Adelaide Zoo Adelaide Zoo in 1978: A Historical Species List

The Royal Zoological Society of South Australia 1878-1978 by Cecil Rix is an extremely detailed publication that documents Adelaide Zoo’s history and entire collection species-by-species detailing the zoo’s first 100 years. I was going to go through the list of the former mammals in the exotic mammal thread to flesh out some of the information for species that were present in the 80’s but I thought I’d just place the information here under the one thread and discuss the zoo’s collection in the late 1970s. A few things to consider as you read through it:

• species present in the collection during 1977/1978 will be bolded for ease of reading. Birds will be a bit different however. The author doesn’t really specify if each species was still around by the 1970s so I will mention all of the birds anyway especially the exotic species as an opportunity to note the range of species present prior to the import ban. The list will also be uploaded in parts.

• I will also add mammal species that might be of particular interest that were still present in the zoo’s collection during the mid 1900s but died out by 1977/78 (e.g. woolly monkeys, Doria’s Tree-kangaroos, the opossums) or some special species that were housed even earlier on (e.g. giant salamander, marbled cat).

• the zoo also opened a nocturnal house in 1976 so lots of new additions during this time including native rodents, nocturnal primates, viverrids and armadillos.

 

FISH:

The only species present in the collection around the late 1970s was a small group of Blind Cave Fish. They were housed in the nocturnal house with some Axolotl which didn’t end well for the fish. They were moved into another display and were much more successful.


AMPHIBIANS:

Notably, a giant salamander was donated to the collection and housed up until 1909. It was not mentioned whether it was sourced from China or Japan. In 1976, Axolotls were added for the nocturnal house. The other two species displayed in the 1970s were Cane Toads and Green Tree Frogs.


REPTILES:

In 1914, two American Alligators arrived from a large consignment from North America. One of them died in 1938 but the other was still alive as of June 1977, 64 years later! It was the oldest animal in the zoo’s collection at the time of writing. In September 1975, three young alligators arrived from Fort Worth Zoo, USA. They were all alive and well as of June 1977 and growing at a rapid rate.

Murray River Turtles were first exhibited in 1883 and then from 1950 onwards to the time of writing. Due to them occurring locally, Eastern Long-necked Turtles had been at Adelaide Zoo continuously since 1884. This species had been supplemented by public donations and occasional breeding. Northern Red-faced Turtles were part of the collection but there was no record of their arrival while the Broad-shelled River Turtles arrived in 1969. The final freshwater turtle species were two snapping turtles that arrived in 1966 from Buderim, Queensland both which were still alive by the late 1970s – they would have presumably been White-throated Snapping Turtles. A few tortoises but not as many species as in current times. Spur-thighed Tortoises first arrived in 1955 and had remained in the collection. In January 1972, a pair of Galapagos Tortoises arrived from San Diego Zoo, USA. They arrived at the ages of 7 and 12 respectively. They were both alive and well at the time of writing. There were other species of tortoise at Adelaide during the earlier years as well – Aldabra Giant Tortoise (1947-1948) which died in a cold spell after being donated by Edward Hallstrom, Leopard Tortoise (1964) and Radiated Tortoise (last held in 1937). Just an interesting note that Tuatara were housed at Adelaide in 1878 and from 1893-1912 when four individuals were donated to the zoo.

The only agamid that was currently in the collection was Eastern Bearded Dragon that had been exhibited continuously since 1950. They had bred at the zoo. There were only a handful of skinks at Adelaide including Cunningham’s Skinks (first obtained in 1950). Shingleback and Eastern Blue-tongue were also long-term species in the collection. They also had Land Mullet up until August 1974.

The old reptile house at Adelaide was closed sometime during the 1920 to early 1930’s period so the venomous snakes were housed in an open stone-walled enclosure with a high mortality rate. The boas and pythons were exhibited in heated, glass-fronted cases. In more recent times, the zoo faced issues providing suitable accommodation for more snakes as plans for the collection grew. Reptiles were definitely not a priority in the first half of Adelaide Zoo’s history (birds on the other hand….) with a snakeless period from 1929-1950. Carpet Python was commonly housed throughout its history fairly consistently. The only other python housed at Adelaide at the time of writing was Water Python which had been at the collection since 1967. There were other attempts with different tropical natives but they were mainly brief and unsuccessful. Interestingly, an African Rock Python was acquired in 1963 but only survived 12 months. The venomous snakes were mainly local species included Red-bellied Black Snakes, Death Adders, Eastern Brown Snakes, Tiger Snakes and Lowland Copperheads. The specific species housed in the late 1970s was not mentioned explicitly. The only viper recorded in the collection was a Russell’s Viper that arrived in 1904 and lived for five years.

Birds (Part 1) will cover ratites, penguins, flamingos and the majority of waterbirds.

 

BIRDS – PART 1:

Unlike for mammals and reptiles, I will mention all the bird species present at Adelaide Zoo throughout its first 100 years as the author doesn’t really distinguish when each species left/arrived at the collection. This also provides an opportunity for those curious to know what exotic birds have actually been in the country before the import ban.

Ratites were represented with Emu (first exhibited in 1883), Ostrich (first exhibited in 1883), Southern Cassowary (first exhibited in 1883) and Greater Rhea (first exhibited in 1908). All of the species had bred besides the cassowary to date. The rhea was noted as being particularly successful. The book has an image of a flock of rheas with young from 1912. There were also some cassowaries that came from New Guinea in the 1880s. There were two short-lived instances of grebes living at Adelaide Zoo; a Great Crested Grebe arrived in 1959 lasting a few months and a group of five Australasian Grebes arrived in 1973-74 but all died by May 1975.

The zoo received six King Penguins from Macquarie Island in May 1950 obtained during an expedition. Not surprisingly, they all lasted under a year and the last one died in March 1951. Their most successful penguin were African Penguins which were obtained in 1941/42 and they bred successfully to sustain the population for two decades. The last one died in 1962 which is surprisingly recent compared to other species imported during a similar timeframe. Little Penguins had been part of the collection for a long time mainly comprising of rescues in poor condition with a high mortality rate of animals. The final species mentioned was the Fiordland Crested Penguin which had occasionally been exhibited as they were sometimes brought in but they never survived longer than six months. It was a similar story for Giant Petrels and Short-tailed Shearwaters.

Besides the usual Australian Pelicans, the only other pelicans to have been exhibited at Adelaide was the Eastern White Pelican with eight individuals arriving in 1891 and were mentioned in stock lists until 1919. There were no stock lists released from 1920 to 1935 so it was not known how long they survived. The first captive breeding for Australasian Darter was believed to have occurred at Adelaide. Six chicks were raised in April and September 1971. All their other cormorants bred as well most of which interestingly occurred in a walkthrough aviary after 1970. The Little Black Cormorants only bred once but the Little Pied and Pied Cormorants bred on multiple occasions. Notably, Black-faced Cormorants also bred very well at Adelaide.

The author noted the main breeding success with some of the waterbirds including a Pied Heron (one chick in 1973), Australian White Ibis, Straw-necked Ibis, Glossy Ibis and Royal Spoonbill. Throughout their history they have also had White-necked/Pacific Heron, White-faced Heron, Cattle Egret, Eastern Great Egret, Intermediate Egret, Little Egret, Reef Heron, Nankeen Night Heron, Australasian Bittern and Yellow-billed Spoonbill. Some really interesting and unexpected exotic species were Boat-billed Heron, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, American Bittern (this one is a very surprising one especially), Black Stork and Greater Adjutant. Four Scarlet Ibis arrived in 1926, Wood Storks were part of the collection from 1892 to 1910 and Painted Storks were housed from 1911 to 1919. No mention of any Black-necked Storks.

The first Greater Flamingos arrived in 1885 when 17 were obtained from Africa. This flock was regularly supplemented with 10 in 1919, two more in 1925, twelve in 1930 and ten in 1933. By October 1940, there were only three left. Another one died in 1941 and two remaining individuals persisted at the zoo for a long time. The four Chilean Flamingos arrived in 1948 just before the import ban. One died in 1952 and one escaped its enclosure in July 1953 where it travelled the watercourses of South Australia. It was recorded feeding on some salt lakes around the Yorke Peninsula. It later travelled to tidal flats and was observed by the writer. After two years (!!), word was received the bird had been found dead having been shot by a “trigger-happy sportsman”. So, by the late 1970s, there were two Chileans and two Greaters which went on to be Australia’s last flamingos.

