Canberra's National Zoo and Aquarium is not in the least worried about plans for a multimillion-dollar "wildlife retreat" to be built at Sydney's Taronga Zoo which will allow visitors to sleep on-site near the animals.
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We can see why after reading the first line of NSW Planning and Housing Minister Anthony Roberts' media release:
"Animal lovers will be able to spend a night sleeping near kangaroos and quokkas following NSW Government approval today for a wildlife retreat at Taronga Zoo".
Kangaroos and quokkas? We can do that in our own backyards. Well, with kangaroos, at least.
Just a little lame alongside Canberra's Jamala Wildlife Lodge where visitors can sleep in luxury next to a lion, shark, bear or lion, to name a few.
The Canberra zoo and lodge's owner Richard Tindale was a lot more diplomatic, saying the ACT enterprise welcomed competition and couldn't complain as Taronga did its "roar and snore" accommodation first.
Albeit, the roar and snore option is very different, with people spending the night in tents looking over Sydney Harbour rather than in a luxury lodge in Canberra, cheek by jowl (separated by glass when necessary) with truly wild animals.
The new plan at Taronga is part of an almost $165 million redevelopment of the zoo planned for the next decade. But it has caused consternation within Mosman Council for putting a commercial venture on public land.
Minister Roberts said the $44.5 million wildlife retreat would include 62 guestrooms, a guest lodge and an extension to the existing Taronga Centre, including a new restaurant.
The accommodation would be within the Australian Precinct of the zoo, close to native animals.
Mr Tindale said that meant Taronga was after the international market, particularly the Chinese.
"We're not overly worried," he said. "We knew when we built the lodge we'd be creating our own competition and other zoos would jump on it."
Jamala Wildlife Lodge is certainly not having any trouble with bookings, despite a room costing between about $900 and more than $2000 a night.
Mr Tindale said the lodge had taken close to 27,000 bookings since it opened in May, 2015.
"We opened the lodge for two reasons," he said.
"The first was to get people closer than ever to the animals because we've found that is the best way to change people's attitudes to animal conservation.
"And we wanted to set up a venture that would provide the funds to allow the zoo to continue to expand."
