Elephant welfare pledge in million dollar deal
From the November 2006 edition of Agriculture Today.
The arrival of the Asian elephants that will complete Taronga Zoo’s new $38 million Wild Asia rainforest exhibit will galvanise visitors to support the zoo’s conservation work for these magnificent creatures.
As they wait out the three-month quarantine period in the Cocos Islands, these elephants would be blissfully unaware of the work that has gone into ensuring their welfare is taken care of in Australia.
NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has had a major role in the approval process, working closely with Taronga Zoo over the past three years to ensure all the elephants’ needs are provided.
NSW DPI project officer for animal welfare, Stephen Jackson, said the Exhibited Animals Protection Act provides direction for all new exhibits in NSW, to ensure they meet the highest standards.
“Animal welfare is the primary consideration and the department’s role is to work with zoos and fauna parks to help them satisfy all the requirements of the Act,” Dr Jackson said.
“Taronga has created two large water bodies to allow the elephants to bathe and swim, planted an extensive forest of 17,500 rainforest trees, shrubs and grasses, and there’s an enormous barn that has a heating system for cold weather.
“There will be five young elephants in this exhibit, one male and four females, which are due to arrive in Australia in late November.
“These young elephants will be pampered and walked around the zoo for exercise and for additional behaviour enrichment.”
Meanwhile, it has been an exciting time for the Sydney Aquarium, with the opening of its new $50 million facility at Darling Harbour known as the Sydney Wildlife World.
It features koalas, yellow-footed rock-wallabies, southern hairynosed wombats, spotted-tailed quolls, brushtail possums, sugar gliders, bilbies, cassowary and various flighted birds, numerous snakes, lizards and various insects, including a large butterfly house.
Dr Jackson said each of the exhibits aims to replicate the wild, with vegetation from habitats where various Australian native fauna species are normally found. Sand has been trucked in from Central Australia for several exhibits to make them look authentic.
Contact Dr Stephen Jackson, Orange, (02) 6391 3474.