Notably in 1935, two Horned Screamers arrived! Other specimens of the more common screamers were also kept during the mid-1930s. Swans included two Bewick’s Swans which arrived in 1925, Black-necked Swans, Whooper Swans, Black Swans and Mute Swans. The latter two were the only ones to have bred at the zoo. The remaining waterfowl held over the 100 years are listed below. Not a surprising correlation with the exotic species that bred are the ones still in the country:

Spoiler: Waterfowl at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

Magpie Goose [bred in 1975]

Plumed Whistling Duck [bred at Adelaide], Wandering Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, West Indian Whistling Duck, Lesser Whistling Duck, White-faced Whistling Duck, Black-bellied Whistling Duck

Greater White-fronted Goose, Bar-headed Goose, Snow Goose, Canada Goose [bred at Adelaide], Barnacle Goose, Brant Goose

Ruddy Shelduck [bred at Adelaide], South African Shelduck, Australian Shelduck, Paradise Shelduck, Radjah Shelduck [bred at Adelaide], Common Shelduck, Egyptian Goose [bred at Adelaide], Upland Goose, Cape Barren Goose [bred at Adelaide]

Chilean Pintail, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Teal, Falcated Duck, Pacific Black Duck [bred at Adelaide], Grey Teal [bred at Adelaide], Chestnut Teal [bred at Adelaide], Australian Shoveler, Brown Teal/Pāteke, Mallard [bred at Adelaide], American Black Duck, Indian Spot-billed Duck, Yellow-billed Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, American Wigeon, Blue-winged Teal, Garganey

Red-crested Pochard, Rosy-billed Pochard, Common Pochard, Redhead, Hardhead, NZ Scaup [bred at Adelaide], Tufted Duck

Australian Wood Duck [bred at Adelaide], Mandarin Duck, Carolina Wood Duck, Green Pygmy-Goose, Comb Duck, Spur-winged Goose, Blue-billed Duck, Musk Dusk

Birds (Part 2) will cover most of the remaining non-passerines including shorebirds, raptors, hornbills, turacos and toucans.

 

Amazing, thanks so much @WhistlingKite24 this is really cool to learn about

 

BIRDS – PART 2:

The megapodes were represented with Australian Brush-turkey and Malleefowl. In 1966, permission was obtained from the relevant authorities to collect the eggs of Malleefowl to be artificially incubated. Three young were successfully hatched via this method. Three species of native quail bred at the zoo; Stubble, Brown and King Quail. The cracids included seven species; Plain Chachalaca (1938), White-browed Guan (1931), Marail Guan (1931), Razor-billed Currasow (first imported in 1923), Black Currasow (1917), Wattled Currasow (1950) and Bare-faced Currasow (1937) [note I updated some of the common names that were originally listed]. The Razor-billed Currasow was the only one that remained by the 1970s and the only species of this set to breed successfully. They produced an impressive 15 chicks from the late 1960s onwards to the time of writing which explains a bit better how they lasted so long in the region. Also interesting to note that the Wattled Currasow was recorded in the 1950s.

Additional exotic representatives included Vulturine Guineafowl (1934), Crested Bobwhite (1939), Chukar (1909), Red-legged Partridge (1885), Cape Francolin (1966), Common Partridge (1966), Harlequin Quail (1949), Formosan Bamboo Partridge (1913 with breeding noted), Red Spurfowl (1934) and Roul-roul (1930). At the time of writing, Adelaide had the following pheasant species in 1977 – Nepal Kalij, Silver Pheasant, Swinhoe’s Pheasant, Reeve’s Pheasant, Common Pheasant, Lady’s Amherst Pheasant, Golden Pheasant, Blue Peafowl and Green Peafowl which all are still hanging in Australia to this day. Below are all of the pheasants/junglefowl that had been exhibited at the zoo. Note the breeding success with the tragopans, monal, the peacock-pheasants and the argus. Species no longer in Australia but interesting to know that they did successfully breed in the country even if was about a century ago. Also fascinating to know that Blue-eared Pheasants were still here approaching the mid-1950s:

Spoiler: Pheasants and Junglefowl at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

Satyr Tragopan [arrived in 1934 and bred], Cabot’s Tragopan [arrived in 1907 and bred], Himalayan Monal [arrived in 1887 and bred], Brown-eared Pheasant [1892], Blue-eared Pheasant [1954], Nepal Kalij [arrived in 1934 and bred] with other subspecies present as well, Silver Pheasant [arrived in 1884 and bred], Edward’s Pheasant [arrived in 1944 and bred], Swinhoe’s Pheasant [arrived in 1892 and bred], Malay Crested Fireback [arrived in 1886 and bred], Siamese Fireback [arrived in 1937 and bred], Crestless Fireback [arrived in 1936]

Red Junglefowl [arrived in 1932 and bred], Green Junglefowl [arrived in 1932], Grey Junglefowl [arrived in 1913]

Cheer Pheasant [arrived in 1892 and bred], Reeve’s Pheasant [arrived in 1886 and bred], Common Pheasant [arrived in 1884] plus additional mutations and subspecies, Golden Pheasant [arrived in 1884 and bred], Lady Amherst’s Pheasant [arrived in 1884 and bred], Germain’s Peacock Pheasant [arrived in 1933 and bred], Grey Peacock Pheasant [arrived in 1908 and bred], Great Argus [arrived in 1933 and bred], Blue Peafowl [arrived in 1884 and bred], Green Peafowl [arrived in 1887 and bred]

Four species of button-quail had been exhibited at Adelaide; Red-backed, Painted, Black-breasted and Little Button-quail. The last three had bred at the zoo. In 1914, a Plains-wanderer arrived but there was no record of how long it lived for. A decent range of rails with Buff-banded Rail [bred at Adelaide], Marsh Crake, Australian Spotted Crake, Spotless Crake, Tasmanian Native Hen [bred at Adelaide], Black-tailed Native Hen [bred at Adelaide], Dusky Moorhen, Australasian Swamphen [including bellus subspecies] and Eurasian Coot. The only exotic representatives were Weka [both G. a. australis and G. a. greyi] and Grey-headed Swamphen. The Kagu first arrived in 1934/1935 with two specimens followed by four individuals in 1936. In January 1939, two of them died on a very hot day but three kagu were still alive. By 1942 no more kagu remained at Adelaide.

There had been nine crane species which included Common Crane, Red-crowned Crane, Sarus Crane, Black-necked Crane, Demoiselle Crane, Blue Crane and both species of African crowned cranes. By the late 1970s, only Brolga remained which had bred at Adelaide. A Grey-winged Trumpeter was obtained in 1932 but there was no further reference of this species.

Probably my favourite surprise was that in 1950 Adelaide received two Black-faced Sheathbills via Heard Island from the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition. These were very aggressive and after two months they had to be separated. One succumbed to its injuries but the other individual lived for another year. The vast majority of shorebirds were mainly singletons and the list is below. The migratory waders usually only lasted a few days but one of the sandpipers lived for three years:

Spoiler: Other Charadriiformes at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

Bush Stone-Curlew [bred at Adelaide], Sooty Oystercatcher, Australian Pied Oystercatcher, Pacific Golden Plover, Masked Plover, Banded Plover [bred at least ten times], Red-kneed Dotterel [1951 for six days], Black-fronted Dotterel [1944 for one day!; December 1973 and still alive in 1977], Red-capped Plover, Inland Dotterel [one in 1975 and three in 1977], Pied Stilt, Banded Silt, Red-necked Avocet, Greenshank, Sharp-tailed Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Australian Pratincole [1948 and lived 6.5 years at the zoo]

Common Gull [1898], Silver Gull, Kelp Gull, Pacific Gull, Greater Crested Tern.

