Wildlife HQ Zoo Wildlife HQ News 2021

To begin the year, Wildlife HQ have announced the arrival of 2.0 Sugar Gliders from Oakvale Wildlife Park, NSW. They are currently around two months old and are being handraised by keepers. The zoo have also announced the arrival of a post-reproductive pair of Tasmanian Devils from Healsville Sanctuary, Victoria. The male, Fredo is 3.5 years old and the female Amelia is 5 years ago. From their Facebook page:

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A further news report reveals more arrivals - another set of twin Emperor Tamarins have been born to their very successful pair. Their group of emperors must easily be approaching a dozen individuals (I must find out the exact number on my next visit). The zoo also mentioned that this is just the beginning and more animals are due to arrive throughout 2021. It's already shaping up to be an exciting year for the zoo: Log into Facebook | Facebook

 

Wildlife HQ Visit – 08/01/2020:

Notes from my brief visit today:

*the group of Long-nosed Potoroos have now moved into the glass-fronted enclosure [this one:Tasmanian Devil Enclosures - ZooChat]. Their former enclosure [this one:Potoroo Enclosure - ZooChat] is now occupied by a Quokka. The quoll doesn’t seem to be on display anymore and its exhibit [this one: Eastern Quoll Enclosure - ZooChat] now has a Short-eared Brushtail Possum on display.

*the four Rhinoceros Iguanas are now living outside in an open-topped enclosure next to the Perentie. On previous visits the Perentie had access to both enclosures. The rhino iguanas went from living in the reptile house as juveniles to a small meshed enclosure (which now houses Frilled-necked Dragons) and finally the outdoor exhibit. It's nice they finally have access to the natural elements and the nice rocky display [their current home: Empty Enclosure - ZooChat]. Also, a Woma Python has moved into the reptile house replacing the Frill-necked Dragons.

Woma Python (Aspidites ramsayi) by WhistlingKite24 posted 8 Jan 2021 at 1:46 PM

*three Emperor Tamarins are now living in a separate enclosure away from the main exhibit. I assume they are older siblings that were required to be moved out of their natal group. Most of the tamarins and marmosets were in their night quarters sheltering from the heavy rain.

*the 17-year-old Red Panda brothers Nima and Dawa (2003) are both still alive and kicking. A really impressive age they are reaching and among the last few former Alma Park Zoo animals that remain in the collection.

*the future gibbon enclosure is looking fantastic! Most of the fencing is now complete with only a small portion left to fence. A wooden platform and poles have been installed towards the further end of the exhibit as well. It’s nice the gibbons will also have access to a large mature tree like the spider monkeys.

Future Gibbon Enclosure by WhistlingKite24 posted 8 Jan 2021 at 1:42 PM

Future Gibbon Enclosure - New Wooden Platform by WhistlingKite24 posted 8 Jan 2021 at 1:43 PM

*the future tree kangaroo enclosure opposite the café is also looking great. Very lush. There were signs of construction which I believe could have been for a connected night den/keeper access area. The Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo is already signed on the map so it shouldn’t be too long before its arrival.

*finally, the highlight of my brief visit was seeing a Quokka joey. I assume this is a new joey as the first one born last year was handraised (unless the original one has been introduced back to the adult female). The joey stayed very close to mum.

Quokka Joey by WhistlingKite24 posted 8 Jan 2021 at 2:07 PM

Few photos from today: Wildlife HQ Zoo - ZooChat

 

Nice to see lots of progress. I bet those young Rhino Iguanas are loving being outside under in the natural sunlight!

 

Wildlife HQ Visit – 11/02/2021:

*a new species is now on display at the zoo – a large Spencer’s Monitor (Varanus spenceri) has moved into the outdoor enclosure next to the rhino iguanas. There is no signage for it yet so I imagine it only moved in very recently. It’s always great when a zoo exhibits a monitor species outside of the native ‘big three’ as I like to call them – Perentie, Lace Monitor and Merten’s Water Monitor. The three of them are all great species but a bit of variety is good every now and then. Further down the reptile row, I also realised the Frill-necked Lizards are now mixed with Eastern Blue-tongue and a Central Bearded Dragon.

Spencer's Monitor (Varanus spenceri) by WhistlingKite24 posted 11 Feb 2021 at 3:39 PM

*the White-cheeked Gibbons are arriving around May (or even sooner) according to a keeper. Their enclosure is looking very nice and the night quarters have now been constructed behind the reptile barn. Ropes have been connected to the tall wooden platforms allowing for a good amount of brachiation which is especially important considering it’s an open topped exhibit with no mesh. Their tree kangaroo is also arriving around the same timeframe; its exhibit looks finished to me with the newly constructed off-display area.

