Koala House » Los Angeles Zoo

Koala House
22-09-2008

I know they've got a bunch of projects on tap, but has there been any word of them once again using the koala house as some sort of exhibit space?

22-09-2008

Well, I once received a "Zooscape" (which is the member newsletter) by mail which talked about future plans for the Australia section. In it talked about expanding the aussie collection which would include bringing Bilbies, Wombats, Tasmanian Devils, aussie birds and aussie reptilians to this section of the zoo in the next couple of years. It also talked about a walk-through aviary for the Aussie bird collection, and refurbishing the Koala House. This is what it said in the newsletter:

Also, this past April "Spider City" closed which was situated inside the Koala House. I also found out that before it used to be the Koala house it used to be the Penguin house.

22-09-2008

That'd be nice if the tassie devil import happens some day. I read that Albuquerque has an exhibit ready and waiting for them, just waiting for the ability to import some.

22-09-2008

I would love to see devils here in LA, they are my favorite aussie animal after the echidna. There was another "Zooscape" sent to me that talked about some keepers going to Australia to learn how to care for tassie devils. It also says this:

So I hope we'll get some soon.

22-09-2008

Toronto had a breeding pair until 2001 which actually bred remarkably well

22-09-2008

I remember many many years ago, seeing tasmanian devils in what is now the Komodo dragon building in LA. They also had kiwis in there at this time as well.

22-09-2008

i am liking at the moment Koalas being kept in walkthrough aviaries with birds maybe that would be an option for them

22-09-2008

Has it been tried at other zoos before? How did it work? Wouldn't some birds be a threat to the Koalas?

22-09-2008

Tasmanian devils are wonderful animals to see in the flesh, but bilbies are also remarkable creatures that are Australia's equivalent of the Easter Bunny. Huge, floppy ears and long noses and tails...it would be terrific to see some end up in Los Angeles.

22-09-2008

Yes, I was really excited when I heard Bilbies might be coming to LA, but I'm more excited about the devils. What other zoos in North America have exhibit bilbies before?

22-09-2008

I don't know of any zoo ever having bilbies in North America, but when I was in Australia from May to June in 2007 probably 100% of the zoo's that I visited had tasmanian devils but only a few had bilbies. I saw so many tassie devils that by the end of my trip I was bored with them. They are popular animals down under! Now that it's been over a year I'd love to come across another tassie devil.

22-09-2008

I cant remember off hand what zoos have done it but i know of plenty of Private Aussie parks who have koalas that have, SOmeone i knwo in Melbourne has Koalas mixed with Curlews, Kookaburras, Tawny Frogmouths and Fruit Bats.
Koalas are so inoffensive and lazy they dont pose much risk and alot of birds just leave them alone, i have heard of them kept in mixed finch and softbill avairies, here in aust where koals are kept outside they are in comntact with birds all the time.

22-09-2008

the first koala I saw in the wild was sitting in a tree in the middle of a black flying fox colony

22-09-2008

My plans for the Australia section of the zoo would be like this:

1. First of all, make an exhibit for the Komodo Dragons in the new Reptile House so that their current exhibit (Dragons of Komodo) could be used for Bettongs (currently off-exhibit), Bilbies and Echidnas. It would be perfect for them because there is three small exhibits in there.
2. Built an outdoor exhibit connected to the Koala House so that Tassie Devils could have both indoor and outdoor exhibits. There is two large exhibits inside the Koala House, so the other one will be for a pair of Wombats. The house is a former nocturnal house for koalas, so it would fit perfectly for the Wombats. Maybe even adding some extra Koalas in there with the Wombats.
3. Built a walk-through aviary on the other side of the Koala House to house some Aussie birds. Currently there are two structures/exhibits being built on either side of the Koala House, but nobody I've asked seem to know what they are for.
4. Move the hornbills from the center aviary of the section, so that the zoo could bring back the Flying Foxes it sent to San Diego. The hornbills could have a better aviary built somewhere else in the zoo, maybe even exhibiting them in the current walk-through aviary. I don't know, but can Hornbills be exhibited in walk-though aviaries?

The other exhibits I would leave them how they are species wise. The only thing is that I would add some grass to all of them, they used to have grass but I don't know what happened.