There were some very notable exotic raptors at Adelaide throughout its history. A King Vulture arrived in 1939 and died in 1948, a Turkey Vulture was kept in the mid-1930s and there were two records of a Secretarybird in 1924 and 1926. Other exotics included a Black-winged Kite in 1931, five buzzards (species not specified) in 1917 from the United States, a Changeable/Crested Hawk Eagle in 1931 and a pair of Bald Eagles in 1914. In the first fifty years, vultures were a popular addition including Pondicherry Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture and Hooded Vulture. The last of these Old World vultures lasted till the 1920s. Also a pair of Crested Serpent Eagles was imported in 1931 and lasted till 1935. One of their last exotic raptors were Golden Eagles which arrived in the mid-1930s and were at Adelaide until 1950. Attached is a list pulled from the appendix of the native raptors housed at Adelaide representing virtually all of the Australian species:

Spoiler: Native Raptors at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

Black-shouldered Kite, Pacific Baza, Brahminy Kite, Whistling Kite, Black Kite, Square-tailed Kite, Grey Goshawk, Brown Goshawk, Collared Sparrowhawk, Little Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Spotted Harrier, Swamp Harrier

Osprey

Brown Falcon, Black Falcon, Peregrine Falcon, Australian Hobby, Nankeen Kestrel

Native owls housed at Adelaide included Boobook, Barking Owl, Barn Owl and Masked Owl. There were an additional five species of exotic owls with the following records; a pair of Great Horned Owls in 1914, two Cape Eagle Owls in 1910 and a Eurasian Pygmy Owl in 1887. Incredibly, there was an exotic owl species at Adelaide in the 1950s with a pair of Snowy Owls recorded in 1951. The book attaches photos of a Snowy Owl and the pair of Great Horned Owls. A few odds and ends as well. Tawny Frogmouth had been housed long-term as a constant addition at the collection. Two of the biggest surprises is that a hummingbird (species not specified) was at Adelaide Zoo and White-backed Mousebirds as well; the hummingbird lasted a few weeks and the mousebirds (a pair) lived for a few years. Various nightjars had been donated to the zoo over the years but the species were never identified.

The only turacos at Adelaide Zoo were two White-cheeked Turacos that arrived in 1934. There was no further record of them unfortunately. The kingfishers were represented with Laughing Kookaburra, Blue-winged Kookaburra, Red-backed Kingfisher, Australian Sacred Kingfisher and NZ Sacred Kingfisher. There were two confirmed species of hornbill at Adelaide Zoo; a Southern Ground Hornbill arrived in 1926 and a pair of Rhinoceros Hornbills came in 1939. The ground hornbill only lived a very short time. Mot-mots had also been recorded. Three species of toucan were at Adelaide Zoo; Groove-billed Toucanet, Green-billed Toucan and White-throated Toucan with no further information provided.

Birds (Part 3) with cover the big three: pigeons, psittacines and passerines.

 

It’s mind blowing how readily imported this species was before the import ban - 34 Greater flamings in just 14 years between 1919 and 1933. Considering they started with an additional 17 in 1885, it really highlights how high the mortality rate was in zoos back then for only two to be alive by 1941.

It’s interesting to contemplate how differently things might have panned out if they’d had the optimum flock size of 40 at any one time; which combined with adequate husbandry, could have seen breeding take off.

The first chick bred in captivity in Europe was in 1958, so it wasn’t too far beyond their reach - especially considering by the early 40’s, Adelaide had refined their husbandry to the point where the flamingos were surviving.

 

Agreed. The author discussed that the high mortality rate among the flamingos was attributed to a major drought. Most of the birds developed severe foot problems from standing on hard dry surfaces and water could not be obtained to fill the pond to an optimal level.

 

BIRDS – PART 3:

For the final three bird groups – pigeons, parrots and passerines – the author just provided a simple list for each group whilst noting some of the highlights and breeding successes over the years. The first group covered were the pigeons discussing that 72% of the forms housed bred at Adelaide, rearing young There were a few species that bred at Adelaide Zoo that are no longer in the country; Grey-fronted Dove, Oriental Turtle Dove, Mourning Dove, Mindanao Bleeding-Heart, Red Collared Dove, Inca Dove and Victoria Crowned Pigeon. The crowned pigeons first bred in 1946 and produced subsequent chicks in 1947, 1949 and 1952. In 1974 another chick hatched but it fell from the nest and died when about two weeks old. It’s a shame those African doves listed below (Emerald-spotted especially) never established like the bleeding-hearts or Nicobars:

Spoiler: Columbids at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

Superb Fruit-Dove [bred at Adelaide], Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove, Jambu Fruit-Dove, Torresian Imperial Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Topknot Pigeon, White-headed Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Common Wood Pigeon, Speckled Pigeon, Metallic Pigeon, Barbary Dove [bred at Adelaide], Spotted Dove [bred at Adelaide], Laughing Dove [bred at Adelaide], Oriental Turtle Dove [bred at Adelaide], Mourning Dove [bred at Adelaide], Brown Cuckoo-dove [bred at Adelaide], Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Peaceful Dove [bred at Adelaide], Diamond Dove [bred at Adelaide], Bar-shouldered Dove [bred at Adelaide], Grey-capped Emerald Dove, Pacific Emerald Dove [bred at Adelaide], Common Bronzewing [bred at Adelaide], Flock Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Brush Bronzewing [bred at Adelaide], Squatter Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Partridge Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], White-quilled Rock Pigeon, Chestnut-quilled Rock Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Spinifex Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Crested Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Namaqua Dove [bred at Adelaide], Wonga Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Grey-fronted Dove [bred at Adelaide], Nicobar Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Luzon Bleeding-heart [bred at Adelaide], Mindanao Bleeding-heart [bred at Adelaide], White-breasted Ground Dove [bred at Adelaide], Talpacoti Dove [bred at Adelaide], Red Collared Dove [bred at Adelaide], Inca Dove [bred at Adelaide], Victoria Crowned Pigeon [bred at Adelaide], Western Crowned Pigeon, Sclater’s Crowned Pigeon

The parrots represented a significant portion of Adelaide’s collection and supported their reputation as a bird-orientated zoo. The exotic parrot collection was expanded mainly due to two reasons: (1) the zoo bred a lot of native parrots which served as a medium of exchange for exotic species and (2) Sir Edward Hallstrom often supplied species that were previously unattainable. By 1936, Adelaide Zoo had six species of macaw – Hyacinth, Blue and Gold, Scarlet, Green-winged, Military and Illiger’s Macaw. The only breeding success with this group had been with Scarlet Macaws. In December 1975 three were handreared and in February 1976 another three were raised. All six birds grew to adulthood. Kea was still at the zoo by the late 1970s but Kaka was also kept in the earlier days. I know Mogo had this species until around the 1990s so it’s not surprising that they were still around. Besides the macaws, other exotic parrot species that bred at Adelaide were White-eyed Parakeets which reared a single chick in November 1936 (apparently a first in captivity), Green-rumped Parrotlets which produced chicks in November 1944 and December 1948, Alexandrine Parakeets, Indian Ring-necks and a Moustached Parakeet hatched in January 1936. The kakarikis had also started breeding later on with the Yellow-crowned Kakarikis raising chicks in 1966 and 1969 and the Red-crowned Kakarikis in 1977. There were several lovebirds that bred as well. Full list is below:

Spoiler: Native Psittacines at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

All the native parrots and cockatoos listed bred at Adelaide Zoo except Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Western Corella, Green Rosella and Ground Parrot. The Orange-bellied Parrot, Golden-shouldered Parrot, White-tailed Black Cockatoo and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo laid eggs but they didn’t hatch.

Rainbow Lorikeet, Red-collared Lorikeet, Scaly-breasted Lorikeet, Varied Lorikeet, Musk Lorikeet, Purple-crowned Lorikeet, Little Lorikeet

Palm Cockatoo [one chick that did not survive], White-tailed Black Cockatoo, Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, Red-tailed Black Cockatoo, Glossy Black Cockatoo, Gang-gang Cockatoo, Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, Major Mitchell’s Cockatoo, Little Corella, Long-billed Corella, Western Corella, Cockatiel

Swift Parrot, Eclectus Parrot, Superb Parrot, Regent Parrot, Princess Parrot, Crimson-winged Parrot, Australian King Parrot, Green Rosella, Crimson Rosella [including Yellow and Adelaide], Eastern Rosella, Northern Rosella, Western Rosella, Pale-headed Rosella, Australian Ringneck [all four subspecies], Red-capped Parrot, Blue Bonnet [including Naretha], Red-rumped Parrot, Mulga Parrot, Golden-shouldered Parrot, Hooded Parrot, Bourke’s Parrot, Elegant Parrot, Blue-winged parrot, Rock Parrot, Orange-bellied Parrot, Turquoise Parrot, Scarlet-chested Parrot, Budgerigar, Ground Parrot

Spoiler: Exotic Psittacines at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

Forsten’s Lorikeet, Blue Lorikeet (!), Black-capped Lory, Chattering Lory

Umbrella Cockatoo, Triton Cockatoo

Kaka, Kea, Yellow-fronted Kakariki, Red-fronted Kakariki, Norfolk Island Parakeet, Maroon Shining Parrot

