Moonlit Sanctuary Moonlit Sanctuary
- Thread starter MRJ
- Start date
Keeper wins award
One of our keepers recently won an award for being top student in her zookeepers course at TAFE.
No Cookies | Herald Sun
One of our keepers recently won an award for being top student in her zookeepers course at TAFE.
No Cookies | Herald Sun
What I personally really enjoy is when zoos have a timeline of events as I find it exciting to track the progress of an establishment over the years. Something like this:
2005- Dingo exhibit was built. Southern bettongs bred for the first time. Construction began on a new saltwater crocodile habitat.
2006 - Tasmanian devil exhibit opened to the public. Moonlit Sanctuary won an ecotourism award for the greater Melbourne area. Etc....
Just a thought for the future...but otherwise I love the improved website.
It took a while but have finally been able to oblige:
Moonlit Sanctuary - Our Story
Moonlit Sanctuary - History
Spot-tailed Quoll joeys
Newly born spot-tailed quoll joeys:
https://www.facebook.com/moonlitsan...53463147193/10153805541507194/?type=3&theater
Newly born spot-tailed quoll joeys:
https://www.facebook.com/moonlitsan...53463147193/10153805541507194/?type=3&theater
Orange-bellied parrot and other news
7 orange-bellied parrots were removed from the display aviary last week, leaving 4 on display. Of the 7 removed, 3 are in pre-release quarantine and if all goes well will be released into the wild as part of the recovery program early this summer, 1 is going to Adelaide Zoo to join their breeding birds and 3 are to be paired up with other birds in our breeding facility this spring.
Other bird news is that a female sacred kingfisher (from Cleland) has been paired up with our male, while a male regent honeyeater (from Taronga), another critically endangered species, has been paired up with our female in the walk-in aviary so hopefully we can expect chicks this year!
In case anybody wonders where the money goes in running a zoo or wildlife park, we have just spent over $25,000 upgrading our electricity network, need to spend more, and of course as it is underground nobody will ever see the result!
7 orange-bellied parrots were removed from the display aviary last week, leaving 4 on display. Of the 7 removed, 3 are in pre-release quarantine and if all goes well will be released into the wild as part of the recovery program early this summer, 1 is going to Adelaide Zoo to join their breeding birds and 3 are to be paired up with other birds in our breeding facility this spring.
Other bird news is that a female sacred kingfisher (from Cleland) has been paired up with our male, while a male regent honeyeater (from Taronga), another critically endangered species, has been paired up with our female in the walk-in aviary so hopefully we can expect chicks this year!
In case anybody wonders where the money goes in running a zoo or wildlife park, we have just spent over $25,000 upgrading our electricity network, need to spend more, and of course as it is underground nobody will ever see the result!
15th Birthday
It is Moonlit Sanctuary's 15th Birthday! Local paper ran the following article in commemoration:
No Cookies | Herald Sun
It is Moonlit Sanctuary's 15th Birthday! Local paper ran the following article in commemoration:
No Cookies | Herald Sun
that's a nice article. The glider walk-through is one of my favourite parts at your place.
(Also I particularly like how you said "It is Moonlit Sanctuary's 15th Birthday!" and then the link title comes out as "No Cookies"
).
(Also I particularly like how you said "It is Moonlit Sanctuary's 15th Birthday!" and then the link title comes out as "No Cookies"
).
New Orange-bellied Parrot Conservation Breeding Facility
As part of our 15th Birthday celebrations we opened a new breeding facility for this critically endangered species. It was constructed with the assistance of a grant from Zoos Victoria and increases our commitment to the captive breeding program from 5 pairs to 20 pairs.
The facility consists of: (a) Two blocks of 10 breeding aviaries 3m x 1.2m. Each block of aviaries open into a 13m x 3m flocking aviary, where the birds will spend their time outside breeding season. (b) A dedicated kitchen and keeper work area devoted entirely to orange-bellied parrots. The entire complex is a quarantine facility and every effort has been made to exclude vermin and reduce the threat of disease.
There is a viewing shelter from which visitors can get a good view of the facility. Inside the shelter there is interpretative signage as well as two television screens, one showing footage of wild birds on a loop, the other showing real time vision from inside the facility. When the time comes, we hope to have nest-cam!
Next year after the breeding season we will be adding a display aviary adjacent to the viewing shelter. We will also have a salt marsh plant garden between the shelter and the facility, both to help feed the birds and to show visitors the type of plants they eat.
So a great birthday present for us!
Also when we build the new display aviary, the old one would be vacant. What birds would you want to see in this 22m2 aviary?
As part of our 15th Birthday celebrations we opened a new breeding facility for this critically endangered species. It was constructed with the assistance of a grant from Zoos Victoria and increases our commitment to the captive breeding program from 5 pairs to 20 pairs.
The facility consists of: (a) Two blocks of 10 breeding aviaries 3m x 1.2m. Each block of aviaries open into a 13m x 3m flocking aviary, where the birds will spend their time outside breeding season. (b) A dedicated kitchen and keeper work area devoted entirely to orange-bellied parrots. The entire complex is a quarantine facility and every effort has been made to exclude vermin and reduce the threat of disease.
There is a viewing shelter from which visitors can get a good view of the facility. Inside the shelter there is interpretative signage as well as two television screens, one showing footage of wild birds on a loop, the other showing real time vision from inside the facility. When the time comes, we hope to have nest-cam!
Next year after the breeding season we will be adding a display aviary adjacent to the viewing shelter. We will also have a salt marsh plant garden between the shelter and the facility, both to help feed the birds and to show visitors the type of plants they eat.
So a great birthday present for us!
Also when we build the new display aviary, the old one would be vacant. What birds would you want to see in this 22m2 aviary?
Attachments
if the birds are in one flock outside of breeding, are they naturally pairing up or do they get their pairs chosen for them at breeding time? Or are they already paired up and just stay with their partners?
It would be great to allow natural pairing as I am sure it would improve breeding results. However given the narrow genetic base of the population this is a tightly controlled program and all paring decisions are made by the species manager.
I hope you can do the night visit and not just during the day?
Just to be clear the aviary is 22 square metres , not 22m long! Don't want you to be disappointed. Enjoy your visit and please let the entry staff know you are visiting, if available I would be happy to say hello.
We have been hand raising a squirrel glider joey, and starting to train him for the show. You can see a video of him gliding on our Facebook page:
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | Facebook
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | Facebook
First two orange-bellied chicks of the season hatched yesterday. They were also the first to hatch in our new breeding facility. A video of the chicks can be seen on our Facebook page:
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | Facebook
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | Facebook