Australia Zoo

[morpheus21]

Hi,
went to Australia zoo today and had a really good day. Last time I went was the 2nd of February last year and it was so incredibly busy,we heard on one of the staffs walkie talkies that 6000 people had visited, while today we heard about 2000 people.

I'll start with the negatives. I don't think they have enough reptiles :cry: . They haven't seemed to have gotten that many extra species since when i was there about 6 or 7 years ago when I was a kid. They should have more snakes and lizards, while there are still a few there I really think they need much more. The only other bad thing is that there are too many pictures of Steve and his family around the park and pictures of his daughter holding nearly every sort of animal :roll: , plus there are 3 gift shops :evil: .

Now with the good. I got to pat the tiger cubs and have pictures with them. They were really cute and they made really interesting noises. Had to pay $55 but all proceeds go to the tiger foundation and in reality I don't think I would ever have the chance to pat a tiger again, as it is we were lucky as only 30 people a day can pat the tigers and it was nearly booked out. So now if anyone asks me if I've touched a tiger I could say yes, I've touched 3.

Only 1 rhinocerous iguana was in the iguana inclosure but he looked really cool, a nice greeny colour, a cool looking head and such a large bulky looking body. A bell's phase lace monitor was up a palm tree in its enclosure all day and at one time was sleeping on the part that bears the fruit and was just laying there and kind of reminded me of a koala. Watched the colony of cunnigham skinks eat and it was really amusing to watch them eat on mass as the little babies sit all over the adults . The komodo dragon was just lying around like he was last year. They have more cassowaries and koalas now and i think more jabirus.

What I think has always been one of the best features of the park is the kangaroo and wallaby areas where you can sit with and pat the roos and wallabies. They are such amazing and beautiful animals and have such beautiful soft fur. What surprises me about them is how tolerant they are of us. I was sitting next to and feeding a wallaby (not sure what species but it had really nice facial markings) when a kid came over aswell and when he went to go over to another one he accidently stepped on its tail, all it did was looked rather shocked but just walked away. I would have thought it would have been a bit more pissed off. One thing that was odd was that most of the female red roos had either a joey out of the pouch or one inside, so I guess for some reason they are breeding them up.

Another thing that I really love about the park is the rainforest bird aviary. It's just really cool walking and sitting in there just watching the birds just doing what they do. They have quite a few species in there like stone curlews (really cool looking birds), rose crowned fruit doves, some really large pigeons, emerald fruit doves, colourful finches, re-collarred lorikeets, elcectus, princess and king parrots, crimson rosellas, teal duck ,a really nice looking black and white duck, regent bower bird and many others.One thing that I found rather stupid was how some people looked at the eclectus and said "look a king parrot" or "look at the crimson rosellas". I know they might not know what species of bird they are but surely they don't look anything like the other 2 parrots.

Saw the elephants but have never really liked elephants, they really, really stink. My parents got to feed them. Touched 2 different types of tortoises when no-one was looking and they were close to the fence. I think they were the african and aldabran ones. One had really soft skin while the other had relatively leathery skin. Wanted to touch Harriet but she wasn't close to the fence. At one stage she was sleeping on her grass pile and she looked really cute. Also caught a EWD for the first time. There are so many of the buggers running around. I think it was a juvenile. I tried to catch one last year but couldn't manage so I was really happy that I got him. Put him down straight away though and he ran off on his back legs holding his front legs kinda like that of a roo and just off the ground, really an amusing sight.

Saw the crocoseum, was very big but did not bother to watch a show there except at about 3:30 they had the dingoes running around and watched them for a few minutes.

All in all it was an excellent day and I highly reccomend you go, especially at this time of year when its not so busy as less "showy" if you know what I mean and with no dickheads running around (last year saw Steve) :lol: .

ps. sorry bout the long post but just had a lot to say.

pss. really reccomend you go while the tigers are there as it is a once in a lifetime opportunity

 

[iluvsmyreptiles]

Im glad that overall you enjoyed your visit. I personally think it is the best zoo in Australia.
I begin voluntary work there in 3 weeks and very much looking forward to it.

 

[Slateman]

I think that our zoo is great and people taking good care about animals. And I agree that more reptiles would be great contribution. Specially here in Australia. If you think about it, they do not cost that much to display like most other animals.

 

[Fuscus]

What I remember of Oz zoo was a coastal taipan ( photo of it here http://150.101.58.70/thumbnails.php?id=Snake_Taipan ), a magnificent retic ( I have some photos somewhere, I'll try and dig them up) and wild EWD by the ton. Oh, and some crocs. The only furballs I remember were a pair of loony camels and some cute Asian otters.

As for the best zoo, well that is a matter of opinion. Here is a list in no particular order of other zoos I have visited . This is a bit long-winded but then so am I.

Dubbo zoo (NSW) had a good reptile show with the guy demonstrating how a deaf adder won't move by hovering his foot a couple of centimeters above it. He didn?t do the same demo with a brown. Pack of African hunting dogs were sizing up the customers and a mad giraffe that would let you pat it on the head.

Cleveland Wildlife park (SA) has a small reptile section with pygmy, red-bellies , deaf adders , BTS and a lonesome carpet. Large colony of yellow-footed rock wallabies with a couple of very tame individuals. Good exhibit of KI roos . NOTE : do not enter the enclosure with an apple in your jacket pocket , the male pictured just stuck his head in the pocket and started to eat it there. There is also a goanna pit with what I think are rosenbergi. They used to have a pair of sand goannas who would go for your fingers but they have been replaced with bilbies which don't.

Adelaide Zoo has GTP and pigmy blue tongues. They also have a free flight display of blue and gold macaws and have small marmosets running free during the afternoon. They also have a pair of 70-year-old flamingos. They also have an American alligator that nipped some bozo last year.