Hyacinth Macaw, Blue and Gold Macaw, Scarlet Macaw, Green-winged Macaw, Military Macaw, Illiger’s Macaw, Yellow-eared Parrot (!), Bonaparte’s Parakeet, White-eared Parakeet, Maroon-tailed Parakeet, Jandaya Parakeet, White-eyed Parakeet, Red-masked Parakeet, Peach-fronted Parakeet, Brown-throated Parakeet, Green Parakeet, Caatinga Parakeet, Nanday Parakeet, Blue-fronted Amazon, Red-lored Amazon, Puerto Rican Amazon (!), Yellow-headed Amazon, Yellow-naped Amazon, Black-capped Caique, White-bellied Caique, Quaker Parrot, Green-rumped Parrotlet, Canary-winged Parakeet

Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Meyer’s Parrot, Grey Parrot, Red-headed Lovebird, Peaceface Lovebird, Madagascar Lovebird, Masked Lovebird, Fischer’s Lovebird, Nyasa Lovebird, Black-cheeked Lovebird

Alexandrine Parakeet, Moustache Parrot, Indian Ringneck, Plum-headed Parakeet

The final group – the passerines – has the least amount of information and all that is provided is a long list with indications if the species bred at Adelaide Zoo. Several eye-watering exotic species including Asian Fairy-bluebird, birds-of-paradise from New Guinea, several species of the striking African starlings and the larger laughingthrushes. Notably the zoo bred Village Weaver, Blue Dacnis, Northern Cardinal and Yellow Cardinal. All very much distant memories for Australian zoos:

Spoiler: Passerines (Native and Exotic) at Adelaide Zoo (1878-1978)

The taxonomy is a bit outdated so I tried to find the current names/classification of each species but still left them in their family groups they were listed in. Interesting to see who used to be lumped with who. Note that a lot of the cold climate birds would have been at Adelaide Zoo very early on as part of the acclimatisation society.

Rainbow Pitta, Noisy Pitta

Great Kiskadee

Superb Lyrebird

Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark

Australian Pipit

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Asian Fairy-bluebird

Cedar Waxwing

Tropical Mockingbird

White-browed Babbler, Chestnut-crowned Babbler, White-crested Laughing Thrush, White-throated Laughing Thrush, Chinese Hwamei, Striated Laughing Thrush, Black-throated Laughing Thrush, Pekin Robin, Eastern Whipbird [bred at Adelaide], Chiming Wedgebill, Chestnut Quail-thrush, White-browed Scrubwren, Superb Fairywren, White-fronted Chat, Hooded Robin, Eastern Yellow Robin, Grey Fantail, Willie Wagtail [bred at Adelaide], Crested Bellbird, Golden Whistler, Southern Scrub Robin, Common Nightingale, White-rumped Shama, Common Blackbird, Clay-coloured Thrush, Song Thrush

Silvereye

Eastern Spinebill, Lewin’s Honeyeater, White-eared Honeyeater, Singing Honeyeater, Purple-gaped Honeyeater, Yellow-faced Honeyeater, White-plumed Honeyeater, White-naped Honeyeater, Blue-faced Honeyeater, Noisy Friarbird, Crescent Honeyeater, New Holland Honeyeater, White-cheeked Honeyeater, Tawny-crowned Honeyeater, Bell Miner, Noisy Miner, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Little Wattlebird, Red Wattlebird, Yellow Wattlebird [bred at Adelaide]

Yellowhammer, Meadow Bunting, Golden-breasted Bunting, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Lark-like Bunting, Grey Pileated Finch, Red Pileated Finch, Saffron Finch [bred at Adelaide], Blue-black Grassquit, White-throated Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Seedeater, Cuban Grassquit, Northern Cardinal [bred at Adelaide], Red-cowled Cardinal, Yellow Cardinal [bred at Adelaide], Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, Orange-breasted Bunting, Varied Bunting, Painted Bunting, Seven-coloured Tanager, Blue-and-yellow Tanager, Brazilian Tanager, Blue Dacnis [bred at Adelaide]

Chaffinch, Brambling, White-rumped Seedeater, Yellow-fronted Canary [bred at Adelaide], Yellow Canary, Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Redpoll, Common Rosefinch, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Hawfinch, Evening Grosbeak

Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Village Indigobird, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Pin-tailed Whydah, Red-collared Widowbird, Long-tailed Widowbird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, White-winged Widowbird, Red Bishop, Orange Bishop, Napoleon Weaver, Red-billed Quelea, Red-headed Quelea, Madagascar Weaver, Comoros Weaver, Masked Weaver, Black-capped Social Weaver, Village Weaver [bred at Adelaide]

Cut-throat Finch [bred at Adelaide], Red-headed Finch, African SIlverbill, Indian Silverbill [bred at Adelaide], Magpie Mannikin, Black and White Mannikin, Bronze Mannikin [bred at Adelaide], Spice Finch [bred at Adelaide], Grey-headed Munia, Tricoloured Munia, White-headed Munia, Yellow-rumped Mannikin [bred at Adelaide], Chestnut-breasted Mannikin [bred at Adelaide], Pictorella Mannikin, Java Sparrow [bred at Adelaide], Gouldian Finch [bred at Adelaide], Pin-tailed Parrotfinch, Blue-faced Parrotfinch, Red-faced Parrotfinch, Long-tailed Finch [bred at Adelaide], Masked Finch [bred at Adelaide], Zebra Finch [bred at Adelaide], Double-barred Finch [bred at Adelaide], Plum-headed Finch [bred at Adelaide], Star Finch [bred at Adelaide], Crimson Finch, Painted Firetail, Diamond Firetail [bred at Adelaide], Red-eared Firetail, Beautiful Firetail [bred at Adelaide], Red-browed Finch [bred at Adelaide], Green Avadavat, Red Avadavat, Orange-breasted Waxbill [bred at Adelaide], Quail Finch, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, St Helena Waxbill, Black-rumped Waxbill, Lavender Waxbill, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Blue-breasted Cordon-bleu, Red-billed Firefinch [bred at Adelaide], Peter’s Twinspot, Aurora Finch, Melba Finch

Rosy Starling, Black-winged Starling, Indian Pied Myna, Common Myna, Common Hill Myna, Bristle-crowned Starling, Violet-backed Starling, Golden-breasted Starling, Superb Starling, Purple Starling, Greater Blue-eared Starling

Olive-backed Oriole, Black-eared Oriole, Green Oriole, Australasian Figbird

Magpie-Lark, White-winged Chough [bred at Adelaide], Apostlebird [bred at Adelaide]

Masked Woodswallow, White-browed Woodswallow, Dusky Woodswallow, Grey Butcherbird, Pied Butcherbird, Pied Currawong, Black Currawong, Grey Currawong, Australian Magpie

Paradise Riflebird, Emperor Bird-of-paradise, Blue Bird-of-paradise, Lesser Bird-of-paradise, Red Bird-of-paradise, Green Catbird [bred at Adelaide], Regent Bowerbird [bred at Adelaide], Satin Bowerbird, Spotted Bowerbird, Spotted Bowerbird

Sumatran Treepie, Eurasian Magpie, Maghreb Magpie, Azure-winged Magpie, Plush-crested Jay, Alpine Chough, Jackdaw, Australian Raven, Pied Crow, Common Raven

Mammals (Part 1) will cover marsupials, xenarthrans and rodents.

 

MAMMALS - PART 1:

Marsupials:

The zoo’s Virginia Opossums arrived in 1974 from the Lincoln Park Zoo, USA. The pair quickly bred in April 1974 producing twins but the adult male died in the following June. The twins died in August 1974 and the last opossum, the adult female, died in June 1975. A pair of Eastern Quolls arrived in June 1977 from Tasmania and settled into the nocturnal house. Tasmanian Devils were present with several arrivals in 1965, 1971 and 1975. In 1976, three Fat-tailed Dunnarts arrived but one escaped. Kowari arrived in December 1975 with a pair. The female quickly died and was replaced with an additional female. The zoo produced five (2.3) young in October 1976. In January 1977, a Common Planigale was loaned to the zoo. All three of the latter species were exhibited in the nocturnal house. A quick note that Adelaide Zoo’s last thylacine was recorded in 1903 and surprisingly no bandicoots were kept by 1977.Common Brushtail Possums arrived in 1969 and had produced five young while the Common Ringtail Possums arrived in 1970. Three Sugar Gliders were donated to the zoo from a private keeper in 1975 for the nocturnal house. In 1966, a pair of Squirrel Gliders arrived from Seal Park Sanctuary, QLD and they bred in 1968 producing four joeys. As expected, Koalas, Common Wombats and Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats were also part of the 1977 collection.

