Animal Adopters

Turn your passion into purpose

As an Animal Adopter, you can help us look after one of your favourite species — both at our zoos and in the wild.

WORDS Beth Wallace

Many of our Zoo Members have a favourite animal they like to check in with whenever they visit the zoo properties. Perhaps it’s the lofty giraffes on the savannah at Werribee Open Range Zoo, or the elusive Platypuses playing hide-andseek at Healesville Sanctuary. And who among us can resist taking a stroll past the wide-eyed, playful lemurs at Melbourne Zoo?

For Zoo Member and donor Shyama Jayaswal, it was the orangutans at Melbourne Zoo that captured her eldest child’s attention from a young age. As a regular visitor to the Orangutan Sanctuary, her son would sit, mesmerised, observing the animals

as they moved around the exhibit. “It didn’t matter how often we went, he’d always spend at least half an hour watching them,” Shyama says. “And when a four-year-old sits for half an hour, you realise he’s got something special going with these animals.”

Hoping to nurture her son’s fascination, in 2011 Shyama joined Zoos Victoria’s Animal Adopters program. For more than a decade, her monthly donations have supported the orangutans living at Melbourne Zoo.

Orangutans aren’t the only species available for adoption through the Animal Adopters program; there are currently 14 others to choose from. Alternatively, donors can fund a group of local threatened species, which encompasses the 27 Australian animals that Zoos Victoria is fighting to protect.

This broad selection of ‘adoptees’ has been assembled to give Animal Adopters the chance to find a favourite, explains Estelle Van Hoeydonck, Zoos Victoria’s Philanthropy Coordinator. “Whether it’s the Snow Leopards or the Tasmanian Devils, there’s an option for everyone,” she says.

Animal Adopter donations help Zoos Victoria to provide world-class care and enrichment. The funds also support conservation programs, Estelle explains, which allows Zoos Victoria to expand its research, breeding programs and community education work. She adds, “Our Animal Adopters are helping to create the future rich in wildlife that Zoos Victoria is striving for with our whole community of supporters.”

In nominating a particular species to adopt, Animal Adopters form a strong connection with the animals — something Shyama and her family have experienced firsthand. “We always spend longer at the orangutans than the other animals,” she says. “It’s good to know that we’re specifically helping that animal’s conservation program.”

The family’s involvement in the Animal Adopters program has been a useful learning experience, not only teaching Shyama’s children the importance of ‘giving back’, but in creating positive change. With her eldest son, now 15, and her younger children, aged nine and 12, they’re increasingly interested in conservation issues. Each time they visit the zoos or connect with the program, it reminds them to think about the actions they can take to save orangutans and other threatened species from extinction.

Even as her children grow older, Shyama says they continue to visit the orangutans and relish the decade-long friendship they share with their favourite apes. “It’s a fun joke every year that the orangutans are the first to send me a birthday card,” she laughs. “The kids love the whole experience.” ZN

LOOKING AFTER OUR LOCALS

In 2021, there were two additions to the Animal Adopters program: koalas and Local Threatened Species.

Estelle explains, the Local Threatened Species option is ideal for people who are interested in conservation, as it gives them the opportunity to connect with 27 Australian animals on the brink of extinction, including the Helmeted Honeyeater and Mountain Pygmy-possum. “Our zoos work tirelessly to research and run breeding and recovery programs for a range of different species, doing what it takes, along with our partners, to make sure those species don’t become extinct,” she says.

Meanwhile, with the catastrophic 2019–20 bushfire season putting koalas in both the local and global spotlight, many Zoo Members were eager to support their plight. Now, this iconic Australian species, found at all three of our zoos, can benefit from the generous donations of our Animal Adopters.

LOOKING FOR MORE?

As an Animal Adopter, your monthly donation of $15 or more will support important care and conservation work at Zoos Victoria. Click here to become an Animal Adopter