Has there ever been a Nocturnal house not connected to an overall zoo?

I was just thinking about this the other day. I don't know if there are any right now but how plausible would a Nocturnal House not connected to a zoo be. Just a large indoor structure with different sections for nocturnal animals and the regions that they come from. Kind of like an aquarium. I think it would be pretty cool.

 

There was a place like that in Queensland, Australia. It was closed when I visited almost ten years ago. They weren't making enough money and went bust, I believe.



Hix

 

Are you thinking of Djungan nocturnal zoo in Kuranda Hix? My partner and I visited in 2001 and in fact it closed that day, we were the last people to view it and it closed it's doors as we left. the animals had been found new homes though. It was interesting set up as you entered at street level and being on a hillside you walked from top to bottom down a ramp starting in the "tree" level arriving at ground level, It was very dark and must have cost a fortune to run as they would need high powerd lights on all night to reverse the animal behavior. I have the leaflet in front of me as I type, very enjoyable visit.

 

What animals did they have in there, Dean? Was it all native Australian species?

 

David
According to the leaflet they displayed North Queensland nocturnal fauna and shows sugar gliders,and either a tree kangaroo or red legged pademelon can't re,member which now, it lived under the ramp section and used a wooden barrel as a nest box. plus Echidna
I remember flying foxes, which came up to the wire to feed in front of you. and I think striped possums,the ones i do remember very well were the white tailed and cane-field rats but it was all a little too dark from memory to see anything particularly well and I never keep written records which puts me in the amateur of amateurs in zoo visiting.

 

I don't know what it was called, but that's definitely the place. When I saw it the Venom Zoo had taken over and had their displays all in the top, street-level area. However the owner showed me the ramp and although it was still dim I could see many of the cages below in disrepair.



Hix

 

That's a good description and gives me an idea of what it was like. Thanks, Dean.

 

Why don't they just open the zoo at night, like Singapore Night Safari? Then they could save the budget of electricity......

 

Noctalis, Germany
Bat House at the Spandau Citadel, Germany
The Nocturama as part of the Papiliorama, Switzerland
...just to name some.

@baboon: Reoccuring zoo nights (especially in the summer) are pretty popular events in several European and American zoos.

 

Skansen Akvariet in Stockholm also had a Nocturnal House;it was closed a couple of years ago and rebuild into a lemur section.

 

I think the original post was about purely nocturnal zoo's not a section with in another animal attraction.

@Baboon I think the problem was one of visitors, Kuranda was the sort of place that relied on day visitors. I doubt the town has many, if any night time ones. I imagine the whole town shuts down near enough at dusk.

 

Yes! When I visited Australia, the most astonishing scene is when I walked out at night, the only thing walking in the middle of the city road is bush curlew, very strange-looking bird!