Honestly, sometimes nature just used scrap pieces that where lying around somewhere to create animals.I think that's a worm it just caught.Wait, is that in the real life photo their tongue?
Nope! And even in Australia I believe it's held in under a dozen zoos.
but . . .) - but their animal care reputation is not ### and Platypus are quite difficult to keep I hear. The Zoo's weekly food budget is over $80,000 and the Pandemic hit them hard - I even heard that they might be closing down.
Yeah that is a worm, a platypus don't really have tongues, I think it is just a bill, because they don't really need a tongueWait, is that in the real life photo their tongue?
I am relieved
Your essay and insight into Australia Zoo were quite interesting indeed, as I always wondered if the zoo is really good or if it has just a big name. Usually the zoos with big names / individual persons behind them and a huge marketing budget are the ones where animal wellfare is at least not top level. (I'm looking at you, Hagenbeck).Every Platypus habitat I have seen here is nocturnal and the whole exhibit is always almost completely dark. I really did find them hard going to be there in the almost completely darkened rooms - one in Melbourne was so dark that I kept bumping into everything; the railings, the walls and stupid level changes. The zoo's habitats, in my experience, are so dark that I have really not seen any really well at Zoo's - but they do live in the rivers around my town, where you can see them most days.
In my town - Platypus live in the river running through the busiest section of town - bordering a school, huge supermarket car park, shopping center (that backs onto their river home), concrete traffic bridge, library and roundabout intersection and their burrows are under the river bank - under the car park that the supermarket built right over the top of their burrows. It was incredibly controversial and made international news - but they built it anyway.
Australia is killing off all of their native animals (the Koala for example) and the Government do not care - I cannot tell you how many natural forests and dry sclerophyll areas around me have just been turned over to the land/housing developers and how they just bulldoze every bit of foliage and then strip all the top soil away as well - it is criminal and unethical and now they are putting Koalas on the endangered species list. Australia is very un-environmental and the government here are only interested in themselves or money.
Back to the Platypy - The Platypus are seen here all the time thankfully and I've walked along the river raised wooden boardwalk and I have seen them plenty of times - tough little buggers!
Very cute too and the ones, not in game yet, look really great.
I also live 20 minutes up a mountain away from Australia (Steve Irwin) Zoo. They apparently don't have them at the Australia Zoo (which seems odd,
Australia Zoo has a bit of a questionable reputation with animal care from things I have heard from employees, external animal experts and volunteers - and I know of a lady who rescues huge birds of prey and she rehabilitated many huge Eagle beasts, Owls and all manner of animal (side-note :- they were the biggest Eagle beasts I have ever seen and their heads [there were three] were a foot above the backs of her lounge - and they were standing on the floor - they were inside the house and very intimidating - she is a renowned bird of prey expert and animal carer) and when I took an injured animal to her house one day, she said she would not let the zoo have back their huge godzilla-like Eagles, due to the apparent bad care of many animal species at the zoo. I also have a Rhino story from one of their keepers, so I do trust what she has told me . . . They have a bit of a reputation and I looked at volunteering there years ago in the Animal Rescue Center - but the staff there put me right off - you think they would care more about potential volunteers - the vet staff were very condescending and seemed to not regard their volunteers with any respect (also know people who did volunteer and they left pretty quickly too).
So in conclusion my fellow Zoo alumni - they have no Platypus at that zoo and Frontier has done a marvelous job on developing Platypus necks (and the rest of their cute little bodies).
My essay has ended.
As an Australian myself, I can agree that the government of the country is not doing enough for the environment and the threatened wildlife within it. Also the zoos that I can think of off the top of my head in Australia that have Platypus are Melbourne Zoo, Taronga Zoo Sydney, Taronga Western Plains Zoo (soon with a new platypus facility), Australian Reptile Park, Healesville Sanctuary and Wildlife Sydney Zoo, with of course San Diego Zoo Safari Park being the only one outside of Australia.Every Platypus habitat I have seen here is nocturnal and the whole exhibit is always almost completely dark. I really did find them hard going to be there in the almost completely darkened rooms - one in Melbourne was so dark that I kept bumping into everything; the railings, the walls and stupid level changes. The zoo's habitats, in my experience, are so dark that I have really not seen any really well at Zoo's - but they do live in the rivers around my town, where you can see them most days.
