Here is one for lovers of fantasy zoos. As we have heard, long-standing Melbourne Zoo Director Kevin Tanner has just retired. You have been lucky enough to be appointed in his stead. Elephants are leaving Melbourne Zoo for good and your first major task is to put a proposal to the Zoological Parks Board as to what is to go into that area.
Since the area is themed around ‘Asia’, Asian animals will replace the area. The first elephant enclosure or the ‘pool paddock’ will be renovated to become a Saimang exhibit which will house the zoo’s pair and their daughter. The enclosure will be slightly enlarged and the pool in the enclosure will be used as a moat to keep the saimang’s inside and massive trees will be put in to give the saimang’s climbing opportunities. The elephant village will be kept as it is. The elephant barn will then be converted into a barn to hold a group of Blackbuck from Werribee open range zoo and possibly some Indian rhino too. The next two elephant paddocks will then be joined together to become one large outside area for the Blackbuck and Indian rhino. The only changes I would make to the enclosures is to grow grass to become the ‘floor’of the enclosures instead of the sandy stuff they have currently and to make the enclosures flatter so to make it easier for the Blackbuck and Indian rhino move around.
Indian rhinos take two paddocks with (presumably) only minor alterations required. The third is redeveloped for two rescued Asiatic black bears imported from Phnom Tamao Wildlife Center, or a similar source for ex-bile farm bears. Combined, the Sumatran tiger, rhino and bear exhibits will share a theme of the disastrous consequences of Chinese traditional ‘medicine’ myths. I’d actually quite prefer this to Melbourne’s small and uninspired elephant exhibit.
I pretty much agree with all of the above: I'd like to see the area keeping the Asian animals theme - and I'd put in the following (if they can be obtained): 1. Indian Rhinos (if you can get them into the country) 2. Blackbuck (easy to get) 3. Axis Deer (easy to get) 4. Dusky Leaf Monkeys (Adelaide has some, so get a second troop from overseas) Maybe even get a troop of Macaques.... They already have: 5. Orangutans 6. Siamangs 7. Tigers 8. Otters Now move the Malayan Tapir into the area too, and you have a really, really good South East Asian / Indian Rainforest theme!
All rather mammal-centric so far. How about adding Mandarin Duck, Wandering Whistling Duck, Blue Peafowl, and a few of the pheasants, doves, and Passerines from the region that are available in Australia?
Difficulty with availability. They could access Spotted Dove, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Spotted Munia and Blue-breasted Quail for a small bird walkthrough, as well as the ducks I mentioned, and the half dozen available pheasant species. Sarus Crane should be possible.
Basically any bird that is Asian, colourful and relatively interesting would look nice in here amongst the mammals. Peafowl would be an absolute must, Mandarin Ducks would look nice too, and maybe Junglefowl, Golden Pheasants, and Plum Headed Parakeets. I presume we can't get Hornbills into Australia? Otherwise zoos would have them....
Actually, you know what else I'd love to see in an Asian themed precinct: SQUIRRELS! Every time I've been to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand or Malaysia I've seen them running around all over the place - I think they are something that I really love about travelling in Asia.
It's very simpel: Fill the exihibt with new Asian Elephants from Asian zoos/log camps (and probably extend the current exhibit if possible). Not the easiest but surly the best solution and I bet that the majority of melbourne zoo goers will prefere my idea to any others. However, to be completely serious, it won't be necessary to keep a breeding herd at Melbourne Zoo (Werribee is without any doubt the better place for that), but old individuals or up to 3 young bulls should be a suggestion, every zoo fan could live with...
Not possible to get hornbills currently. Java Sparrows are of course well established in aviculture, and look good in a flock. Worth showcasing the other pheasant species as well.
Melbourne has Java Sparrows in one of its aviaries along this Asian trail. This aviary also has Black-winged Stilt and Emerald Dove. Amother aviary has Noisy Pitta and Timneh Grey Parrot. This assortment of birds is only a shadow, compared with what they originally had, when they first opened the trail. Zoolex mentions a good range of birds. ZooLex Exhibit
There are already two aviaries in the Trail of the Elephants complex that are, as is the way of things at Melbourne, terribly underused. This is down from the original four, by the way, with the removal of the smallest of the four and conversion of the largest into a very ill-conceived binturong exhibit. There is no need to use any of the elephant exhibit space for aviaries - they can just use what they already have better. No chance in hell of Asian squirrels getting through the importation biosecurity gauntlet, I’m afraid.
A real pity that birds, reptiles, fish etc get a raw deal when it comes to zoogeographic theming, particularly in Australian zoos. Yes the mammals tend to be the big wow factor exhibits, but the smaller stuff can really change the feel. Not hard to intersperse the old smaller aviary amongst the bigger displays. And judging by the ZooLex list there are enough Asian bird species within Aust to work with.
But how many are currently captive? I personally don’t see a problem with trapping the ones in the vicinity of Perth Zoo, but it might be a hard sell politically.
Not sure whether they are still found on PZ grounds. Certainly didn't notice any when I was last there this year. I believe (rightly/wrongly) that they are in the private pet trade, admittedly licensed. Could they not be sourced via this angle? Would be a shame if Australia's only available squirrel species was rendered extinct.
There was an article posted by @Giant Panda a wee while back about how the wild population as a whole is almost gone now. They are kept in the pet trade but I don't know how common they actually are, and some states of course ban them as pets.
I believe Taronga used to have a colony, but I've been fearful for awhile that they have deliberately phased them out. It would be a terrible shame if a captive population hasn't been maintained. From a biosecurity risk I don't really believe squirrels are any more a risk than literally dozens of other species we import. Interestingly, both Melbourne, Ballarat and Sydney had their wild squirrel populations die out naturally and Perth's spent a lifetime confined to a relatively tiny radius. I'd love to see Prevost's squirrels imported. I believe they'd make much more visible exhibits than the palm squirrels.
