Werribee Open Range Zoo
Encyclopedia
Werribee Open Range Zoo is an African themed zoo in Werribee, about 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) south-west of Melbourne
, Victoria, Australia
. It is part of the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board or 'Zoos Victoria' which also includes Melbourne Zoo
and Healesville Sanctuary
. It is situated on approximately 225 hectares (556 acre) and is located on the Werribee River
in Werribee Park
, adjacent to the Werribee Mansion. It was originally agistment land to the Melbourne Zoo.
Once visitors have entered the Open Range Zoo, they can book for and take a safari bus tour which runs according to the expected demand - usually at least every twenty minutes on weekends and public holidays. The safari tour normally lasts 45 min and takes up to 70 people, not including the guide. Photos are encouraged, but drinking, eating and smoking are not allowed on the bus. The safari tour begins and ends at the bus shelter near the Meerkat Bistro and Function Centre. The safari tour includes animals such as the hippo
, animals of the grassland, like zebra
, waterbuck
, giraffe
, ostrich
, and rhinoceros
, as well as the camel
and the oryx
. The animals are kept 'open range,' however, often young are not released until they have bonded with the mother.
There is also a simulated African village, with educational and entertaining features, including a mock scenario of an African ranger and his adventures tracking lions, and an interactive soundscape walk with simulated lion sounds surrounding the walker. There are two independent trails that visitors may follow in addition to the safari tour: the Pula Reserve Walking Trail (800 metres/approximately 40 minutes) which focuses on African animals, including lion
s, Vervet Monkey
s, Cheetah
s and meerkat
s, and the Volcanic Plains Walk (500 metres/approximately 30 minutes), which focuses on Australian animals, like the wallaby and kangaroo.
Educational institutions may use the Learning Centre and the zoo's educational programs to further reinforce the learning experience. Various programs are offered, and teach more about the history and geography of animals in their environments. The Learning Centre is close to the entry of the park, as are the toilets and first aid.
In addition to the standard safari tour, visitors can also book various 'specialty' tours, including the open vehicle adventure or a close encounters with lions, rhinos or giraffe. Due to their popularity, it is recommended that visitors considering these tours phone in advance to make a booking.
Werribee Open Range Zoo also has an animal/adoption sponsorship program which is used for gifts and other altruistic purposes.
In April 2008 it was announced that a theme park known as African Safari World
was proposed to be built within the grounds of the zoo. On July 1 2008 the proposed theme park plans were discarded.
Westrans Altona has one bus that is dressed to advertise the zoo. The advertisement covers the entire bus, and leaves no white space or logos on the bus, apart from a small logo on the front. It can mostly be seen serving route 413 in the afternoon.
, as these are not shown to the public and are located in the old Gorilla exhibit. The new public display Gorilla habitat will be a huge 10,000m2 sanctuary that features wide-open spaces, climbing structures and indoor facilities. Once operational, this new Gorilla facility at Werribee will enable Zoos Victoria to provide best-practice care for the Bachelor Gorillas and confirm the organisation's reputation as a world leader in Gorilla management.. The Victorian Government recently gave $1.5m to support the construction of this $2.2m facility, and Zoos Victoria Foundation is seeking public support to help raise the remaining $700,000 through the Gorillas in the West campaign. It has also been stated that Chimpanzee
s also will be coming to Werribee. Melbourne Zoo
moved their Chimpanzees to Taronga Zoo
10 years ago. In 2010, the Zoo made national headlines over the Gorilla enclosure when popular comedy duo Hamish & Andy
dressed in Gorilla suits and played with radio controlled cars and golf clubs as part of a television special. Some viewers believed the Zoo to be attempting to con them and complained.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is part of the Zoological Parks and Gardens Board or 'Zoos Victoria' which also includes Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, contains more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world. The zoo is north of the centre of Melbourne. It is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram...
and Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary
Healesville Sanctuary, or the Sir Colin MacKenzie Fauna Park, is a zoo specializing in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville in rural Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one of only two places to have successfully bred a platypus, the other...
. It is situated on approximately 225 hectares (556 acre) and is located on the Werribee River
Werribee River
The Werribee River is located on the plain west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The headwaters of a tributary, the Lerderderg River, are north of Ballan near Daylesford and it flows across the basalt plain, through the suburb of Werribee to enter Port Phillip. A linear park follows the Werribee...
in Werribee Park
Werribee Park
Werribee Park is the estate of a historical building in Werribee, Victoria, Australia. It includes Werribee Park Mansion, the Victoria State Rose Garden, formal gardens, the Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre, the Werribee Open Range Zoo, a contemporary sculpture walk and a natural riverine...
, adjacent to the Werribee Mansion. It was originally agistment land to the Melbourne Zoo.
