Are Melbourne planning to acquire any more small mammals? and which gorilla is currently with the females? because in the paper a couple of weeks back it metioned that rigo was being moved into the female group and motaba? is going to werribee at the end of the year? also where does melb keep its loris's and will they ever be put on display cause there an animal i would love to see
I went to Melb Zoo on 24th July, and the Silverback was in the Gorilla enclosure then. He was just laying on his back on the ground in front of the moat. Lazy boy!
Im so excited for Melbourne!!!! Hopefully a healthy and happy baby (doesnt matter for me if it is a boy or girl)
We do really need more females born in OZ for the future breeding program as you would know just the one female born so far sooooo more females please
they are kept in the education building for schools only, I've heard nothing about them being put on display for the other public.
On a recent visit to Melbourne Zoo I was yet again surprised at the dwindling number of species on exhibit. In what used to be the ebony leaf monkey exhibit in the treetop monkeys exhibit there are now a couple of ring-tailed lemurs. A species that already has two different exhibits elsewhere in the zoo.
The ELL passed away of old age. The Ring-tail lemurs were moved from the Island at the Japanese Garden so there are still only 2 groups. As far as I'm aware it is a requirement that zoos housing a bachelor group of Ring-tails also needs a breeding group which apparently the pair at the tree-top monkeys is for. At least they are more visible where they are now? Personally I think they look stunning in that exhibit. The dwindling number of species sure is sad to see but I guess importation laws these days are just so strict it must be hard to get that kind of range in again.
"A requirement?" Really? By who? ......and I think the zoos hide behind the "Too Hard To Import" defence to cover their own lack of initiative and will. I think they are quite happy to have a dwindling number of exotic species to look after. It's amazing how they can import animals when they really want to!
Could this have anything to do with the fact that all the decision makers in the zoo association are employees as opposed to owners? It has struck me that not one person in power there is the person where the buck stops in any zoo in this country. I suppose that "initiative" and "will" is not really essential if your pay packet appears regularly, regardless of your zoo's performance?
Oh, it was something a keeper once said to me . I assumed she meant it was a regional requirement by the ASMP. I guess I really just don't know what I'm talking about
I'm not saying that you're wrong, monkey_obsessed; you're probably right. There seems to be too many strings attached to the acquisition of animals by the smaller zoos in this country; too many conditions, too many "haves and have-nots" and apparently an element of bullying, too. Wasn't Darling Downs Zoo told that they would never have Red Pandas (by someone who shall remain nameless) no matter what?