Australia So Much to See
Western Plains Dubbo Zoo, New South Wales
Takhi (Prezewalkski's Horse), features in prehistoric cave art across Mongolia. Takhi are today classified as endangered in
the wild, but were once extinct with the last horses sighted in the 1960s. Since their re-introduction into Mongolia, their
main threats are habitat loss and low genetic diversity. Before populations dwindled, these horses spanned regions in Germany,
Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mongolia and China.
Addax, also known as the white antelope and the screwhorn antelope, lives in the Sahara desert. The Addax is a critically endangered
species of antelope
Primarily a grazer with some browse, this antelope can survive without drinking water almost indefinitely,
getting moisture from their food and dew that condenses on plants.
Addax have survived their harsh environment for more than
a million years and at times have been found over eight million square kilometres of desert. Due to hunting since the advent
of guns, they have been almost exterminated in the wild. They have magnificent wavy horns (at right).
Persian Onager is not a stubborn donkey but a speedy horse. The fastest member of the horse family, they are able to sustain
a fifty kilometres per hour pace and are capable of short bursts at seventy kilometres per hour. They are native to Iran, where these
Onager travel long distances to reach feeding grounds in the winter and to find water in summer. This desert dwelling horse
is listed as endangered, with no more than 600 individuals left in the wild.
An enormous Galapagos Tortoise (at left).
Galapagos Tortoises can live for over 150 years. The largest Galapagos
tortoises can weigh over 400 kilograms. Galapagos Tortoises are one of the longest living animals. The oldest recorded tortoise
lived to 175 years old in captivity. This ancient species can live to over 100 years old in the wild.
Due to hunting for
food and predation of eggs and young by introduced predators, the Tortoises are a threatened species. Ten of the original fifteen
species are surviving. Breeding in captivity and releasing is helping numbers increase. They eat a wide variety of leaves,
berries, lichens, grass and woody shrubs.
Come on in – the water is fine. Asian Otters heading for a swim (at left).
Oriental Small-clawed Otters swim so fast that
they were difficult to capture on camera. These Asian Otters inhabit mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands in South and Southeast
Asia. They live in extended family groups with only the alpha pair breeding; offspring from previous years help to raise the young.
A White Handed (Lar) Gibbon shows off on the high trapeze for the visitors. These agile aerial acrobats are popular zoo inhabitants.
Endangered in the wild due mainly to loss of habitat, they are found in Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand and in the
northwest portion of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
Their range historically extended from southwest China to Thailand and Burma
south to the whole Malay Peninsula in primary and secondary tropical rain forests. Lar Gibbons are believed to be extinct in China.
Zebra with they clean black and white stripes are always family favourites. Here are a families with their foal.
Animals are in paddocks enclosed with electric fences, which are hardly visible standing on the surrounding bank for viewing (at right).
Each animal's stripes are unique to that animal. No two are exactly alike, although each species has its own basic pattern. There have even been rare recordings of foals with spots being born. The common plains zebra stands about 1.2 to 1.3 metres
at the shoulder, and can weigh up to 350 kilograms with males being slightly bigger than females.
Zebra are generally slower
than horses, but their great stamina helps them outrun predators. When chased, a zebra will zig-zag from side to side, making
it more difficult for the predator to attack. When cornered, the zebra will rear up and kick or bite its attacker. Zebras graze
in large herds.
Resources
Signage at the sites
Perth Zoo – Galapagos Tortoise Factsheet
