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Big Cat Tour Testimonial
A recent participant on a our Behind the Scenes Big Cat Interactive loved the tour so much she wanted to share the word with everyone! Thanks Vicky and hope you enjoy her story... I have a confession to make... I love tigers. In fact I'm bordering on tiger obsessive. While I love all cats large and small, there is something special about tigers. W ...Nov 24 -
Adelaide United FC Support Giant Pandas
Adelaide United FC have joined the cause to raise money for the endangered Giant Panda. In a special initiative, the Reds will help raise awareness of Zoos SA and our Giant Pandas at this Friday night's home game against the Newcastle Jets. Players will display the 'Panda' logo on the front of the shorts for the clash at Hindmarsh Stadium, and ...Nov 24 -
Fennec Fox Videos
...Nov 22 -
What Bird Is That?
How well can you identity our feathered friends at Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary? ...Nov 15 -
Cute Baby Pics
Check out some recent photos of our baby Barbary Sheep, White-cheeked Gibbon and Mandrill :-) ...Nov 15 -
Other entries by Super User
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Establishing a New Pride
G'day everyone and welcome to the new Carnivore Department blog. I'm Steve McKee and I am one of the Big Cat keepers at the Adelaide Zoo. I'm a Carnivore keeper which means some days I work with Big and Small Cats; other days I work with Australian Sealions and African Wild Dogs; and sometimes I work with Otters, Meerkats...and Giraffes (?)...just ...Aug 24 -
Other entries by Steve
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Hyena Cub Update
It's been very busy in Monarto Zoo's carnivore department lately. Last week saw us take an opportunity to anaesthetise the Spotted Hyena cub for a health check, micro-chipping, vaccination and DNA sampling. While all of these procedures are necessary, the DNA sample is the one keepers have been waiting for so we can finally stop referring to the cu ...Dec 14 -
Cheetah Cub News
After last week's vaccination and first health check on our five little Cheetah cubs, it was determined that the sex ratio of our litter is two males and three females. They're very much on the move now and are doing fine after their check, with no reactions or issues following the procedures. Up to around week five they were spending most of their ...Dec 14 -
Hyena Cub Update
We knew it wouldn't take long for Monarto Zoo's newest carnivore to become brave enough to step outside the safe walls of its den. During the school holidays our Spotted Hyena cub, now a month old, soaked up its first rays of sunshine while some very lucky visitors watched from the carnivore shuttle bus. Mum, Kigali, was relaxing just out ...Jul 30 -
Spotted Hyena Update
As you have previously read a single Spotted Hyena cub was born at Monarto Zoo on June 12, to our older female Kigali. Kigali's previous litter was of twin boys, so we were hopeful for another set of twins however we're happy to have a healthy cub. Initially the cub's older sister, 5 year old Forest, was not allowed to enter the den while the cub w ...Jun 29 -
Lionesses On Exhibit
At six months of age, Jahzara has developed a fiery personality, which has encouraged us to progress with re-introductions of her and mum, Kiamba, and our other females. ...Nov 22 -
Other entries by Claire
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The Return of the Woylie
Last year saw the return of Woylies or Brush Tail Bettongs to Warrawong Sanctuary and I'm excited to announce a second introduction of an additional five Woylies to our already growing population! This critically endangered marsupial can only be seen at night. Photo: Kate Haensel ...Oct 25 -
Sad News at Warrawong
Sad news at Warrawong with the passing of one of our hand raised Bandicoot joeys. During a recent census at Warrawong, two Southern Brown Bandicoot joeys were found thrown from mum's pouch. The sisters were hand reared for a time, named Isa and Obel and became quite friendly. ...Aug 17 -
Isa and Obel
Warrawongs' bandicoot sisters have definitely grown up! They have left their inside nursery and now live in a large enclosure which they have made their own. Their digging practice is being put to good use, with dozens of little cone shaped holes found every morning. ...Jun 17 -
Our Baby Bandicoots Need Names!
