Sydney Zoo opening upsets Taronga as they fear customers may get confused

IT’S a battle for the day-at-the-zoo dollar, combatants armed with tig­ers, elephants, gorillas and rhinos. Exotic animals are on the way to a new Western Sydney zoo and one major challenger fears their visitors will get confused.

• Taronga takes zoo to court over name
• Sydney zoo’s fight for $19b tourism pie

IT’S a battle for the day-at-the-zoo dollar, combatants armed with tig­ers, elephants, gorillas and rhinos.

International flights are ­already booked to bring exotic animals to Western Sydney for the opening of Sydney Zoo at Bungarribee Park near Eastern Creek.

The new zoo will be the first major challenger to ­Taronga Zoo’s 102-year monopoly. And harbourside Taronga isn’t happy.

Taronga challenged Sydney Zoo’s name in court, fearing visitors would be confused and end up in Eastern Creek instead of Mosman.

Exotic animals are on the way to the new Sydney Zoo. Picture: Supplied

There has been excitement surrounding the opening of the zoo in Western Sydney. Picture: Supplied

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The judge had to decide whether Western Sydney was in Sydney. In an out-of-court settlement reached in May, Sydney Zoo kept its name but won’t use the Harbour Bridge in its ads.

According to analyst Jason Aravanis from market research firm IBISWorld, there’s plenty of room for a new entrant.

“Tourism is the strongest indicator of the zoo market’s viability and tourism numbers are increasing,” he said.

“The whole zoo industry has grown one per cent annually over the past five years and over the next five years we’re expecting growth to be slightly more ­accelerated, at 1.7 per cent annually, ­because of growth in tourism.”

Sydney Zoo will give five kids the opportunity to see what it feels like to be a zookeeper, just like Alicia Gough, 10, did. Picture: Toby Zerna

Harrison Meek, 11, was a little nervous to hold the python. Picture: Toby Zerna

Sydney Zoo managing director Jake Burgess said there were plenty of Western Sydney residents who found the 33km trek to Taronga too onerous.

According to modelling provided by Sydney Zoo, between 14.3 per cent and 16.5 per cent of inner-city residents visited a zoo in the past three months, compared to 6.8 per cent of residents around Penrith.

Sydney is also home to smaller wildlife parks competing for similar discretionary spending and probably the best known of them, Featherdale Wildlife Park, which is less than 5km from Sydney Zoo, also isn’t happy.

“A rising tide lifts all boats, which is to say creating a new tourist destination in Western Sydney will attract more tourists, which will benefit Featherdale,” Mr Burgess said.

Taronga Zoo has been a favourite for many Sydneysiders. But they are worried people will get confused and end up at Sydney Zoo. Picture: AP Photo/Mark Baker

Sydney Zoo claims Featherdale’s management has ceased communication after rejecting offers for a shared bus, major events and ticketing scheme.

One thousand animals — elephants from the Netherlands, a rhinoceros from Singapore and gorillas from New Zealand — will arrive before the zoo opens on March 31.

The zoo will select five children aged five to 12 years old to travel the world to help bring the creatures back and entrants Harrison Meek, 11, from Beaumont Hills, and Alicia Gough, 10, from Blacktown, got a chance to see what life is like for keepers this week.

There are only two weeks to enter the Mini Zookeeper competition. ­

Details at www.sydneyzoo.com/minizookeeper