No Steve, theres no proper "Zoo's", so they must be wildlife parks Or whatever else goes in quotation marks!
i think that if somone had the funds to build a zoo like adelaide or taronga. then one would expect that this person would be able to have the funds to aquire the animals that he needs, like with the owner of tipperary. Or at least have the money to import more animals that can be imported.
Yes sorry I said that incorrectly, what I was trying to say was something like the four major zoos, but something like mogo zoo which is a zoo is possible if the money is there.
It is quite astonishing that Australia is the 6th largest nation on the planet and yet only has 4 major zoos (Taronga, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth). No offense intended to ZooChat members such as Steve Robinson who run wildlife parks or smaller collections. Of course there are the 3 open-range parks, some aquariums, and a large number of smaller wildlife parks with mainly indigenous animals. The sunshine and calm weather has actually aided in the creation of the numerous wildlife parks, as it is easier to remain open longer and appeal to Australia's many tourists. There are so many of those tiny parks, each with a small assortment of exotics, that even for a hardcore zoo fan such as myself I'm still not aware of all of the little centres of wildlife scattered throughout the vast country down under. To answer the main question of this thread, I would certainly look elsewhere if I were looking into opening a major zoo. The incredible limitations on importing wildlife into the country makes Australia a battleground for those with aspirations of creating a large-scale zoo. For someone such as myself, who is used to touring the big American collections, seeing 17 zoos, aquariums and wildlife parks around Australia was a shock in terms of the diversity of animals. For example: there are more species of cat at the Cincinnati Zoo than showcased in the entire nation of Australia, more species of bear at the Cleveland Zoo than all of Oz, and more species of hoofstock at single American zoos than the majority of Aussies have seen in their lives. I can visit one large American zoo and see more diversity than all of the Australian animal collections COMBINED. Why would anyone want to spend millions and open a zoo when 80% of the animals that they would like to showcase are off limits? Naturally I still love Aussie zoos for the native wildlife, which are well worth the price of a trip down under all by themselves. But for anyone wanting to open a large, urban zoo that has all of the A's, B's and C's of the animal kingdom, then they should really be looking somewhere else to realize their dreams.
I would like to say, having come from the U.K. and seen many European Zoos and most of the larger, and a number of the smaller NZ and Australian Zoos I would start one here. The thing that this region has that is most special is the natives and the fact that having an exotic collection is a challenge. Why do what is easy? Also the exotics here are all special. In Europe most people will walk past a Pygmy Marmoset, as it is just another little monkey, or for that matter a Kudu, Nyala or Springbok are just more antelope. Here they are cherished. We have to accept we are a small region and places like the U.K., Europe and the U.S.A. have more zoos than us so can have more variety. We could have more variety in our zoos but there would be the incredible cost in time sourcing animals and financially constantly importing to maintain all the populations. We are much better off working together, which is why I agree with Steve joining ZAA would be the way to go. I think on the whole it is a good association, and if you don't like the way somethings go you can't have an influence from the outside. So back to the whole point yes I would start a zoo here, partly due to the great location and partly due to the fact that I like a challenge
Bendigo had two small wildlife attractions, both closed down in the last few years. Kyabram is mid-way between Shep and Echuca, and convenient to both.
So you are asking where is the best place to build a large "postage stamp" collection? Well Australia is definitely not the place for that style of collection. Best move overseas to fill your catalogue. However it is getting more difficult in Europe, and even the US. Best go to some third world country where the regulations are slack and the bureaucrats can be lubricated. However you will still run up against the problem of where to get your animals, as many home range countries are cutting back on the wild animal exports such collections rely on. And you can pretty much forget any Aussie animals, besides the odd wallaby. The solution to a limited number of exotic mammals in Australia, which seems the focus of this debate, is more spaces. Which does come down to more and larger economically viable parks and zoos.
That reminds me of of an American businessman who came to Australia many years ago, saw all those dots on the map, and just assumed he would put branches of his company in each of them, not realising he was looking at towns with in some cases only a few hundred people. Fact is Australia is number 51 in terms of population, and more than 60% of the population live in the five major cities.
@MRJ: Australia is very similar to my native Canada, as both are amongst the top 6 nations on the planet in terms of size but have a scarce supply of humans. Canada is #2 in the world in terms of size, but has only about 33 million people, while Australia is #6 but only has 22 million people. Here in Canada there are 6 cities with over one million people, while much of the country is uninhabited. In Australia there are 5 cities with over one million people, while much of the country is also uninhabited. Neither country is known for its diversity within its meager offering of zoos, and with Australia only having 4 major, urban zoos and Canada only arguably having 4 as well then neither nation is exactly a "mecca" for ZooChatters.
Would I start a zoo in Australia? HELL YES!!!!! There's no way I'd run overseas simply because it's easier. And if all you want is a zoo with lots of exotics, and that is your first priority, then perhaps you should go overseas. But if you want to do something different, if you want to be noticed, then Australasia would be the place to be. Hix
i suppose i do have to admit that despite my earlier post i firmly believe that its not so much the species you display so much as how you display it. and when it comes to displaying animals, ther is an art - an art that not even the big firms often overlook. red pandas for example breed really well in zoos. and there are a lot in australia. it is, relatively speaking, not the hardest animal for private zoos to acquire as major zoos often produce a surplus. but i am yet to see a kick-arse red panda exhibit anywhere. why do zoo so often plant trees in the monkey exhibits rather than build monkey exhibits around trees? and then of course there are, as hix pointed out, all the neglected natives. if you have good ideas, then its not hard to stand out.
