Can anybody tell me what non-native crocs are kept in Australia and where. I know there are American alligators, particularly at Aust Reptile Park. Are they breeding? What is the state of play with the Philippines crocs at Melbourne?
There are Brown Caiman at Malcolm Douglas's park and i think he also has nile crocs. Anyone correct me if i am wrong...
i didn't know about the nile crocs but pretty sure your correct re: the brown caiman ben. i think i read there are also new guinea crocs someplace (maybe crocodylus park?), which are essentially like the philippine variety. melbourne are yet to breed their philippine crocs as far as i know. but i'm sure they eventually intend to.
Exotic crocdillians NSW Reptile park have and often breed American Alligators symbio wildlife park have 10 female alligaitors (about 4year old) Taronga Zoo have two - sex im unsure Mogo have one gator sex unknown Apparently oakvale fauna farm in hunter is getting some gators according to their website? however i did speak to a keeper there and they said they will probably start with freshies before gators? VIC Mansfield zoo have some sexes unknown Melbourne have Phillipines - never bred, little sucess SA Gorge have 2 or 3 adult gators Qld Australia zoo have and breed gators Hope this helps???
melbourne had a couple, then i assume one died because they ended up with just one, a female. they imported six more and with a week or so three of the new ones had mysteriously died. fortunately one male survived (from memory). due to the cold winters - they keep their crocs indoors year round. maybe this is affecting their breeding possibilities? they are a cool crocodilian, quite small. the zoo also keeps the dwarf "stone country" freshies..
The "dwarf" fresh water crocs are quite interesting from what I had heard they only grow to around one merte long
melbourne certainly are only about that size. i think if melbourne could did a renovation/rear extention of their crocodile exhibits to get more natural light (larger skylights) and land area in there, they would probably have more success. its a damn good reptile collection.... might start a thread on that..
I would just build the crocodiles big out door terrarium things, that visitors view from outside but the animals are inside, in their respective geographic zones. The Phillipine crocs could have an enclosure near the asian lake and the stony creek crocs could have a place near Australian Bush.
Does anybody know if Bredls does or has kept Niles - my wife was sure she saw at least one about 10 years ago. I was unaware of Niles in the country. Interesting about New Guinea crocs at Crocodylus. I remember that they had virtually every species on their wish list, maybe ten years ago. Has Melbourne failed to get more support with the Philippines croc program with other zoos around the country. Strange scenario given how endangered the species is, falls into the recommended 'Asian taxon' and how easy it is to breed crocs in Australia (obviously not so much in Melbourne). I assume when one says Brown caiman they mean common Spectacled. Are these the original Taronga ones (saw them as a kid circa mid 80s). Any breeding?
Oops, sorry I meant to say caiman at Malcolm Douuglas' place rather than Crocodylus. It was just that I recall seeing caiman at Crocodylus 10 years ago.
Oops, sorry I meant to say caiman at Malcolm Douglas' place rather than Crocodylus. It was just that I recall seeing caiman at Crocodylus 10 years ago.
crocodylus had plans for philippine crocs - but they are probably waiting for melbourne to breed them!
patrick, Any more clarification on circumstances in which 6 Phillipine crocs died so profusely and in such a short window of time at Melbourne? To my mind it has nothing to do with reptilian inexperience as the is that Melbourne's C. johnstoni diminutive from the NT (you call them Stony River freshies) have bred on numerous occassions. This group is touted as the only captive breeding group around. Incidentally, this diminutive form is now at great risk, as currently the poisonuos cane toads (introduced by farmers to control beetles' pests) are killing these freshies in significant numbers and endangering their continued survival. I personally would suspect that the croc housing may have something to do with that. Several suggestions on this forum to that effect, but can not quite visualise the setting you have over there. Photos would be appreciated ... as I am also a reptile man of sorts! It is all the more sad as Chris Banks has really gone far in assisting with conservation of C. mindorensis on the Phillipines, even training of Phillipine zoo keepers in 2004-2005 and asisting in surveys and stuff. The guy deserves a good ending in a successful ex situ conservation breeding programme at Melbourne. Incidentally, EAZA has just started a Phillipine croc ex situ programme with 20+ imported!!! So, can you give us more details on the croc habitats? Thanx, Jelle
i don't know much regarding the deaths of the crocs and so don't hold any of it as factual its all from memory and was a while ago. pretty sure the imports all died suddenly and whilst in quarantine in the off-facilities of the reptile house, after only just arriving. they were all small, juvenile crocodiles. one reason that breeding has not yet been attempted is because the zoo male is still too small to live with the female. last i went i'm pretty sure only the large croc was on exhibit, same as always. the exhibit isn't bad but could definitely be better. i will try to remember to get photos next visit but will describe it to you in the meantime. melbournes reptile house is circular. on the exterior wall are larger exhibits on the interior wall smaller ones. the inside wall exhibits can be accessed from above the enclosures as the very center of the house is an off-limits area with many, many of display reptiles. i'm not 100% but i don't think the outer exhibits can be accessed from above - there is no walkway behind them that i know of. instead, to access the enclosure, i believe the keepers simply open up the glass windows at the front which are actually in steel frames and hinged with a lock at the bottom. two of the three largest of these outer exhibits are utilised by the zoos cocodilians. the interiors feature relatively shallow pools (500cm?) and i'm guessing the entire space is maybe 5m X 10m divided with a little over half the area to water. but this is rough guesswork. the pools do not have underwater viewing - instead one looks down to the water surface below. the ground is mostly pebble infused concrete, though i'm quite certain there is sand areas for digging and laying eggs. lots of live plants, a waterfall and the rear area of the land space appears to have natural light streaming from a skylight (though most of the area is illuminated artificially). probably a terrible, time wasting description, i'll try to take some photos.
email from Auckland Zoo Hi Nigel, Yes we do have one 28 yr old female American alligator at the zoo and another female at Ti Point with their male. Our female is housed in the old otter enclosure (which we have adapted for her) opposite the aquarium. There is no managed program for this species in Australasia. That being said we will soon be in a position to import more crocodilians from Australia but are currently reviewing our master plan when we will decide if this is the direction in which we are headed. I rather think that we may continue to hold, and breed, these alligators as they have strong conservation messages to communicate. I hope this answers your questions and thanks for your interest. Kind regards Charles Cadwallader Curator - Life Sciences PS I am very much alive and kicking !! At Ti point there is a private reptile collection . The owner is obviously well known by the Auckland Zoo Hands up for studbook keeper -- Australia Zoo ?