Warrawong Wildlife Sanctuary is excited to introduce the newest members of our daily animal shows, two Southern Brown Bandicoots joeys! We stumbled across the two sisters during a recent census; they had been thrown from mum’s pouch just a bit too early, and still required milk. ...Apr 07 -
Other entries by Brenton
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Baby Bison
In mid-2010, all five female Bison at Monarto Zoo were introduced to our breeding bull in the off-limits area. They were then put back onto exhibit at the end of the year, making August the latest due date for possible calves. ...Jul 13 -
Other entries by Tash
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The Excitement Builds
Karta, our Sumatran Orangutan, is due to give birth roughly around the middle of December but just like humans it wouldn't be unusual for her to give birth a couple of weeks either side of the anticipated date. With Karta's due date approaching rapidly we've been noticing quite a few changes in her behaviour. Now that she's in her last trimester, w ...Oct 25 -
Kluet and Puspa
As animal keepers, we constantly have a lot of different projects on the go at once. In the Adelaide Zoo orangutan world, we have been so busy concentrating on getting Karta ready to breed that this has become the focus of many of our training sessions as we try to get Karta accustomed to as many different gadgets and behaviours as possible. Obviou ...Jul 05 -
A Baby on the Way
Adelaide Zoo's Primate Team is happy to announce that Karta the Sumatran Orangutan is expecting a baby towards the end of the year! While it's still early days and not traditional to announce the pregnancy this early, there have been lots of whispers and questions about a possible pregnancy due to Karta's shape and size. Karta's expecting a Christ ...Jun 25 -
Orangutans Enjoy Their Presents too!
With Christmas come and gone for another year, we can safely say that the orangutans enjoyed their fair share of gifts too. We were very lucky this year, as school groups who had come into the Zoo to join out "PlanetKeeper" education program, made the orangutans some gifts of food in cardboard boxes wrapped in Christmas paper, specially made orangu ...Dec 30 -
Kluet and the Lorikeet
Kluet may be getting bigger but he is still a softy at heart. Last week, before the Zoo opened, a rainbow lorikeet flew into the glass at Immersion and fell inside the exhibit, landing in between the cement wall and the electric fence just below the main glass windows. ...Nov 29 -
Other entries by Jodie Ellen
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Kibibi, Monarto Zoo's Princess
Greetings again from the ungulate team at Monarto! Well it's been a very busy month up here as you would all be aware, these babies are certainly keeping us on our toes as they get bigger and bigger and bigger. Recently Channel 10 News ran a naming competition for our newest member of the white rhino family. Once the competition was closed we were ...Nov 05 -
Monarto Zoo Baby News
I'm sure everyone has heard the fantastic news by now but we're going to share our excitement with you all one more time. The ungulate team has been awaiting the birth of a zebra and Southern White Rhinoceros for some time now and this week they both arrived. For just over a week we have been watching our female zebra, Kenya, closely as her udder c ...Oct 05 -
Big Baby News
It seems like not so long ago I was writing to you all announcing the safe arrival of Digger, our not so little baby Southern White Rhinoceros. Well they've been at it again! That's right; the ungulate team at Monarto are thrilled to announce that in the not too distant future we should be hearing the pitter patter of not so tiny, baby rhino feet. ...Sep 25 -
Cuddling a Rhino
G'day again from the land of Digger. Since our last blog things have been going along nicely. Uhura, Umqali and Digger have been residing in the Contact Boma most days which suits Digger just fine. They have had the odd day off to allow our bull, Ibutho, the chance to run around and stretch his legs. He has taken a real shine to his 'aunty' Uhura ...Jul 08 -
It's a Boy
For some time now staff at Monarto have been eagerly waiting, and waiting, AND……waiting, the birth of a rhino calf. Monday 25th April put an end to our waiting game with the arrival of a wrinkly, big footed baby rhino. Staff arrived early ANZAC day to find mum resting inside her boma, which is unusual for that time of morning, and upon hearing s ...May 02 -
Other entries by Haidee
Dani
Horticulturist at Adelaide Zoo and Warrawong Sanctuary
Recent Posts
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Success at Warrawong's First Working Bee
What a difference a day makes when a group of dedicated staff and volunteers work together! The first ever Warrawong working bee was a huge success, with 'The Fernery' area around the café now looking lush and green, and over 7.5 tonnes of recyclable rubbish removed from the site. ...Sep 05 -
