Sydney Zoo $36 million zoo with roaming African animals planned for Blacktown

Took a look at Zoolex to see costs of prominent Austalian exhibits for comparison.
Taronga's Wild Asia complex (elephants, tapirs, etc)= AUD 31.8million
Melbourne Zoo Trail of the Elephants= AUD 13million (12 years ago)
Victoria's Open Range Zoo's Lions On The Edge = AUD 3.7million

So perhaps this AUD 36million zoo could happen (especially if land costs are not included), but what would it look like?

 

The key difference is that Sydney Zoo is private, All the exhibits listed above are at Government funded facilities. Unfortunately any major competitor for a government tender is going to attempt to get as much money as possible. Many government tenders are only open to a small number of organisations meaning competition is lower.

 

Taronga Zoo has released a media statement about the proposed Blacktown zoo: https://taronga.org.au/news/2015-09-07/statement-regarding-announcement-blacktown-zoo

 

It is interesting to see the cost of several high-profile exhibits and as I said before in many parts of the world $36 million would only be enough to cover the cost of a top-class elephant exhibit. Even with private money being stretched to include a long list of 30 major exhibits, which Sydney Zoo is proposing to do, would mean that the animal enclosures will surely be very basic paddocks and chain-link yards as $36 million is peanuts in regards to opening a quality zoo in Australia. I would rather see the zoo open with a few truly world-class exhibits than 30 that are surely not going to be anything special unless there is a significant increase in the amount of money being invested into this enormous project.

 

I think you can do quite a lot with $36m, though perhaps not quite as much as is being anticipated here. My real concern is availability of animals - if they want elephants, three species of great apes, rhinos, hippos, giraffes... well, they're going to have to import a *lot*. That's where the money troubles will start.

 

How smelly is a hippo's fart?..........

No Cookies | dailytelegraph.com.au

 

Is there any info about lions' origin, whether they are worthless zoomix bastards or with proven subspecies?

 

I don't think they're at the stage of actually sourcing animals yet, although I don't think there are any lions in Australia with real conservation value.

I am very pleasantly surprised to see a nocturnal house and reptile house proposed, although disappointed (and not surprised) to see there's still no sign of even one aviary. I still don't know where on earth they think they're getting all these animals from, but it's hard not to admire the ambition.

 

One would imagine that sourcing lions will not be the issue. A number of lions have been imported over the last couple of decades (unfortunately a number have been the white mutants), and they breed easily.

I would have thought sourcing hippos (or actually importing them) will be the bigger issue. Plenty of zoo-mix giraffe and 'antelopes' to choose from within the country.

 

"Featherdale Wildlife Park may close if Sydney Zoo opens: report"

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

 

Hilariously self-serving nonsense from Featherdale. 'Sustainable development' doesn't mean protecting businesses from competition.

 

But it was a clever argument

 

Must admit Im never very keen on zoos opening on some established zoo`s patch,unless the existing zoo is a dump...and Featherdale certainly isnt that

 

Hippos now won't be exhibited at the zoo when it opens, and instead, water buffalo will replace them:

No Cookies | Daily Telegraph

 

-Asian water buffalos will occupy the space initially earmarked for hippos.-

I wonder how much difference in gas emissions Asian Water Buffalo create compared to Hippo, if gas emissions were indeed an initial concern?

 

The report doesn't actually say the gas emissions are the reason for the change; they kind of imply it, but the statements from the zoo just say they couldn't import the hippos. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first of a few "facing reality" moments for the zoo - they're going to have to give it some time like every other zoo, and not just spring into being fully stocked with A-list species.

EDIT:

How did Taronga never trademark the term "Sydney Zoo"? What was wrong with them?

 

Because that is not it's name. It's been referred to as "Sydney's Taronga Zoo", but the name "Sydney Zoo" is not a name they have ever used.



Hix