Zoological Parks Authority - Parliament of Western Australia - The ...

Zoological Parks Authority ANNUAL REPORT 2012
Overview
Executive Summary
Highlights continued
• Began a pilot mobile outreach program in
the metropolitan area to develop awareness
and appreciation of our wildlife and promote
key conservation messages.
• Launched a free Perth Zoo iPhone App
featuring a graphical map of the Zoo, GPS
tracking and access to the latest Zoo videos,
photographs and conservation information.
Visitors can use the App to set reminders for
on-site activities including guided walks and
keeper talks.
• Recorded a 7% increase in visits to the
Perth Zoo website, up from 490,680 in
2010‐11 to 525,393 visits in 2011‐12.
• Continued to grow and develop its social
media channels as an avenue to promote
the Zoo’s conservation and recreational
activities to the online community with
substantial growth in Facebook page fans
and Twitter followers. Perth Zoo’s YouTube
channel has had 175,040 views since it
began in October 2009.
• Produced and released the 2012
Perth Zoo Conservation Calendar featuring
conservation messages and images of
the Zoo’s native and exotic species. The
sale of the calendar, sponsored by Water
Corporation, The Sunday Times newspaper
and IGA, raised over $85,000 for Wildlife
Conservation Action.
• Produced and distributed 48,300 copies of
the official Perth Zoo News Paws quarterly
magazine featuring informative conservation
stories and images.
Service 2: Wildlife Management,
Medicine and Research
The conservation of wildlife will
be optimised by effective species
management, high standards of animal
welfare and animal husbandry, captive
breeding, support for wildlife conservation,
breeding for re-introduction and provision
of research opportunities.
In 2011‐12, Perth Zoo:
• Continued successful breeding programs
for threatened native and exotic species.
Significant births included two Sumatran
Orangutans (critically endangered), a Whitecheeked
Gibbon (critically endangered), two
Nepalese Red Panda (endangered), a litter
of seven African Painted Dogs (endangered),
Rothschild’s Giraffe (endangered), a litter
of four Asian Small-clawed Otters (the first
otters born at the Zoo for 18 years), eight
Perenties, three Bilbies (a first for the Zoo), a
Short-beaked Echidna and a Ghost Bat.
• Released a Perth Zoo born male Sumatran
Orangutan into a protected rainforest at
Bukit Tigapuluh in Sumatra as part of
Otter pup
a reintroduction program and ongoing
international efforts to re-establish a
population of this most threatened species
in the wild.
• Provided six Bush Stone Curlews bred
at Perth Zoo for release into Wadderin
Sanctuary in the central Wheatbelt area to
help boost this species’ numbers and assist
with the re-establishment of the region’s
native wildlife diversity. The release program
is a first for this species in WA.
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