The Future of Zoos Victoria 2024 (Speculation/Fantasy)

Domestic/Asian water buffalo are held at Altina; Caversham; Crocodylus; Halls Gap; Mogo; Oakvale; Territory Wildlife Park; Western Plains Zoo; and Wings Wildlife Park, so no need to import.

 

They wouldn't import anyway when they are wild throughout the top end, same with banteng.

 

If they redid the elephant area and the current orang area, mixing them and rotating them around with white cheeked gibbons and siamang would make for a pretty nice set up. While freeing up space in other areas that could be used for different species.

 

They are also very common in private hands and Bovini can't be imported anyway.

 

I would like to see Indian Rhino included in the Waterhole precinct at Werribee, even if they temporarily occupied 1 or 2 of the 5 elephant paddocks in an interrim.
I know the elephants are a stand-in for African elephants, but I still think that entire precinct should become an Indian precinct!

 

Hopefully we do see Indian Rhinos at Werribee in the future. Considering there are going to be six or so paddocks for the elephants from memory, the elephants would only require three at most for the first decade or so. They could easily afford to have Indian Rhinos in at least one or two of the remaining paddocks.

 

I was hoping they’d be housed in the elephant complex for the first decade or so as they’ll otherwise be five paddocks, with only two groups of elephants. They could easily spare 1-2 paddocks while still allowing recovery time.

Your idea sounds better long term though. Asian wildlife is greatly underrepresented in Australasia’s open range zoos.

 

If the paddocks are in fact as a large as they say they are, I wonder what the chances of them mixing would be. Obviously not to be done light hearted, but they do mix in the wild and cohabitation the same areas. If enough space is provided there could be a chance, and it would make for a fantastic mix.

 

The total size of the elephant complex is 21ha, so the paddocks will be huge. There will initially be five paddocks, but there will be the option of subdividing if required long term.

Indian antelope are apparently planned for the complex (not necessarily cohabiting with the elephants). The complex would otherwise be looking very empty for the first couple of decades!

 

Elephant, rhino, Indian antelope. may as well mix them and call the precinct wild kaziranga and be done with it

 

Blackbuck don't live in Kaziranga - elephants and blackbuck do cohabitate in Karnataka (Bandipur National Park, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary, BRT Wildlife Sanctuary), Uttarakhand (Corbett National Park, Rajaji National Park), and the Western Ghats (Nagarhole National Park), to name a few locations.

 

I love that idea!

 

I mean we chuck them on our African savannahs so why not!.

 

Exactly right.

 

Exactly right.

 

Indian Antelope will indeed be cohabiting with the elephants, and I’m not sure if the Keeper was misguided but he said there would be other antelopes(Nilgai would be great but i assume it will just be blackbuck)

 

A return of nilgai would be nice, and they would nicely compliment the elephants and blackbuck.

 

Surely blackbuck and axis deer are the easiest and most natural choice: they live together with elephants in many major national parks in India, and have been displayed together in the past at both MZ and WORZ and both are very easy to get. It’s a no brainer to me.

If we do get Indian rhino in, then a good choice would be hog deer - again easy to get, and they are the common deer species in Kaziranga National Park in Eastern India - the main stronghold of Indian rhinos.

I guess the major reluctance to obtaining these common Indian species (along with common langur and rhesus macaque) is that none are endangered.

However if you want an Indian theme, well these are the species you’re likely to see in Indian national parks.

 

I wonder how many Indian species of deer Werribee has around it in the feral populations. They could just catch some and chuck em in the elephants paddock and be done with it

More seriously I do agree. Though I dont for see them getting any primates. It would be impressive if they did.

 

I think there is zero chance of them getting any Indian primates. I don’t think an Indian theme is on their radar at all.

I’m actually a volunteer at WORZ and thus I do hear things. The only primates ever been mentioned by anyone of note are colobus and hamadryas baboons - nothing definite though.