A pair of Rufous Bettongs arrived from Gorge Wildlife Park in 1973. They bred like bettongs and some of the progeny were moved into the new nocturnal house by 1976. Long-nosed Potoroos arrived in 1950 and bred well producing 14 young. The zoo’s Agile Wallabies arrived in 1952/3 and had produced 22 joeys. The only addition since then had been an individual from Taronga in 1964. There was great confusion as to where their Red-necked Wallabies originated from but the zoo had produced 147 joeys since 1909. Two species that are rarely exhibited today in Australian zoos that were present were Black-striped Wallabies and Whiptail Wallabies. The first species arrived in 1966 from Seal Park Sanctuary, QLD with six individuals and had produced 31 youngsters by 1977. The whiptails were established with three individuals from the Australian Reptile Park in 1971 and bred well. A large group of Tammar Wallabies from Kangaroo Island had been breeding since 1928, producing 141 joeys by 1977. The zoo’s mob of Parma Wallabies came to the zoo in 1967, producing 74 joeys by the time of writing. Some were exported overseas. Swamp Wallabies had 17 young since June 1965 while the Red-bellied Pademelons produced 27 young since 1961. The icon of Adelaide Zoo – the Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby arrived in 1883 and were breeding well from the 1920s onwards. By 1977, they had bred 199 joeys with 1966 being their most successful year with 23 joeys in one year! By 1974, the group were so inbred they stopped breeding for a few years and only produced two joeys in 1976. The author noted his concern for the viability of this large group and discuss that the society was seeking new stock. They also had a group of Pearson Island Rock Wallabies that raised a joey in 1975. The Dorcopsis arrived in 1969 from the Australian Reptile Park and had produced 15 joeys by the time of writing.

In the 1970s, Adelaide housed Red Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo (both subspecies). All three groups bred prolifically with the Easterns receiving new blood from Taronga in 1964. Held since 1885, Euros were also kept and bred well with two different groups held separately sourced from Western Australia and South Australia respectively. The Western Australian group was breeding particularly well in 1976. Besides Grizzled Tree-Kangaroos (1891-1894) and a Bennett’s Tree-Kangaroo (1901-1903), the zoo had three other species of tree-kangaroo. In 1959, a pair of Matschie’s Tree-Kangaroos arrived from Melbourne and a pair of Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroos arrived from Taronga, with both species remaining in the collection till the time of writing. The goodfellowi had not bred but the matschiei raised five joeys (not all surviving though). Four Doria’s Tree-Kangaroos arrived in 1974 from New Guinea. They produced a joey in 1976 and settled in quicker than the other tree-kangaroos. Devastatingly, they were all wiped out in 10 days due to an undetermined toxic material that was introduced into their food.

Xenarthrans:

The first pair of Giant Anteaters arrived in 1968 from San Diego Zoo, USA. They produced a youngster in 1974 but it died soon after. A pair of Hoffman’s Two-toed Sloths arrived from the Lincoln Park Zoo, USA in November 1972. In February 1974, a female was born to this pair. In September 1974, the male accidentally opened the door leading to the open cage on a very wet, cold night. He died the following day. In March 1975, a second sloth was born which the male sired just before his death. Initially, both of the offspring were confirmed females but one was later discovered to be a male. The original adult female died in January 1976. The two remaining sloth moved into the new nocturnal house. The zoo obtained a pair of Big Hairy Armadillos from South America in 1949. They only produced one set of surviving twins in 1952 and the last of these individuals died in 1966. In November 1972 a trio (1.2) arrived from the Lincoln Park Zoo, USA and while one of the females quickly died, the remaining pair were in the nocturnal house at the time of writing.

Rodents:

No squirrels had been exhibited since the 1950s. The beavers started at Adelaide with two females arriving from Melbourne in 1968. One died in November 1970 and the other in May 1972. Rakali first arrived in 1952 and produced fourteen youngsters across a year. The last of the group died in January 1953. In 1976, an adult pair and five juveniles arrived for the new nocturnal house and were mixed with a pair of Barn Owls. I’ll let you imagine how long the rakali lasted with them… they wiped out most of them. They re-stocked the group and removed the owls. The Bush Rats arrived in 1976 for their nocturnal house – the two pairs produced eight young by the end of the year. Three Black-footed Tree Rats were placed in the nocturnal house. The male has to be returned to the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science in January 1976 and the two females died within the next six to eight months. In October 1976, a new pair arrived but the female died in June 1977, leaving only the male. The Plains Rats were introduced to the nocturnal house starting with a group of 14 animals in December 1975. Spinifex Hopping Mice arrived in 1976, breeding well as they always do. A pair of Fawn Hopping Mice were donated in September 1976 but only lived three months. The final murid mentioned was a pair of Giant White-tailed Rats that successfully bred in the nocturnal house. They had one youngster which was believed to be a first-time captive breeding.

A pair of Indian Porcupines was obtained in 1954 and produced two young in the same year. They produced a further 21 young between 1955 and 1963 but by August 1972, one female remained. A pair arrived form Perth Zoo in April 1975 and were introduced to the old female. Just an interesting point – Adelaide bred two Prehensile-tailed Porcupines in 1949 and 1950, the last one of the species died in 1962. First housed in 1931 from Germany, Adelaide Zoo bred a lot of Patagonian Mara up until the last one died in 1952. The species was reintroduced in 1974 and they had produced seven offspring to date. The most recent Capybara had been a trio (1.2) from San Diego Zoo, USA in June 1968 with the last one dying in October 1976 without any births. All the agoutis at Adelaide descended from four animals imported in 1949 which established a population that was still going into the late 1970s. They had produced 147 young of which more than 100 had survived. There were several attempts to establish Coypus at the zoo with imports from Dublin (1962) and Chester (1966) but the last one died in 1971. A pair of Viscacha arrived from Zurich in September 1977.


Mammals (Part 2) will cover all the primates.

 

MAMMALS – PART 2:

Primates:

First exhibited in 1886, the Ring-tailed Lemurs first bred in 1912. In 1941, five (2.3) individuals arrived from the Pretoria Zoo, South Africa. They bred but their numbers dwindled to a pair. In 1971, a young pair were imported from the Lincoln Park Zoo, USA and mixed with one of the members of the Australian-bred pair which had returned from a loan from Taronga in 1976 giving them a trio. Three (1.2) Mongoose Lemurs arrived from Amsterdam in April 1978. There were other lemurs in earlier times being Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemurs (1925), Brown Lemurs (1937) and Black Lemurs (1946). A trio (2.1) of Slow Loris arrived in 1976 from Taronga Zoo for the nocturnal house but the female died a few days after her arrival. In April 1978, a pair from Amsterdam and a female from Bangkok were added as well. In 1976, a pair of Senegal Galagos arrived from Frankfurt Zoo, Germany. The female died within three weeks and another pair arrived from Wilhelma in March 1977. They produced a male youngster in May 1977.

A surprising lack of callitrichids. I quote the relevant segment rather than try to come to a coherent conclusion for what was one of their only representatives of this group for the 1970s: “In June 1965, a group often, described as Cotton-headed Marmosets Leontocebus (= Saguinus = Odipomidas) oedipus were received from San Diego Zoo, USA. These were subsequently identified as Santarem Marmosets, Callithrix santaremensis and they have been exhibited under this name since then. Unfortunately, neither of the 1973 young survived and only one of the 1974 youngsters reached maturity. Many of the group have died, however, and by June 1977 there were only three males and no females.” A group of 12 Common Squirrel Monkeys were imported from San Diego Zoo with five (1.4) remaining by 1977. Spider monkeys are all a bit messy with several imports starting from 1938 from both European and North American stock. The first woolly monkeys arrived in 1936 but quickly died out. In 1966, the zoo imported a trio (2.1) from San Diego followed by a second import of two females a few years later which joined a female that had been at the zoo since 1963. The 1963 female was the sole survivor of this group and died in May 1974 after 11 years at Adelaide. A pair of douroucoulis arrived from Amsterdam in April 1978.

