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Discussion in 'Australia' started by MARK, 24 Feb 2006.

  1. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    G/day all, There seems lots of news regarding most of the zoos around oz but has anyone heard any news at all with the National zoo?, I have looked on their website and it never seems to change much, it would be nice to know if they have some plans for new exhibits or new animals??.:confused:
     
  2. patrick

    patrick Well-Known Member

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    they have had plans approved to expand the zoo into surounding parkland - i believe to create an new african savannah.
     
  3. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    Thats real cool Pat, maybe they could get a few young White rhino resently born in other Aussie zoos for there new African savannah, ( when they are old enough to leave), any idea how big this area might be?.
     
  4. Zoo_Boy

    Zoo_Boy Well-Known Member

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    i read its a lot of space , like upwards of 60 hecters , and i read many documents and articles about another safari like lodge , like dubbo , african elephants and all the tipical african animals , plus a new space for bears i think
     
  5. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    WOW, I really hope they go with that, that would be something to see, I read the other day, the south africans are thinking about culling elephants, It would be great if we could give a few young ones a chance to live here in a top class zoo, lets hope.
     
  6. Zoo_Boy

    Zoo_Boy Well-Known Member

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    yea , but its a prob gettin elephnats into australia , have u read about some asian elephnats trying to get in , its a bit of a pickle !!!! haha

    http://lists.cat.org.au/pipermail/canberra/2003-April/000192.html

    this site has a protest tht was planned for the expansion a few yrs back

    quote

    The National Zoo and Aquarium has asked the ACT Government to grant
    them 100 acres so they can expand. The Zoo, a private company, wants
    the land for free so they can keep more wild animals in courtyard
    sized cages and build an African safari motel. If successful the
    Zoo will breed and acquire many more animals including a pride
    of 30 lions, 10 bears, elephants, giraffes and rhinos. These
    wild animals will get to live as nature didn't intend - next to
    Tuggernong Parkway. To stop the Zoo from expanding please come
    along to a peaceful protest.

    im all for the expansion
     
  7. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    so is this expansion still up in the air or are they going ahead?.
     
  8. Zoo_Boy

    Zoo_Boy Well-Known Member

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    i think they have the land , but not approval to build , they have recently aquired aebra , eland giraffe , so mayb soon a savanna
     
  9. jay

    jay Well-Known Member 20+ year member

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    re the importation of south african elephants.
    Are you familiar with all the fuss over american zoos importing some elephants that would have been culled. It turned out to be so politically and emotionally sensitive that the american zoos won't do it again. A typical response from anti-zoo people (particularly PETA) was ' better off dead than bred"
    Can you imagine what RSPCA et al would do?
     
  10. Zoo_Boy

    Zoo_Boy Well-Known Member

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    yea probs the same , unless they go to dubbo or somehere huge
    yea in the us it was san diego wild animal park i membas
     
  11. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    yea and the other US zoo was Fort Worth.
     
  12. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    The KING Cheetha at the National zoo is big news, it was shown today on channel 9s current affair, its a young male imported with his half sister from south africa. The zoo is hoping to breed him with the females they now have, the keeper said there are only 20 left in the world today, the makings on him are stunning. they are looking to the public to give him a name, ( I think he may be the only king Cheetha outside of south Africa?)
     
  13. boof

    boof Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    There is a program on animal planet called wild island. It is about singapore zoo. Today's episode was about their male king cheetah. I am not sure how old the program is but it also showed the opening of the baboon enclosure, so i am guessing that the program is a few years old. Maybe Zooish could let us know about any news regarding Singapores king cheetah.
     
  14. patrick

    patrick Well-Known Member

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    i just saw on tonights episode of "the great outdoors" they went to singapore zoo. amongst the footage was that of a king cheetah.

    - in regards to african elephants landing on our shores. unlikely.
    as jason said a huge fuss was kicked up about the import of animals earmarked for culling. san diego wild animal park is arguably the most famous "open range zoo" in the world. Zoo_Boy suggested a fuss might not be kicked up over them being imported if they where to go to dubbo.

    our zoos have just spent millions apon millions of dollars on aquiring just 8 asian elephants - lets hope nobody even considers wasting money on africans!!!
     
  15. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    yes, they filmed him at the National zoo here, They were taking to his keeper and Tracy Grimsure was patting it on the head.
     
  16. patrick

    patrick Well-Known Member

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    i just saw on tonights episode of "the great outdoors" they went to singapore zoo. amongst the footage was that of a king cheetah.
     
  17. MARK

    MARK Well-Known Member

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    There are details about this king cheetah on the Natinoal zoos website.
     
  18. Zoo_Boy

    Zoo_Boy Well-Known Member

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    i would like to see more african elephants, but i dnt think it will happen, although werribee once thought of it i was told, the trouble is all the animals would have to go in to breeding programs and this is such a fuss i was told when enquiring about them at the new boddignton zoo in WA, does any1 no if its still being built

    if they were to come, they would be from the wild, as a result of a culling program, which is were all elephants-african- come from. i would love to see it, mayb steve will get some when he opens africa, he has the space an would love to have a breeding program with both species.

    io have designed an african exhibit with africa in mind, and its based on the concepts of open, but modern exhibits, the main savannah is 35-40 acres, and is elongated and the rest of the africa is built around it, and there is tunnels under the savannah were u will pop up in the midle of a watering hole or in an aivary. it has every african species in mind, and is bute all zoo people who have seen it love it. i should show steve, although it would be expesive to build.
     
  19. patrick

    patrick Well-Known Member

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    african elephants

    a few years ago, after congo died at dubbo, i sent an email to WPZ asking them about their plans for african elephants. i was told that as the region was only just developing a plan for asian elephants - the zoo had no plans to import more african elephants in the foreseeable future.

    i have only seen live african elephants once - at a zoo in colombo, sri lanka. for someone who has always thought asian elephants where gorgeous creatures - i was supprised at how blown away i was by these two young african elephants that lived at the zoo. they where spectacuarly graceful looking creatures and it was great to be able to compare the two species side by side.

    however as jason said - there was a HUUUGE protest in the US against the zoos that recently imported earmarked for culling from africa. and one of these zoos was the san diego wild animal park - arguably the most famous "open range" zoo in the world with the best reputation.

    considering the outcry and millions of dollars wasted in the recent campaign to import domestic-bred asian elephants into australia - i seriously doubt that PETA and co would let a bunch of wild-captured african elephants enter the country smoothly. and this wouldn't matter if they where going to dubbo or not. in fact the whole "open range" argument hardly came up with the recent fiasco - the animal rights groups where against elephants in captivity per se.

    i am eternatlly dissapointed that it looks like we are going to see elephants cramped into our city zoos for at least another decade. i do want our zoos to have a breeding program for elephants - i think with our elephant-friendly climate australia had an opportunity to show the rest of the world how elephants should be kept in captivity. now i only hope that the animals do breed - that the taronga, perth and melbourne zoos run out of space
    and are forced to move the elephant groups to open range zoos.

    should that happen - then bring on the african elephants!

    there is a 20-something year old female elephant at a circus in NZ. i have long hope dthat one day she is moved to dubbo.
     
  20. Zoo_Boy

    Zoo_Boy Well-Known Member

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    was tht elephant in nz circus african or asian