Werribee Open Range Zoo Werribee Open Range Zoo News 2022

It’s been really interesting seeing the variances in personalities in the calves coming through. The interesting thing about Porntip and Thong Dee is every time they’ve calved, Thong Dee’s calves have had the advantage of being older. Porntip has definitely been the dominant force in making sure her calves haven’t been bullied by Thong Dee’s calves, though that appears as much as an attempt to compensate for hers being younger/small and needing that protection (especially in the case of Sabai and Kanlaya).

One assumption I would make is rough play from Luk Chai directed at the two younger calves would have been perceived as unacceptable and likely stopped; while Pathi Harn could be as boisterous with the older calf as he liked, without harm coming to either of them (or intervention).

In the case of Pak Boon, Tang Mo and Tukta, they ranked in that order i.e. Tukta didn’t rise above Tang Mo in status merely because her mother did; but Tukta died as an adolescent and the close bond between mother and daughter may have excluded Tang Mo (even subconsciously) long term, reducing her status.

 

I’ve also heard that, which fits in with Gung (22 years old), who is still a relatively aggressive bull (especially when in musth). He doesn’t have visits with the calves at Taronga (and I don’t believe he has done since Luk Chai was a juvenile); and the cows are similarly wary of Pathi Harn on the occasions he’s been mixed with the matriarchal herd. As a juvenile, he had unusually high testosterone levels for his age, which were noted to be higher than Gung’s following the 2012 attack. This was noted to be have been a contributing factor to the attack as well as other behaviour noted in the lead (an attempt to dominate Tang Mo who was in estrus).

Luk Chai and Pathi Harn clashed, with repeated sparring. Luk Chai was the dominant bull upon transfer to Dubbo; but Pathi Harn soon overtook him as they grew and the size difference evened out.

 

Its amazing when one sees video on YouTube of the late Radza in Europe just how gentle he was with some of the smallest calfs in their exhibit he was housed with them full time I believe due him not being able to fit into the bull quarters due to his massive size.

 

It’s always surprising how gentle immense bulls can be. I remember reading about Chester Zoo’s trepidation in introducing the newborn Jubilee to the zoo’s African bull. In any event, the bull was gentle with him and clearly enjoyed a good relationship with the cows, siring the hybrid Motty to Sheba.

 

Theres a video of Radze with a small calf standing in front of him between his tusks but treating him so gentle considering his massive size of over ten foot and seven tons!

 

I similarly remember seeing footage of Bong Su’s introductions to his calves and marvelling at the size difference between them. It made me laugh how Man Jai was terrified of him upon their initial meeting, while Mali was confident in approaching him, having met him many times before.

It’s a shame Bong Su didn’t have more years ahead of him as he would have been the ideal mentor to Ongard and Sabai, the former he was beginning to integrate with; though it looks like they’ve found an excellent replacement in Luk Chai.

 

I too think it might be a trait learnt from their mothers, although it does have some inconsistencies. Pak Boon is an extremely moody female, and can sometimes make life hell for the keepers and the other elephants if she doesn’t get her way. She’s a very similar character to Porntip. Tukta, was quite the opposite, more sensitive and shy, much like Mali at Melbourne. Kanlaya does seem to be quite outgoing.

I’m thinking it might be something to do with matriarchal power eg. Porntip being the matriarch at Dubbo would let Kanlaya get away with a lot of things she normally wouldn’t be able to get away with. Man Jai was the same at Melbourne, as Dokkoon dosen’t like to discipline her calves, she relies on the other cows to do so; Kulab loves to do this.

Luk Chai’s personality is definitely beyond his years with experience. He’s obviously proven himself greatly with Man Jai, and will hopefully get the chance to experience young calves later this year.

 

Interestingly Gung dosen’t spend time with the calves even at Dubbo these days, and rarely even the cows. Apparently he’s not accepted by the cows these days as much as he used to be. In contrast, Luk Chai at Melbourne enjoys spending time with the girl, and the girls love spending time with him. This may also be due to his personality.

 

A lot of the female personalities and status could also be influenced by their upbringing. Thong Dee for example was the most reserved socially upon arrival. She was heavily focussed on food, with keepers noting she became more social once she had time to adjust and learn food was not in limited supply. She spent her early years as a street elephant, so would have had little social interaction. This, combined with her small stature, would have limited her status in the herd versus the larger, confident cows.

 

ZoosVic owes Taronga a favour for taking all of the cows with personality quirks back in 2006 . I assume it was because of Mek Kepah and the uncertainty in regards to whether she would have accepted the new cows and vice versa. Things wouldn't have panned out so well if Porntip was in Melbourne, not Dokoon. I also wonder if any of the cows at either Taronga or Melbourne would still remember each other and whether they formed any friendships while in transfer, but were split due to other reasons.

Taronga and Melbourne's relationship in regards to the elephant program is very tight. Just the fact that Melbourne also dropped free contact when Taronga did, even though (I assume) they had no issues with it. I'd love to be a fly on the wall listening to both zoos discussing what they found has and hasn't worked.
In contrast, when I went to Australia Zoo the keeper I talked to claimed all organizations were close, constantly sharing information back and forth, yet he could only name 4-5 elephants outside of Australia Zoo.

 

You’re right! Melbourne definitely got the best of the bunch considering Taronga’s zoos best elephant temperament wise (Tang Mo - the playful tomboy who dotes on calves and squeaks like a rubber duck) is reproductively non viable. The cows all went a reproductive assessment prior to export, but her issues clearly weren’t diagnosed.

