Taronga Western Plains Zoo Taronga Western Plains Zoo News 2022

The zoo has released an update on the wildlife hospital with especially good news for bird lovers - the zoo is also building a display aviary for Regent Honeyeaters allowing members of the public to view this species at Dubbo. This new precinct will open in mid-2022: "As part of the new Wildlife Hospital precinct a Regent Honeyeater aviary is also being constructed so that guests can learn about this critically endangered species and the zoo-based conservation breeding program to save them from extinction."

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1792548930931155

 

I'm interested to know which species of Galapagos tortoise is held at Dubbo. Could someone advise please?

 

That is a hard call to make, really.

They imported - not many people know this - at the time of the Townsend Expedition Galapagos giant tortoises. In the mid 1970's their group contained 1.2 purported Chelonoidis guentheri (Sierra Negra Galapagos giant tortoise). Of these originals 0.1 remains, I believe. At one time they also had a 1.0 Chelonoidis porteri (Western Santa Cruz Galapagos giant tortoise) and all others have been Honolulu Zoo imports of captive-born hatchlings whose ancestry is mixed origins.

The current breeders are males from the Honolulu Zoo stock bred to that one 100+ years wildborn Galapagos tortoise female. Consequently, their offspring are at best F2 mixed origins and not pure-bred and potentially valuable to any ex situ captive-breeding program. Finally, once more ... should I plead that it would be helpful in finding out if at all now they have done their genetics work using the protocols and haplotypes identified in the US. I have yet to get round to doing just that ..., perhaps one of our Aussie forumsters has in-roads into the ZAA conservation breeding community dealing with Galapagos giant tortoises.

Any further info on PM \ DM only.

 

Thank you - it's what I suspected.

 

I assume there are programs for both Aldabra and Galapagos giant tortoises. Any of you Aussie forumsters have access to ZAA data and ex situ conservation breeding programs?

They somehow need to publish regularly on the subject.

I know that quite recently the new European studbook keeper is taking a keener interest in wild born origin Galapagos giant tortoises. I have a feeling we should have some porteri, becki and a duncanensis at the very least and perhaps a few others. But most if not all have curiously now disappeared from our European region.

 

I believe that the Darling Downs zoo has the largest collection of Aldabra tortoises in the region all were imported. Ten in the first shipment and 5 or 6 from a second shipment

 

The species coordinator for both Galapagos giant tortoise species / Aldabra giant tortoise is curiously enough the Taronga WPZ.

SOURCE:
Species Programs

Once more, I do hold out for one of you Aussie forumsters to get in touch with them and see / find out what is going down with giant tortoises in Australia / New Zealand, and in particular the Galapagos giant tortoise species.

Does ZAA still churn out a magazine for subscribers?

 

New Zealand currently has 2.2.5 Galapagos giant tortoise - all housed at Auckland Zoo. The four adults all came from Honolulu Zoo and therefore are of mixed ancestry as you noted above - not that Auckland Zoo mind. They’re rightly proud of their breeding achievements, which will one day see offspring distributed to other zoos throughout New Zealand.

 

Greater bilby reintroduction project update:

From the zoo’s social media:

In 2020, Taronga and its partners released 10 Greater Bilbies into the Sturt National Park, reintroducing them to an area where they had been extinct for 100 years. The Bilbies were bred at The Sanctuary at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, a 110ha philanthropically funded area established as the home of conservation breeding programs for native species.

It was a significant milestone and we are pleased to say that the population is thriving, with over 60 Bilbies now enjoying a landscape they can once again call home. The Bilbies have been joined by reintroduced crest-tailed mulgaras and Shark Bay bandicoots, whose populations have also been booming since they were introduced in 2020.

 

Anjalee has safely arrived at Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

 

Plains-wanderer release:

From social media:

The pitter patter of tiny, critically endangered Plains-wanderer feet have hit the vast grasslands of NSW in Taronga's first of many releases for this species. On Friday and Saturday, representatives from Taronga, Department of Planning and Environment and James Griffin MP, released ten Plains-wanderers back into their wild habitat of the Hay Plains in Southern NSW. This first NSW release marks a huge milestone for Taronga and our partners in the Plains-wanderer National Recovery Plan.

Taronga has been involved in the Plains-wanderer National Recovery Plan since 2015, when dramatic action was established to help save this endemic and genetically unique species from extinction. Our teams across both sites have successfully hatched over 45 chicks in this time – an incredible feat considering the niche environmental requirements the birds require.

 

@Zoofan15 Such awesome news, so cute too imagining those little Plains-wanderers venturing out into the grasslands of the NSW wild, all the very best for them all.

 

This was well covered in an episode of Who's who in the zoo

 

Sure was. They’re rightfully proud of their conservation achievements.

 

'Plains wanderer'- its such a sad sounding name for a bird...

 

I like it. It sounds sad, but in a wistful sort of way.

Like the Tristan albatross. The name Tristan means sad and wistful - perfect for a bird which wanders the seas for long periods of time.

 

Wistful is exactly the word I was looking for. Is this bird a bit like a little Partridge?

 

Although it looks a little similar, the Plains wanderer has no close relatives, and is one of the most unique birds in the world. It’s endemic to Australia and is the only representative of family Pedionomidae and genus Pedionomus.

 

A Quokka joey has been born at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The joey can be found on-show in a mixed exhibit with their koalas: Little quokka joey pops out to say hello

 

@WhistlingKite24 Aww so cute . That's such awesome news. Cool too about the mixed exhibit with the Quokkas and the Koalas. even though they live on opposite sides of Australia in the wild that's still a cool co-habitation for their exhibit.