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

16-10-2008

No, the Sumatran tiger which killed the keeper was not destroyed. The zoo never ever contemplated doing that - it was recognised that she was just a mother protecting her cubs as she saw it.

16-10-2008

I think there was a similar incident at Howletts(UK) many years ago with either a Siberian or 'Bengal' tigress. Two keepers went in to clean the outdoor enclosure having moved the mother into the next door enclosure, while her cubs were left where they were. She came back over the(very high) dividing fence and caught one of the keepers who was sadly killed.

(Someone correct me if the 'cub element' isn't accurate in this story.....)

16-10-2008

If its the same Tiger I am thinking about she may of killed two keepers once when protecting cubs and one without, the second time it happened I heard they put her down

16-10-2008

Yes, they did. The 2nd time Aspinall was 'at home' and went and got his gun immediately and shot her there and then. I'm not sure how many tiger accidents they had altogether before they stopped the 'going in' policy. In the incident I'm thinking about one keeper got out through the door in time and the other didn't, she caught him and dragged him into the pond.

I seem to remember one incident involved a tiger called 'Balkash' but I believe he was male...

02-11-2008

I have some old photos of the lion enclosure and tiger enclosure (during it's 'blue' period) which I could post if anyone is particularly interested.



Hix

03-11-2008

Please post the photos! Simply load them into the gallery, as it's easier to view them from there.

03-11-2008

Have uploaded several photos of the lion enclosure in it's various forms, the tiger enclosure, and a couple of old shots of the orang house, the alligator pond and island, and the flamingos.
With the lion and tiger enclosure images, I have included additional information for orientation and to describe various elements of the exhibit. Just open up the thumbnail to be able to read it.



Hix

03-11-2008

loving the pics of the old orang cages. im only 23, and those cages are some of my earliest and memories. they really left an impression on me. taronga has been ribbed in the past for its 1994 rainforest exhibit, but i think anyone who had seen the orangs in their jail cells could appreciate that they were probably the worst great ape facility in the country at the time, and taronga then went on to build what was, for a over a decade probably the best orang facility in australia!

03-11-2008

Yes, it was a bad facility by todays standards, but most people just don't understand it in yesterday's context. When it was built it was considered adequate.

The enclosures were all concrete and metal - easy to clean and disinfect, i.e. easy to keep the animals healthy. The interior of each cage had a wire mesh roof which meant that climbing species (like orangs and chimps) had plenty of room to brachiate and exercise. The orangs and chimps bred in these cages on several ocassions.

I'm not saying they were great, they weren't. Not by a long shot. But people look at them and judge them by today's standards.

I certainly can't say it was the worst great ape facility in the country at the time, because I hadn't seen any of the other zoos facilities back then (although a few years later I saw some enclosures for orangs at Adelaide Zoo that had no opportunities for brachiating that I could see).

I do recall, in 1982, seeing a recently built great ape facility in the UK that appeared worse than Taronga's old "jail cells", in my opinion.



Hix

03-11-2008

Hi Hix, could not disagree more with snowleopard on the posting of pics in gallery.

I feel that the posting of pics that are relevant to a thred are best placed on the thread. It just makes it all the more cohesive to the point of a comment or experiance.

I get frustrated by people posting 5 pics when 1 would have surficed. Just how many views of a rhino sim needs in his gallery l dont know. As it must have a factor in costs of runing this site. Okay off the track here! DOHH!!!

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03-11-2008

Would loveto post pics in the thread (would have been much easier to discuss the various aspects of them) but all my images are jpg or RAW and those extensions can't be added to posts as attachments.



Hix

03-11-2008

@zooman: it's frustrating to read your posts as your spelling and grammar are atrocious, but you do offer unique perspectives and do have a lot of knowledge of primates. I realize that you are new here and have only been on this site for a few months, but there are loads of members that adore the gallery and arguably spend more time there than anywhere else. Also, when taking photos at a zoological institution at times there have been many requests for multiple shots of a specific animal. This is a magnificent site for zoo-related material, and if you read the "Valencia Zoo Report" thread it will become evident that there are a number of people that prefer photos in the gallery than on individual threads. The photos are easier to view and don't take up so much space. Cheers!

03-11-2008

I did see the Orangutans in their old concrete cages on one visit to Australia. I would say at that time it was the WORST Ape housing- still being used which I had seen anywhere in a major zoo anywhere, not just in Australia!! I appreciate these cages were left overs from the past and have long since disappeared though. I was equally surprised to see Orangutans and Gorillas living in almost equally bad conditions at a couple of US zoos at the same period.

03-11-2008

The reference to rhinos is legitimate, as there are tons of rhino shots in the expansive gallery. I deliberately take lots of shots of those fascinating mammals when visting zoos because the ZooChat member Mark adores rhinos and appreciates the numerous photographs, and there are other individuals who like giant pandas, or okapis, or any number of creatures. If someone thinks that there are too many shots of a particular animal then they can simply skip over viewing them and move on...

04-11-2008

Hi Jeremy, Patrick was not suspended , barred or banned at all, He left the forum at his will