It’d be fascinating to know what herd dynamics developed amongst the elephants as a herd of seven at the Cocos Island quarantine camp, where they lived for three months. An eighth elephant (coincidentally named Tukta) was supposed to join them - she and Gung were earmarked for Auckland Zoo; but she was rejected for being too aggressive (all three zoos intended to do free contact) - so Taronga could have got worse!

It be fascinating to see if they all remember each other! I imagine the seven split off into two friendship groups based on age: Group One: Porntip (1992), Pak Boon (1992) and Dokoon (1993); and Group Two: Thong Dee (1997), Tang Mo (1999), Gung (2000), Kulab (2000) and Num Oi (2001) based on the friendship pairings that developed at Taronga and Melbourne (older versus younger). Dokoon made good friends with the senior cow Mek Kepah (1973), which like you say probably wouldn’t have happened with Porntip. Porntip emerged early as the matriarch; while Pak Boon was identified as highly strung.

 

Going back, Taronga initially planned to retain Heman and Burma to group with the girls; as Gung was going to Auckland, so with this being the case, Taronga may not have gotten the girls they have today.

Porntip and Pak Boon were always close friends and equal matriarchs. Both share very similar personalities- dominant, bossy and both always want their way. Pak Boon is apparently the most aggressive towards keepers when something dosen’t go her way or she’s in a situation she dosen’t like. Tang Mo is much more reserved and docile but can still have her spurts of dominance and used to love wrestling, much like a juvenile male. Thong Dee is sort of in the middle. When she was younger she was much like Tang Mo, but as she’s grown older she’s beginning to fulfil a more dominant position, and can also often be moody much like Porntip and Pak Boon.

I was told a while ago that all of Melbourne’s cows are close; Dokkoon, Num Oi and Kulab have been and where close since their time at the Coco Islands. They’ve also gotten close to Mek Kapah, who initially was only close to Dokkoon, playing a mother figure to Kulab and Num Oi.

I do think the cows would recognise one another. From a documentary from their time at the Cocos Islands, I can often see Thong Dee near Dokkoon I believe, so I wonder if those two were close. They do have very similar personalities.

 

The close relationship between the two zoos would have been of immense value throughout the AI process - with Taronga undertaking AI on two cows; and Melbourne Zoo three.

Not only did Taronga use Melbourne’s bull as a donor for Porntip, they would have been able to share expertise re. successes and failures to enable the other to succeed; though it should be noted the German experts were critical to the success of this programme.

Australia Zoo are very much an outsider to the programme. They’ve stated their intention is to import a purebred Sumatran bull (if they can do it, great); and Auckland Zoo have publicly stated they won’t reconsider working with Australia Zoo on a future transfer of Burma.

Long term, I can see Australia Zoo giving up on importing a Sumatran bull; and then relying on the loan of one of the region’s Indian bulls (or AI) to impregnate their two younger cows at the eleventh hour. I hope I’m wrong however, as it’d be nice to see a Sumatran elephant breeding programme succeed - albeit as a niche project.

 

Koala hospital opens:

RSPCA Vic and Zoos Vic Koala Ward opening

The facility at Werribee Open Range Zoo includes two new operating theatres, two large wards, a neonatal room, pharmacy facilities and twelve recovery pens.

Staff will soon begin working in the hospital and it will start taking patients in the coming months.

The $2.55 million project was funded almost entirely by donations from the public following the Black Summer bushfire crisis in 2019 and 2020.

"What the koala Ward allows us to do is treat wildlife without mixing it with the animals that live at the zoo. So that gives us another level of biosecurity by having two facilities and allows us to have that surge capacity in the event that we would required it."

 

It'll be interesting to know wherabouts this is located on the zoo's property. During my last visit I didn't see any construction or new building anywhere. I'm assuming it's located in the area to the right of the Visitor's entrance (behind the entrance cafe).

 

It appears a baby Zebra was recently born at Werribee. Presumably to Furaha. If so, this would be her second calf at Werribee.

 

What is the current estimate of the region's entire zebra population? Both hybrids and Grant's?

 

Regionally, it'd be around 85 zebra - with around 18 Grant's zebra.

Grant's zebra are held at Hamilton Zoo, Gibb's Farm, Australia Zoo, ZooDoo and of course Darling Downs Zoo. All of these facilities bar ZooDoo also hold generics.

 

Elephant Exhibit Construction Update

Construction is expected to be complete by 2024.

https://www.miragenews.com/new-elephant-trail-takes-form-at-werribee-zoo-870646/

Minister for the Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio today unveiled a prototype for perimeter fencing of the new Asian elephant habitat as part of the upgrade.

The five-kilometre perimeter fence will keep the new Asian elephant herd safe and secured and must be engineered to withstand the weight and force of a herd of adult Asian elephants. The fence is being built from repurposed construction materials that have been donated by government agencies.

The repurposed rail track from Level Crossing Removal Projectand elevator cable will be used to construct the perimeter fencing for the Elephant Trail and the Asian wild horse, American bison and Southern white rhinoceros’s facilities.

The repurposed timber will be used to construct animal enrichment structures, boardwalks and gates, and visitor amenities.

 

Major floods in werribee currently with the Werribee River at record levels. This river flows right thru the middle of the zoo, so i expect the lower savanah will have had all animals evacuated, the buses almost certainly wouldn't be able to cross the bridge at the moment ....