Visiting the Johannesburg Zoo, It's All About African Wildlife
I actually don't like seeing animals in captivity... BUT...
There is, near to the town in which I live, a Lion Park. This is more of a game reserve but I discovered some years back that the "zoo" that they have at the reserve is where a certain Brian Boswell who had for many years been the owner of Boswell Wilkie's Circus, sent the circus animals after retiring them from the ring. I, not thinking anything otherwise, took my children when they were very little to this "zoo" and what I saw there made me cringe, cry and almost vomit. That was it for me! Never again - and I have stuck to this conviction, until it was suggested I visit the Johannesburg Zoo.
My initial reaction was "Absolutely NOT!" but the suggestion to visit the zoo came from very influential and highly respected Wildlife Conservationists, who were very quick to assure me that the zoo housed animals that had been injured, caught in snares, etc, and were there for rehabilitation, and, if they could not be released back into their natural habitat for one reason or another, they would remain at the zoo to live out their lives in safety and security in habitat as close to their own as you could possibly find - in the middle of a city!
I hasten to add at this point I was not disappointed. In fact I was so pleasantly surprised that I promised the children at the end of our trip that one day when we are able to spend the entire day there, I would return to the zoo, prepared for the wonders we would see!
The Johannesburg Zoo is a zoo in Johannesburg, South Africa. Established in 1904, it has traditionally been owned and operated by the City of Johannesburg. However, it has recently been turned into a corporation and registered as a Section 21 non-profit organization. Being South Africa and the challenges we have faced nationally, this could be interesting!
The zoo is dedicated to the accommodation, enrichment, husbandry, and medical care of wild animals, and houses approximately 3000 different species.
It is one of the few places in the world with white lions (a genetic mutation of African lions), and has had considerable success in their breeding. Sadly I believe that they are bred to meet the demands of other zoos.
Notwithstanding this,the Johannesburg Zoo is also the only zoo in South Africa to have successfully bred Siberian Tigers, the largest cats in the world. "Twist" the male Siberian, weighs 320 kg, and is the father of all the Siberian Tigers to be found in South Africa. Unfortunately when I visited the zoo, Twist was hiding in the foliage :)
All photographs taken by me unless specifically referenced :)
Due to requirements in the Deed of Gift under which the land for the Johannesburg Zoo and the neighboring Zoo Lake was acquired, the zoo, and neighboring park, is one of very few public areas that was never segregated during Apartheid in South Africa.
Max the Hero~!!
Max, was a Western Lowland Gorilla held at the Johannesburg Zoo who became famous in 1997 after being shot and wounded by Isaac Mofokeng, a criminal that entered his enclosure at the zoo while attempting to evade police.Max was born on 6 March 1978, in Germany's famous Frankfurt Zoo and died 5 May 2004, at the Johannesburg Zoo.
A bronze statue of Max has been erected near the gorilla enclosure in the zoo. He is fondly remembered by all South Africans who fell in love with this giant, gentle creature!
Makoko, a gorilla from the Munster Zoo in Germany, replaced Max as Lisa's partner.
A good Zoo - find out why....
The Joburg Zoo has several modern animal exhibits and educational centres. Johannesburg zoo adds a great deal of value to the community in terms of providing a safe family-orientated environment where people can get close to nature in the heart of the city. Hundreds of thousands of people visit the zoo each year. Many of them may never get the chance to see indigenous South African animals in the wild, let alone those like bears and pandas that come from different continents. By showing visitors these amazing animals and educating them to care for our planet the Zoo plays an important role in the community. In particular by teaching children the importance of conserving resources such as water, wildlife and energy it positively influences the attitudes of the next generation towards the environment.
The welfare of the animals is an absolute priority and every effort is made to ensure that they are provided with interesting enclosures and are kept in appropriate social groups that allow them to express their natural behaviours.
Their husbandry, diets and veterinary care are of the highest standards.
