What happened to the xxxx enclosure/exhibit? » Taronga Zoo

06-03-2008

I've never really thought they were that bad. Smallish but otherwise ok. Nor have the animals seemed discontented. I have some good pictures of the lions in the gallery.

06-03-2008

You are right about the blue tinted glass. There has been some changes since then. Opposite the current sun bears you can see where boards have been put up. Behind these boards are windows that looked into the lion enclosure. There was a walk way that came out of the wall between the sun bears and the lion pit.

07-03-2008

hey i want to see some photos of the apparently refurbed tahr mountain. has anyone got picks of that?

07-03-2008

just so happens that i was at Taronga yesterday. I just got a new camera so i was taking photos of things that I wouldn't normally photograph. i have some of the Tahr mountain, but I don't think they include the renovations that pretty much aren't that exciting. All that has been done is move the fence to give the animals a little bit more space. The mountain is still the same. i will post photos in the taronga gallery.

07-03-2008

just down loaded the photo on to the taronga gallery. It does not show the renovations, but I posted it anyway.

07-03-2008

thanks boof

12-10-2008

Hi just found this site and topic after a search. Went to the zoo yesterday and have a few questions - hope you peple may be able to answer. Whats happening with the old seal pools? What is happening in the front entry? Are there any plans to upgrade the big cats enclosures? Will Taronga get more lions and tigers at some point in the future?

Reading the previous posts in this topic I tried googling about the tiger zookeeper mauling and nothing came up. Could someone tell me what happened and where? And what the implications were for the handling of the big cats? What changes were made to their enclosures?

Thank you and I apologise if I'm repeating any questions.

12-10-2008

Sorry another couple of questions. What happened to the white tiger? I think I heard years ago that he died? Where did he come from originally? Also did Taronga once have a black panther? Thanks

12-10-2008

The tragedy with the tiger keeper occurred in 1980. A 33 year old keeper of 9 years experience went in her lunch break to (unofficially) photograph a litter of cubs born to a Sumatran tigress named Meta. She moved the mother into another den away from the cubs and went in to photograph the babies. Somehow the tigress got back into the maternity den and mauled the keeper. The keeper was rushed to hospital but tragically died early the next day.

Chester, the first white tiger seen in Australia arrived at Taronga from Henry Doorly zoo, Omaha in 1992. He was a big boy, weighing close to 200 kilograms, and about 11 or 12 years old when he arrived. He lived another 6 years in Australia and was euthanased when old age caught up with him.

As for the black leopard, Taronga had many black and spotted leopards over the years.(None now, unfortunately.) I think you may be thinking of the very striking looking black jaguar named Ali (after Muhammad Ali the boxer) who was Taronga's last jaguar.(none of them left, either.) He arrived from Rotterdam zoo in 1979 and died of old age in 1996.

12-10-2008

the tiger incident was a long time ago which might be why you didnt get any links, I dont know exactly what happened only what i have read and been told so i dont really feel comfortable commenting in it. as far as changes to procedure i know that they now have to have two keepers on at least to double check locks, but i dont know if that happened prior to the incident.

the front entrence is one of the next big projects and is going to turn nto a large open plaza where peple can eat, take the sjy safari and ee a museum with out entering the zoo. the entrences are going to be at the water bird pond and near the koala encountours.

i think the lions may get a new exhibit in the africa savanna project but cant be sure

14-10-2008

The enclosures for lions today have been round for many many years and they can be seen on the map as far back as the 1940's, the orignal walls have not changed to much and infact the placement of species in the two pits is exactly the same. (I'm working on a paper on the history of Taronga at the moment in case your wondering). In the areas where the sun bears now live, (the 1996 lion caves exhibit), was originally a dual wire enclosure on level, that housed panthers and a jaguar, they then were modified to become one wired and one pit, the pit was home to jaguars and ran down from next to the lion pit to the level of the current viewing, and the other stayed a wire enclosure for tigers, all this time lions were also kept in what was to become the current bear canyon, after much modification of course. Sun bears have been seen at the zoo for many many years dating back to the old bear pits, the old sun bear exhibit (ran till late 90's) is an original pit and is currently being modified to house red pandas.

16-10-2008

Thank you for the replies and info guys. That is so sad about the zookeeper. I'm assuming she felt so passionate about the tigers. So it didnt happen in view of the public then but behind the scenes? What happened to the tiger? I hope she wasnt put down?

I must have been talking about the jaguar. I remember him well. His coat was always gleaming - gorgeous. Its such a shame that Taronga dont have any anymore. I remember Chester the white tiger - always seemed very majestic sitting on that platform thing.

The changes sound interesting. I like the idea of a museum. I'm assuming it will be of the history of Taronga? Zooworker, your paper about Taronga sounds great.Will you be letting forum members read it after its done?

16-10-2008

No it happened in the dens of an older tiger facility in the 70's, it just so happens my step dad was working in the emergency department at Royal north shore the day vicky came in. She was in the dens playing with the cubs, the mother was next door and just forced the gate down, this sparked huge overhauls. My paper will probably not be done for a few years yet, i'm doing parts on some zoo exhibits overseas to act as comparisons so have to visit a few zoo's yet.

16-10-2008

Zooworker, so that was over where the smaller jungle cats are now? Wow what strength and detrmination (mother instinct)to break down the gate! Do you know of what overhauls this ssparked? Was the tiger put down after? I find it interesting to hear about changes in procedures from years ago in the way animals were handled in zoos compared to now.

I also like hearing about how the exhibits have changed over the years and the reasoning behind them, combined with changing societal attitudes. Its good to see pictures of what zoos are doing overseas (hopefully I will see inperson one day!) Wiill your paper be used to Taronga to plan changes based on overseas research?

16-10-2008

It sparked not keeping tigers in those facilities anymore. Around the time this incident happened was i believed when taronga started putting focus on smaller cats in the jungle cats facility. To be honest with you i think it was just a bad gate. Keepers still enter enclosures with young big cats and most animals in general and we do that for the simple reason that you have an animal living in the public eye for most of it's life so last thing you need is one thats scared of humans. The simple way of solving these issues was of course better laid out holding facilities as opposed to singular dens, and two keepers at all times to check locks and so on. No it won't i'm doing this for my own reasons, it's free from the zoo, my work is being done basically to try and figure out for my self how far zoo design has come, whether it has progressed in anyway for the animals at all is a big question. Which is true in 90% of cases but in a work tour of asian aquariums i was horrified at the conditions large marine mammals were kept in. And it's all about social attitudes. I've found constant panterns with zoo developments running along side changes in human rights, perceptions other such things. And when you look at the really low end of the spectrum for zoos 90% of the time they are in areas that still have racial, gender or religious in equality which filters down.