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zooboy28

Rainbow Bee-eater, Alice Springs Desert Park

Alice Springs Desert Park, Oct 2014 There are quite a number of these birds on display at the Park, hopefully they are able to establish a colony. As far as I know, these are the only ones on display in the country.

Rainbow Bee-eater, Alice Springs Desert Park
zooboy28, 15 May 2015
    • zooboy28
      Alice Springs Desert Park, Oct 2014

      There are quite a number of these birds on display at the Park, hopefully they are able to establish a colony. As far as I know, these are the only ones on display in the country.
      15 May 2015
    • Chlidonias
      I don't think that can be right. I had a quick Google to check: Taronga lists them on their website so presumably they have them (?), and they are also on the site for the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park in Calga (Birds) although I'm not entirely clear on if they are captive or wild. They are kept by private aviculturists in Australia, so I'd be surprised if Alice Springs was the only zoo with them on public display.
      15 May 2015
    • zooboy28
      Yeah, you're probably right there. According to the census, Taronga had none in 2014 (but did have a single individual in 2012 & 2013; there was also one in Adelaide in 2012). So its possible that Taronga have re-acquired. But there still very rare in Zoos, and I have only seen captive ones at the Desert Park (seen them wild too).

      Taronga seem to have had a good colony going in the mid-2000s (2.1.10 in 2006), but then it dwindled to nothing over a few years, the Desert Park seems to have experienced a similar pattern and has acquired more recently. There were actually several Zoos holding them in 2006 (Healesville, Territory, Adelaide, Alice Springs & Taronga), but they all died out I guess.
      15 May 2015
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  • Category:
    Alice Springs Desert Park
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    zooboy28
    Date:
    15 May 2015
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