Wildlife HQ have announced the birth of a Hamadryas Baboon to male Tehuti (from Alma Park) and Abeba (from Wellington). The infant has been confirmed as female and named Zendaya. This is the zoo’s first baboon birth in 5+ years and both adults are first-time parents. I actually visited the zoo this morning and even though I didn’t see the baboon baby I have big news to announce soon in my trip report that I will upload this afternoon. Facebook post: Log into Facebook | Facebook Edit - additional video from 7News Sunshine Coast: https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=191178219897610
I visited the zoo today and noticed the following news including several new species. As always, Wildlife HQ was looking lush and is maturing nicely into a facility that deserves growing attention: the Siamang have arrived! A pair was recently transferred to the zoo from Darling Downs Zoo and the National Zoo and Aquarium, representing a completely new species for Wildlife HQ. The female had access to the main enclosure and made full use of her wonderful exhibit. It may be a cage to most who view it but it’s truly is a beautiful one, set among the rainforest with generous climbing opportunities and space for brachiation. I also thought the addition of the nearby bamboo poles as sturdy climbing frames for ropes was ingenious. The male is technically off-display currently but can be seen doing cartwheels in his holding area. The pair currently have mesh-to-mesh contact before the big introduction. There are now two zoos in Queensland housing siamang which is quite notable considering the general lack of apes among the state’s zoos. I cannot stress enough how well-suited this addition is for Wildlife HQ. a male Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo recently arrived as well and is now on-show in the first exhibit at the zoo right after entering. Wildlife HQ now houses both Goodfellow’s and Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroos, something which is only shared with Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. the Capybara pup was on-display mixed with the Radiated Tortoises in the temporary fenced-off area within the future white-cheeked gibbon enclosure. The capybara was great fun to watch as he would try to interact with both visitors and the tortoises. He even sat on one! a few additions in the reptile house; a Diamond Python and a Carpet Python (subspecies wasn’t signed) have moved into some of the exhibits. There were also more Central Netted Dragons than I usually had seen and I spotted one of the young Gilbert’s Dragons I had seen on a previous visit. A pair of Shinglebacks are now also mixed with the Frilled Dragons. lots of construction today as well. The capybara enclosure is receiving a big renovation with extensive landscape work. The zoo is creating a wetland habitat with a much larger body of water for their adult pair and young pup. A new exhibit is also being constructed near the sun bear where the tortoises used to be (for the imminent squirrel monkeys?) and keepers were working with concrete and creating the perimeter of the exhibit. the Eastern Quolls now have access to both the glass-fronted enclosure and the aviary-style enclosure via a doorway allowing them to have access to an increased amount of space. All three quolls were very visible. The potoroos are back in their original enclosure. The Tasmanian Devil joeys have moved to the front of the zoo and were chasing, play-fighting and calling all morning. Highlights from today:
The new carpet python was confirmed as a Jungle Carpet Python, M. s. cheynei joining the other on-display carpets - the South-west Carpet Pythons, M. s. imbricata, housed outdoors in an old aviary and the Diamond Python, M. s. spilota. Up until recent times, Wildlife HQ also had Darwin Carpet Python, M. s. variegata, and Coastal Carpet Python, M. s. mcdowelli, on-show. May as well get some Murray-Darlings as someone there really loves their carpet pythons! I also forgot to mention the Sugar Gliders are now on-display in one of the smaller callitrichid enclosures near the servals. There were also at least two wild Richmond Birdwings hanging around the siamangs - spectacular as always.
Obviously! Quite a menagerie of carpet python ssp. at Wildlife HQ. Do they have singletons or are some of these maintained as breeding stock?
Wildlife HQ’s new pair of Siamang have now been successfully introduced to each other: Log into Facebook | Facebook
A new Fijian Crested Iguana named Tokota has arrived at Wildlife HQ. Information from their social media page.
How many do they have? Is this just an exhibit animal(s) or part of expanding the breeding program (I thought that Melbourne Zoo bred these in 2019). Melbourne Zoo successfully breeds critically endangered ‘Fijian treasure’ I read Australia Zoo has Fijian crested iguana too and Taronga Zoo had an off site facility for these as the ZAA program is the captive assurance colony (from Kula Eco Park animal stock). Perhaps a few others on the continent ... Anyone ... more info? https://aszk.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Reptiles.-Fijian-Crested-Iguana-2007DR.pdf The Kula Eco Park on Fiji has since reintroduced the crested iguanas to Monuriki island following goat eradication measures. Iguana captive breeding program in Fiji posts first positive results
They received their first crested iguana only relatively recently - an old male for display purposes. This is only their second ever crested iguana which from images looks significantly younger. They are at Australia Zoo, the Australian Reptile Park, Gorge Wildlife Park, Hartley's Crocodile Adventures, Melbourne Zoo, Taronga Zoo and Wildlife HQ. Melbourne bred them during the 2020-2021 period.
Thanks for the note(s)! Would you per chance know more detail as to the numbers per collection or at the very least if they maintain A) breeding group or B) single or C) single sex specimens only? NOTE: Probably to much to ask ....! Any other zoos beside Melbourne have achieved breeding success with Fiji crested iguanas? (I figure that given the level of expertise - here in Europe at least - it should not be that hard to achieve as Lau banded Brachylophus fasciatus and Fiji crested B. vitiensis (private breeders only?) and the Fiji banded (B. bulabula) are bred on the European continent now fairly regularly. PERHAPS TO START A THREAD OF ITS OWN: Private breeder (Dorset, UK). Cotswold Wildlife Park supposedly holds B. vitiensis. Lucky seven for reptile breeder Further, I know an Austrian breeders (who also specialises in the rarer Cyclura iguanas) holds all 3 species and is one of the prime private breeders supplying new specimens within the Continent.
