ZV Mag

Even though Healesville Sanctuary, Melbourne Zoo and Werribee Open Range Zoo experienced temporary closures during coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions, Zoos Victoria’s conservation programs couldn’t be put on hold. When the fate of several native species is hanging in the balance, the show must go on. With planned releases, monitoring efforts and animal transfers all integral to the Fighting Extinction program, the Zoos Victoria team came up with new ways to continue its work when coronavirus (COVID-19) complicated conservation efforts.

Precious cargo With only 50 Southern Corroboree Frogs left in the wild, the recovery program run by Zoos Victoria and its partners in New South Wales is vital to the survival of this striking alpine amphibian species. Deon Gilbert, Zoos Victoria Threatened Species Biologist, explains that each year Melbourne Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary breed thousands of eggs, which are released in Kosciuszko National Park just before winter. Deon and other members of the recovery team would normally be present for the egg release, but this year things were a little different. Due to border closures preventing movement between states, Deon had to hand over the eggs to David Hunter from the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) at the VIC–NSW border. Driving from Melbourne to Albury-Wodonga with 2,000 rare amphibian eggs may sound like a tough task, but Deon explains that it’s easier than it sounds. “Fortunately, the eggs are quite easy to transport. As terrestrial eggs, we didn’t have to worry about water splashing around. Beforehand, we cooled the eggs to prepare

them for release into cold, wild habitats. We then packed them into an esky lined with moist substrate called sphagnum moss. As long as the temperature is kept stable, they transport really well,” Deon says. David received the eggs at the border and transported them to the site where they were successfully released before snow started to fall in Kosciuszko National Park. Deon notes that this release was particularly important since Southern Corroboree Frog numbers were impacted by the bushfires that swept through their habitat earlier this year. “This year’s release was really critical for the species so we could supplement what was lost through the fires,” says Deon. “During winter, they bunker down underground completely covered by snow, then resurface in spring. They’re highly toxic so they have no natural predators. They’re quite tough but unfortunately new threats like climate change, bushfires and introduced disease have resulted in their population crashing down to critical levels.” The breeding program has successfully supplemented wild population numbers while establishing fungus-free populations that are kept in enclosed areas in the wild. “Without fundraising and support from the public, we wouldn’t be able to continue this crucial work,” says Deon.

Wandering west Another border run was undertaken by Yvette Pauligk, Natives and Species Coordinator at Werribee Open Range Zoo, who escorted six critically endangered Plains-wanderers to the South Australian border in May. The captive-bred birds were due to be transferred to a new facility at Monarto Safari Park when COVID-19 hit, causing interruptions to transportation and delaying the arrival of equipment needed to establish a facility for the birds to live and breed in. “We looked at flying as an option, with the birds going onto passenger planes as special cargo. But those flights ceased due to the pandemic, so we decided to drive them instead,” says Yvette. After permits were organised, vets conducted a visual health check before carefully placing the birds in boxes, ready for the six-hour drive to the border. Meagan Thornton, Werribee Open Range Zoo Keeper, accompanied Yvette and the birds in the back seat of the vehicle for the drive to the border – maintaining physical distancing during the trip. Since Plains-wanderers tend to flush (fly up suddenly) when frightened, padding on the roof of the boxes offered protection. Yvette and Meagan also kept their voices down and ensured the car remained at a

steady temperature throughout the journey. Once at the border, Yvette pulled off into a police-check area, popped some gloves on and placed the boxes on the ground for Monarto Safari Park staff to pick up and transfer to their own vehicles. Having overseen the Plains-wanderer breeding program since 2016, Yvette loves working with this little-studied, ground-dwelling species of which there are fewer than 1,000 left in the wild. “I love their animated movements and quirky behaviour. They make the weirdest sounds when they display. The work that we’re doing is ground-breaking because we’re recording new behaviours.” So, how are Monarto Safari Park’s new residents faring? “They’ve been tracking really well,” says Yvette. “One of the males was feeding from a food bowl within 24 hours, so that’s a positive sign.” “We’re really excited to be working with Zoos Victoria and the other Recovery Team partners and appreciate the support Yvette and the Zoos Victoria team have provided,” says Dr Liberty Olds, Monarto Zoo Safari Park’s Conservation Manager. “We’re so pleased they have settled in really well.”

A welcome return Winter’s approach heralded the highly anticipated arrival of Orange-bellied Parrots back to their seasonal home in Victoria, after migrating across the Bass Strait from southwest Tasmania. Given that this is a huge journey for a small bird to undertake, many Victorian eyes were on the lookout for the critically endangered species that Zoos Victoria and its partners, such as the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), BirdLife Australia, Moonlit Sanctuary and Melbourne Water, have supported with monitoring, captive breeding programs and other recovery efforts. “The latest information from our Tasmanian partners indicated that almost 100 birds were set to head north from the breeding site at Melaleuca – the largest number to leave this site for over a decade,” explains Dr Michael Magrath, Senior Research Manager at Zoos Victoria. “These birds included almost 50 juveniles that were bred in captivity and released at Melaleuca in February.”

The good news is that some of these migrants from Tasmania have taken up residence in saltmarsh habitat in the area of the Western Treatment Plant, joining captivebred birds that have been released into the area over the past few years, as part of a four-year mainland release trial. However, Michael explains, mainland releases had to be scaled back somewhat this year due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions. One of the three release sites planned for this year, on the Bellarine Peninsula, had to be dropped to focus on the other two sites on the southern boundary of the Western Treatment Plant and near Moonlit Sanctuary on North Western Port. “The primary aim of the mainland release is to attract migrating birds to high-quality wintering sites, so it’s exciting to see five wild migrants join the flock in the Western Treatment Plant area – the most since the mainland release trial commenced in 2017. Three of these migrants are captive-bred juveniles from those released at Melaleuca in February. Hopefully most of them survive the winter and the journey back to Tasmania for the spring breeding season.”

When Zoos Victoria had to temporarily stop welcoming visitors, the keepers came up with new ways to keep the animals occupied and enriched throughout the closure. Encouraging animals to explore, interact, move and behave as they would in the wild, ‘enrichment’ is a term used to describe activities and environmental modifications that promote natural behaviours. It’s an essential part of everyday life at the zoo, regardless of closures. Without their regular visitors, some species noticed the absence more than others – with the primates clearly missing having visitors to interact with. As a highly intelligent species, Sumatran Orang-utans need to be given opportunities to use tools to solve problems. The team at Melbourne Zoo got crafty by stuffing food into short lengths of fire hose, which encourages the clever primates to use tools to extract the food from the narrow openings. Food is a great motivator and animals such as lemurs and giraffes rose to the challenge of working out how to get healthy treats out of puzzle feeders. Designed to increase dexterity and encourage problemsolving, puzzle feeders mirror the natural environment, where animals must forage for food in the wild. At Healesville Sanctuary, dingoes Dargo and Maliki were given closed cardboard boxes stuffed with newspaper and dry treats. Their keen sense of smell soon alerted them to the kibble inside. The pair had great fun tearing apart the boxes to access the food stash within. Beyond food, keepers also introduced new objects designed to encourage movements animals would make naturally in the wild. At Melbourne Zoo, the Asian Elephants were given a large ball that helped to help stimulate play. Ten-year-old Mali particularly enjoyed using her trunk and legs to kick and push the ball around.