By providing an opportunity for people to get close to and learn about the variety of animals that share our planet with, zoos can inspire people to care for and protect them. Johannesburg Zoo teaches people to respect animals and also participate in conservation and welfare campaigns.
Their veterinarians use their expertise to treat a wide variety of sick or injured animals brought to the Zoo. Many of these are successfully treated and eventually released back into the wild. Some that are too badly injured or so used to humans, are given a good home in the Zoo or any other recognized animal facility.
Info adapted from Jhb Zoo.Org
Please give your honest opinion...
The Johannesburg Zoo (and other Sanctuaries throughout South Africa) become safe havens for abused, neglected animals, and those who have been rescued or retired from performing.
Should these animals be rehabilitated and released? If they are unable to be released due to injury, abuse or human imprint, what would be the most beneficial to the animal?
They should be healed, rehabilitated and when - and if ready - released back into the wild where they will be monitored. If they cannot be released, they should be used to educate the community on wildlife conservation.
TwoDogHouse says:
This is a very hard question to answer because each animal should be dealt with on a case by case basis. If they can be released and put back into the habitat they belong I think they should be...if they cannot be released back into nature then I am greatful for places like the J. Zoo that takes very good care of the. I too hate to see animals caged and it breaks my heart to see dogs chained to a "dog" house out in the backyard.
darciefrench says:
All life is precious and worthy of rehabilitation. Thank-you for standing up for these beautiful animals and showing us how all zoos should operate.
YourIslandRoutes says:
If they could be rehabilitated and released that would be the ideal situation. However, if they cannot take care of themselves in the wild, then this is probably the best place for them. If they aren't physically capable and/or don't have the necessary survival skills, then they will not make it very long in the wild. If there were able to adapt to life in the Johannesburg Zoo and live out their lives reasonably well, then I'd be okay with that. But if they are in pain and suffering then they should be put out of their misery.
It would be more beneficial if the animal were put out of its misery and pain from being abused. These animals cannot be healed and subsequently released or utilised for education purposes.
Elephant Conservation in South Africa
The largest land mammal in the world, the African elephant, lives in South Africa. A newborn elephant calf weighs "only" 100 kilograms. In comparison, the measurements of the full-grown African elephant are even more impressive.Fully-grown male elephants have a body weight of up to seven tonnes, a height of four meters, and ears which grow up to 2 meters in length!
Volunteer in elephant conservation in South Africa
Despite the formidable size of this animal, elephant conservation in South Africa is very important, because the "gentle giants" have largely disappeared from the area. Ivory poaching and habitat destruction have removed many elephants from their former breeding-grounds in South Africa.
The African Elephant is one of the most endangered animals in Africa.
Researchers at the University of Washington recently said the elephant death rate from poaching was currently 8 per cent, higher than the 7.4 per cent rate which led to the international ivory trade ban in 1989.
Samuel Wasser, one of the researchers, warned that African elephants - largest living land animal- are being pushed into extinction and could be extinct by 2020.
References and credit image: Africa Point
Know the elephant? Test your general knowledge...
Did you know that the Giraffe is endangered?
The total number of giraffes in Africa was estimated by IUCN in 1999 to exceed 140,000, (of which 40% were in or around protected areas and private lands) and such numbers were thought capable of being maintained were they adequately protected.Poaching, human population growth, habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and habitat degradation continue to impact on the giraffe's distribution across the continent.
Current estimates by the GCF have the population at less than 80,000 individuals across all (sub)species. This is a considerable drop in the last decade and shows that the plight of giraffe is in real danger. Efforts are underway to build up an accurate census of the entire population - working closely with IUCN SSC ASG International Giraffe Working Group. With the exception of Angolan, Cape and West African giraffe, all other subspecies are either decreasing and/or unstable.