Local Plants for Local Species
This year, Adelaide Zoo celebrated World Environment Day alongside cabaret star, David Campbell, who helped plant a Grey Box (Eucalyptus microcarpa) on the tented Envirodome roof garden. World Environment Day is all about raising awareness of environmental issues and encouraging people to think and act green. ...Jun 07 -
Other entries by Dani
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Flying Foxes in Botanic Park
As you may be aware, we have a small colony of the Grey Headed Flying Fox (GHFF) roosting in Aleppo Pines in Botanic Park . This is the same colony that originally set up shop and bred in the Botanic Gardens last year. ...Jul 29 -
Other entries by Simon Habel
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Baby Gibbon (part 4)
Everything seems to be progressing well. Viet doesn't seem to be quite as careful with this baby - 2nd child syndrome?!! Gibbons carry their babies fairly low on their bellies and tuck up their legs as a bit extra support. ...Sep 22 -
Baby Gibbon (part 3)
The family group were given access to their Island exhibit for a couple of hours today. Everything went smoothly with them gently exploring their trees – unlike the usual aerobatics that we usually see. ...Sep 21 -
Baby Gibbon (part 2)
The family group seem to very settled in their cosy lockaway. Everyone is asking me what sex it is. Its going to be fairly tricky to see as she carries it securely cocooned between her belly with her legs tucked up. Eventually someone will get an opportunistic view! ...Sep 18 -
Baby Gibbon (part 1)
Finally, first thing Wednesday morning Andrew (Keeper) found Viet, our 12 year old White Cheeked Gibbon, had given birth overnight. Unlike last time (her first birth – unfortunately unsuccessful) when there had been no physical signs at all, this time, she has been ENORMOUS for what seems like months! To give her a chance to recover and to bond wi ...Sep 14 -
Enrichment is Best Served Randomly
Thought I would share some photos taken by our photographer Dave Mattner of our latest "Enrichment Day". This was Adelaide Zoos 3rd Enrichment Day. They are proving to be very popular with our visitors - and are doing a brilliant job of pushing the message out there of how important enrichment is - the need for both mental and physical stimulation ...Jun 28 -
Other entries by Mandy
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A New Face for Monarto Zoo
Monarto Zoo recently welcomed a young Bongo male from Melbourne Zoo. His name is Isaac and he will eventually be a companion animal to our current male Bongo, Rafiki. Rafiki has been living a solitary life at Monarto with the occasional visit from our two castrated male Blackbuck, Chop and Mr. Burns so the arrival of Isaac is very exciting for keep ...Feb 01 -
Cheetah Cub Update
Monarto Zoo's yet to be named Cheetah cub 'little miss' is now just over four weeks old. She is healthy, strong and continues to grow weighing in at 1,100g yesterday. She drinks 120ml of milk over 24 hours and is growing steadily. She plays quite a lot now and has started watching what goes on around her a lot more. She has been taken out into the ...Jul 05 -
Cheetah Update
Here is a cute little video of our almost 4 week old cheetah cub. She has now started to play a little after her regular milk feeds very gently batting the air and lightly chewing on her teddy. She also purrs a little louder than she used to, although you still need to listen carefully to hear it! In the background of the video you may hear a beati ...Jun 29 -
Living Under the African Stars
Well, we have successfully completed the field work with The Brown Hyena Project in Namibia for 2011. Three weeks of camping, living under the African stars and searching for hyenas in the night! We were able to dart and fit GPS collars on 4 animals over the 3 weeks. ...Jun 12 -
Darting Hyenas
Wow, what an exciting few days in the field! We have spent three nights in camp and so far we have been able to dart one Brown Hyena a night. This is very good odds and we hope our luck will continue. I will never forget these nights, such a highlight in life and career to be able to be so close to such a wild hyena. Amazing experience! ...May 17 -
Other entries by Anna
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Jingle all the Way... to Enrichment Day!
On December 17, our ever popular and ever growing Enrichment Day will be on again, this time with a festive feel and Christmas theme. This wonderfully interactive event is to showcase the importance of enrichment for captive animals, and is a useful tool for pet owners on how they can stimulate their animal's natural senses and behaviors at ho ...Nov 23 -
Manu Turns 10!
