Plants for food

PLANTS

Cultivating a range of plants on-site keeps Zoos Victoria’s animals well-fed and it’s a win for sustainability.

WORDS Jo Stewart

FOR

When you visit any of our three zoos, you’ll notice that the animals like eating, playing with and perching on plants — but have you ever wondered where all this green matter comes from?

The answer is that much of it is grown at Zoos Victoria’s very own on-site plantations, designed to supply food sources and enrichment to the animals all year round.

Werribee’s green scene

“Eland eat acacia, giraffes really like melaleuca and camels eat just about anything,” says Craig Shalders, Horticulture and Grounds Manager at Werribee Open Range Zoo.

Tasked with managing a plantation of 25,000 trees that produce 60,000 pieces of plant material each year for both Werribee Open Range Zoo and

Melbourne Zoo, Craig has a good understanding of what needs to be on the menu.

From bamboo to mulberry, willow to fig, a wide range of plants are grown to ensure all the animals’ dietary needs are met. Beyond nutritional benefits, plants also have a positive impact on animal behaviour.

“The health and welfare benefits of giving animals access to fresh vegetation, or browse, are well known,” says Craig. “The Life Sciences team at Zoos Victoria has highlighted that browse helps to promote positive behaviour in the animals, so there’s an ongoing need for it.”

While operating a plantation of this scale is a considerable job, Craig

Clockwise from top: Western Lowlands Gorilla; Giraffe; Koala; Zoo Keeper, Kelly Hobbs, carrying browse for gorillas.

The Life Sciences team provide 11 different species of eucalyptus — perfect for koalas.

FOOD

Competition

believes it’s the most economical and sustainable way to source high-quality, fresh plant matter.

An on-site plantation reduces transport emissions and enables the team to accommodate specific needs. “The animals are our customers, but we can’t speak to them. So, the Life Sciences team is in constant contact with us, providing feedback that helps with planning. We cut twice a week, and each week we get a different request, based on what the animals need,” says Craig.

Horticulture at Healesville

Healesville Sanctuary has 15,000 trees spread across three plantations, at the sanctuary itself, Spadonis Reserve and Worawa Aboriginal College.

Among the diverse range of plants are 11 different species of eucalyptus — perfect for koalas.

“Most other animals in captivity have other food items that can be substituted into their diet. This isn’t possible for koalas, so it makes the provision of high-quality, reliable browse a critical part of the Horticulture and Life Science Departments’ roles,” explains Bronwyn Macreadie, Life Sciences Manager at Healesville Sanctuary.

The koalas’ browse is replaced daily, so the team works hard to provide a steady supply of fresh leaves for them to chew and tree branches to climb.

“Each year, we provide more than 30,000 pieces of browse, with a twoperson team cutting browse three days a week,” says Luke Boyle, Healesville Sanctuary’s Horticulture Manager.

“The trees are cut back to encourage tip growth and aid weekly harvesting to ensure freshness and palatability.”

Viminaria, a native plant that grows on the land of the Kulin Nation, is for kangaroos and wallabies, while a range of flowering plants is cultivated for other native species.

“We grow plants like grevillea, callistemon (bottlebrush) and banksia as enrichment for Sugar Gliders, Feathertail Gliders, Mountain Pygmy-possums and Leadbeater’s Possums,” says Bronwyn.

The Endangered Goodfellow’s Tree-kangaroo is native to Papua New You could win an exclusive ‘Seed to Feed’ Tour at Werribee Open Range Zoo. For more details and to enter, click here and answer the questions. Hint: the answer is on this page!

Guinea, so a different range of plants is grown for them.

“Their wild diet is a range of tropical plants that we can’t grow well in Victoria. So, we grow plum trees, tree lucerne and Chinese lantern for them instead.” ZN

LOOKING FOR MORE?

You can feed your garden by using Zoo Gro – from organic materials collected from Melbourne Zoo – at home. Purchase from zoo retail stores.