From what I have read there is a lot to look forward to, including a bunch of new species to the zoo! Most of the information I received is about the Southeast Asia Precinct. If anyone would like copies of the documents, feel free to message me. Southeast Asia This precinct will take visitors through flooded forest with views of Sumatran Orangutans in the trees above, as well as eye-level encounters with Sumatran Tigers and Asian Small-clawed Otters. Outdoors the Orangutans and Siamang Gibbons will be housed on several islands. The Sumatran Orangutans will have a day room made up of climbing and nesting structures located above the flooded forest. Existing enclosures to be demolished are the former meerkat tunnels exhibit, the tiger pit and current orangutan exhibit. The band rotunda will be relocated to make space for the precinct. A tropical Crab eating Macaque enclosure will be built, featuring an underwater viewing window. The Tiger exhibit will also have underwater viewing. The precinct will hopefully also include Rhinoceros Hornbills and Tomistomas. South East Asia will be the largest project the zoo has ever embarked on! Entry Plaza A new entry visible from Motions Rd including a pedestrian overbridge. Just inside the entry Meerkats and Porcupine will be on display, with views of giraffe in the background. The plaza will feature a gallery with regularly changing exhibits. FOTZ will have their own entrance. The Clearing This area will be made up of a new café, a walk-through Ring-tailed Lemur exhibit, Central Lawn, Cedric’s Kids Place and views of the Red Pandas. The multi-storied café will have views looking down on the Orangutan Forest. Cedric’s Kids Place will be made up of a relocated outdoor playground and a Wild Discovery House under a green roof featuring goats! Aussie Walkabout The walkabout will be the zoo’s largest free-flight habitat, set to contain birds, kangaroos and wallabies with enclosures for Tasmanian Devils and Wombats which will be able to be viewed up-close in a burrow shelter. Birds will be housed in two small aviaries next to the Walkabout path. Island Giants Galapagos Tortoises and Komodo Dragons will be exhibited here. The Komodo Dragons will have outdoor and sheltered habitats. South America This precinct will house Macaws and Conures in a free-flight aviary, American Alligators, Spider monkeys, Tamarins, Pygmy Marmosets, insects, hunting bush dogs, Capuchins, Capybara, Poison Dart Frogs and Sloths! The exhibit will contain a forest boardwalk into the jungle canopy with an arboreal shelter joined by bridges. Te Wao Nui A section of bush at the back of this area will contain free-range kiwi and a bush boardwalk that will lead to platforms for overnight camping. Pridelands Located next to The Watering Hole, the flamingo aviary will be one of only a few zoo exhibits worldwide that allows visitors to see the species in flight. The hippopotamus exhibit will be redeveloped as a shared habitat with Baboons with an underwater hippo viewing area. The existing enclosures for Lions, Rhino, and Cheetah will be upgraded and re-themed, with the land in the Lions habitat being increased up close to The Watering Hole. Nyala will be introduced to the Rhino enclosure. Breeding enclosures for breeding cheetah will be built in an off-display area of the zoo. Sri Lanka A small themed village will be built, containing information about conservation work being done in the country. The current elephant enclosure will be expanded, allowing up to 8 cows plus young. New barns will be built for cows and a bull, which will have its own habitat.
some thoughts on the new species mentioned above. Wombats and nyala aren't really surprising as additions, and I have never understood why they didn't already have capuchins anyway. Komodo dragons and bush dogs both seem likely to be imported. (Komodo dragons were added to the Lizard IHS in 2014, and bush dogs have also been approved). Crab-eating macaques seem a really weird decision given the ZAA's mortal dread and prior abandonment of macaques in general. Rhinoceros hornbill seems like wild reaching. I can't see that ever happening. Tomistomas I sort of doubt will eventuate. The ZAA in general doesn't seem to have any interest in xenarthrans, so it's very interesting to see sloths in Auckland's plans. Poison arrow frogs would be cool!
I share that thought on the macaques. There was only one mention of having the Rhinoceros hornbill and that was regarding the size of the Tomistoma Exhibit. The design brief for the precinct has three different options. A and B both include a temperature-controlled building for the macaques and Tomistomas. Option C has the macaques in a shared exhibit with otters. There is a note regarding the Tomistomas saying exhibit inclusion dependant on budget.
Wow so many new species indeed! I am really excited for everything Auckland Zoo will be doing in the next 10 years, so much to look forward to! And I would love a copy of the documents if you could message me it.
Plans look very interesting, especially the number of Orangutan islands (up to 5) with very long "O-lines" to other exhibits (tigers and otters). I think this sort of development could be very impressive if it all gets built, but I will miss the tiger pit and old Darwin's cafe. The addition of macaques is odd (why not support one of the Langur programs?), I would hope they end up with an endangered species like Lion-tailed or Sulawesi Crested - there is a chance macaques will be sourced from Singapore anyway, and Singapore also has these species. Tomistomas and Rhinoceros Hornbill (especially the latter) seem incredibly optimistic - why not include the Komodo Dragons here instead??? Island Giants is definitely my least favourite aspect of the whole masterplan. The South-East Asia precinct has the chance to be very impressive, but I am disappointed by the lack of species diversity, and the high chance of absolutely no new species (except Sumatran Orangs replacing Borneans). It would have been great to see a few new species added - Fishing Cat would fit the flooded forest theme incredibly well. A small aviary is mentioned as an option, but that could be a much more impressive thing than the small after-thought it appears to be.