In my town - Platypus live in the river running through the busiest section of town - bordering a school, huge supermarket car park, shopping center (that backs onto their river home), concrete traffic bridge, library and roundabout intersection and their burrows are under the river bank - under the car park that the supermarket built right over the top of their burrows. It was incredibly controversial and made international news - but they built it anyway.
Australia is killing off all of their native animals (the Koala for example) and the Government do not care - I cannot tell you how many natural forests and dry sclerophyll areas around me have just been turned over to the land/housing developers and how they just bulldoze every bit of foliage and then strip all the top soil away as well - it is criminal and unethical and now they are putting Koalas on the endangered species list. Australia is very un-environmental and the government here are only interested in themselves or money.
Back to the Platypy - The Platypus are seen here all the time thankfully and I've walked along the river raised wooden boardwalk and I have seen them plenty of times - tough little buggers!
Very cute too and the ones, not in game yet, look really great.
I also live 20 minutes up a mountain away from Australia (Steve Irwin) Zoo. They apparently don't have them at the Australia Zoo (which seems odd,
Australia Zoo has a bit of a questionable reputation with animal care from things I have heard from employees, external animal experts and volunteers - and I know of a lady who rescues huge birds of prey and she rehabilitated many huge Eagle beasts, Owls and all manner of animal (side-note :- they were the biggest Eagle beasts I have ever seen and their heads [there were three] were a foot above the backs of her lounge - and they were standing on the floor - they were inside the house and very intimidating - she is a renowned bird of prey expert and animal carer) and when I took an injured animal to her house one day, she said she would not let the zoo have back their huge godzilla-like Eagles, due to the apparent bad care of many animal species at the zoo. I also have a Rhino story from one of their keepers, so I do trust what she has told me . . . They have a bit of a reputation and I looked at volunteering there years ago in the Animal Rescue Center - but the staff there put me right off - you think they would care more about potential volunteers - the vet staff were very condescending and seemed to not regard their volunteers with any respect (also know people who did volunteer and they left pretty quickly too).
So in conclusion my fellow Zoo alumni - they have no Platypus at that zoo and Frontier has done a marvelous job on developing Platypus necks (and the rest of their cute little bodies).
My essay has ended.
Forgive me if I'm just binging stuff, but hope this helps.
I'm not too sure - but they seem to favour the dark, are very shy and their viewing areas are almost pitch black - at least the ones I have seen. (and felt; as I tend to bump into things - I fondly remember feeling and bumping my way around in Healesville when I was younger) - I think it was the darkest Zoo exhibit I have ever been to. It was then I realised that I don't have night vision.
I was in a rambling moment - the Zoo is good to OK - (I think Melbourne Zoo is incredible and Weeribee are sooooooo much better) Australia's Zoo's have areas that are amazingly well landscaped (the elephant area is Asian and has beautiful statues and pots - the tigers area is good too) and fake rockery (some of the fake rockery is great [with Balinese rock work sculptures and concrete tree roots] and other stuff is an insult to fake rocks - like Walmart had a sale on budget rock molds), and other areas are typical Roo poo/urine smell, nuisance bird poop dodging (Ibis) and animal mangled Australian plantings to wander through due to the Roos and Emu's eating or digging up nearly everything - they are beautiful though - explains why they are partial to dust baths.
Fantastic! - Still here of overseas? And this Government really seems to be doing everything to destroy nature, habitat and the environment - seriously people - anyone non Australian has no idea what this appalling government is doing. Agree with all of your zoo's - shame there isn't more Platypus citizens/expats around the place - they might be really difficult to keep or shy.
I understand that, Capybara looks fine to me, and the platypus would only need a few things tweaked to make it more realistic, but I am ok with the design, as long as it looks like a platypus and can be recognised as a platypus, that is fine
are you talking about Australia zoo, like the irwins. Or zoos in Australia? You keep putting Australias zoos then someone further up just said Australia zoo i think i may have a small brain 
