Werribee to Grow » Werribee Open Range Zoo

Werribee to Grow
29-03-2008

Star News Group - Growth spurt - By Stephen Linnell

New director of Werribee wants to triple it's animal population

29-03-2008

I've been waiting for something like this forever.

29-03-2008

More Good news, its all happening

30-03-2008

That is wonderful news!! It's interesting that Werribee receives 260,000 visitors per year, and yet only 3% of those are international tourists. The article points out that nearby Healesville receives 15% international tourists, as the lure of seeing only Aussie animals looms large for the tourism industry. Expanding Werribee is fantastic news, and the baboons mentioned in the article must be the group that still toughs it out in the old-style, barred exhibit at the Melbourne Zoo. Could this finally mean the downfall of that enclosure? Yipppeee....

30-03-2008

Baboons and Wild dogs. hint hint.
Melbourne has both of these, the baboons in the smelly chicken wire fence and wild dogs in a really good cage opposite the lions.

30-03-2008

Maybe the Lions could now expand into the area where the wild dogs are to give them more room?

30-03-2008

can't load the article. damn!!!

i have been whinging about this for bloody years! melbournes cramped full of animals in tiny exhibits, meanwhile zoos victorias biggest proeprty 40 minutes up the road is empty. time to get over the "africa complex" and move more animals out there...

its especially stupid when the zoo is supposed to be grassland themed yet grasland animals such as baboons, maned wolves and wild dogs remain at melbourne, and wouldn't even be missed. nobody even looks at them.

30-03-2008

if only it was that simple.

31-03-2008

I assumed Werribee has developped more along the lines of an African experience (much as has happened at WPZ and Monarto). I do not think that is a negative thing, it is more realistic I guess. All these open range zoos have acres of undevelopped space and can really present animals in an savannah environment. Bringing out the baboons and wild dogs to Werribee would go along way to making it a complete day experience. In addition, some bird aviaries would be nice to (storks, flamingos, ibis, some passerines, Tockus hornbills and plovers). A crocodile river exhibit with Nile and other African croc species and more reptiles. Certainly it would attract more visitors to the place and if combined tickets for Melbourne would also be available for a day visit to Werribee, hell you would have a real winner on your hands!

Twinning Werribee with a more aggressive development of an outback Australian zone to include exhibits along the path detailing some of the work on endangered native taxa Werribee is closely involved in would also be a plus. For now, the Australia bit is just your average emu, brolgas, wallabies and kangaroos. What about a faunal and horticultural display of local Victoria particulars. Again, I suppose some bird and reptile/amphibian exhibits would make for more quality time at the zoo. No doubt both locals who wish to learn about their local specialised fauna and flora and very much so the tourists would wish to see the native fauna.

31-03-2008

Hey Jelle, Werribee already has a native grasslands walk with a particular emphasis and interpretation of the endemic (and endangered) volcanic graslands which once covered much of victoria.
to this end, Werribee displays and breeds native fauna and its involvement in recovery plans includes bandicoot, butterfly, skinks and frog species from this threatened habitat.
your vision for a truly authentic savannah style exhibit is great though our quarantine laws would kill many of your suggestions off immediately.
still and all, werribee could do with....
hunting dog
hamadryas babboon
barbary sheep
serval
hyeana
and of course we do have a range of African aves and herpes (besides storks and flamingoes) available in this country which could be displayed.
long-term, if werribee decided to broaden its grassland theme and look at this habitat globally then other candidates could include
indian rhino (and perhaps otter/fishing cat in a marsh grassland)
blackbuck
chital
dhole
maned wolf
brazillian tapir
and the capybarra and anteaters proposed for importation.

completing the African section would be a logical step to begin with, however, not least because many of these species are still in the urban zoo in sub-standard enclosures or arent being displayed to their full potential.

31-03-2008

ahhh, finally read the article.

werribee certainly does need to expand its collection (as we have always said) and smaller animals are certainly a way to do that in light of our importation issues for artiodactyls.


but since open range zoos have always been primarily themed on mixed species ungulates in large paddocks it surprises me is that werribee has never even made the most of the stock they do have available to them.

some species such as congo buffalo are kept off-display at the zoo whilst others such as barbary sheep are in massive numbers at other zoos, yet have never been acquired. even more species, such as the zoos deer collection have been foolishly phased-out.

whilst i agree with glyn that the zoo might as well "complete" its african collection (baboons, hyena, wild dog etc..), i wouldn't forget that the "safari" is one of its biggest drawcards and a feature that puts it ahead of some of its competitors like WPZ.

id' make these instant additions to the pre-existing drive through-paddocks...

barbary sheep (in the arid africa paddock)
congo buffalo and possibly batchelor bongo (in the kudu paddock, behind the hippo)

wapiti in with the bison (i'de move the mongolian wild horses in there also) leaving the asia paddock to bump up the numbers of chital and blackbuck as well as re-aquire water buffalo, and get some banteng also. the zoo can also put up there hands for holding nilgai - a spectacular large asian antelope currently few interested in maintaining in the region.

thats seven additional species of ungulates....and there are potentially more...

01-01-2009

I wish you were still here Patrick becaus eyou have no doubt been to see the wild dog exhibit at Werribee and can give us all a run down on what it is like. Please come back.

01-01-2009

I found it quite disappointing really, especially after the excellence of the last big exhibit there - the Kubu River hippo exhibit.

The wild dog exhibit is large but there is lots of very tall wire fencing, with overly large overhangs. There's been no real attempt to hide the exhibit perimeter at all. The "off limits" dens are clearly on display at the back of the exhibit, again, with no attempt to hide them at all. Wheelbarrows, rakes, hoses etc, were all clearly on display in the den area from the public viewing area.

Although all the animals were in the exhbit the day I was there, only one could be seen, and that was only just. The animals were all using the few shady areas of the exhibit to keep out of the sun, and unfortunately, these areas are all towards the back of the exhibit. The elevated public walkway provides views of the exhibit at a higher level, but only just higher than the wire overhang, which is very intrusive.

Compared to the hunting dog exhibit at Monarto, Werrribee's doesn't come close in my mind, unfortuately. Hopefully, it will improve with age.

Knowing Patrick, and the standards he expects in zoos, I think his review of the exhibit would be a little harsher than mine

01-01-2009

I'm sad to hear that. I haven't seen it and I am expecting something good but it doesn't sound as though it is up to their usual standard.

02-01-2009

Werribee's new director, who is otherwise very bright and savvy, comes from a background in South Africa with a sense that it is cheaper (it is) and better (it often is not) to build simple enclosures "in house" rather than paying for expensive design consultants. Well, the success of Kubu Hippos is directly attributable to a very thorough and professional landscape/zoo exhibit design team approach. Wild dog is what happens when curators and operations people are allowed to "just build it." It's unfortunate this new area is sandwiched between lions and hippos, both extremely well done. And my guess is the views from the raised boardwalk include many that the previous projects worked very hard to hide (fences, moats, service areas.). Too bad.