Lots of macaques being hardy displays. The group of Bonnet Macaques began with imports from the 1930s and 40s but they didn’t establish until an import in 1953 of three (1.2) from Calcutta Zoo, India. From 1959 to 1976, they produced an infant every year with a total of 48 offspring at the time of writing. The troop remained at a size of 18 to 22 animals during the late 1970s. Adelaide had a very long history with Lion-tailed Macaques with the first ones arriving in 1890. A young pair arrived from India in 1954 and they produced a female in 1959 and a male in 1961. Both females died by 1965, leaving two males. In 1967, a male was obtained from Perth Zoo but it died in 1972. Then, two females arrived from Calcutta and one produced a female infant in 1976 that did not survive. Pig-tailed Macaques were originally exhibited since 1883 but the most recent stock stemmed from a pair from Perth in 1964 and pair from Melbourne in 1965. This formed the basis of a breeding group with 22 young of which only five survived to maturity. Surplus males were disposed to a circus in Perth. Both the Crab-eating and Rhesus Macaques were deemed too difficult to place due to space issues (they had a total of 107 births from the Rhesus troop!) so they were moved out of the collection by 1974. Also, a pair of Japanese Macaques arrived from Higashiyama Zoo, Japan in September 1977. By 1977, a lone Sooty Mangabey was kept at Adelaide which was received from a private individual in 1962. All the other mangabeys which came from imports from Bremen Zoo, Germany and Calcutta Zoo, India were wiped out by tuberculosis.

The Hamadryas Baboon first appeared in 1885 but wasn’t in an established breeding situation until 1972 with four individuals (1.3) arriving from West Berlin with successful births from 1976 onwards. They also had Chacma Baboons with the last three individuals moving to Wellington Zoo in 1963 and the Olive Baboons died out by 1969. The Guinea Baboons were imported in 1963 with a pair from Belgium. They bred freely from 1965 onwards. The most recent group of Mandrills was established with three young animals in 1964 from West Berlin. Two of the animals were identified as hybrids and were disposed to a circus. The third pure animal was paired with a male from Taronga in 1975. The Gelada group started in the 1950s – a female was received from Germany in 1954 and a male was obtained in 1957. They did not breed until 1965 with 10 young produced by the late 1970s with only two infants not surviving. Surplus males were sold to the zoo in Coolangatta, Gold Coast. Who knew Gelada used to be found in Queensland!

The “Green Monkeys” at Adelaide were housed since 1883 but the most recent stock included a male from Germany in 1955, a female from Sri Lanka in 1958 and two females from England in 1965. They had produced four youngsters to date and were well-established. The Blue Monkeys were imported in 1963 with a pair from Belgium in 1963. Five young were produced until 1973. Interestingly, the zoo also imported Sykes' Monkeys in 1962 from Belgium as well. They were discovered to be three males and were mixed with the Blue Monkeys resulting in hybrid animals. The DeBrazza’s Monkeys started with a pair from Denver Zoo, USA in 1974. They showed no indications of breeding and they were considering establishing a large colony. The zoo’s only Putty-nosed Monkey arrived in December 1962 from Belgium but died a singleton in February 1969. Surprisingly, their Patas Monkeys never established as they did at other zoos in the region. There was an import in 1955 from Bremen, Germany but they all quickly died. The only langurs recorded in the early to mid-1970s were “Entellus Langurs” with stock from Australian, Indian and Sri Lankan zoos – founders included eleven (4.7) from Calcutta Zoo, two (1.1) from Ceylon Zoo, a male from Perth and a pair from Taronga Zoo. From 1967 to 1976, they produced 17 offspring with only eight surviving animals. The first Dusky Langurs were imported from Bangkok Zoo in March 1978.

The first White-handed Gibbon arrived in 1928 and were maintained by imports but the main breeding pair arrived from Singapore in 1939. They bred in 1945 and the ‘colony’ produced 13 young up until 1972. The original pair imported in 1939 produced their last offspring in 1965. The female died in 1969 and the male died in 1966. All their Adelaide-born gibbons were descended from this pair at the time of writing. The gibbons declined to only three females by 1977. Two males were obtained from Melbourne and Taronga respectively but their interactions had not been positive with the females. The Siamangs began with a young pair from Singapore Zoo in June 1976. The female quickly died by October. Three pairs were then imported from Jakarta Zoo in March 1978. I am sure Dubbo’s current pair stem from these animals. I also suspect Willowbank’s old male [being a wild-caught animal with a predicted birth year of 1976] is one of these original animals!

I’ll flesh out the great ape info for the megafauna enthusiasts on here. Adelaide Zoo’s first orangutan arrived in 1886 as a result of a director’s trip to south-east Asia. Another specimen was acquired in 1887 but one of these two original orangs quickly died. In 1889, three more orangs arrived giving the society a total of four individuals. By 1892, they were all dead. In 1900, an orangutan arrived from a circus and it was continually recorded until 1908. There was another short-lived orang in 1929. In 1939, a new ape house was built and two females arrived in 1940 and 1941. The 1941 female died that same year but the female, Mias lived till 1954. She was an expert at breaking her wire mesh and iron bars were then installed but she would insert her fingers into the joins in the tongue and groove flooring of her enclosure, necessitating frequent repairs. In February 1950, a pair of two-year-old Bornean Orangutans arrived from Sarawak which were quarantined at Sydney. The female died in October 1950 but the male, George, lived till August 1976. He was one of the zoo’s most popular exhibits. Finally, a young pair of orangutans had just arrived from Rotterdam Zoo on the 2nd June 1977 and were adjusting well. With the benefit of an international studbook, neither survived particularly long with the male dying in August 1978 and the female in April 1987.

The first chimpanzees at Adelaide Zoo arrived from Edinburgh Zoo, UK in 1935. The pair didn’t last long with the female dead by March 1936. A new female arrived in 1938 but it was “accidently strangled” within a few months of arrival. In November 1938, another pair arrived from Liverpool Zoo, UK but the female died in March 1942. The next major mention of chimps was in 1955 when Sir Edward Hallstrom donated a young pair of chimps from Sydney – Leonie and Peter. They bred in 1962 (did not survive), 1964 (lived six days), 1966 and 1967. The 1966 infant was pulled for hand raising and named Percy. Not surprisingly, when introduced to two different females he did not breed. The 1967 infant was a male called William. He was sent to Bullen’s Animal World, Wallacia in 1973. Breeding female Leonie died in August 1967 of a stroke and a string of three new females arrived from Taronga, Wellington and Perth. Initially the Wellington female [Stella] was introduced to male Percy but she was found dead in 1976. The female from Perth [Suzy] was obtained on a loan but Percy was found dead in early July 1977. In the meantime, Peter and the new female Marlene had produced a female Lili in 1970. The youngster died from chronic pneumonia in October 1975.

Mammals (Part 3) will cover all the carnivores everything from tayras to tigers.

 

MAMMALS – PART 3:

Carnivores:

A few canids at Adelaide during the 1970s. A pair of Timber Wolves arrived from Auckland Zoo in 1961 and they produced five (2.3) pups in 1962. After a few disposals to other zoos, the final pair lasted till December 1976 until they were euthanised due to arthritis. The Black-backed Jackals arrived in 1975 when a pair was obtained from Melbourne Zoo. They were housed in the new canine and cat enclosures, and produced four pups in 1976 and five pups in 1977. Most were sent to other Australian zoos presumably suppling most of the animals that were present during the 1980s. The zoo has had an extremely long history with Dingoes and have housed them since 1883 with 100 pups born since 1928. Red Foxes had been almost continuously kept until the time of writing while the Fennec Foxes began with two males in 1962. The pair lived for 11.5 years at Adelaide. In December 1976, another pair of these animals was received from Frankfurt Zoo, Germany. The male was 7 months old and the female only about three years old. They were settling in well at the time of writing. A quick note as well to mention Adelaide had an African Wild Dog from 1959 to 1961 represented by a single male from the Colombo Zoo, Sri Lanka.

Bears are an interesting one and the book reveals that Adelaide has held almost the complete set of species as far as I know. Four of the species preceded the late 1970s being the Sun Bear (last held in 1947; of course, this later changed after the 1970s), American Black Bears (last held in 1958), Sloth Bears (last held in 1966) and Asiatic Black Bear (last held in 1974 with a few circus animals and a female from Berlin). A few forms of the Brown Bear were held at Adelaide. In 1959, a male Kodiak Bear arrived from Whipsnade Zoo, UK where he had been born in January 1954. Named Barney, he was a well-known and popular animal. He died in 1967. Two young Kodiak females from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, USA arrived in March 1978. A male was expected shortly. The Syrian Brown Bears began with a pair from London Zoo, UK. They were bred at London in December 1957 and arrived in June 1959. Nicknamed Roly and Poly, they bred successfully in 1970 after several attempts. After handraising, the 1.1 cubs were thriving in care but unfortunately the male died suddenly and the female was shipped off to Colombo Zoo, Sri Lanka. The original male Roly died in April 1973 while female Poly remained in the collection described as a, “pathetic and lonely bear”. A young pair of Syrians arrived from Amsterdam in April 1978 as a centenary gift from Artis. First housed in 1908, a pair of Polar Bears that were bought for £130 were extremely popular additions for Adelaide breaking attendance records over the Easter Holidays. The “pair” were actually both males; one died in 1933 and the other in 1935, aged 24 and 27 years. Very respectable ages to reach even in today’s times. In 1934, a female arrived from Auckland and died in 1940. In 1952, a pair – Sammy and Suzy - arrived from Denmark. They bred multiple times but none were raised successfully. The female died in 1974 but the male was alive at the time of writing. In 1976, a group of four (2.2) bears arrived from the Ruhr Zoo, Germany. All were young animals with two wild-born and two captive-bred bears.