On a beautiful spring afternoon, on 1st November 2011, Adelaide Zoo’s loyal Free Flight bird celebrated a very special day. Our gorgeous Blue and Gold macaw, Manu, officially turned 10 today! ...Nov 03 -
Our Hyacinth Macaws
I will be the first to admit that I’m not the brightest when it comes to early mornings…when that alarm goes off I struggle to awake from my precious slumber. Even by the time I get to work, my ritual of strong coffee sometimes doesn’t have the desired effect and my eyelids feel as though they may need the assistance of toothpicks to hold them ...May 20 -
Other entries by Kristal
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More about Digger
Digger, the Southern White Rhino calf, is now a month old, I know it seems like only yesterday he was fifty kilograms. Mum, Umqali, and he are doing really well. Umqali continues to be an exceptional mother, responding in kind to Digger’s every demand, including being there for him when he kisses the electric fence...for the third time. ...May 23 -
Other entries by Tom
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Giant Panda trip: 17 May
Today we go home looking forward to seeing our families and friends but also slightly disappointed the journey has come to an end. We have been living and breathing Giant Pandas for the last 2 weeks and have loved every minute of it. The experience we have gained both in China and Hong Kong has been absolutely invaluable. No amount of research ...Jul 13 -
Giant Panda trip: 16 May
Today Gert and I arrived at Ocean Park Zoo and were met by the General Curator Grant Abel. Grant has worked at the park for the last 4 years and has the unique experience of working in the place that his father was involved in designing over 30 years ago. He spent a lot of his childhood at the park and is now leading the way with new developments. ...Jul 13 -
Giant Panda Trip - 17th May 2009
Today we go home looking forward to seeing our families and friends but also slightly disappointed the journey has come to an end. We have been living and breathing Giant Pandas for the last 2 weeks and have loved every minute of it. The experience we have gained both in China and Hong Kong has been absolutely invaluable. No amount of research co ...Jul 13 -
Giant Panda Trip - 16th May 2009
Today Gert and I arrived at Ocean Park Zoo and were met by the General Curator Grant Abel. Grant has worked at the park for the last 4 years and has the unique experience of working in the place that his father was involved in designing over 30 years ago. He spent a lot of his childhood at the park and is now leading the way with new developments ...Jul 13 -
Giant Panda trip: 14 May
Today we met with 2 representatives from the Panda Reserve and the Powerhouse team to discuss each organizations' different roles in moving Wang Wang and Funi to Adelaide. It was another long meeting with our interpreters working overtime to make sure there were no communication breakdowns. Many issues were discussed and we now have enough informat ...Jul 10 -
Other entries by Jason Hakof
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Chimp World
Hi all, Another quick update about how it’s all going in chimp world. If you come up and visit, stand on the viewing platform and just watch what the chimps are up to - it’s a pretty relaxed and interesting life for these guys now the girls have come to stay. On the nice sunny days you will see the girls outside in their habitat ...Dec 18 -
New Chimp Group
Hi all, Here are a few recent photos of the new chimp group in case you havn’t been able to see them in person. The girls are very settled already and the smallest one, Zwala, even told off Boyd (the alpha male) yesterday with such fierceness he screamed and ran away! ...Dec 02 -
Busy Exploring
Hey again, great to see you back here checking out what is the latest updates here at Chimp Chat. Come and visit us at Monarto Zoo! This week the chimps have been learning to use new parts of their house, mainly the raceways - these connect their night quarters to where their new outside yards will be, the big play room where you can see them ...Aug 12 -
Lava Lamps and Puppet Shows
Hi guys!! Good to see you back checking out what is new and exciting in the chimp universe here at Monarto. Ok, well a few things to tell you, I will start with a little snowball that turned into a big one! ...Jul 30 -
Update on Tsotsi and Sandali
Sandali and Tsotsi are getting on SO well... they are really loving life. I have noticed them watching the outside exhibit with anticipation and I suspect they are getting ready to explore out there!!!! They will unfortunately have to wait a bit longer as we would really like to introduce the Wellington boys into the exhibit space at the same time. ...Jul 15 -