Once visitors have entered the Open Range Zoo, they can book for and take a safari bus tour which runs according to the expected demand - usually at least every twenty minutes on weekends and public holidays. The safari tour normally lasts 45 min and takes up to 70 people, not including the guide. Photos are encouraged, but drinking, eating and smoking are not allowed on the bus. The safari tour begins and ends at the bus shelter near the Meerkat Bistro and Function Centre. The safari tour includes animals such as the hippo
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, animals of the grassland, like zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
, waterbuck
Waterbuck
The Waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.Waterbuck stand at the shoulder. Males weigh and females . Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and white on their rumps...
, giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
, ostrich
Ostrich
The Ostrich is one or two species of large flightless birds native to Africa, the only living member of the genus Struthio. Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species apart from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a...
, and rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
, as well as the camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
and the oryx
Oryx
Oryx is one of four large antelope species of the genus Oryx. Three of the species are native to arid parts of Africa, with a fourth native to the Arabian Peninsula. Their pelage is pale with contrasing dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight...
. The animals are kept 'open range,' however, often young are not released until they have bonded with the mother.
There is also a simulated African village, with educational and entertaining features, including a mock scenario of an African ranger and his adventures tracking lions, and an interactive soundscape walk with simulated lion sounds surrounding the walker. There are two independent trails that visitors may follow in addition to the safari tour: the Pula Reserve Walking Trail (800 metres/approximately 40 minutes) which focuses on African animals, including lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, Vervet Monkey
Vervet Monkey
The vervet monkey , or simply vervet, is an Old World monkey of the family Cercopithecidae native to Africa. The term "vervet" is also used to refer to all the members of the genus Chlorocebus....
s, Cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s and meerkat
Meerkat
The meerkat or suricate, Suricata suricatta, is a small mammal belonging to the mongoose family. Meerkats live in all parts of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, in much of the Namib Desert in Namibia and southwestern Angola, and in South Africa. A group of meerkats is called a "mob", "gang" or "clan"...
s, and the Volcanic Plains Walk (500 metres/approximately 30 minutes), which focuses on Australian animals, like the wallaby and kangaroo.
Educational institutions may use the Learning Centre and the zoo's educational programs to further reinforce the learning experience. Various programs are offered, and teach more about the history and geography of animals in their environments. The Learning Centre is close to the entry of the park, as are the toilets and first aid.
In addition to the standard safari tour, visitors can also book various 'specialty' tours, including the open vehicle adventure or a close encounters with lions, rhinos or giraffe. Due to their popularity, it is recommended that visitors considering these tours phone in advance to make a booking.
Werribee Open Range Zoo also has an animal/adoption sponsorship program which is used for gifts and other altruistic purposes.
In April 2008 it was announced that a theme park known as African Safari World
African Safari World
African Safari World was a proposed amusement park and zoo, to replace the Werribee Open Range Zoo, southwest of Melbourne, Australia. Warner Village Theme Parks, who already own and operate several properties on the Gold Coast in Queensland, was behind the proposal. The park was scheduled to open...
was proposed to be built within the grounds of the zoo. On July 1 2008 the proposed theme park plans were discarded.
Westrans Altona has one bus that is dressed to advertise the zoo. The advertisement covers the entire bus, and leaves no white space or logos on the bus, apart from a small logo on the front. It can mostly be seen serving route 413 in the afternoon.
Gorilla Exhibit
The zoo is planning on getting the three retired breeding gorillas at Melbourne ZooMelbourne Zoo
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, contains more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world. The zoo is north of the centre of Melbourne. It is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram...
, as these are not shown to the public and are located in the old Gorilla exhibit. The new public display Gorilla habitat will be a huge 10,000m2 sanctuary that features wide-open spaces, climbing structures and indoor facilities. Once operational, this new Gorilla facility at Werribee will enable Zoos Victoria to provide best-practice care for the Bachelor Gorillas and confirm the organisation's reputation as a world leader in Gorilla management.. The Victorian Government recently gave $1.5m to support the construction of this $2.2m facility, and Zoos Victoria Foundation is seeking public support to help raise the remaining $700,000 through the Gorillas in the West campaign. It has also been stated that Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s also will be coming to Werribee. Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, contains more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world. The zoo is north of the centre of Melbourne. It is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram...
moved their Chimpanzees to Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on 7 October 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman...
10 years ago. In 2010, the Zoo made national headlines over the Gorilla enclosure when popular comedy duo Hamish & Andy
Hamish & Andy
Hamish & Andy are an Australian comedy duo formed in 2003 by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. They currently host the radio program The Hamish & Andy Show which airs in Australia on the Today Network....
dressed in Gorilla suits and played with radio controlled cars and golf clubs as part of a television special. Some viewers believed the Zoo to be attempting to con them and complained.