Hi NZ Jeremy, I feel the need to clear something up. Snowleopard had posted this comment about me. @zooman: it's frustrating to read your posts as your spelling and grammar are atrocious, but you do offer unique perspectives and do have a lot of knowledge of primates. I replied that i read this comment to say removed
Hi Just wanted to say thanks to Hix for posting those pictures. The explanations were great too. It certainly brings back memories. I feel old now... How come the orangutans enclosures were allowed to be destroyed and not treated as heritage listed like the seal ponds, elephant enclosure etc? I remember for a while they had set up old pictures and a bit of history in one of them and we could walk in there? Is my memory serving me correctly or am I thinking of something else? So with all the changes to the tiger and lion pits, what is the night time/back of house cages set up like? Also with alll the animals (especialy bigger animals like the elephants, cats, bear) how trained are they to obey keepers? in regards to things like feeding, getting animals to go to their night time areas, medical procedures etc? Is it all done with food rewards? Like how the hell could you get the big kodiak bear to go inside if he doesnt want to? Or one of the tigers?
its quite simple really... dont feed them untill they come inside!!! the lions, bears, tigers ect are feed their evning meals inide as incentive to come inside at the end of the day. as with medical procedures just injectns and simple things like that are done with target traning thgough the bars of the night dens. the sun bears are also trained to open their mouths onthe bars to have their teeth cleaned!!
As I understand it, the orang house was never heritage listed. Plus, it's back wall blocked the best view in the zoo. The building was pulled down and the current free-flight bird theatre is in it's place. The elephant temple was transformed into a museum recently, showing old photos of the temple, enclosure and the history of elephants at Taronga. That's now been closed due to renovations to the exhibit. Much better than the old days when you felt like you were walking through a dark cave (and Kutch, the lion, would scare the crap out of you when you walked past his cage!) Hix
No worries zooman, I was just joking around, just dreaming of the old days when Patrick would sling a hilarious barb at one of us... In fact could one of the mods (MARK I'm looking at you) delete all my posts on the last two pages..?
Am i not good enough for you! Ask and you shall recieve, Just reitteratiing Can everyone please stay on topic!!!!!!!!!
I reckon heritage listing old exhibits is a crock of ****. All it does is prevent the zoo from moving forward. It is a huge track of land that the zoo can't utilise by not being able to bulldoze the old pools. There is also the two old avaries near the old penguin pools that serve no purpose other than looking untidy. Get in a professional photographer, take some photos of the heritage listed areas, put them in a book for the half a dozen people who are interested in old exhibits then knock them down and move forward. Hix' photos have shown that the old exhibits don't have to be around for people to be able to remember the old lay out of the zoo. P.S I have pretty much said the same thing in an earlier thread about the spider monkey exhibit.
I am in 100% agreement with boof, and the heritage listing of specific sites on a zoo's grounds simply hinders progress, stalls expansion projects, and basically leaves the zoo in limbo in terms of excavating the land. It's amazing that visitors have to stare at brutal exhibits that are antiquated and due for demolition...but because they are so damn old nothing can be done in terms of complete obliteration.
i disagree, in certain cases. so far, heritage listings have not hindered a single development at taronga. so far every mega-exhibit at taronga has incorporated some heritage listed building or a hsitoric structure/object. in every case they have enhanced the exhibits. however, i do concede that Taronga has the budget to restore these listed or historic buildings/artefacts. in some cases, as in the aviaries on the main drive or the seal pools or the spider monkey exhibit, they could be either re-worked for other species or in the case of the aviaires I would like to see them restored and left vacant as an interpretive exhibit. as just about all the mentioned heritage buildings lie in the proposed 'heart of the zoo' they are conveniently positioned for this heritage themed precinct.
What heritage listed building/structure/object is incorporated into the Wollemi walk-thru, or the Asian Elephant exhibit? Hix
WILD ASIA has the original deer shelter in it. and i didnt really include wollemi as a mega-exhibit/precinct as such, because although it falls under the current master-plan it doesnt really fit the category of a mega-exhibit in my eyes (for budget/size reasons). the point i was trying to make is that in these times of massive development at taronga these huge projects which are at the fore of 21sr century zoo design are embracing and incorporating heritage, not bulldozing but instead re-working it. its nice to see.
I am well aware, as my local zoo has been affected. By heritage listings of zoo buildings. However l believe that the education of the public comes in many forms. To have the old style of enclosure. As an example of how far animal husbandry has come over the years. Is an exceptional education tool. We know the public are not reading the signs!!! A measure of success, is not always what has been achieved, but more accurately by where we have come from.
I hardly think keeping a deer shelter has enhanced wild asia. The only heritage building worth keeping is the elephant temple. The old pools or the old avairies are not what you would call significant examples of old exhibits, are they?
was at the zoo today and they have filled up the two end old seal pools (furthest away from wollimi) and installed three large water fountian things, will up load photos later today or tomorrow, and just pulled the wire fencing down from the other two. i think this is a bit of a waste yes the fountains look good but if the pools werent listed they could easily have put two averies or another animal exhibit. the old seal theater, holding pools and penguin pools have been completly demolished.
but thats not heritage listed lol. i actually have to admit, whilst its not the most realistic looking leopard i dont mind it
I have put up photos of the old seal pools, the leopard and the new bull elephant barn which looks HUGE!! and kinda strange in MHO
The seal pools being turned into water fountains is beyond a joke in my opinion, and it is essentially a huge amount of wasted space. Many zoos have tiny fountains that are pretty to look at and add to the ambience of the establishment, but at Taronga the fountains are now massive and an animal exhibit has been replaced with nothing. Also, the elephant barn looks like Federation Square in Melbourne!
