Tasmania Zoo
Tasmania Zoo is a zoo located in Launceston, in the Australian state of Tasmania. Situated on of old growth native bushland, it is home to the state's largest collection of native and exotic animals. Tasmania Zoo is a fully accredited member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association, working closely with all Australasian zoos, and are involved in various species management programs. History The zoo was opened in 2003 by Richard Warren and daughter Rochelle Penney. Warren created the Tasmania Zoo as a "legacy to Tasmania" to educate the community. His daughter said about her father after his death in 2018, he "had a special affinity for animals who were on the endangered list. “'He wanted to create the zoo so he could show these exotic and endangered animals and people from Tasmania could see them right here in the state.... Over the past 15 years, Dad’s small fauna park has grown from native wildlife to now include exotic and threatened species and participates in formal conservation programs'". Exhibits & Species Exhibits include Tasmanian devils, bare-nosed wombats, Sumatran tigers, African lions, servals, caracals, quolls, emus, koalas, eastern grey kangaroos, reptiles and monkeys. They exhibit the second largest collection of primates in any private zoo in Australia. Along with over 100 other species & 1000 individual animals. Conservation work carried out by the zoo includes a breeding program for Tasmanian devils called Devil's Heaven. The first red panda for Tasmania arrived at the zoo in 2017. Mandu was born in 2015 at the Melbourne Zoo. In 2018 the zoo received sibling Sumatran tigers, Cinta and Jalur. The pair had lived in Symbio Wildlife Park in Sydney since they were two-years old, they celebrated their tenth birthday before leaving Symbio Park. The Tasmanian Zoo head keeper, Emma Morgan said that they had been preparing for their arrival for a long time. The winters are colder in Tasmania than Sydney, "They do have nice heated dens, comfy beds and they have a nice thick coat as well." Morgan says that the zoo has housed large cats before and are prepared. On Christmas day 2019 the zoo received three golden lion tamarins, Fraggle, Mokey and Olmec. Native to Brazil, these monkeys came from Mogo Zoo in New South Wales. The three are all male, but as they are an endangered species the zoo hopes to receive a female for breeding. Sister cheetahs Zari and Tafara were new additions to the zoo in January 2020. The zoo had built an enclosure in 2012 and finally has residents. The cheetahs came from Monarto Zoo in South Australia. In October 2020 the zoo unveiled an electronic tyrannosaurus rex that had been housed at the Queen Victoria Museum. The t-rex weighs 700 kilograms and was too large to travel when the Queen Victoria Museum exhibit moved to New Zealand. In October 2021, an 18 month old male snow leopard named Sikari arrived at the zoo. The zoo is available for birthday parties and private events. Animal encounters and "adoptions"