WILDLIFE & WILDFIRES...The Miracle that is Mogo

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The Aussie East Coast bushfires of 2019 and 2020 were not only the most devastating and destructive in documented history with over 5,900 buildings destroyed including over 2,800 homes and 33 lives lost...but the estimation of loss of wildlife was in the billions.

The images of blackened singed koalas and wallabies in burnt, scorched, smoking wastelands circled the World in 2019 like the soundwaves from the explosion of the volcano Krakatoa in the 1880s.

Coastal towns and extensive areas of bushland in flames from Queensland to Victoria...even Kangaroo Island in South Australia...images of residents cramped on beaches in orange grey smoke consuming the lungs and skies...desperate for rescue from naval ships and fishing vessels.

And among the stories at the time were the attempts to save the animals at Mogo Zoo in southern New South Wales as the flames consumed the weatherboard heritage village.

Determination and desperation...'the hold your breath question'...could they be saved or couldn't they?

We haven't been to a zoo since our kids were small...so must be at least 30 years.

Our African safari from Kenya to South Africa about 15 years ago was enough to swear we would never enter a zoo to see animals in captivity ever again...seeing African animals free hunting and roaming in the Serengeti does that to most of us.

But the stories during the East Coast Australian Bushfires in 2019 and early 2020 of the burning of the quaint south coast village of Mogo and the bravery in saving the animals at the Mogo Zoo was the stuff of legends.

So a few days by the sea at Vincentia with our daughter, son-in-law and seven month old grandson was incentive for us to see what is left of Mogo...and smoozle with our grandson to introduce him to some exotic animals.

Man Gave Names to all the Animals

Mogo Wildlife Park is a privately owned zoo dedicated to the conservation of endangered species located at 222 Tomakin Rd, Mogo NSW 2536, about 10 kilometres south of Batemans Bay.

Opened in 1989 it has earned the reputation as having one of the largest collections of exotic animals in Australia.

Meercats, otters, myriads of species of exotic monkeys, lemurs, lions, tigers, rhinoceros, zebra. giraffes, ostriches, wallabies, antelope, guinea fowl, hyenas, cheetahs, servals, snow leopards...44 rare and exotic species...with tours to feed the animals...if you dare.

A drive of a bit less than two hours from where we were staying...but its Oz...used to driving long distances...taking care due to potholes in forest roads due to recent flooding...not knowing how much of Mogo would have survived the fires...how much would have been rebuilt.

We used to visit Mogo on our way back from the Great Southern Blues Festival in Narooma after every October long weekend for 16 years until the Festival closed a few years back...then a bustling little village on the south coast tourist track.

To our surprise the tourist village of handcrafts, paintings, fudges, pies, coffees and bric-brac had made a comeback after the devastating fires...road lined with vehicles of dedicated patrons supporting local industry...yep we are also back.

And as we pulled into the carpark at the Mogo Wildlife Park...pram out...sun out...skies welcoming and blue...smiles of our seven month old grandson.

You are in for a surprise Felix...camera out...let's hope the animals are content in their lot...let's hope I can get some decent portraits...hopefully the animals will also be smiling.

Let the pictures tell that story.



Relax & enjoy,

Dancing Dave

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Photos

Meerkat
Southern Africa

Cotton-Top Tamarin
North-West Columbia

Golden-Lion Tamarin
Brazil

Emperor Tamarin
Peru, Bolivia, Brazil

Silver-back Gorilla
Congo, Rwanda, Uganda

Silvery Gibbon
Java

Bolivian Squirrel Monkey
Bolivia, Brazil, Peru

Giant Otters
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina

Cheetah
Africa

Lions
Africa

Serval
Sub-Saharan Africa

Guinea Fowl
Sub-Saharan Africa

Zebra
Africa

Meerkat
Southern Africa

Felix
Seven months old & roars like a lion

Meerkat
Southern Africa

Meerkats
Southern Africa

Meerkat
Southern Africa

Comments

[Janice Waller]

Great to see the come back
We definitely understand the feelings about heading to a zoo after having been in Africa and seeing the animals in the wild, but glad you did and shared what you saw. Very glad to hear that the tourist villages have made a comeback as well. Great shots of the animals that you saw and it must have been extra special to share the experience with your family there.

