so much for binturongs in the otter exhibit... » Melbourne Zoo

so much for binturongs in the otter exhibit...
30-10-2007

i woke up this morning and someone sent me a message saying "was that you liberating bearcats?"

i responded with "binturong, please, but i have no idea what your on about"

now i do......

http://www.theage.com.au/news/NATION...618829380.html

30-10-2007

...he had travelled a fair way from the zoo, too.

Even if he got out of his exhibit (which he obviously did) he still had to scale the external wall of the zoo.......well, he obviously used the exit turnstile.

He must have been terrified. I wonder if he came across any foxes in Royal Park on his ventures? (I've seen them late at night.)

There was a red panda that got out earlier this year - she was found near the Children's Hospital by someone walking their dog. (The dog noticed it up the tree and went nuts.)

30-10-2007

ahhh prehensile tails..

did they clear out all the bamboo etc.. that was growing around the back of the otter exhibit?

also, anyone know why are the police and other agencies involved in the animals recapture? i cringed as i saw police climbing around trying to capture it, clearly with not a clue in what it was they were doing. i would have imagined the responsible thing to do is to call the zoo and simply try to keep it in the tree for its own good.

poor things lucky it didn't get hit by a car.

30-10-2007

In New South Wales you have to call the police and strangely fire Brigade.

30-10-2007

...bamboo is still there.

From the newspaper report the police called. They called the animal control people and then one of the zoo vets showed up.

I agree they should have probably left it up the tree and monitored until a zoo official arrived. I imagine the poor thing must have been very confused and terrified.

Someone from the zoo said it could have been worse if it had wandered into the tiger exhibit for example. I guess they'll be taken off display for now.

30-10-2007

its a shame, couse i think that would have been a ncie exhibit.

30-10-2007

probably the wisest choice and they could make modifications to the exhibit to hold binturong permanantly in there. pygmy hippo won't be returning to melbourne anytime soon (if at all - booo hooooo!) and i always thought the exhibit was badly designed for otter anyway. whilst it is very attractive and features a lovely little stream those nasty zoo designers were totally stingy when it came to giving the otters a decent pool to swim in. i bet the otters and visitors alike are enjoying them in the hippo pool an aweful lot more (that is when they are swimming in it). they should absolutely cover the other hippo exhibit in shadecloth and put the tapir in there...

30-10-2007

channel 10 news just did a great report, going to the zoo, and talking all about quarrintine, and yes those cops looked pretty stupid!

30-10-2007

o and on the exhibit, yea permentally but bintorngs in tehre, or do a totally new asian experience, for small animals, including mxed species underwater viewing of otter and bintorong, and some langurs on the island, with of course new aivaries.

is the pool filled filled with water, like up to orginal levl, with heaps of underwater viewing? and what do you think about it being in the african section, or has it been rethemed to jungles of the world?

30-10-2007

..................which indicates the problem of trying to divide small city zoos into zoogeographic regions.

You will now have asiatic otters and a tapir in what is supposed to be an african region.

Getting back to the escape, we must allow for the occasional animal houdini going walkabout now that we have done away with the grim old cages (nothing much escaped from those jails!)

I hope I'm not letting the cat out of the bag here, but some months ago at Taronga I saw a keeper about 15 metres up in a tree trying to recapture the Goodfellows tree kangaroo (which he was able to do, thank heavens.) This was down near the old elephant enclosure.

30-10-2007

soz one more time ill annoy u off thread, can a melbournian or alinke, plz post a pic of the new bontorng exhibit p[lz.

30-10-2007

on abc news now

30-10-2007

I remember the binties at Taronga being pretty smelly animals.

30-10-2007

i think its more popcornish

30-10-2007

the binties at Taronga used to go walkabouts quite often in thie new exhibit. Nver out side the zoo grouds but they were found a couple of times waundering around near back yard to bush late in the afternoons. it was becuase they used to be kept in the current dhole exhibit which is a totaly inclosed cage so keepers wernt used to how well they can climb. But dont worry they havnt got out for ages after some tweeks were made in the wires in the giant fig tree