2008

August 1
Cheetah Week - a great success!

Foxy and his new best friend and the cinemas

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Cheetahs

Or check out the profiles of our Cheetahs we have at the zoo. Echo, Foxtrot, Cleo, Sheeba,

If you’ve been reading our previous Big Cat Animal Diaries you may have heard of ‘Cheetah Week’ that took place earlier this month. We are pleased to report that it was an overwhelming success and through many wonderful events and activities we were able to help raise a stack of money for cheetah conservation. Cheetah Week ran in the first week of school holidays, from June 30 to the July 6 however we extended the fun a frivolity for a couple of special extra activities.

First off the bat was a Trivia Night on June 6, which helped us raise nearly $3000. A few weeks later we took two of our cheetahs to the Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinemas at Maroochydore for a special charity screening of Kung Fu Panda. Foxtrot and Sheeba had so much fun showing off that they lay down in one of the cinemas and wanted to stay and watch the film. Sadly we had to take them back to the Zoo, but not before Foxy made friends with a life-sized plush cheetah toy that we were auctioning off on the day. Thanks to the wonderful people at BCC Maroochydore, Adam from Totally Wild who hosted the event and all the volunteers that helped us on the day; we were able to raise another stash of cash for cheetahs in the wild!

With those two successful events under our belts, we were very excited when Cheetah Week rolled around on June 30. We held a cheetah conservation evening at the University of the Sunshine Coast where special guest speaker Annie Beckhelling (founder and director of Cheetah Outreach in South Africa) discussed the great need to help this big cat in the wild.

Every day in the Zoo we auctioned one-off cheetah paw paintings and sold unique cheetah merchandise. There were lots of fun cheetah activities for the kids and of course we were showing off our gorgeous cats as much as we could. Visitors were wowed by daily cheetah presentations where they learned lots about cheetahs and witnessed first hand how much our cats love to show off!

A great time was had by all, and by the end of the week we had raised $30,000 to send to Cheetah Outreach and De Wildts Cheetah and Wildlife Trust in South Africa. This money will be used to help this vulnerable species where they need it most.

Thanks must go to all of those who helped us make Cheetah Week so special, and of course a big thank you to Echo, Foxtrot, Sheeba and Cleopatra for being such great ambassadors for cheetah conservation at Australia Zoo.

2008

August 1
Barking Mad!

Our gorgeous Barking Owl

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Barking Owls

Or check out the profiles of our Barking Owls we have at the zoo. Yule,

It has been an interesting time in Bird Show the past couple of months because a lot of our birds have been going through their breeding seasons; one such bird is our Barking Owl Nuebi.

The Barking Owl is a late winter breeder stretching from July to September although sometimes starting a little earlier. Barking Owls will often nest in the hollows of large trees up to about 30 metres off the ground. At Australia Zoo we have found that during this period our owl Nuebi starts to become a little aggressive, which can pose a problem because Nuebi is a free flight birds and is one of the few that performs in the Bird of Prey show. In the show Nuebi does a routine between three keepers who vary his flight in all directions. This flight brings him close to the public and thus begins our problem. Nuebi is fine with his keepers but the public can seem a little intimidating for him and in his breeding state he does become very territorial.

Lucky for us, this kind of behaviour does not last for very long and we are able to rove him at the Bird of Prey show and fly him in his aviary and off display. Nuebi is already starting to get back to his old calmer self so the next time you come and visit us at the Australia Zoo make sure you stop by and check out this awesome little owl.

2008

August 8
Lots of Turkeys!

Foraging to make a nest

Welcome to another week with our birds. At the moment if you are visiting the Zoo, you might notice that there are a lot of Brush Turkeys getting around. You will probably find them foraging around scratching through all of the leaf litter looking for a meal. They love to feed on insects, seeds and fallen fruit, as well as trying to steal from our birds for an easy meal.

You can find these turkeys anywhere along Australia’s eastern coast and they are not easily confused with any other bird. They have a bare red head and a yellow wattle around the base of their neck which hangs lower in breeding season to impress the girls.

The males are excellent mound builders! You can’t miss these mounds as they are huge. Most mounds are four metres wide and one-to-three metres tall and they use this mound to incubate the female’s eggs. These guys will stop at nothing to build a nest, going so far as to build their nest right over the top of our enclosure fences and making a huge mess in the process. The reason for this is because the bigger the nest is the more females will want to lay their eggs in his nest and the more females he gets to mate with.

So if you are visiting the Zoo, don’t mind these guys, they will be getting around looking busy, foraging for food and making a huge mess for us keepers to clean up.

2008

August 8
New gator facilities!

Our great new facilities!

