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This is such a great time of year in Adelaide. I moved to SA in 2008 so last year was my first Fringe, my first Womad... I love it. And it’s so great that Adelaide Zoo is such a part of it all; even more so from this year with the new spaces for performance and exhibition at the new front entrance of the zoo.

With this, though, comes a responsibility for us to ensure that the animals in the Adelaide Zoo collection are not adversely affected by the events in and around the zoo – just as domestic dogs can be afraid of thunder. Between Festival and Fringe events, Womad right on our doorstep, Clipsal... and this year the AC/DC concert at the Adelaide Oval the night before last!... the zoo experiences a lot of loud noise at this time of year.

As this is a regular series of events each year, and with occasional loud events occurring throughout the rest of the year, most animals in the zoo are used to it and take it in their stride – some probably enjoy it! But we do keep a close watch on their behaviour nonetheless to make sure they are doing OK. There are a couple of animals, such as one of our kangaroos, that we know can get overly stressed by loud noises.  Making sure animals have access to areas where they can hide and feel secure goes a long way to prevent such problems. On occasion we have used anti-anxiety medication to really chill them out.

With good planning in place, we can make the 2010 Festival season a great time for man and beast alike.

Dave
Vet, Zoos SA