Visited Taronga yesterday for a few hours. Second Cassowary on display, still separated from the first. http://www.zoochat.com/34/close-up-cassowary-head-89038/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/cassowary-89039/ Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroos were awake and moving around (it's not really accurate to describe them as 'active'). http://www.zoochat.com/34/goodfellows-tree-kangaroo-89044/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/goodfellows-tree-kangaroo-89045/ The Red Panda exhibit finally has an occupant. Spent 15 minutes watching one individual who barely stopped moving the entire time - briskly walking around the enclosure scent-marking every log, every rock, every bush, every sprinkler head. I guess it must have only recently been introduced to the exhibit. http://www.zoochat.com/34/red-panda-exhibit-panda-89062/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/red-panda-scent-marking-89063/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/red-panda-scent-marking-89064/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/red-panda-89065/ While at the Waterbird Pond I was lucky to get this shot of a Pelican sifting through the water. http://www.zoochat.com/34/pelican-feeding-89060/ Then several Wandering Whistle Ducks wandered past and went through their preening process - preening the feathers, then splashing a lot of water around, followed by a stretch and flap of the wings. After wasting a lot of time getting some really crap pictures I was able to get a couple of half decent ones. http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89071/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89067/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89068/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89069/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89074/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89073/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89072/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/wandering-whistle-duck-89070/ I walked past Gung's new yard and saw him next to the Elephant Temple, something seemed to have caught his attention. When I passed the Temple I saw what it was - the Temple has been opened up to the public again and Gung was attracted to the sounds of people inside the building. A more detailed description is given in the first picture. http://www.zoochat.com/34/elephant-temple-89054/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/interior-elephant-temple-89055/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/interior-elephant-temple-89056/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/interior-elephant-temple-89052/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/interior-elephant-temple-89057/ One of the graphics inside the building showed how elephants were moved - this photo shows how they moved an elephant from a barge to a punt many years ago. http://www.zoochat.com/34/transporting-elephant-graphic-89051/ The walls in the interor of Heman's side were worn away to expose some of the metal reinforcements - he had spent years doing this with his tusk. http://www.zoochat.com/34/damage-concrete-elephant-temple-89041/ As I went past the Francois Langur exhibit I saw one of the adults sitting on a rock - I managed to get a quick shot, and it was gone. http://www.zoochat.com/34/francois-langur-89042/ The gorillas had just been given some browse and were either eating or playing. http://www.zoochat.com/34/gorillas-playing-89048/ http://www.zoochat.com/34/gorillas-89049/ Only one Binturong was in the exhibit, snoozing high up in the trees, very close to the passing Cablecars. http://www.zoochat.com/34/binturong-asleep-tree-89033/ So I hurried down to the Cablecar terminal to see if I could get a closeup when the cablecar went past, but by the time I arrived the damn thing had climbed down! Last thing I saw before leaving was the construction work in front of the Horse-shoe Aviaries. The wooden platform - described in other threads as a 'stage' or 'viewing platform' - now has a small office on it, with rolladoor fronts. Inside are benches and shelving. Apparently this is the new Guide's building and office. http://www.zoochat.com/34/horse-shoe-aviary-renovations-89040/ Not sure what is going in this open area behind the building. They were laying the soil when I was here a month ago and nothing else seems to have happened since then. The area is still roped off and although the Horse-shoe Aviaries are still there (behind the vegetation) they have hessian across the fronts of the wire on all the aviaries. The current Guides building will be closed soon when redevelopments commence at the top of the zoo. This redevelopment will include the Top Kiosk, the current Koalas in Focus (there are now Koalas in the new Koala photo area next to the Platypus House), and the remains of the original Reptile House. Hix
just so everyone knows and is prepared! the top entrance to the zoo is going to be closed from wednesday and all entry to the zoo from the top will be through the education center, there are ticket booths and a gift shop set up in the corner of the old carpark for it. so if visiting the zoo in the next while i would recomend entering from the bottom entrance!
Against my better judgement I visited Taronga this morning - a combination of school holidays and a new baby elephant meant that there was a 45 minute queue just to get in! Vast crowds were lined up to see the little guy, who was out on the exhibit with his mum and "auntie". The other two cows were in the lower paddock. Monifa the baby pygmy hippo also had a crowd around her, but not once did I hear the word "pygmy". It was, "look at the hippo; look at the baby hippo"etc. I paid my respects to my old girl-friend, Bethel. She's looking very tired these days. It's probably time that they replaced her with a new young pair of Kodiaks ( yeah; right; like THAT'S going to happen! ) Had a walk through the old elephant temple/museum which is nicely set up with graphics of elephants past and present, including photos of Jessie being brought across the harbour by flat-boat before Taronga first opened. A small highlight for me was Heman's tusk set on a plaque on the wall. The orang-utans were off display while the perimeter wall of their enclosure is being increased in height - maybe Perth's recent orang escape has set off a few alarm bells at Taronga. Big crowds at Great Southern Oceans. Nobody but me in Creatures of the Wollemi.
Yeah I saw some photos a friend took of Bethyl the other day, shes looking so old I cant believe shes still with us!
When I went for work experience there last year, she was my favourite they had only just put down her sister a couple of months before.
Nope, the chimps will be moved over there while their exhibit gets a fairly serious facelift - it's the next big(ish) project for Taronga
Will all the chimps be moving over or are some staying in the night dens? Is it big enough for the chimps? When are they going over? Sorry for the bombardment of questions but i have one more. What is the time frame for the renovations on the chimp enclosure?
Tommorrow is your last day to get your names in for the new calf. I can't wait to find out what he'll be called!
went to Taronga today in the rain. The baby elephant was out playing with it's mother and one of the other females. I got a good look at him without the crowds. He looks fit, healthy and happy. It was amazing to see the care shown to him by his mother and the other female. He went into the water moat and both adults helped to guide him to the shallow end. They both used their legs and trunk to keep him from going in to deep. The new entrance is being used at the moment and visitors now enter the zoo near the koala walkabout, across from the horse shoe avairies. Some of these avairies were removed to accomadate sheds that house the information hut and animal encounters photo shop. I wonder if the avaires will be rebuilt once the sheds are removed at the completion of the reno's to the main entrance.
I doubt it. Birds don't seem to be very high on Taronga's priorities. The whole place is becoming a very basic collection with fewer and fewer species.
Just a quick update of whats happening currently at Taronga: The Orangutans are now off-exhibit with there usual enclousure stripped and given a face lift signage is up as Coca-Cola Chimpanzee park and the Chimps will be moved over the coming weeks. The group will be split and rotated within the main exhibit and off-exhibit areas. The reason for this is the alpha male is set to be challenged by 2 younger males sometime soon, this could result in serious injury or death not only for him but other members of the group. The old exhibit is being advertised for completion in 2011. The main enterence and wetlands area is still undergoing renovations set for completion in 2011. Visitors will use a temporary enterence and gift shop located near the new carpark and education centre till this is complete. The Tasmanian Devil exhibit is near completion set to open in the coming weeks. Creatures of the Wollemi has had some renovations with the installation of new footpaths and signage. The Binturong have had a new cub and a group of 4 are now on display in Wild Asia, the other male is on display between the Big Cat exhibits. Since the baby Pygmy Hippo, Monifa's move to Melbourne in which she is apparantly settling in well. There is talk of another pregnancy I cannot confirm but it is doing the rounds. As is talk of the Leopard Seals... Hopefully one if not both are true!
I mentioned the possible hippo pregnancy before but no one has been able to confirm it. fingers crossed for both.