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our American Alligators

Or check out the profiles of our American Alligators we have at the zoo. Barney, Fang Sisters, Daisy,

Check this out, we now have over 70 alligators. We have a few different age groups being our hatchlings, one year, two year, three year and our ever growing six year olds!

As you can imagine we spend a lot of time with these guys and follow strict conditioning routines with them daily raising them and giving them the best life possible. Our baby hatchlings have now started being roved around the Zoo, getting up close and personal with our zoo guests, and the little guys are doing really well. Our one, two and three year olds have been out and about meeting visitors for some time now as well as having photo sessions on a daily basis where guests are lucky enough to have a photo taken holding an alligator.

Each day our six year old gators participate in an up-close experience, where a different gator every day gets out and about for a walk with patrons. This experience offers guests the opportunity to get nice and close to pat and feel this amazing animal and having an awesome photo taken as it is so important we share these gorgeous guys with you so everyone can appreciate them for what they are.

But as all of these guys grow, so too does the need for larger enclosures. We are lucky enough here at Australia Zoo to have a dedicated construction team who know just what our crocodilians require, and are busy constructing new ponds as we speak.

As the construction team continues to work on our new alligator enclosures the croc team and all our baby gators are looking forward to the awesome new facilities that form part of our Crocodile Rescue Unit for these amazing little guys to call home.

2008

August 1
Asian Elephants 101!

Siam shows-off her gorgeous features

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Asian Elephants

Or check out the profiles of our Asian Elephants we have at the zoo. Siam, Sabu, Bimbo,

Welcome to Asian Elephants 101! This week we have put together stacks of interesting facts about the gorgeous Asian Elephant. We hope you have fun learning about this amazing animal!

• Asian Elephants have a 22 months gestation (or pregnancy) period
• Calves are approximately 70-90kg at birth
• Their trunks have over 100 thousand individual muscles and can weigh up to140kg, carrying anything up to 600kg. The trunk can also capture interesting scents (smells), hold onto the scent and take it back to the herd to share with everyone.

• Asian Elephant females are born with tusks but they break off in the first year. They do not need them; they are grazers and eat a lot of grass or low lying vegetation.The African female keep their tusks so she can dig up water, tree roots and break down branches and tress.
• Asian Elephants have four large molars; two up the top, two down the bottom and at the back of their mouth. They get six sets of teeth in their lifetime, getting their last set in their late 40’s early 50’s. One tooth can weigh up to 4kg’s. They have about 10- 12 ridges on their molars where the African have approximately 20 ridges.
• Asian Elephants have smaller ears than the African Elephant. To properly identify wild elephants you need to take photos of the veins on the back of the ear; which is not and easy task! This is done because an elephant’s ear shape can change over time due to tearing when rubbing up against trees or walking through bushes. The ears are the thinnest skin part of the body.

• Their skin is very sensitive and is about an inch thick on most of the body
• Asian Elephant’s have five toe nails; one on the front and four on the back
• Their memories are great! For example, they may be shown as a calf where water is hidden under the ground, or where salt flats are located. These locations are remembered by the elephant when they pass through the area.
• Clay is eaten for minerals but also it stops toxins from entering the blood stream
• Our girls do not like small animals such as lizards, birds, cats and dogs. This would have something to do with not being able to look down. Their eye sight is not very good but is compensated with their great sense of smell.

2008

August 1
A popularity contest

Teela our treasured Dromedary Camel

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Dromedary Camels

Or check out the profiles of our Dromedary Camels we have at the zoo. Teela,

Have you ever heard the saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’? This phrase came to mind recently in relation to how we view some animals, especially the seemingly ugly, or unpopular ones; in this case the example being the dromedary camel. Australia has a huge population of wild, free-ranging dromedary camel, they are classed as feral, or pests, and generally speaking are one of these ‘unpopular’ animals. The camels’ reputation seems to precede the animal, in that just about everyone has an opinion that focuses on the camel being smelly, or spitting, or just cranky, rather focusing on what makes them uniquely special.

A few months back I had a conversation with an international visitor to the Zoo, and our topic of conversation revolved around Australia Zoo’s beautiful Dromedary Camel, Teela. This man was from the Middle East, and camels had been a part of his, and his family’s lives for many generations. His respect and understanding of the animal surprised me, as he went on to tell me that his family currently owned over one hundred camels, for no reason other than that they were beautiful, highly revered animals. My surprise increased when he told me that his grandfather had recently paid a multi-million dollar sum for a camel simply because, in his words, “she is a beautiful camel, a lovely animal”.