I also have to mention that an unexpected species that was at Adelaide in the early 70s; three (1.2) Ringtails arrived from San Antonio Zoo, USA in 1962. No breeding took place and the male died in 1964. The females lived until February 1973 and May 1974 respectively. The latter was about 13.5 years old. Raccoons bred freely with a notable male skew in births. Only one female remained by 1977 however. The Brown-nosed Coatis had been present for many decades but the most recent stock came from San Diego Zoo, USA in 1967 and 1971. By 1972, only a pair remained and another female was obtained from Melbourne in May 1976. Kinkajou have an interesting history; a pair first arrived in 1938 and one escaped in March 1939. It was caught in Crafters [a town in the Adelaide Hills] in September 1939 and returned to the zoo. One of them lived until 1959 making the individual at least 22 years old. In April 1978, three (1.2) kinkajou arrived from Amsterdam. The first Red Panda was recorded in 1912 which sounds awfully early for red panda to start appearing in a zoo! The male only lived a short time and its body was sent to the South Australian Museum where its skin was mounted. In 1975, a pair arrived from Neuwied Zoo, Germany. On 17th December 1976, the first offspring was discovered – a female – who had grown to the size of the adults at the time of writing. A twin pair were also born in December 1977 giving Adelaide five (2.3) red pandas.

A few interesting additional small carnivores. The Tayra were imported in September 1975 from Neuwied Zoo, Germany. They bred in May 1977 producing two (1.1) young with only the female surviving to adulthood. There were Greater Grison at Adelaide as well but they didn’t make it to the late 70s; 1.0 was imported in May 1969 and 1.1 in May 1971, both from San Diego. The last one died in March 1975. The most recent Eurasian Badgers came from Melbourne in 1974 and 1975 respectively. Throughout the 1960s, imports occurred from San Antonio and San Diego to supply Striped Skunks for Adelaide. These died out by 1970 and a pair was obtained from Taronga on a breeding loan in April 1977. Asian Small-clawed Otters started with a pair from India in 1937; the male died in 1942 and the female in 1946. In August 1967, three males and one female were obtained from Singapore and in April 1976 an additional eleven otters were purchased from Bangkok. 70 young were produced with 30% of the pups surviving. They were distributed to zoos across New Zealand, Australia and even Sri Lanka. Interestingly, a North American River Otter was kept at Adelaide from 1963 to 1966 – a male from Taronga.

The Pardine Genets arrived in August 1958 when a pair was obtained from London Zoo. They produced three offspring in 1961 which all survived. However, in 1962 both parents and one of the offspring died. The remaining sibling pair produced two young in December 1965. The sire killed both young. They bred again; a female in 1967 and two males in November 1970. By December 1974, only a male remained and a female was brought in from Melbourne in January 1975. They had not bred to date. In April 1976, a pair of Small-toothed Palm Civets was received on a loan from Taronga. These animals were originally obtained from Singapore in 1967. Initially they were moved into the nocturnal house but were moved to an outdoor exhibit. They produced a twin pair in March 1977 but both of them died. No mongoose was currently part of the collection but the zoo had Meerkat (1906, 1924, 1926), Marsh Mongoose (1924) and Indian Grey Mongoose (last held in 1950) in the past.

By the late 70s, only Spotted Hyenas remained at Adelaide. In 1947, a pair of them were donated by Edward Hallstrom and in June 1949, they produced a male youngster that was handraised. This young animal later moved to Melbourne Zoo in October 1963. The breeding pair then produced about dozen pups with only four reared. Most were males and sold to circuses. A female died in August 1970 and was replaced by another female sourced from a circus. They were left with this pair by 1977. For interest’s sake, the other two species were as followed. A pair of Brown Hyenas was imported in 1962 from Pretoria Zoo, South Africa. The female died in June 1964 and the male in 1970. The Striped Hyenas bred in the 1880s but their most recent animal was a male from Auckland that died at Adelaide in 1950.

A few felids as expected. Before I get into the 1970s collection, in 1886 a single Marbled Cat was added to the collection from Malaysia. This species appeared in stock lists up until 1913. Flat-headed Cat was recorded at the zoo until 1903 as well representing only a single specimen. Sunda Clouded Leopard was housed from 1941 to July 1944 with a single leopard from Sumatra. Adelaide Zoo was a breeding powerhouse for Bobcats. A pair arrived from San Antonio Zoo, USA in October 1961 but the male died in August 1963. A male was imported from San Diego in July 1966. They had their first kittens in November 1967 and had produced 35 youngsters to date with only four deaths in the initial breeding period up until January 1974. The bobcats bred from the original pair and sibling pairs supplied most Australian zoos. In May 1976, another adult female was obtained from Melbourne Zoo in order to introduce new blood. Like the bobcats, the Ocelots experienced notable breeding success. In 1949, Adelaide exchanged Australian animals with zoos in Latin America. A pair of female Ocelots arrived and were loaned off to Taronga for breeding. A few years later, Adelaide received a pair of Ocelots from Sydney which were assumed to be the progeny of the original ocelots. Breeding really didn’t commence until a female Ocelot was donated to the zoo and the first successful kitten was born in April 1963. Since then, 32 ocelots had been born with several of them sent to zoos in New Zealand and Australia. The original male died in June 1973 after 18 years in the collection. The most recent birth recorded was from August 1976. Adelaide also pumped out lots of Pumas as well. The original breeding animals stemmed from a male imported straight from Argentina in 1948 and a Taronga-bred female that arrived in February 1950. By December 1950, two female kittens were born which was followed by 36 births (14 did not survive). During this breeding period, there were additional pumas added to the collection as well; a male from Berlin in 1966, a London-bred female from Antwerp in 1964 and a female from Melbourne in 1968. The Antwerp female, Aphrodite, was one of the main breeding females with male Apollo. By 1977, only a young pair remained that produced two female young in April 1978.

The first ever lions at Adelaide were presumed to be Asiatic Lions that arrived in 1884 being a gift from the Governor of Bombay. They died within months and were replaced with a male from Melbourne and three individuals were imported from Dublin in 1887. The pride of four produced the zoo’s first cub in 1889 followed by six in 1894, three in 1895 and two more in 1896. There were 21 cubs from 1897 to 1906 and six new lions were introduced from 1906 to 1926. The 1885 male from Melbourne died in January 1903 when just over 19 years old. The 1977 pride at Adelaide included a male Caesar (born August 1969), two females and seven juveniles. The first tigers mainly arrived from India with the first two in 1884. They bred their first tiger cubs in 1892 which included a white one. At the time of writing, at least 130 cubs had been born and about 90 had survived over the age of six months. Leopards started appearing on stock lists in 1884 and breeding first occurred in 1894. The number since then was in excess of 80 cubs and half of them survived to adulthood. The current breeding male was a wild-caught black leopard called Onyx. He was imported from Singapore Zoo in September 1973 and had sired several litters which had included two black specimens. Adelaide Zoo’s first jaguar arrived in 1897 and the first two cubs were born in 1908. In November 1935, a pair born at Taronga was obtained but the female died just four hours after arrival! A new female was received from Sydney in October 1936 but the male swiftly killed her the following day. In 1941, two females arrived – a twelve-month-old from Melbourne and a four-year-old from Taronga to join an existing three (1.2) jaguars already at Adelaide. No breeding occurred and they were all gone by 1951. In September 1960, a pair was obtained from Pretoria Zoo South Africa. There were no births and the male died in November 1967. Another male arrived from Melbourne in January 1972 but in July of the same year he killed the old female. Finally, in November 1976 a fifteen-month-old pair arrived from Auckland Zoo and were doing well. The male was hand raised. The last Cheetah at the zoo had died in March 1967 after a South African import. In terms of pinnipeds, most were rescue animals and the zoo currently had Australian Fur Seals including specimens from Gorge Wildlfie Park up until recently (didn’t know Gorge once had fur seals) and Australian Sea Lions which were either collected under a permit or received via the RSPCA.

