Monarto Safari Park with its resent addition of becoming Australia's third holder of Asian elephant is one of the most welcome additions with the elephant holding and possible breeding program in the country. Also it has joined the other two open range zoos in becoming once again the third and much needed holder of River Hippos which looks positive looking into the future. With Monarto's Massive size it will be nothing less than impressive holding large numbers of African game animals in a zoo on this scale few can hope to replicate today. I am quite sure over time more species of game animals will be added to its impressive display.

I believe the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo will update and expand its exhibits over time, It did lead the way for the Open Range Zoos in this country leaving a trail at the time (1977) for others to follow. I visited this zoo just a few months after it opened and I was quite impressed with it. It has achieved quite a few milestones over the years since. I look forward to seeing it updated into the future!

 

[Zoofan15]

The Monarto Safari Park with its resent addition of becoming Australia's third holder of Asian elephant is one of the most welcome additions with the elephant holding and possible breeding program in the country.

Monarto Safari Park are one of seven holders of Asian elephant in Australia; in addition to being the second open range zoo to hold the species (Werribee to become the third open range holder this year).

With the upcoming phase outs at Taronga and Perth; and the transfer of Melbourne’s herd to Werribee, we can expect the following Australian facilities to hold elephants long term:

Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Werribee Open Range Zoo
Monarto Safari Park
Sydney Zoo
Australia Zoo (Sumatran subspecies/independent)

The Monarto Safari Park with its resent addition of becoming Australia's third holder of Asian elephant is one of the most welcome additions with the elephant holding and possible breeding program in the country. Also it has joined the other two open range zoos in becoming once again the third and much needed holder of River Hippos which looks positive looking into the future.

I too am excited about the future of Common hippopotamus at Monarto Safari Park. Though there’s reportedly long term plans to grow the pod to 5-6 hippopotami, it doesn’t appear they’ll be breeding in the near future.

Kani was scheduled to go to Werribee instead of Monarto for breeding; and while Werribee are planning to import a bull later this year, there’s been no mention of Monarto doing the same. It’s possible they’re content to hold a non-breeding pair for the foreseeable, while focussing on high priority projects such as the completion of the elephant complex

 

[Trua]

I believe that 2025 will become the year of the Open Range Zoo/s in Australia with so many important projects and milestones achieved. With the new Asian elephant exhibit/complex at the Werribee open range zoo opening with a Muti generational herd arriving from the Melbourne zoo will catapult this important breeding herd into the future. This project will kick start the Werribee zoo after some years of stagnation. I am sure further projects will follow its success in the near future.

The Monarto Safari Park with its resent addition of becoming Australia's third holder of Asian elephant is one of the most welcome additions with the elephant holding and possible breeding program in the country. Also it has joined the other two open range zoos in becoming once again the third and much needed holder of River Hippos which looks positive looking into the future. With Monarto's Massive size it will be nothing less than impressive holding large numbers of African game animals in a zoo on this scale few can hope to replicate today. I am quite sure over time more species of game animals will be added to its impressive display.

I believe the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo will update and expand its exhibits over time, It did lead the way for the Open Range Zoos in this country leaving a trail at the time (1977) for others to follow. I visited this zoo just a few months after it opened and I was quite impressed with it. It has achieved quite a few milestones over the years since. I look forward to seeing it updated into the future!

I know of a few plans for Dubbo that I can't go into just yet as they're still in the works.

Moreover I'm of the opinion that this next decade will be huge for the open range zoos in all. Werribee's masterplan still in progress and Monarto looking at a few more upgrades too. Things are finally looking bright with these three parks after forty years!!

 

[Zorro]

I know of a few plans for Dubbo that I can't go into just yet as they're still in the works.

Moreover I'm of the opinion that this next decade will be huge for the open range zoos in all. Werribee's masterplan still in progress and Monarto looking at a few more upgrades too. Things are finally looking bright with these three parks after forty years!!

I was very excited back in 1977 when the Western Plains Zoo first opened seeing those 3 Hippos living in a very large area with a decent sized lake to swim in was wonderful to see so much better than the old concrete bathtubs that they lived in at Taronga zoo.
Regarding the plans for Dubbo, I only wish they had kept to the original idea of a drive through 500 acre African savanna exhibit instead of the scaled back 50 acres they currently have!
I hope and expect that Monarto would introduce a couple more species of African antelopes into the mix in time, I hope that they import Sable antelopes as they (and one other species) were the chosen species for the region not that many years ago.

 

[Zorro]

I am hoping that Monarto zoo do come on board within the next few years as part of a breeding program with the Black Rhino, I do hope they can source a couple of females perhaps by importation it would be a big bonus for long term success, I know they have tried to acquire cows without success so far but I hope they can find perhaps through the IRF. Having a solo holder long term of a large game species is not a recipe for success.

I also believe having just one pair of Indian Rhino in the region is counter productive, there is no way this can pan out as a success in the long term for this species in this country, the best option would be if either Monarto zoo and or Werribee zoo form a pair for themselves. Now that Werribee has built a new exhibit/complex for Melbourne's elephants Indian Rhinos could be an extension of this asian theme. While housing animals of this size in a city zoo like Taronga zoo is ok in the short term they do far better in open range zoos as was proven the case when the San Diego zoo use to house a "pair" which didn't breed, It was found that they were indeed cramped with some aggression (more than was considered normal), It was only after they were relocated to the new (then) Wild Animal Park with around 100 acres that they stated to breed them and have bred many calfs since that move!

 

[Zoofan15]

I am hoping that Monarto zoo do come on board within the next few years as part of a breeding program with the Black Rhino, I do hope they can source a couple of females perhaps by importation it would be a big bonus for long term success, I know they have tried to acquire cows without success so far but I hope they can find perhaps through the IRF. Having a solo holder long term of a large game species is not a recipe for success.

I also believe having just one pair of Indian Rhino in the region is counter productive, there is no way this can pan out as a success in the long term for this species in this country, the best option would be if either Monarto zoo and or Werribee zoo form a pair for themselves. Now that Werribee has built a new exhibit/complex for Melbourne's elephants Indian Rhinos could be an extension of this asian theme. While housing animals of this size in a city zoo like Taronga zoo is ok in the short term they do far better in open range zoos as was proven the case when the San Diego zoo use to house a "pair" which didn't breed, It was found that they were indeed cramped with some aggression (more than was considered normal), It was only after they were relocated to the new (then) Wild Animal Park with around 100 acres that they stated to breed them and have bred many calfs since that move!

As per the masterplan, Monarto Safari Park intend to acquire female black rhinoceros and breed in the future. Given they’ve retained Induna; and Dubbo now have a number of cows, it’s more likely that Bakhita will be transferred over in my opinion. She’s a proven breeding female (advantageous to Monarto, who as facility, have less experience with breeding compared to Dubbo); and Induna and Bakhita are an unrelated pair. This is further supported by the fact Induna was retained by Monarto, when it came to transferring over a bull to Dubbo recently.

I too would like to see a second pair of Indian rhinoceros in the region. It would certainly be preferable to merely importing a mate for Hari (first generation bull) and having the entire regional population descend from the same bloodline. Werribee arguably have a good opportunity while they have multiple paddocks in their elephant complex going unused; though the plan is to allow the elephants choice of how run their day (with regards to what paddocks they access), so they presumably wouldn’t want to restrict them by filling the other paddocks with other species). In any case, the best use of an Indian rhinoceros by Zoos Victoria would be to fill their soon to be vacant elephant complex at Melbourne imo.