There does seem to have been a spike in the number of brush turkeys around zoo grounds compared to even five years ago from what I remember, with lots of males building nests in most gardens in the zoo. I have also seen a domestic turkey wandering around with chicks near the Tasmanian devil exhibit (although that was definitely an escape from Backyard to Bush!).
I've been visiting taronga for a long time and I've never seen brush turkeys in the numbers that I saw on Wednesday. There seemed to be a turkey in every exhibit. There were also signs everywhere about them messing up the gardens. I'm not complaining even though it sounds like I am. They are an awesome bird.
The zoo has re-rehabilitated a white tern: A little penguin was also recently rehabilitated and released off Maroubra Beach.
A male yellow-bellied glider has been born: https://taronga.org.au/media/media-release/2016-06-24/tiny-glider-prepares-for-big-role-taronga
Taronga is sending a female Goodfellow's tree kangaroo to Singapore Zoo to be paired with a male from Adelaide. Although in the 2015 thread I mentioned that Nupela (b. 2013 Taronga) was apparently being sent to Healesville Sanctuary, I am pretty sure she never was, and so I assume that she is the female being sent to Singapore?
Taronga have 3 female Goodfellows, don't they? The other older female hasn't seemed overly interested in Param the male on occasions where they have been introduced... so she's also a possibility for relocation... Then again, they can't keep Nupela for breeding unless they find her a male that's not her father... T.
Wait a minute: Nupela is not included in those 3 you mentioned above? Whose parents are Nupela's (Param x ?)? The older female's local name (any idea?)?
The females are Kwikila (from Belfast), Nupela (Parum x Kwikila), and Kimbe (from Singapore, originally from San Diego).
I assume Kimbe is the older female the male Parum does not get along with then?! How old is this particular female (she still in good reproductive age)?
Hehe! Param would like to get along with her, but she's simply not all that into him... nothing violent, but they just don't seem to get it happening... *grin* I'm not sure of her age, but as they've tried putting her with Param a few timesin recent times, one could assume she is within the age parameters for breeding... T.
A press release by the zoo from 2015 states that she is nine years old so she must have been born around 2005/06, so I assume she is post-reproductive (or at least edging towards being post-reproductive) as according to the Taronga website the captive life expectancy is 14 years (although on other websites I have seen up to 24 years?)..
Notes from my visit today (29 June): -amethystine (scrub) python is now on display between the basilisk and Fijian crested iguana (in the enclosure formerly housing boa constrictor) -Arafura file snake are off display -one fishing cat was outdoors pacing around the enclosure while another was locked inside the little cave area -Regarding red pandas: Mayhem is "no longer at Taronga" according to a vollie (whether he means sent elsewhere or dead I am not sure, but take it with a grain of salt). Pabu and Amala have been placed together for around a week now with access to both enclosures. -long-beaked echidna is now back off-display entirely (common wombat now occupies his most recent enclosure in front of the platypus house) -the side platypus tank in the platypus house is being redevloped -eastern quoll is back on display in the nocturnal house after exhibit renovations -similarly, greater stick-nest rat is back on display in the enclosure that was empty for a long time (across from the plains rats) -Mr Hobbs and Mary the sun bears were separated (only Mr Hobbs was on exhibit) -the sky safari was closed today for some reason (not that I use it!)
New article featuring some concept images of Sumatran Tiger Adventure. The article also mentions that construction of the "Taronga Institute of Science and Learning" will begin later this year: No Cookies | Daily Telegraph
Healesville ended up getting female Mani from National Zoo a year ago, but she hasn't actually gone on display there yet.