Monarato (?) zoo (SA) has mainly African fur balls but big ones in big cages. You can stand at the wire of the giraffe enclosure and look at what look like sticks in the distance. The also have wild browns and sleepy lizards, who meet a grisly end when they wander into the hunting dog enclosure.

Earth sanctuaries (wollawong(?) SA) have no reptiles or exotic animals, just natives living in a semi-wild state. And lots of them, they have nocturnal walks and I saw mammals I have never heard of before.

Melbourne zoo cats were remarkable in that I was there a couple of times at sunset. The big cats were active, the lions would chase you if ran along side the enclosure. They had anacondas when I was there and a frog exhibit sponsored by freddo the frog.

Currumbin sanctuary(QLD) had mainly birds, a few large macropods and about half a dozen fresh water crocs. They had a show which included a carpet snake, a sleepy lizard (or shingeback as they call them up there) and a wedge tail eagle. Good rainforest aviary.

Bredl Reptile park (SA) has a large collection of rectics , a scrubby and the dreaded corn snake. Experience the thrill of looking at a taipan through 3 mm of glass or a 3 meter anaconda through 3mm cracked glass. Heaps of baby lacies, including the bells morph and a cage full of guinea pigs.

Healseville sanctuary (VIC) had a goanna pit that I remember as a kid. I also remenber wanting one. Some things don't change. They had a good collection of owls when I was there last.

 

[roadkill5000]

i was at currumbin in the holidays and by the sounds of things they have upgraded there rep facilities since you were there lasts fuscus. they have a big indoor area with freshies, srubs, files, watermonitors, taipans, mulgas, lacies, frillnecks, a few breed of turtles and and some other stuff (all in different enclosures) they have salties now aswell.
the reptile show was good they had a tiger,red bellie,death adder and a huge collets that was almost entirely pink with only a tiny bit of black on the top.
all in all its a pretty impressive park.

 

[Nicole]

I think the Western Plain Zoo is amazing!
Pity they don't have reptiles (other than the beautiful Tortoises, and a couple of coastals and beardies in the education centre), but I loved my stay there.
I patted the giraffes too Fuscus - enjoyed that, but the rhinos were my definate favourite.
The greater one-horned rhino there, Dora, is amazing. It's like he thinks he a big friendly cow rather than a rhino... love the blacks too - getting to pat them was a thrill (must have been like morpheous' tiger experience), I really recomend a stay there.

 

[Springherp]

hey fuscus its good to see you calling deaf adders by their original name, you might get a trend going. death adder is such an awful name for such a beautiful snake.

 

[africancichlidau]

Has anyone been to Fleays Fauna Reserve in recent years ? I remember it as being great but underfunded and just wondered how it was going since the Gov got involved?

 

[morpheus21]

iluvsmyreptiles, How do you get voluntary work there?

 

[Simon_Archibald]

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[sxereturn]

Morpheus - give Australia Zoo a call, and ask to talk to Emma B in the volunteer department. Tell her Jonno sent you. She'll mail some information to you.

 

[iluvsmyreptiles]

morpheus...ring them on (07) 5436 2000 and they will send you a volunteer info pack and application.

 

[BROWNS]

WILD WORLD just 5 mins out of Cairns is a top place.Heaps and heaps oF herps.Massive retic and Burmese,blackheads,womas, junles, bredli, scrubbies,boyds, and stacks more in a top reptile house.

You can have pics taken holdin a boa,and a couple of other pythons.They have a live snake handlin show with taipans,and others dependin on the day.

One o the best free fliht bird show i've seen with a stack of diferent raptors,and other birds and parrots.It was amazin what they were doin.

There's some really cool dinoes you can pat and one black one.Heaps of outdoor herp pits with monitors and tortises and lots more.

Massive walk thouh aviary with some beautiful birds.

There's also a classic macaw called Max that says 'day when you enter the park.Hihly recommend checkin it out if ever in that part of the woods.

The BAREFOOT BUSHMAN park was tops for reptiles and Rob Bredl's a very interestin bloke.He's moved the park and i haven't been to see the new one.

 

[roadkill5000]

africa i was at fleays aswell in the holidays its a nice place but not alot of animals
the herps were not as good as currumbin they only had a coastal, a diamond, a desert death adder, 2 blueys and an angle headed dragon pair.they had a few crocs aswell but in respect to the other animals it was pretty good they had a pair of wedges and a heard of these pygmy nail tail kangaroo thingys that that were cool they also had a rainforest avairy with lots of cool parrots and woodland birds which during the feeding i got to feed a pair of bower birds: ).the greatest thing they had though was the nocturnal room which had bilbys,platypus,lots of possum things and a julias creek dunnart which is supposedly the only one in captivity and it just kept running around its enclosure all day.great to watch.
it is a pretty good park and it is alot cheaper than currumbin but it isnt as good in my opinion.

 

[Guest]

wewstern pl;ains zoo is like 1 and a half hours from my place and ive been there a few times its the best simon so u are blind cause ya couldnt see the animals and u will rather them in cramped cages been to bredls the best part is playing with abu the monkey it sat on my nieces head and looked in my dads pocket then it took my glasses so a whacked it

 

[africancichlidau]

Thanks for that Rk, wondered how the place was doing these days.

 

[Springherp]

has anyone noticed how the Australian Reptile Park is lacking native Australian pythons? they only have a rough scaled and a gtp. whats the deal?

 

[Simon_Archibald]

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[Springherp]

yeah i seem to remember my last visit they had a hatchling diamond at the show.

 

[Guest]

come to TWP, the reptile section is pretty small, but we have Oenpelli pythons (wont see em anywhere else) chameleon dragons, v.primordius and all the usual like BHP, carpets, bts womas, taipans, death adders etc..