Sad news to start the year at Adelaide Zoo - two deaths, including one of particular note - the male sloth. This means Adelaide's female is now the only Xenarthran in Australasia. From Facebook:
oh no! That is such sad news about the sloth. He had been at the zoo for about twenty years. The female is forty years old, so she probably won't be around too much longer either sadly.
Enjoyed watching the two sloths being far more active than I ever imagined sloths could be when I visited back in August. Another species (and as Zooboy points out, an entire superorder) on its way out of the country.
In some good news for the year, Adelaide Zoo's South East Asian Aviary was officially reopened today, after being closed for more than a year and renovated throughout 2014. Story here: South East Asian Aviary Takes Flight - Adelaide Zoo
It turns out the death of the male Ring-tailed Lemur, Hoss, was also rather significant, as he was the second oldest lemur known (I read this yesterday I think, but now I can't find the source!), at almost 37 years old! He was born in 1978 at Calgary Zoo. The zoo now has 5 ring-tailed lemurs, a bachelor troop of animals recieved from Taronga and Auckland Zoos.
Adelaide Zoo has taken in 9 Western Grey Kangaroo joeys, injured in the Adelaide Hills bushfires. Story here: Adelaide zoo cares for joeys injured in Sampson Flat bushfire - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Adelaide Zoo have added a grazing area to their hippo enclosure, which is certainly a great improvement, although I'm not sure that the area the hippos have is any larger (but hopefully it is!). Photo on Facebook.
Unfortunately the area for the hippos is not any larger. They just hotwired off part of the enclosure and allowed the grass to grow then took the wire down. It has made hippo viewing a lot better now as one always seems to be out of the water. Also a few other notes from my recent visits - The bug wall has opened in the envirodome. The species line up includes leaf insects, giant millipedes, rainforest snails, hooded katydids, australian tarantuala, blistered pyglomorph, wolf spider and carnivorous plants. It's a good addition that is very well done and adds something to be seen in that part of the zoo. - Karta and Kluet are now time sharing with puspa. It turns out that karta and kluet did not get along so they are not going to keep them together.
Oh. Still good that they are able to provide some grazing, although sounds like it will only be temporary. Would be great to see them out of the water and up close.
No it means I need to edit better. That should read Kluet and Puspa did not get along. Kluet and Karta remain inseparable.
Adelaide Zoo has released a new masterplan featuring seven precincts: "Nature's Playground and Aussie Icons" (essentially a playground), "Jewels of Asia", "Bamboo Forest", "Into Africa", "The Tropical North", "Jungle Journey" and "Conservation Oz". Notable species include gorilla, Sri Lankan leopard and komodo dragon. http://www.zoossa.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/az_masterplan_web-FINAL.pdf EDIT: Nisha and I posted this news at the exact same time! Look to the main thread if needed! EDIT of the EDIT: Zooboy has gone to even more detail as well!!!
And that was why I posted the news last... For discussion, see here: http://www.zoochat.com/24/adelaide-zoo-masterplan-401974/
The zoo welcomed twin pygmy marmosets on March 14. Full article here- http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/lifes...ets-to-its-brood/story-fnizi7vf-1227268388999 My e-mail from the zoo also mentioned the birth of twin maras and an alpaca cria but didn't have an article with it.
A few updates from a recent visit to the zoo - A new tamarin 'walkway' has opened it is an overhead tunnel which goes in a loop from the tamarin enclosures. The pygmy marmosets, squirrel monkey and golden lion tamarins will be sharing access to the tunnel. - The capybara exhibit has been halved with the family group on one side and four of the juvenile males on the other. A sign notes that the males had become aggressive to their family members and would leave soon for another zoo. - The former pheasant avaries near the nocturnal house had been renovated and now house a number of rainbow lorikeets. Most of the birds formerly housed here are now in the south east Asian aviary.