Mammals (Part 4) will cover the elephants and ungulates to conclude the list.

 

MAMMALS – PART 4:

Elephants:

The first Asian Elephant arrived in 1883 from Thailand with a female named Miss Siam. She was put to work giving elephant rides in about April 1884 onwards and she died in May 1904. In November of the same year a new elephant arrived from Sri Lanka. She was named Mary Ann and by Christmas 1906 she commenced giving rides. She died in January 1934 after 29 years at Adelaide Zoo. A replacement elephant arrived from Singapore Zoo in May 1934. This female Lilian died in January 1956 and a post-morten revealed she had chronic bursitis. The next elephant at Adelaide Zoo was Samorn who arrived from Bangkok via Sydney in November 1956. In February 1963, a five-year-old female called Tara arrived from India. For the first time at Adelaide, there were two elephants. She was sold to a circus in December 1965 and Samorn remained until her move to Monarto.

Ungulates:

Some unusual equids that were at Adelaide Zoo early on included a male Przewalski’s Horse which arrived in February 1909 from the Duke of Bedford and died in April 1939. A Mountain Zebra arrived in 1915 and only appeared for a subsequent two years in the stock lists being surely one of the few of its kind to have been in Australia. The first Plains Zebra arrived with two mares in 1894 followed by a stallion soon after. The first birth occurred in 1904 but the first zebra foal to reach adulthood didn’t occur until 1908. There were new additions to the herd with one in 1915 and a pair in 1930. Later on in 1938 a stallion was purchased from Hobart and remained as the zoo’s only zebra until its death in 1947. It was discussed that all these zebras were most like different subspecies. In 1954 a pair of Chapman’s Zebra was acquired from Perth Zoo. The mare was euthanised in January 1957 due to a leg injury but the stallion was still on display at the age of 24. In 1976, the zoo imported three (1.2) zebra from England. The male was on loan to Taronga but the two young females were living with the old stallion. The Brazilian Tapirs started with a pair from San Diego Zoo, USA in 1969. They bred and in July 1973 produced a youngster. It only survived for about 18 hours however, and its mother died in the following December. In 1967 a female was obtained from Melbourne and with the San Diego male, produced a female calf in April 1978. Besides the Javan Rhino (lived until 1907), the only other rhinos that had been at Adelaide Zoo were three Black Rhinos. In 1929 a young pair was purchased on a visit to East Africa but they both only survived for a few weeks and died from enteritis. In 1948 a young male captured in Tanzania in January 1947 was presented by Edward Hallstrom. This animal made history by travelling by air from Sydney to Adelaide. He was still alive and well by the late 1970s.

Adelaide bred a Babirusa in the 1940s; a male arrived in 1937 and a female in 1940 from Sulawesi. They produced one offspring in 1941 but there was no further mention of the trio. The Collared Peccaries arrived in 1972 from Wellington Zoo. They produced 5 young, three surviving, in 1974 and bred again in 1975. In 1976 eight more were born but only four survived. The first Common Hippopotamus arrived in November 1900 with a young female from Africa; the first in Australia. The animal died in June 1901. In July 1920 another hippo arrived but in 1929 it died unexpectedly. The zoo then received publicly sourced funding for a new hippo (history repeating itself – reminds me of how Monarto are currently seeking donations for hippos!) which was organised through the evening paper, The News. An Auckland-bred hippo arrived in January 1934 and was named Newsboy. He lived a long life and died in August 1977. In January 1975 a pair of hippos were purchased from Ashton’s Lion Safari, Bacchus March. The female arrived in calf and gave birth in April 1975 but the male calf died an hour later. There were two more unsuccessful calves; one in October 1976 and one in July 1977.

The Guanaco were breeding well and had produced 17 offspring since 1950. The most recent one had to be handreared but there wasn’t a lot of information on the origins of their group. They also had Llama and Dromedary in the collection. A Bactrian Camel was purchased in November 1906 and survived until 1923 giving rides. There were only a handful of deer species remaining following a ‘golden age’ with several different breeding groups including Hog Deer (last held in 1954) and Père David's Deer (last held in 1963 until returned to Taronga). The Sambar herd was started with two females from Taronga in 1966 and a male from Melbourne in 1961. They had produced two fawns to date in April 1975 and August 1976. The Wapiti first arrived in 1917 but by the 1950s there was just a lone male for many years. In 1954 a female arrived from Melbourne and they formed the basis of the breeding herd. The old male was still breeding by 1977 with about 16 fawns produced. Large breeding herds of Fallow Deer and European Red Deer were held at Adelaide as well. Finally, the group of Indian Muntjac started with an import of 18 (5.13) animals in the early 1960s. 60 young had been born with 40 surviving to date.

In March 1930 a pair of Giraffe arrived from South Africa which didn’t survive long in the collection and no breeding activity was recorded. In December 1962 a young female was received from Taronga and a male was also acquired from the same source. A calf was born in 1975 but it survived only a few hours. Their second calf born in June 1977 was growing rapidly. Being a space-constrained zoo, bovids featured very little in the zoo’s collection. A pair of Sitatunga arrived in 1965 from Taronga. They had produced 10 offspring so far during their time at Adelaide with only one calf not surviving. Their group of Eland was started with two from Taronga in 1959 and a male from Melbourne in 1966. They had very little success breeding them with a high calf mortality. Their most recent group of American Bison was established with a pair from Wellington in 1958 and had bred 21 calves to date. The zoo wanted to import bison directly from Canada to found an unrelated group but were denied the opportunity. There was also herd of Blackbuck that bred prolifically as they always do. The final two species, Barbary Sheep and Himalayan Tahr, were both established with animals from Taronga in 1944. Both herds were breeding well at the time of writing. There were a few other bovids that deserve a mention including Nilgai (last male sent to Melbourne in 1952), Anoa (one in 1938), Banteng (last held in 1937), Yak (last held in 1947), Cape Buffalo (last held in 1937), Sable Antelope (1930) and Blue Wildebeest (last one died in 1953).

 

In regards to Adelaide zoos last Black rhino I believe he was in the later years transferred back to Taronga for breeding purposes, He may of died there eventually, I have a couple of photos of him at Adelaide in the early 70s in Colour

 

Thanks for uploading all this information @WhistlingKite24. It’s been fascinating to learn more about my favourite species. I have dates on the Adelaide chimps, but your info has been most helpful in filling in some blanks.

It was a source of curiosity that Marlene’s first infant died at the age of five years. Infant deaths were common, but the mortality rate of those who survived to juveniles was significantly lower. It’s good to now know the cause (pneumonia). Marlene went on to have another two offspring - Lisa (1978-1983) and Pangi (1983-2002).

It was interesting to hear Percy and Stella were paired together. Stella’s social skills would have been only mildly better. She was born at Wellington Zoo to Breena, one of the tea party chimps. From what I can tell from the records, Breena (who already had a three year old) was separated off from the main troop with her two daughters as a means of controlling population growth. Stella would have never seen a male and then was further disadvantaged by being removed from her mother and exported to Adelaide Zoo at the age of three.

 

@WhistlingKite24 This is absolutely amazing. Wow Tayras, Kinkajous, Sooty Mangabey, Putty-Nosed Monkey, Marbled Cat, Small-Toothed Civets, Pardine Genets, Ringtails, Brown Hyena, Javan Rhino, Babirusas (breeding successfully), Sloth Bears up until 1966, Coypu, Visachas, Doria's tree-'roos, Mongoose Lemurs, Whiptail Wallabies, Pearson Rock Wallabies to name just a few; not to mention all the other animals they've had that while did know had been in Aus at at least one city zoo in last fifty years is still awesome. This really has been brilliant to read and to re-read through happily. Great stuff.

 

RE: Brown Bears

The Kodiak females coming from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado in 1978 were of course Bethyl and Cynthia with Barney being the expected male (moved to Taronga 1985 sometime)

& the Syrian Brown pair brought from the Netherlands the same year would of been the parents of Missy and (another) Barney the sibling pair who first went to Perth Zoo for 20+ years then to Mareeba in October 2003.

 

Thank you @WhistlingKite24 its an interesting history

 

What is the status of Syrian brown bear now?