This conversation reminded me of the phrase -one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Different cultures throughout the world hold some animals in higher esteem than others, as perfectly illustrated above. At the end of the day though, the animal doesn’t change – it is our perception that changes. It is important that we maintain high respect for all animals, even the ‘unpopular’ ones.

2008

August 8
Myrtle on the move!

Myrtle meets the crowd!

Making more friends

Have you met Myrtle yet? She can often be seen meeting and greeting everyone at the Zoo entrance in the mornings and again in the afternoons wishing everyone a safe trip home as they leave.

Who is Myrtle? Well, she walks around wearing a harness just like the wombats, but, no, she’s not an albino wombat, nor is she a strange-looking European badger - both real questions! And she’s not Myrtle the Turtle... She is in fact a 10 week old piglet who resides in our Kids Zoo.

Chantelle from the entertainment department, has been spending a lot of time bonding and training with Myrtle. Her persistence has paid off and now Myrtle has become so good on her harness she goes everywhere! And crikey she loves it!

All those interesting smells to sniff at and stuff to snuffle through; so many sizes of bare toes to check out, sticky fingers to taste and a wide range of shoelaces to undo!

So next time you’re at the Zoo look out for an enthusiastic piglet who’ll definitely want to say hello to you- so come on over and give her a pat!

Kids Zoo crew.

2008

August 1
Leaf cutting nightmares!

Our koalas appreciate the effort that goes into getting top quality leaf!

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Koalas

Or check out the profiles of our Koalas we have at the zoo. Charli, Jaffa, Matilda, Leno, Steph, Boris, Cooper, Mist, Luca, Molly, Ash,

Out Leaf cutting for our very much loved koalas, we strive to provide the best eucalyptus leaf available. We do a pretty good job too, keeping our koalas happy, healthy and very well fed throughout the year.

In our constant quest for leaf however we encounter an unseen threat from a normally passive adversary, the hairy caterpillar. These Eucalypt caterpillars aren’t your usual story time type that chomp a few leaves, have a smile on their face and turn into a butterfly. They have a sinister side.

When disturbed the deviate caterpillars eject puffs of stinging hairs that jet into any intruder that happens to touch them. The leaf cutters often feel the wrath of these nightmarish critters of the trees. Luckily, the pain that comes from a brush with one of these ‘hairies’ (our nickname for them) is only mild, the resilient itch that often comes in accompaniment is far more inconvenient.

2008

August 8
The scary truth about Tasmanian Devils

Zeke, our gorgeous Tasmanian Devil; he will be missed

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Tasmanian Devils

Or check out the profiles of our Tasmanian Devils we have at the zoo. Tula, Jinki,

It is a pitch black night. A dead carcass is being ravaged and all that can be made out are large white teeth and bright red ears. All that can be heard is the breaking of bones and spine; chilling growls. This communal feeding situation gave the Tasmanian Devil their name and misleading personality traits. They are known to be aggressive, vicious and something to be scared of. But it is all a bluff; they are actually quite timid and wary animals. The only scary fact about Tasmanian Devils, is that since May 2008 they were listed as an endangered species; another amazing Australian mammal close to extinction.

Since 1996 the Devil population has been drastically affected by the Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour (DFTD). DFTD is a fatal and contagious tumour that is spread between individual devils mostly through biting at communal feedings or while mating. The disease is identified as small lesions or lumps in and around the species mouth. These tumours or cancers become larger and continue to develop around their face and neck, and can infect other parts of their body. Also due to insufficient genetic diversity, the foreign cells aren’t rejected by the Tasmanian Devils immune system. Affected devils become emaciated; the tumours interfere with their teeth and feeding and they typically die within six months.

In the mid 1990’s, Tasmanian Devils exhibited the characteristics of DFTD in the north-east of Tasmania and by May 2008 this disease had spread to 63 locations across more than 60 per cent of the state. In the north-east of the state, where the disease was first identified there has been approximately a 95 per cent decline of average spotlight sightings. Only the western third of the state appears to have a devil population that has remained healthy and uninfected by the disease. It is suggested that DFTD will continue to spread across the range of species within three to twenty years.

Save the Tasmanian Devil Program is a research initiative established to investigate this disease further and create management options. It is co-ordinated by the Department of Primary Industries and Water (DPIW) and involves researchers and experts from a range of institutions, wildlife parks and zoos (both local and interstate). Our other concern is that Tasmanian Devils lifespan does not assist in their preservation. Surprisingly healthy devils only generally live between 5-7 years of age in the wild, and this is not always increased in captivity.

Sadly, we recently lost one of our Tasmanian Devils to old age. In his time at the Zoo he fathered two joeys, one of which still lives at Australia Zoo. This species is so vulnerable and we need to do all we can to conserve one of the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial.