New Gibbon Night Quarters by WhistlingKite24 posted 11 Feb 2021 at 3:43 PM

*their original Binturong, Jazz has unfortunately died. He was the individual that came with them from Alma Park Zoo. Their other male, Taronga-born Sari is still alive and well. The zoo has now removed the middle fence that separated the two binturongs. This creates a huge space and the largest binturong enclosure I have seen to date.

*the zoo has opened a second viewing area for the sun bear which was previously fenced off from the public I believe. It is located in the free-ranging macropod area behind the koalas. On the topic of sun bears, I also did a bear encounter today and managed to find out a bit more about the sun bear situation in the region. Perth Zoo have been trying to breed from their pair recently with no success. The keeper also discussed that it seems like female sun bears are not as receptive to the same male after their first breeding attempt/set of cubs hence why there has been such poor breeding results. Let's hope some swaps occur. Wildlife HQ is also interested in acquiring a male sun bear one day in the long-term; the keeper mentioned it would likely be imported from a rescue/sanctuary rather than a zoo. They would build a new exhibit behind the current sun bear in the forested area.

New Sun Bear Viewing Area by WhistlingKite24 posted 11 Feb 2021 at 3:50 PM

*also, for any interested wildlife watchers who would like to visit the zoo in the future, keep an eye out for an incredible species that is present on the zoo’s grounds – the threatened Richmond Birdwing Butterfly (Ornithoptera richmondia). I initially couldn’t believe what I was seeing but sure enough I managed to get an average photo of a female and saw a stunning male in flight. Magnificent is an understatement.

More photos of my visit can be seen here: Wildlife HQ Zoo - ZooChat

 

Nice review and nice pics again
Since they do so well with primates I am surprised they also dont add some Silverly Gibbons as well

 

White-cheeked Gibbon Update and Import:

Recently, nearly 80 people helped with the construction of the zoo's third aquascape pond system with a running stream (the other two being in the serval and spider monkey enclosure) for the future white-cheeked gibbon enclosure. A real community effort.

According to the news article below the female gibbon from France has now officially arrived at Perth Zoo and has already been introduced to the male! They will make the move to Queensland very soon. Wildlife HQ have been been waiting two years for the gibbons to arrive, thankfully it's not long to go now.
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Glad its happening

 

Wildlife HQ Visit – 02/04/2021 - another gibbon species arriving soon:

*the zoo currently have eleven Emperor Tamarins! Eight individuals live in the family group including the imported pair from Europe and all their offspring. Another three tamarins live in a separate enclosure up the slope near the servals.

*a Stimson’s Python (Antaresia stimsoni) is now on-display in the Reptile Barn. The remainder of the reptiles haven't changed much since previous visits. The South-western Carpet Pythons are now outside in an aviary near the wombat/echidna enclosure.

Stimson's Python (Antaresia stimsoni) by WhistlingKite24 posted 2 Apr 2021 at 2:15 PM

*the Short-eared Brushtail Possum showed magnificently today. She was incredibly active at around 10am during feeding time. The most I had ever seen of her on previous visits was a quick peep from her log but today she was using all four corners of her exhibit. Another elusive species that is at times hard to see at Wildlife HQ are the Maned Wolves, they too were roaming around their exhibit. It must be the cooler weather.

Short-eared Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus caninus) by WhistlingKite24 posted 2 Apr 2021 at 2:26 PM

*the zoo has extended the Ring-tailed Lemur island with two small land areas connected with ropes. Certainly an improvement in terms of space.

*finally, the main bit of news I found out today. Wildlife HQ are currently in the process of constructing an aviary-style enclosure in their patch of subtropical rainforest for Siamang! The exhibit will incorporate some of the established trees and vegetation. This will be their second gibbon species they will be acquiring followed by the White-cheeked Gibbons arriving in mid-to-late May.

Future Siamang Enclosure by WhistlingKite24 posted 2 Apr 2021 at 2:33 PM

For more photos see here: Wildlife HQ Zoo - ZooChat

 

@WhistlingKite24 . Welcome news.

