ZooNooz Article - September 2005

A rainforest at their feet

An exciting journey of discovery into a lush rainforest awaits visitors to Taronga's new Wild Asia. DARILL CLEMENTS reports.

Photographs Rick Stevens

For much of the walk through Wild Asia, a perfect rainforest canopy is provided by the giant, stately limbs of three heritage Small-leaved Figs that have stood on the south-west edge of the zoo escarpment for over 90 years.What changes these trees must have witnessed since they were planted on the site of Sydney's new zoo around 1914. Just to look at them reminds us of Taronga's proud history.

As the fig trees grew to their present-day scale and beauty, so Taronga Zoo developed and flourished. The trees provided shade for picnic makers and a habitat for the free-ranging squirrels that scurried around Taronga in the early days.

As the years went by, they gave shelter to miscellaneous deer and wallaby species and also provided shade for two residences that housed staff families. The track for the elephant rides wound its way in front of them and, from the late 1970s, Discovery Farm gave them some very noisy animal neighbours.

The asian rainforest exhibit (RS)

In 1999, as part of the Future Master Plan, Taronga began the exacting planning process for its most ambitious project ever - a new home for Asian rainforest animals.

Tenders were called and construction contractor John Holland Pty Ltd, under the watchful eye of Duncan Mitchell, Taronga's Project Officer, began work in February 2003 to create the $40 million Wild Asia exhibit.

The old fig trees watched as the existing animal residents were moved and rehoused, the old exhibits were demolished and over 1500 cubic metres of precious animal-manure-enriched topsoil from the site was salvaged for re-use. Even 15 of the large tree specimens that needed to be removed from the area were saved for re-use as 'furniture' in the new exhibits.

At the same time, Peter Donoghue, a Zoo Horticulture Officer, began acquiring the 24,700 plants required to provide the distinctive levels of the rainforest and to depict the variety of geographical zones including river flats, savannahs and wetlands.

Peter and his team visited nurseries from Sydney to northern New South Wales with a detailed shopping list which included 380 trees of 20 species, 4,415 middle storey specimens of 18 species, 6,353 ground storey and climber specimens, 45 tree-living plants including orchids, 500 aquatic plants and over 12,000 grasses of 15 different species.

It has been a mammoth task maintaining these rainforest plants during Sydney's long-running drought but Taronga's waste-water recycling plant has been put to good use and has kept the plants healthy and strong.

Wild Asia simulates a small village clearing situated on the edge of a river with a rainforest backdrop. Ultimately, 200 rainforest animals will live here. The centrepiece will always be the Asian Elephants but Malayan Tapirs, Francois' Langurs, Silvery Gibbons, Binturongs, Chital, Oriental Small-clawed Otters and Fishing Cats provide other fascinating examples of the eclectic array of rainforest dwellers.

If the animals swim, they have ponds or streams, often with fish, yabbies, and turtles. Each exhibit has its own water-storage tank and separate filtration treatment system to stop contamination between exhibits.

If the animals swing through the upper canopy of the rainforest, they have long stretches of vines on which to demonstrate their acrobatic prowess. If they live on the forest floor, they have dense ground cover, fallen logs and leaf litter in which to forage.

Nick de Graaff, Taronga's Exhibit Planning Manager, is enthusiastic about the huge steps forward in animal husbandry that have been incorporated in the Wild Asia project.

Lazing leopard (RS)

In all, over 40 bird species, including pheasants, egrets, parrots, and jungle fowl, will share their habitat with the mammals, just as they would in the wild. From an animal husbandry perspective, it is the ability to use the exhibits for a variety of different animals, and to be able to move the animals with ease, that are benchmarks in zoo exhibit design.

Nick and the Life Sciences staff have been sourcing additional animals from zoos in Australia and overseas, exchanging or adding new mates, to ultimately make full use of the state-of-the-art breeding facilities.

The most pressing problem facing all rainforest wildlife is the loss of habitat. Thailand alone retains only 15% of its original rainforest. And across the world only 34,000 Asian Elephants remain. Visitors will find out how zoos are helping to support ongoing elephant conservation projects in Asia and how they can become involved.

A traditional Thai village hut has been incorporated as a place for visitors, including school groups, to pause, listen and learn.The impact of the natural beauty that surrounds visitors is enhanced by the attention to detail given to the graphics and interpretive messages throughout.

Around every corner is a work of art, a sandstone sculpture, a pathway imprinted with elephant footprints, beautifully crafted friezes, portals and artefacts, mist sprays and shade pavilions. 'Whispering' poles and other audiovisual technologies tell the technologies tell the myriad tales of an Asian rainforest.Taronga's landmark fig trees, having seen decades of change, now have a rainforest and its inhabitants flourishing at their feet.

They look very comfortable in this new role. One tree seems to have even embraced the life-sized model of a leopard that lazes in its branches!

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