In loving memory of Zeke, you will be greatly missed by all of the mammal’s team.

2008

August 8
Weigh Day!

Our Lemurs love weigh day!

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Ring-tailed Lemurs

Or check out the profiles of our Ring-tailed Lemurs we have at the zoo. Betafo, Ethan, Vatobe, Julian, Mandabe,

You may have read our last article on primate diets and how important it is to ensure our animals receive a well balanced diet. It is just as vital for us to ensure our animals are getting the correct intake of their diet. To help us determine the appropriate amount to feed, we regularly weigh all of our animals.

Weighing is extremely important to help us monitor our animals’ health and well being, as any weight loss or weight gain could be indicative of a health or nutritional problem. All of our primates are weighed at least once a week and their weights are recorded so we can monitor any changes easily.

 For our tiny tamarins we use small electronic kitchen scales, on top of the scales we place a little T-perch, this enables our tamarins to easily perch on the scales and give an accurate weight reading. Our lemurs use a similar set up, just on a larger scale. Scales with a T-board placed on top to enable them to comfortably sit on top.

There is a huge difference in weight between some of our primates here. On the smaller end of the scale we have our Cotton Top Tamarins. Nacho for example weighs in at a tiny 585 grams (shhh don’t let Nacho hear me mention the word tiny). Nacho may weigh not much more than your average tub of margarine, but he certainly has a personality as big as a silver back gorilla!

On the other end of the scale we have our Black and White Ruffed Lemurs, weighing in on average at around 3.6 kg. Our Ring Tailed Lemurs fall in the middle averaging a weight of around 3 kg.

Weighing also forms an important part of our training programme for our primates. Weigh day is always a fun day here in the primates department. All of our wonderful kids are always more than willing to be weighed as they know they get some yummy treats in return. Sometimes it can be quite an effort to avoid having two or three lemurs on the scales together.

2008

August 8
Size Matters!

A couple of Mulga snakes

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our Reticulated Pythons

Or check out the profiles of our Reticulated Pythons we have at the zoo. Lily,

We are often asked how big certain snakes can grow, and this is a tricky question to answer. In some species of snakes, like the Mulga snake (pictured), males can grow up to three metres; much larger than the females who only grow to about 1.5 – 2 metres. It is the opposite in large python and boa species such as Reticulated Pythons and Anacondas, where the female reaches a larger size.   

Many factors play a part in determining how large a snake grows. Some of these include seasonal variation, availability of prey and geographical isolation. In species which have a large distribution such as Eastern Brown snakes, animals that occur in South Australia have a smaller adult body size than those that occur in Northern Australia. This could be because the warmer climate in the top half of Australia allows them to feed on prey for more months of the year rather than shutting down during the winter months.  

Tiger snakes also have a large distribution throughout southern Australia and occur on a handful of islands. One particular island is inhabited by Mutton Birds during their breeding season. Tiger snakes on Chapel Island feed solely on young Mutton Birds which are rich in Iodine, Phosphate, Zinc and Calcium. The Iodine stimulates growth causing these particular Tiger snakes to be much larger than their relatives on other islands and the mainland.   

Another point of interest is that extremely large snakes and extremely small snakes can live side by side in the same ecosystem in almost every environment on earth, contributing to making the serpent order the most successful predators on earth.

2008

August 8
Our baby alligators are growing up!

Roving Kristy with one of our gorgeous baby American Alligators

Be Sure to check out our Amazing Animals section to view more on our American Alligators

Or check out the profiles of our American Alligators we have at the zoo. Barney, Fang Sisters, Daisy,

Here at Australia Zoo we have the privilege of working with baby American Alligators. Our proud parents Barney and Fang-2 have proven to be very successful breeders. They have had five clutches of eggs over the past six years with approximately 20 baby alligators in each. We have the advantage of removing the eggs from the mothers nest to incubate the eggs to give them the best chance of survival. Did you know that the temperature of the incubator (or the nest in the wild) actually determines the sex of the baby alligator? This is how we are able to produce more male then female alligators. The adult male Alligator can reach lengths of 3.5m once they are fully grown; at about 20 years of age.

When the alligators are six weeks old, the Croc team consistently handles them for weights, I.D checks and hand feeding. This gets the alligators used to handling and comfortable with human interaction. When they are this young they can fit in the palm of your hand!

Then once they are about three months old, the roving team can take them out for 10 minute roves in the Zoo for public to meet! As they get older they become conditioned to human interaction and are even able to be held by guests for photos!

So next time your at the Zoo make sure you check out our beautiful adult American Alligators and their handsome baby boy’s!