 

A new species has arrived at Wildlife HQ! The zoo has announced the arrival of a Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo from Healsville Sanctuary in Victoria. Male Chimbu was born in August 2019 and arrived two weeks ago. He went on display only yesterday: Log into Facebook | Facebook

 

A lot of fantastic news from a recent news clip about Wildlife HQ.

*2.0 Black-handed Spider Monkeys have arrived from Taronga Western Plains Zoo and been successfully introduced into the bachelor group. The two young males Sanchez and Isidor took two months to successfully integrate into the group.

*the pair of White-cheeked Gibbons are arriving in the coming days! The construction on the siamang enclosure is progressing well from the video.

*Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys are arriving in the second half of the year.

Video: WIN News Sunshine Coast

 

The WHQ site news item: Log into Facebook | Facebook

The zoo informs of the activities to conserve the local tree zoo species, Lumholtz's and Bennett's and the Trust working from Malanda on the Atherton Tablelands.

BTW: If you access Google Maps and look into the GIS mapping you will notice how development has changed the habitat in Northern Queensland. There is a central arc of forest cover remaining from up north in say Windsor/Daintree NP along Wooroonooran and Tully Gorge NP's to Girringun NP in the south. In some ways, In particular, the Atherton Tablelands are somewhat removed away from this central arc of forest cover.

This might be familiar sight and is perhaps reminiscent of what is happening across the tropical region, f.i. viz the Heart of Borneo area. I just kept me wondering what if any effect if any this habitat fragmentation might have on connectivity and robustness of tree roo populations in Australia?

 

The new Siamang enclosure looks huge. The zoo does well with primates so glad to see them expanding their collection

 

Wildlife HQ Visit – 19/06/2021:

*As I walked into the zoo an Emperor Tamarin caught my eye. It was being housed in a off-display enclosure near the front of the zoo that can be seen when walking by the entrance. I am not sure whether it’s a new individual or one that is moving out to another zoo.

*three Tasmanian Devil joeys were born on 16th March – a first for the facility. The mother is a five-year-old female so she is nearing the end of her breeding lifespan. I can’t remember the last time a zoo in Queensland bred devils successfully so very welcome news. All the devils remained hidden in the nest box for the duration of my visit.

*the Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo is now on display in the lush exhibit opposite the café. His enclosure is roped off to let him settle in so public viewing was from a distance and therefore limited. He remained well hidden in a tall lilly pilly tree.

*there has been significant progress on the siamang exhibit. The mesh has almost been completed and been built around some of the larger trees. Sections on the front of the exhibit have been left without mesh presumably for the instalment of glass viewing. Additional plants, wooden frames and ropes have all been added as well. The arrival of the white-cheeked gibbons has been delayed till after the June school holidays.

Future Siamang Enclosure by WhistlingKite24 posted 19 Jun 2021 at 3:53 PM

*the two new spider monkeys from Dubbo have settled in very well and all five individuals were sharing the space together. The two young males have really livened up the exhibit space and the poor vegetation is bearing the brunt of their antics.

Black-handed Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) by WhistlingKite24 posted 19 Jun 2021 at 4:02 PM

*the unoccupied alligator enclosure along the South American section had the following sign: “area under redevelopment, thank you for your patience while we continue to upgrade our zoo facilities.” In the reptile house, the alligator and freshwater crocodiles have swapped exhibits.

*Wildlife HQ now has a new map. It is a big improvement from the previous map which just had photos of each animal. Now each animal is labelled clearly and the format is not so cluttered anymore.

New Map - June 2021 by WhistlingKite24 posted 19 Jun 2021 at 3:50 PM

For more photos see here: Wildlife HQ Zoo - ZooChat

 

Glad to hear the zoo is progressing so well and expanding its collection. I hope they continue to expand their primate species they do very well with them and can play a real role in the regions holdings in the long term.

 

Surprised about the alligator on exhibit. Old individual?

Would be nice to have some SE Asian crocodile species to compare with the freshies and complete the SE Asian theme here.

Do they still have Lumholt's tree kangaroo?

 

I was there less than two years ago they had more Alligators than you could poke a stick at (but small). As for SE crocodile species I really dont think thats going to happen, Only Melbourne had them but did not share any to other aussie zoos but sent all young back to asia, Now there breeding female died so now only one adult left and last of its species in the region.

 

I was thinking of Siamese crocs or Sunda gharial

 

No they do not. I never really found out what happened to him but he was only at the zoo for two-three months.

Crocodylus Park in Darwin should still have Philippine Crocodile along with New Guinea Crocodile.