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

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Zoological Parks Authority ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Agency Performance – Report on Operations Directorate Reports Life Sciences Directorate continued Asian Elephant Tricia turned 55 in January 2012. Tricia is still in good health and continues to enjoy her regular exercise program including a daily walk through the Zoo grounds. During the life of an elephant, they have six sets of teeth. Tricia is on her last set of teeth but still has all four molars. Her 55th birthday was celebrated with a special event for Tricia, the other elephants and Zoo visitors. Tricia on her daily walk Australian Fauna The Australian wetlands and adjoining penguin exhibit underwent a major renovation in 2011‐12. To enable this work to proceed, the entire bird collection, with the exception of the penguins, was relocated to off-display holding facilities within the Zoo. The Little Penguins were transferred to Melbourne Zoo where they were able to be housed together in a spare exhibit and cared for by Melbourne Zoo staff. The wetlands and penguin exhibit upgrade included the replacement of the entire overhead netting and supporting infrastructure which was badly damaged in the 2010 hail storm, a new visitor boardwalk made of recycled timber, landscaping, new water filtration system to service the wetlands lake and resurfacing of the penguin pool. The Australian wetlands reopened in February 2012 and the penguin exhibit reopened in May 2012. These exhibits feature 20 Australian bird species including Little Penguins, Black Swan, Brolga, Royal Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Black-winged Stilts and Black-necked Stork. Little Penguins are found in coastal regions around southern Australia and New Zealand. This was the first renovation of these exhibits since they opened in 1997 (Australian wetlands) and 1999 (penguin exhibit). In May 2012, six Bush Stone Curlews bred at Perth Zoo were released into Wadderin Sanctuary in the State’s central Wheatbelt area to help boost their numbers and assist with the re-establishment of the region’s native wildlife diversity. The release program is a first for this species in Western Australia and only the third time Bush Stone Curlews have been released into the wild in Australia. The numbers of these charismatic birds have declined across southern Australia due to fox and cat predation and changes in land use. Surrounded by a predatorproof fence, the 430ha Wadderin Sanctuary has been cleared of feral cats and foxes and is free from grazing by domestic stock. Managed by the Shire of Narembeen and supported by the local community, the aim is to re-establish populations of native species that once occurred in this region. Bush Stone Curlew chick 38
Zoological Parks Authority ANNUAL REPORT 2012 Agency Performance – Report on Operations Directorate Reports Life Sciences Directorate continued Perth Zoo has had great success breeding Bush Stone Curlew and plans to continue providing these birds for release. The breeding of the Bush Stone Curlew has been managed in the Zoo’s South-West Aviary where visitors were also able to witness the fledging of a number of other West Australian bird species. Purple-crown Lorikeets, Elegant Parrots and Crimson Chats all reared young in 2011‐12. This lively aviary provides the opportunity to teach visitors about the incredible diversity of the flora and fauna in the south western region of our State. Classified as a Biodiversity Hotspot, the south west of Australia is host to flora and fauna so unique it is prioritised as an area of natural significance and conservation importance. The arrival of a male Cassowary from Rockhampton Zoo in 2010-11 provided the opportunity to attempt to breed this species in 2011‐12 as part of the regional breeding program. The male was introduced to one of our two female Cassowaries during the breeding season. Eggs were laid and subsequently incubated by the male however they were infertile. The mating and incubation behaviour displayed by the birds looks promising for future breeding attempts. Perth Zoo is part of a recovery program for Cassowary. Habitat destruction is a major threat to these birds in the wild. Cassowary numbers have also been severely affected by flooding in their rainforest habitat in Queensland in recent times. In the Nocturnal House, our breeding program for Australia’s only carnivorous bat, the Ghost Bat, produced a pup in November 2011. In a further boost to the genetic diversity of this population, the Zoo also received approval from the Department of Environment and Conservation to transfer in four bats from a wild colony in the Pilbara. A goal of the breeding program, as with the Bush Stone Curlew, will be to find suitable release sites for bats bred here at the Zoo to help boost the wild population. Ghost Bats are under threat in the wild due to changes in their habitat and the destruction of caves and mine shafts where they live. Ghost Bat Perth Zoo recorded its first successful breeding with Bilby. One female produced one offspring in 2011 and gave birth again in April 2012, successfully raising twins for the first time. The twins, both females, spent around 73 days in their mother’s pouch before being deposited by their mother in the burrow of their exhibit in June. At that time, they weighed 242g each. Once deposited in the burrow, they soon began venturing throughout the Zoo exhibit. Perth Zoo’s breeding program is part of regional recovery efforts to safeguard the threatened Bilby from extinction. Major threats to the Bilby include foxes and cats, competition from rabbits, and habitat loss. Bilby joeys 39
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