So - I woke at sparrows yesterday, picked up a friend, and then drove 2.5 hours (each way) to check out this little zoo... and was pleasantly surprised... Unlike most reviewers here, I didn't take note of all species, numbers, etc... too busy running around like a kid in a candy store checking out a number of animals I'd never seen up close before... lol! I also didn't take photos of the enclosures... too busy getting snaps of what was in them! Hand feeding Ostriches was way cool - even when one thought my bum looked tasty... *grin*... the Camels are funny as too! The Meerkat enclosure is a must see - it's the best enclosure for them I've ever seen! Lots of thought for their behaviours and inquisitive nature has been factored in... AND they also thought about viewing and photographing for the public's pleasure. Got me some cracker photos of all the babies... Maned Wolves... wow! Up close they are very impressive, but very shy and not the easiest to get photos of... but I think I managed just fine. Had a good long chat about them with their keeper too... Servals! Very cool! Got me some photos of them too... Monkeys of many types! Macaques, Capuchins, Spider Monkeys, Cotton Top Tamarins, Common Marmosets, Pygmy Marmosets... Alligators... lots of Alligators... Quite a few birds (no raptors), the obligatory Aussie native wildlife (Koalas, Dingoes, Kangas and Wallabies, Devils, Echidnas, etc) - not a lot of reptiles, but have some Iguanas, Beardies, Red Belly Black Snake, Lacies, Bluetongues, etc... Berani the Malayan Tapir is looking amazing! So fit and healthy looking, and much more active than he ever was at Taronga... his new home is well suiting him, and his keepers adore him. Taronga's Lions are making the move to their new home here on Tuesday 15 December (tomorrow)... and will be on display as soon as they have had some time to settle in... and I'll be there with my camera not long after that - the enclosure is awesome, and will allow me to take photos of them that actually do them justice. No more trying to shoot through smeared and glary glass and overgrown foliage... yay! Hope to get nice ones of Bruiser's gorgeous mane in the sun... The staff are also extremely pleasant and happy to talk about their zoo and the animals at length... a big plus! I thoroughly recommend making the drive out there... you won't be disappointed! Take a packed lunch though, as they don't have much in the way of food facilities there, and it's an 8km drive to the nearest McDonalds... lol! I took 2400 photos yesterday, so as soon as I've gone through them and picked my faves, I'll post some in the gallery here, OK? T.
Thanks jay... I have a thing for catching animals doing something other than lying about doing nothing... lo! ... and Facebook has been alive with the lions making their journey to Hunter Valley this morning... hoping for them to be on display on Friday! T.
Me too jay... me too... lol! I reckon the Hunter Valley enclosure will allow for some very nice photos of these stunning animals... T.
Article on the lions: Lions unleashed at Hunter Valley Zoo | PHOTOS, VIDEO | The Maitland Mercury Also, maybe we should merge this thread with the older one(?): http://www.zoochat.com/24/hunter-valley-zoo-210395/
I visited them yesterday, and they do indeed seem to be settling in well, and looked pretty happy with their new digs... not to mention that their keepers simply adore them to bits already! T.
As for merging this thread with the other one, maybe... if the other one is moved to the Hunter Valley thread section... *grin* T.
this thread was started by tdierikx to talk about their recent visit to the zoo. If you want to post news you can do so in the other thread. There's no reason there cannot be more than one thread on the zoo.
Thank you Chlidonias... *grin* I also started this thread in here as the other one was harder to find due to it not being under the Hunter Valley section... T.
Just my opinion, but I'm a fan of having multiple threads per zoo, especially if the title of those threads indicates the subject. There's nothing more irritating than clicking on a general 'News 2015' thread to find an article about the latest toilet upgrade. I doubt those with little interest in primates would want to read my countless chimpanzee related threads in the Taronga Zoo News 2015, so I post in the 'Taronga's Chimpanzee Troop' thread if I have comments/questions/opinions pertaining exclusively to them. I also believe major news events (eg. Fubumi's birth) should have their own thread. Just my opinion though...
