African Wild Dogs, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
African Wild Dogs, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Monarto Zoo near Murray Bridge in South Australia has a large pack of African Wild Dogs on display. These colourfully marked animals are native to large parts of southern Africa. Sadly, their numbers have dwindled in recent decades and they number about 5000 individuals in the wild. Some packs are so small they are no longer viable breeding groups. Zoos like Monarto are therefore a key to the conservation of this species. You can read further about this species on the Adelaide Zoo website here.
On my recent visit the pack was resting right on the track taken by the shuttle bus, allowing excellent photos of the animals. I noticed that the dog shown below has a small wound on the back rump. I guess life can be rugged in a wild dog pack.
Further reading:
- African Wild Dogs – from the Adelaide Zoo website.
- Monarto Zoo
- ZooChat Forums – features nearly 1000 zoos from all over the world, with over 100,000 photos.
- Archived articles – more articles I’ve written about zoo animals.
African Wild Dogs, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
African Wild Dogs, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffes at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffe at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
The giraffe herd at Monarto Zoo here in South Australia is quite large. They have bred successfully over recent years and now number well over twenty. I took these photos on a recent visit and I love the shot above. One of the giraffes came up close to the shuttle bus and posed for me, looking straight at the camera on cue. I zoomed in and just captured its head.
Monarto Zoo near Murray Bridge is the largest open range zoo of its type in the world. It is about 45 minutes’ drive from the Adelaide city centre and is a part of Zoos South Australia.
Further reading:
- Giraffes – information about giraffes
- Monarto Zoo – web page of the zoo
- Adelaide Zoo – web page of the zoo
- ZooChat Forums – information about nearly 1000 zoos around the world.
- Archived articles – more articles I’ve written about zoos I have visited
The last 2 photos show a giraffe drinking. To do this they have to splay out their front legs in quite an ungainly manner. It is at this point that giraffes are most vulnerable and can easily be taken by animals like lions. The animal nearby is a Blackbuck.
Giraffe at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffe at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffe at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Chital Deer, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Chital Deer, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Monarto Zoo, just a few kilometres from my home in Murray Bridge, is a part of the Adelaide Zoo. Until the 1980s Monarto was a farm, but in the 1990s it became an open range zoo, now the largest of its type in the world.This zoo has a large collection of Chital Deer and similar species like Blackbuck, Addax and Scimitar-horned Oryx.
Further reading:
- Chital Deer – on the Monarto Zoo webpage
- Monarto Zoo – more information about the zoo
- Adelaide Zoo
- ZooChat Forums – about zoos all over the world with over 100,000 photos.
- Archived articles – about zoos I have visited
Chital Deer, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Chital Deer, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Chapman’s Zebra at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Chapman's Zebra, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Our local Monarto Zoo has a small herd of Chapman’s Zebra on display. On my recent visit I had trouble getting good photos of these lovely animals due to the reflections of the sunlight on the windows of the shuttle bus. These buses take visitors on guided tours throughout the open range zoo, and the public is allowed to alight from these buses at many points and take the walking trails through the mallee scrubland between enclosures.
Further reading:
- Archived articles – there are many links to previous articles about my visits to zoos.
- ZooChat Forums – my son’s web site about nearly 1000 zoos from around the world, including over 100,000 photos of animals and zoos.
- Monarto Zoo – more information from their web page.
Chapman's Zebra, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Rhino at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Rhino at Monarto Zoo
The Rhino is the largest animal on display at Monarto Zoo near Murray Bridge in South Australia. This is an open range zoo, the largest of its type in the world and only a ten minute drive from my home.
Monarto Zoo is a part of our state’s major zoo, the Adelaide Zoo. Many improvements have been made since it came into being in the early 1990s. There are many walking trails through the mallee scrub land surrounding the enclosures, and shuttle buses ferry visitors from one exhibit to the next, or take them on guided bus tours through the park.
Further reading:
- Monarto Zoo its web page with details of location, entrance fees and details of the animals.
- Adelaide Zoo – its web page with plenty of details.
- ZooChat Forums – my son’s web page featuring nearly 1000 zoos from around the world. It includes over 100,000 photos.
- Archived stories – more articles from my archives.
Post updated September 2015.
Rhino at Monarto zoo