Animal updates » Melbourne Zoo

23-08-2008

We wish!!!!!!!!!

25-08-2008

Steve

The backbones of a South American collection are already there in Australia. Primates (various tamarins, squirrel and spider monkeys), other mammals (agouti, brazilian tapir), parrots (several species of macaw and conure), herps (anaconda, boa constrictor, iguana, basilisk, cantils, poison arrow frog, cane toad), fish (too many cichlids, tetra and catfish to choose from). There are possibly some other species that I have missed that already exist. It wouldn't be hard for several major collections to suddenly get behind displaying Neotropical species in a proper exhibit and look to improve it with selected importations of other species (dare I mention the j-word, small cat, anteater, sloth, coati).

I realise that this would be departing from the mainstream Australasian collection planning of Asian rainforest and African savannah (along with the various Australian zones), but I think it is realistic suggestion.

25-08-2008

It would be great, Tetrapod; and you have thought it out well.

Maned wolves are also in Australia ( five males and five females at Dubbo, and a single female at Melbourne, according to ISIS.)

As far as I am aware, spectacled bears are the only species of bear never to have been displayed here, but I'm not holding my breath about them!

25-08-2008

My neighbour breeds alpacas and gets a magazine about the Australian Alpaca industry and he knows that I'm interested in zoo's. So He lent me the magazine because there was an article about Melbourne Zoo aquiring some alpacas from a farm for it's education program (as you've heard) but what really suprised me was the fact that it said Melbourne Zoo was gonna display them alongside the Tapirs. I was really excited when I read it.


And on another note-An exhibit that I think would be really cool would be Brazilian Tapirs, capybaras and muscovy ducks in a big grassy paddock with water along the front.

26-08-2008

Inside knowledge of Australian collections!

Interesting sideline - maned wolves were kept and bred at Perth Zoo from the 80s to the early 90s. The set up and number of individuals (maybe four seperate lineages) was perfect. The enclosures were nothing more than link-mesh fences. However the species didn't fall into the 'require' zoogeographical zone and so all were deleted from the collection (I think most ended up at both Melbourne and Dubbo). A real oversight, if you ask me.

I did think of extra species such as maras, maned wolves, muscovys, guanacos, rhea, quaker parrot etc. but dismissed them as not being essential Neotropical rainforest. However it does show that the range of Neotropical species available in Australia is still valid to produce a reasonable display. I think there is also a good opportunity to create a good Northern hemisphere display with the available species as well - American bison, Przewalski horse, wapiti, red deer, fallow deer, American alligator, rattlesnakes, corn/king/milk snakes, gila monster, Japanese newt, axolotl, turkey, Japanese/rhesus macaque, red panda, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, Persian onager, various pheasants, bobwhite quail, several Asiatic long-tailed parrots, Pekin robin, Mandarin and Carolina wood ducks, Mute swan, Canada geese, freshwater gar... I've seen all these species in Australia. See you'd be surprised how much is actually in the country already, without necessarily starting to introduce Brown bears, Amur leopard and Grey wolves.

26-08-2008

Don't forget Red Fox

26-08-2008

Exactly, tetrapod.
I've never understood the hidebound determination of Australian zoos to keep only Australian animals, South-east Asian animals and, reluctantly, a few Africans.

27-08-2008

I know, I know... there was always going to be one obvious species that I would forget!