I just saw this! I’m really glad Abeba has finally had an infant after so many years. Abeba turned 17 in December, so is at the end of her reproductive lifespan. It was a great shame to see Wellington’s thriving troop of 20+ baboons phased out, but good to them live on through the troops at Auckland, Melbourne and Wildlife HQ - who all received females from Wellington.
A few notes from Wildlife HQ's updated map on their website: the large group of Emperor Tamarins have moved onto the open-topped island exhibit where the Ring-tailed Lemurs lived. In turn, the lemurs have moved into the future white-cheeked gibbon enclosure. The ruffed lemurs remain in their existing open-topped exhibit near the baboons. when they arrive, the Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys will indeed be moving into a new exhibit near the sun bear on the site of the former tortoise enclosure. There are also now four enclosures labelled as 'marmoset' on the map for presumably all Commons. The former enclosure for the Emperor Tamarins is now labelled for Cotton-top Tamarins.
A new species for Wildlife HQ. Six male Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys have been imported from Auckland Zoo, NZ and are now on show - reported on their FB page.
I’d wondered where Auckland’s males had gone as their troop’s been reduced to 13 females. Most zoos breeding this species within the region seem to be housing the males seperate and introducing them to the females during the annual breeding season (mirroring their wild counterparts), so male transfers are becoming commonplace.
Wildlife HQ's mammal collection continues to grow. Yellow-footed Rock-Wallabies have recently been added to the collection. They join the existing Brush-tailed Rock-Wallabies and these are the only Yellow-footed Rock-Wallabies currently in a Queensland zoo to my knowledge: Log into Facebook | Facebook
I visited Wildlife HQ today and there were several notable newsy bits and pieces. Most of the animals were very active due to the cooler weather and I enjoyed clear views of several species. There was also a good number of wild birds around; catbirds, robins, fantails, olive-backed orioles and fan-tailed cuckoos were found in most places. Notes are below: the most notable piece of news from today’s visit is that Cape Porcupines will soon be arriving at Wildlife HQ moving into one of the former quokka/bettong exhibits right at the front of the zoo [Future Cape Porcupine Enclosure - ZooChat]. The exhibit looks almost complete and the glass-viewing den area has been revamped for porcupines with a sandy substrate. I’d been quietly hoping they would acquire this species and this would make them only the fourth known holder of porcupines in Australia. @akasha a Tasmanian/Red-bellied Pademelon is now mixed with the free-ranging Red-necked and Swamp Wallabies. It remained well-hidden near and it took me a while to figure out what it was as it remained in a well-shaded area and its markings/colouration remained obscured. one of the Red Pandas has moved to the enclosure next to the Lumholtz’s Tree-Kangaroo. A new set of enclosures for Quokkas have been opened near the reptile barn housing a pair on either side. The potoroos have also moved into the front of the zoo as well. The Spencer’s Monitors are off-show for the winter. the three Yellow-footed Rock-Wallabies are housed in the former red panda enclosure near the spider monkeys. The exhibit has been converted with a more open design and several logs and branches have been placed allowing the rock wallabies to nimbly bound from platform to platform. the renovated enclosure for the capybara is excellent [Renovated Capybara Enclosure - ZooChat]. The body of water is now much larger and complex with a range of boulders and rockwork, adding significant visual appeal to the exhibit. Three young animals have access to most of the exhibit while the front portion is fenced-off for one of their original capybaras. there have been several primate internal moves. Two Emperor Tamarins are now living on the former lemur island allowing their calls to travel throughout the zoo clearly. A pair of Cottontop Tamarins are now in the former kookaburra aviary, the four Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs are in the future gibbon enclosure near the reptile barn, the Ring-tailed Lemurs have moved into the former ruffed lemur enclosure and Common Marmosets are now in the exhibit within the café. The six Bolivian Squirrel Monkeys are settling in well and currently live in a large well-planted exhibit near the wild dogs and sun bear [New Squirrel Monkey Enclosure - ZooChat] the Radiated Tortoises are in the former glass-fronted python enclosure. The Short-eared Brushtail Possum is back on-show in a former marmoset enclosure. The South-west Carpet Pythons are in a former boa constrictor outdoor enclosure and their original enclosure now has Diamond Python. The outdoor enclosure for Burmese Python near the sun bear has been demolished. more general observations rather than actual news – one of the Servals was in the aerial walkway attempting to stalk a wild Green Catbird [Green Catbird - ZooChat] that was perched on the tree that the runway travels through, the sun bear was very active, the baboon infant was bounding around, the blue-eyed koala was seen easily and the siamang pair remained very close together. Main highlights from today (more photos can be seen here: Wildlife HQ Zoo - ZooChat):
Thanks for the comprehensive update, @WhistlingKite24. Amazing photos as always! It’s been good to see the zoo steadily growing with new species regularly acquired. I look forward to seeing their progress over the coming years.
Went today, just a couple minor differences/additions since WhistlingKite's post: - a 2nd Wildlife HQ entrance sign has been added near the Siamang enclosure. - The aforementioned Cape Porcupine enclosure now has 2 stuffed Cape Porcupine plushies in their undercover area. - Mainly, I got clarification on the capybara situation. One of the original capybaras has left due to the recent baby being unplanned, the other is in the fenced off area, with the ultimate goal being for it to be integrated in the new group. Speaking of the new group, it consists of their recent unplanned baby, and 2 imports of similar age from Sydney Zoo, who were imported a few months ago.
