I see they share an address and found this note: Wildlife HQ is located within the grounds of the Big Pineapple, at 76 Nambour Connection Road in Woombye, so yes the zoo does not occupy the entirety of that 41ha. Having visited in person, @WhistlingKite24 could surely provide an estimate in comparison to the other zoos he’s visited.
Yes they are at the front to the right hand side of the pineapple entrance in one corner, they have a different gate.
Two Cape Porcupines have arrived at Wildlife HQ. There are now four zoos in Australia housing this species with two of those facilities being in Queensland - reported on social media.
The speed this zoo is growing is insane. This is the forth major new species this year (alongside siamang, squirrel monkey and gibbon) and they're showing no signs of stopping. In terms of species list, I'd say the only facility in Queensland on the same level is Darling Downs!
Although I’m not sure I’d call Bolivian squirrel monkey a “major” new species, I fully agree they’ve made great progress. Wildlife HQ don’t have a huge amount of space to work with, so they’ve been practical in their approach by focussing on building up their primate collection. If they can acquire Red-handed tamarin, they’ll be one of only two zoos in the region to hold four species of tamarin (the other being Darling Downs Zoo).
I'd definitely say Squirrel Monkeys are the lesser of the four species, but if I recall correctly the only other facility in QLD with the species is Darling Downs, so still a decently big deal, even if they're not exactly uncommon at other zoos - especially in larger facilities. I wouldn't be surprised if they got Red-handed Tamarin honestly. If I recall correctly, they've worked with DDZ a few times in the past with their primates (I believe one of their Siamang came from them), so sending over a few wouldn't be out of the question. They'd definitely fit right in!
Wildlife HQ are indeed only one of two holders in Queensland of Bolivian squirrel monkey, though given Rockhampton Zoo have a strong focus on acquiring primates at the moment, it wouldn’t surprise me if they became the third. Wildlife HQ’s male Siamang (Zain) came from Darling Downs Zoo.
While both zoos are progressing at a rapid rate but on a different path, Wildlife HQ has focused upon the smaller species which makes sense due to a smaller land area than the DDZ which focus on both very large and all the smaller animal species.
It’d be nice to see more zoos operate like this - being realistic on what they can best accomodate within the space they have. The phasing out of elephants and hippopotamus from city zoos are an example of this, but many city zoos e.g. Adelaide insist on keeping giraffe because the general public can’t imagine a zoo without a giraffe, when the space could be put to much better use.
Adelaide should move on without the giraffe as they have monarto not far away. Perhaps they could investigate the possibility of Okapi to replace them
I visited today, and the mentioned enclosure is finished, and now houses a Red Panda. Including this new one, I counted three enclosures signed for the species, one at the front, beside the Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo, one beside the Binturong and across from the African Wild Dogs, and the new one by the Tamarins and Marmosets.
Nothing Major really, just a couple of shuffles around. -Two Tassie Devil joeys have been moved to the enclosure at the front of the zoo next to the enclosure that houses the adults. I assume this is a recent move, as the map still has that exhibit labelled at Potoroo (the Potoroo are now near the back of the zoo, across from the Common Marmosets in an enclosure that used to hold Quokka) and there was no signage for them. -Since I last visited back in January two new exhibits have been constructed on the left hand side of the path up to the reptile barn. They're mostly just open grass with some shrubbery and doghouses in each, and they hold Quokka. They look pretty recently finished, as you could still see the tiles of grass that had been placed in. -The end enclosure in the Reptile Barn - across from the baby American Alligator - holds an Albino Darwin Carpet Python. The enclosure in the Barn holding the baby Freshwater crocodile also appears to be empty, despite still being signed for the Freshie. We went through the barn multiple times and didn't see it. The Boyd's Forest Dragon enclosure also seemed to be empty. The lights were all off in its enclosure, which made it difficult to tell for sure if it was empty or if it was just issues with the lighting. -The American Alligator Enclosure beside the Rhino Iguanas was also empty, and the pool drained.
An additional article about the new Northern White-cheeked Gibbons, Tao and Tien. It confirms that the zoo initially had plans to receive a female from France but COVID forced a rethink in pairing options. The female Tien from Adelaide Zoo was then moved to Perth and paired with another male – presumably Nakai – but it was not successful. At the time, male Tao had been separated from his mate and offspring due to a long recovery from encephalitis so it was decided he would be introduced to Tien and it was successful. The zoo hope Tien will soon fall pregnant: Zoo’s new residents pucker up in promising sign for species
The future is looking very bright for Wildlife HQ. Confirming plans for expansion, the zoo have stated they are in the process of acquiring more land near the Big Pineapple to expand their animal collection further as they are almost at capacity within their current footprint. They were also recently declared a finalist in the Sunshine Coast Business Awards: Zoo overcomes the odds and has big plans for the future
Probably my favourite new species for Wildlife HQ this year! The zoo have just announced the arrival of four Alligator Snapping Turtles! The hatchlings are presumably some of the individuals that were bred at the Wild Cat Conservation Centre. This is also notably their first turtle species: Log into Facebook | Facebook
It's likely they'll go into the Reptile Barn enclosure that used to hold the juvenile Freshwater Crocodile. It was empty when I visited just over a month ago, and would be a good fit for a group of small hatchlings.
Another new exotic reptile species for Wildlife HQ. Ball Python is now part of the zoo's collection according to a recent radio interview which creates four publicly-known holders among Australian zoos. More nocturnal species are also being added to the zoo following the success of their night zoo tours including Greater Bilbies according to social media.
A male Greater Bilby recently arrived, representing yet another new species for Wildlife HQ. He can be seen on the night zoo tours: 登录 Facebook | Facebook
