Scimitar-horned Oryx, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Scimitar-horned Oryx, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Our local zoo here in Murray Bridge South Australia is Monarto open range zoo, with most of the animals on display kept in large paddocks where they are free to wander. Visitors to the zoo are escorted through the various enclosures on shuttle buses which run every few minutes throughout the day. Excellent views of all the animals can be obtained through the large bus windows. This is accompanied by excellent commentary given by volunteer guides.
The zoo takes its logo from the animal featured here, the Scimitar-horned Oryx. This species once ranged over all of North Africa but has not been sighted in the wild for over 15 years and is now considered extinct in its natural environment. It is conservation programmes like this at Monarto (and other) zoos which is so valuable, and the main reason I enjoy supporting their work.
In their natural habitat of steppes and desert, these oryx would eat shrubs, leaves, grass and fruit. They would form large mixed herds and were able to withstand extreme heat by being able to regulate their body temperature and the retention of water. They could survive for weeks in the desert without drinking. Sadly they were hunted for their horns and this resulted in their extinction in the wild.
Scimitar-horned Oryx, Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffe at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Our local zoo is just a few kilometres down the road from our home in Murray Bridge. Monarto Zoo is a part of the Adelaide Zoo here in South Australia. We try to get to both of them several times a year, seeing they are so close. They are also world class zoos incorporating both the latest techniques in displaying the animals and in the conservation of endangered species.
Giraffes at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffes at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffes at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Giraffes at Monarto Zoo, South Australia
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
Bendigo Botanic Gardens
On my last visit to Bendigo I had a brief visit to the Bendigo Botanic Gardens. We had on previous occasions stopped here for either morning tea or lunch. Some years ago this was a very pleasant, well mantained park with a pleasing collection of native and exotic plants.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Swamp Wallaby enclosure
A feature of the gardens was the large pond – a small lake really – filled regularly by the nearby Bendigo Creek. This lake was home to a wide range of native and introduced water birds, adding to the attractiveness of the park. On this visit however, the lake was completely dry, with no birds.
Centrally located were also several large aviaries containing a range of native and exotic birds. By stretching one’s imagination and generosity of spirit, one could consider calling this a very small zoo. A more accurate description would have been to call it a small fauna park.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Swamp Wallabies
On this latest visit I was very disappointed at the poor state of the whole gardens, and the deplorable state of the animal collection. Either you have animals and birds on display in an attractive way – or you have none at all. The sad, run-down condition of the wallaby enclosure spoke volumes. Whoever is in charge either has no interest in the display or no budget to improve things – probably both.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Bird aviary
The large ugly looking aviary in the photo above shows the cockatoo enclosure. It was once a monkey cage. at least that would be mildly interesting. The poor parrots in it were quite bored and most of the species represented could easily be seen outside in the natural environment by any amateur birder.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Bird aviary
To be fair to the local authorities, the region has been undergoing severe drought conditions over the last decade. The drastic water restrictions meant that the lake could not be filled, nor could the exgtensive lawns be watered much. Many of the exotic plants were showing signs of stress.
Bendigo Botanic Gardens - Sulphur-crested cockatoos
Since my visit the local city council has announced a total revamp, extension and upgrading of the botanic gardens. This is long overdue. The plans can be seen here.
Further reading:
- White Hills Botanic Gardens Bendigo – plenty of background information and photos of the gardens.
- A visit to Bendigo – article on my birding blog
Central Zoo Kathmandu
Thursday 19th January 2006.
 This morning I woke with a headache, the first for the whole trip. After taking a paracetamol and having a good breakfast I was fine. I then had a rumbly tummy for a while but by 10am I was feeling a lot better. I have been surprised that I haven’t had any other headaches along the way and my stomach upsets have been quite mild. With all the different foods I have eaten, some of it very spicy, I though that I may have had more problems.
 Central Zoo, Kathmandu , Nepal
I tried to access my email but all internet access was unavailable. Mid morning I used one of the hotel drivers to take me to Central Zoo. The entry fee was Rs100 (A$2) plus Rs10 for my camera. The zoo in Kathmandu is a sad, run-down affair. It looks tired and few changes seem to have occurred since it was built in the Nineteenth Century. In fact, many of the cages are 19th Century in style with no attempts apparent to bring the exhibits up to modern standards. Despite these criticisms I spent two very pleasant hours wandering around the enclosures. The bars and wire fences made photography a challenge but I managed to get some very good shots.
The main purpose of visiting the zoo was to view the many animals and birds of Nepal I missed seeing in the wild. I was disappointed that they didn’t have any Red Pandas in their collection. This is one of my favourite animals and Nepal is a stronghold of this wonderful animal.
 Patan
After leaving the zoo I walked down the hill from there for about a half hour. This gave me another area of the city to explore as I went along. Being the only foreigner in that part of Patan I was the centre of attention. Many people at the zoo had also stared at me as well as my expensive looking camera. One man even spoke to me in good English and made his son shake my hand and practice speaking English to me. He was delighted to find out that I was an Australian. At least there is one country where Australians are looked up to and respected. As I walked along the street I was acutely aware of the stench of sewage. Sure enough, looking down some broken parts of the path revealed the source of the smell.