Other entries by Cass
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Update on Wellington Zoo Chimps
Final touches has been put on preparations for the import of 2 Chimps from Wellington Zoo. This included the approval of the facility by AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service) to import and quarantine the animals at the new facility at Monarto Zoo. ...Aug 03 -
Other entries by Gert Skipper
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Tasko now $1.10 lighter
Pacifiers, plastic bags, dinosaurs, necklaces, pencils, maps and footballs are just a few of the items that have dropped into the Australian Sea Lion exhibit at Adelaide Zoo but none of these have proved as bad for our sea lions health as much as the simple coin. A coin is such an unassuming item but sitting at the bottom of a pool can look like a ...Oct 05 -
Other entries by Arliah
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Beads for Wildlife (part 3)
After leaving Lewa Downs I travelled with trust trading staff and Scouts to catch up with staff from Zoos Victoria at Melako but on the way we purchased beadwork from several conservancies and met many of the women involved. Most of this beadwork – over 25,000 units - had been ordered for Xmas sales through Zoos Victoria. The Melako area is famous ...Mar 24 -
Beads for Wildlife (part 2)
Lewa Downs was a cattle station which has been converted by the conservation-minded Craig family into a wildlife haven. While there I saw Reticulated giraffe, Grevy's and Grants Zebra, Leopard, Black and White Rhino, Grant's gazelle, Beisa oryx, Buffalo, Eland, Klipspringer, Warthogs, Olive baboons, Vervet monkeys, Somali ostrich, Crowned cranes, S ...Mar 24 -
Beads for Wildlife (part 1)
Last October I visited Northern Kenya as the guest of the Northern Rangeland Trust. This had been arranged through Zoos Victoria which already supports a community conservancy area there called Melako. The trust has been helping to facilitate community-led conservation initiatives in this region for many years and now works with Samburu, Rendile, M ...Mar 24 -
Other entries by Peter Clark
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Top 10 Tips to Catch a Wombat
1. Lady luck. Let's be honest, this can play a big factor! 2. Find your inner ninja. The quieter you run the better. Running on your toes helps, as this reduces the "thudding" sound of your feet hitting the ground. ...May 06 -
Introducing "The Wombat Wranglers"
Let me introduce to you “The Wombat Wranglers”........ Dr David Taggart (Tags)Principal Scientist.Alias = Speedy Gonzalez Tags has worked with wombats for 18 years and can tell you pretty much anything you ever wanted to know about the animals. He is the fastest runner to ever grace a burrow filled paddock - generally all you will see o ...Mar 02 -
Other entries by Elisa
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News from the Native Fauna Team
Spring can be a busy time here at Monarto, endeavouring to complete the many tasks required prior to the heat of summer. The annual medicals for many of our native animals happen around this time, with moves into new enclosures ready for the coming breeding season. These cute joeys recently had their first ever health checks! ...Dec 21 -
Flamingo Update
A follow-up Zoowatch has been done on the flamingos with a roster of volunteers stationed in front of the exhibit eight hours a day for seven days. From the data obtained there has only been a small variation in the enclosure spatial usage, the Greater Flamingo is on the lawn area for 72% of the time and in the pond for 24%. The Chilean Flamingo ...Jan 16 -
Meet the Flamingo Keeper
Hi there I'm Vaughan, the keeper normally responsible for looking after the Flamingos as well as another 300+ birds at Adelaide Zoo. I have been working here for about six years and have looked after the flamingos for about four of those years. I also used to be a volunteer guide here at the zoo for close to twenty years before that so I have a lo ...Dec 19 -
Flamingo Update
The Greater Flamingo has been doing fine all week. Its weight today is 4.04kg. Though this is down on the last weighing, it is a return to the likely standard weight. Another Zoowatch will be starting next week to enable a comparison of present behaviour to the results of the last Zoowatch post incident. ...Dec 10 -
Day 43: Flamingo Recovering
The Greater Flamingo has been doing fine all week. Its weight today is 4.04kg. Though this is down on the last weighing, it is a return to the likely standard weight. Another Zoowatch will be starting next week to enable a comparison of present behaviour to the results of the last Zoowatch post incident. ...Dec 10 -
Other entries by Vaughan
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