References: Giraffe Conservation Org
Lions Are Not Listed As Endangered. But Their Numbers Are Falling
There are an estimated 30,000 lions remaining in all of Africa, down from perhaps 200,000 as recently as the 1970s. Numbers have plummeted as Africa's human population has expanded into lion habitat, reduced the numbers of prey animals that lions need to live, and killed lions in order to protect livestock and human lives.
Internationally, lions are listed as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature-one rung below an official Endangered listing. However, there is no question that the big cats are in decline.
References: All About Wildlife
Photo Credit : Miroslav Duchacek
How much do you REALLY know about the King of the Jungle?
Donate to Big Cats Rescue
Devoted to rescuing and housing exotic cats who have been abused, abandoned, bred to be pets, retired from performing acts, or saved from becoming fur coats, and to educating the public about them.
King of the Jungle, movies for kids
South Africa is known for its Big 5 as well as many other indigenous wildlife
If you were to visit South Africa, which would be top of the sightseeing list?
Critically Endangered : The Rhinoceros
The rhinoceros is a vegetarian and mainly eats foliage and twigs. It can weigh up to three tons and reach the age of forty. It does not have a good eyesight, but its senses of hearing and especially smell are well developed. Its only enemy is man.
South Africa's critically endangered animals belong to the most exclusive club in the country - but it's not a good club. Critically endangered animals have only a few hundred individuals to carry the species into the future. But there is hope. Species have been pulled back from the edge before.One of South Africa's most critically endangered animals, the desert-adapted black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis bicornis), looks almost exactly like any of the four black rhino subspecies in Africa.
Today, both rhino species (black rhinos and white rhinos) are threatened by extinction in the whole of Africa and even in the National Parks it is difficult to protect them. For instance, poachers get into the Kruger Park by crossing the 300 km long border to Mozambique which is not easy to survey, and manage to keep on shooting rhinos.
Conservationists have, as a desperate resort, taken to anaesthetizing the animals and cutting their horns off to make them unattractive to the poachers. It is the horn which fetches a very high price on the black market, since Japanese men in particular believe in taking it in a pulverized form as a potency remedy.
Info adapted from: South African Travel
South African Conservation and Nature Reserves
Your choice of a safari type holiday in South Africa?
South Africa's wildlife will put a smile on your face as wide as the savannah.
Protecting Africa's species is about more than just numbers. While it is true that many declining wildlife populations need to increase their numbers to survive they also need an environment where they can thrive without the growing pressures from their greatest enemy - man.Today, wildlife in Africa does not exist in isolation. Most wildlife populations live outside of protected areas, where they live alongside humans. Effective wildlife conservation means recognizing this complex human-wildlife dynamic and implementing programs to address the needs of both humans and animals.
Photo of Aiden in a sitting area at Tala Game Reserve, KZN, South Africa
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Treat your little one to the gift of wildlife......
Seriously, although exceptional beautiful, it's REALLY hard to snuggle up with a giraffe :)
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Below is a list of really worthy lenses which all have the same goal in mind...
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Follow The Wildlife Sanctuary Care and Rehabilitation Centre on Twitter
Regular and live updates from Wildlife and Conservation Leaders in KZN, South Africa
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Please click the links below :)
- Max the Hero~!!
- Max the gorilla was probably the Zoo's best known resident.
- A good Zoo - find out why....
- Please give your honest opinion...
- Savannah, Aiden and River at the Aquarium and Polar Bear Enclosure
- Magnificent and Majestic, the Elephant
- Elephant Conservation in South Africa
- Know the elephant? Test your general knowledge...
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Beautiful! Thank you for sharing this! ^_^ -
Lovely lens about South Africa! *Blessed -
Nice lens! Would love to visit this zoo someday! -
Looks like a wonderful place to visit - blessed by a SquidAngel! :) -
You are right, zoos used to be dreadful places but many of them have come a long way and do important work in protecting species that have been persecuted in their natural habitat. Johannesburg zoo looks like an amazing place to visit. Blessed. - Load More
