Welcome !

Welcome !
19-10-2003

Welcome all !

Just thought I'd start the ball rolling with an introduction and let you know why I started these forums and what I plan to do with them.

My name is Simon (or Sim' as I prefer to be called). I work in the information technology industry doing technical sales support and enablement work. I have had quite a bit of experience in running discussion forums over the last 18 months or so - I also manage the Somersoft Property Investment Forums for Jan and Ian Somers.

My wife and I enjoy visiting zoos around the world - it's one of the hobbies we share - something we can do together.

We like to try and keep up with events at the various zoos we have visited - for example, since we were at the Melbourne Zoo around the time the gorilla Yakini was born, my wife has made an effort to keep up with her development.

Given that we don't get to Melbourne as often as we would like, I figured an online discussion community to share news, experiences and information about things like this would be a great idea.

Although we are mostly focussed on zoos in Australia, we do try and visit zoos in other parts of the world when possible, so I am keen to extend the boundaries of this forum to zoos around the world.

Naturally I also would like to include Aquariums and Wildlife Parks, and indeed any publically accessible facility which provides care and research for animals, birds and marine life.

I've started with a simple structure for this forum, and I'll add discussion areas once we start to grow and we can see what topics would be best suited to having their own dedicated forum.

I intend to add a photo gallery in the near future, so people can easily upload and manage photos of their trips to the zoo and of their favourite animals.

So, welcome, join in the discussion, and have a great time !

08-01-2004

Hi There
I have just discovered this forum and thought, I've found a type of heaven. I am zoo nut, passionate about them all that they do. So much so that I have created a website about Australian and New Zealand Zoos
You can view it at
http://www.angelfire.com/ab5/ozzoos
Let me know what you think and any suggestions for the site.
Sim I think it is great to have a forum to discuss zoos
Jay

08-01-2004

Welcome jay, great website you've got going there - looks really good.

We'd certainly appreciate your input and knowledge on zoos in the region on the forum - glad you joined up !

As I expand my site, I'll get a link database up and running, and I'll be sure to make sure your site is included.

09-01-2004

Welcome Jay........and well done with your great site.

One slight complaint.......why does Healesville Sanctuary not rate a mention in your list of Victorian Zoos? As it is my home zoo, I thought I should point out this little oversight. It's a great place!!

http://www.zoo.org.au/visiting.cfm?zoo_id=2

Looking forward to lots of your input.

Ruby

19-01-2004

Jay!

Great work. I'm still trying to find the time to read the posting on this site, so my appologies for the delay!

__________________
Granville Westecott

greetings from NZ
23-01-2004

I will try to help out where anyone has any queries about NZ zoos

23-01-2004

I agree , especially for non Australians who want to see Koalas , Wombats , Kangaroos etc . I know these are common animals for you in Australia , but even I find Kangaroos fascinating , and have seen them quite often

23-01-2004

That's great Nigel - welcome, and thanks for contributing.

I do a few trips a year to New Zealand for work - and I enjoy the time I spend there. Unfortunately I rarely get to travel outside Auckland or Wellington. I'm hoping to spend a couple of weeks on the south island at some stage in the next couple of years - but I'm probably going to have to pay for it myself - not much call for me to head that way for work.

Any tips on zoos and such to see at towns within easy reach of Auckland or Wellington ? I could manage a day trip or an overnight stay fairly easily if I were to stay a couple of extra days at the end of a trip and hire a car.

Sim'

24-01-2004

OK , lets start with Auckland .
Kelly Tarltons this is an underwater/aquiriam adventure that is built in what was disused sewage/stormwater tanks about 6 km East of Downtown Auckland . As it is under ground , best take public transport (bus)to it , so the driver can show you exactly where to go -- you could easily miss the entrance as it is not much bigger than your average bathroom .
Although fairly expensive , it does have a unique style to it .
The first part is an Antarctic setting , with Shakletons hut faithfully reproduced . There are some windows where you can see King penguins living in the "freezer" It is about minus 10 degrees inside there . Fortunately you dont have to brave the cold as they have a chain of Hum-v tractor vehicles that they use down in Antarctica ( I dont know the proper term for them )
They are automatically driven , so you can view the penguins up really close -- up to 3 inches from you -- they are relatively people friendly/curious so you can study them closely and photograph them .....
The second part is the aquiriam and shark/ray tanks , with a moving footway .... Awesome stuff

Hamilton is approx 1 hour easy drive South of Auckland . They have a zoo on the edge of the city . A car is really needed to get there ( although it is possible to get 1 km away on a bus route ) I think the price is $6.00 which is very good value compared to other zoo prices in NZ .
Dont be put off by the meagre collection of cages near the entrance -- the rest of the zoo is on par with Melbourne zoo as far as spaciousness is concerned for the animals . The only thing they dont display is a kiwi . You could easily spend a whole day in this zoo -- it is on a hillside , but not as steep as Taronga zoo . Their pride and joy is their immense walk through aviary -- it is easy to forget that you are in a "bird cage " inside there .

About 30 minutes drive South of Hamilton is a village of Otorohanga which has NZs best bird collection . Especially kiwi -- and it is garunteed that you WILL see at least one ( unlike the really dark Nocturnal house at Wellington zoo ) It also has many other native birds in NZ in a forest like setting .

North of Wellington ( about 30 minute drive ) is Waikanae town . It has Nga Manu bird park . It is not as good as Otorohanga but its pleasant enough on a good day . The owner might bring the tuatara out for you to stroke .
What is a tuatara ? It looks like a blue tailed lizard wrapped in armour , but in reality it is the worlds last survivor of the dinosaur ! Despite its armour appearance , the skin is very soft .

A day trip from Wellington ( part of it over an incredibly large hill -- Mountain to an Australian ) about 3 hours drive each way is Mount Bruce Sanctuary . Its forte is endangered NZ wildlife -- the rarer the better . It is not interested in anything else . If you want to see rare NZ birds , this is the place to go .

If I get enough notice , I will be quite happy to meet up with you and be a guide .

01-12-2007

Hello Sim, just come across your very interesting forum. I worked for Chester Zoo for years and now run a small business helping zoos alla aound the world accessing grants and external funds of various sorts. In addition to my own website John Regan Associates, I also run two blogs:
funding: zoos; aquaria; botanic gardens: nature sites. Tel: 00 44 (0)161 4341681, and
The “What Could Zoos Be…?” Forum.

Perhaps the latter will be of most interest to your forum users, as I am guessing they are most zoo enthusiasts, rather than zoo professionals..?

The Manifesto for Zoos is an UK focussed doc looking to lay out all the kinds of benefits good zoos and allied organisations can offer to Society, and can be downloaded from my site.

I am not an especially skilled e-forum user, so if I have put this comment in the wrong place, someone tell me!!