[Dancing Dave]

Great to see them come back
You have summarised my blog well, Janice. I was surprised Mogo had recovered from the devastating bushfires so well. I think the best part for me was seeing if I could capture portraits of the animals which in so many ways express personification that often surprise. My lucky break were the interactions between the camels. Thanks for commenting.

[Mumtraveller]

Animal Kingdom
Hello Hoopers Good to see you out and about with Felix. Great animal portraits Dave. We will be hoping for miracles here in U.K. as there are lots of wildfires here this summer and a drought declared. Good to see Mogo recovering, maybe I will get there myself one day if I get back to Oz. Cheers Lynne

[Dancing Dave]

Animal Kingdom
Great to hear from you Lynne. Drought and wildfires in UK is definitely a worry. They should not affect your part of the World. In Eastern Oz we had devastating bushfires in 2019 followed by floods in early 2020 followed by floods twice in 2022 that is definitely a first. What a beautiful distraction it was to see the animals, albeit in captivity, many were in spacious lush surrounds. Amazing diversity that is vital to conserve.

[bvchef]

This looks and sounds like it was a great day
I enjoyed all of the pictures, and can tell what a proud Grandpa you are. Great blog Dancing One.

[Dancing Dave]

This looks and sounds like it was a great day
The Vermillion Room is looking a bit lonely since you left our shores Brendan but is here if you ever return. Glad you liked the pics and glad Ali fixed the Panorama settings so I could share the animals in that respect. Little Felix is now 8 months old and loves his Poppy and Go Go as Denise & I are now known...feeling pretty pleased I must say.

[Ake Och Emma]

We've also seen gorillas
A few years ago we visited Rwanda. We then visited gorillas in the wild. It was amazing to see them in their real habitat. /Ake

[Dancing Dave]

We've also seen gorillas
Ahh...I have read a lot about the allure of trekking to see the mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Ake, which can get to be a bit of hit & miss. Something you have done but we can only dream. The advantage of this guy was he was not obscured by foliage and did not resist the invasion from distance of my lens. His portraits turned out pretty well so our first visit to a zoo since our kids were small was a worthwhile experience.

[D MJ Binkley]

Lions and bears and tigers....oh my!
The Dangerous One here. Glad you had a nice visit to a place that managed to save the animals. We also do not like zoos, but hard to say a bad word about this one as they were able to preserve the ones they had....cheers!

[Dancing Dave]

Lions and bears and tigers....oh my!
Captivity for conservation versus seeing in the wild has been a vexing issue for us also Dangerous One. I still favour the latter but extinction of species is an issue in Oz and poaching is an issue in Africa, so conservation has its benefits. I cringe at images on TV of animals caged with no room to move. We saw lots of kids enjoying themselves at Mogo, so for them to see wildlife up close in spacious surrounds is a joy thus benefit to them.

[D MJ Binkley]

Cotton-Top Tamarin
What a beautiful animal.

[Dancing Dave]

Cotton-Top Tamarin
Thanks MJ. The diversity in the animal world is extraordinary and highlights why conservation is so worthwhile.

[D MJ Binkley]

Promise Not to Enter a Zoo
We've made the same promise to ourselves but I'm glad you went. We appreciate you supporting this group who must have worked very hard to keep these majestic animals safe during the fires. Thanks for the blog.

[Dancing Dave]

Promise Not to Enter a Zoo
Thanks Bob. My elder sister was involved in a project in Northern Queensland to save the African White Rhinoceros from extinction, which ultimately did not overcome the red tape required to get it happening. Conservation of animals can be political to the detriment of the otherwise beneficial intentions.

[Dancing Dave]

Promise Not to Enter a Zoo
There are zoos and there are zoos Merry Jo. Fortunately Mogo seemed to have the right intentions and was working hard to keep the animals well fed and groomed with the best creature comforts they could provide.

[Home and Away]

I'm pleased to see the animals survived!
Did the town?

[Dancing Dave]

I'm pleased to see the animals survived!
I am advised burnt-down businesses in Mogo were struggling to get going two years after the fires, with COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions causing more complications resulting in no one making a profit in what had been a thriving tourist village. However, now it is three years since the fires. some have rebuilt and the town is starting to revive. When we were there recently it was hard to see there had been such devastation only three years before. Resilience is an Aussie character and Mogo is a good example.