Giraffe babies on the way!
🦒 It's #WorldGiraffeDay 🦒 - what better time to announce that our 'tower' is set to welcome some babies this spring! 🤩
We don't have an exact due date for the calves, but Giraffe gestation usually lasts about 15 months, so based on our observations of courtship and mating behaviours, we estimate these calves will arrive from about September!
Sadly, Giraffe numbers have dropped 40% since the start of our conservation breeding program in the 1990s, so every birth counts!
But you can help! Taronga is not-for-profit, meaning every dollar you spend has the #powertoprotect wildlife like Giraffe!
Read more at the link in the comments 👇👇
White Rhino ASMR
ASMR with White Rhino bull Satara 🦏
These giants are actually named for their wide lips, perfectly adapted for grazing on the short grasses of the African savannahs that they call home. Early English settlers misinterpreted the Afrikaans word ‘wyd’ for ‘white’ - it actually means ‘wide’!
📹 Keeper Glyn
Mackenzie the Platypus
Mackenzie the Platypus having a good scratch! 🥰 We're open every day of the year, including public holidays, so why not pop into Platypus Rescue HQ and say hi! 📹 Keeper James
Breaky with Kamau for World Bongo Day
Breaky with Kamau for World Bongo Day 🌺
Eastern Bongos are the largest and most vibrant of all the forest antelope, but also one of the rarest with less than 100 individuals left in the mountains of Kenya. They rely on areas with abundant year-round vegetation to maintain their large sizes.
5-year-old male Kamau is one of only five Bongo left in all of Australia, three of which reside here at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. We are privileged to be home to Maisha, who arrived in 2017 from Singapore Zoo, and one-year-old Masikio, born here in November 2022 as part of the international breeding program. With so few individuals remaining in the wild, every birth and individual in zoo care is an important part of global efforts to save this critically endangered species.
You can support Eastern Bongos and other African species through Beads for Wildlife. The handcrafted bead products sold by Taronga provide a reliable income for female artists in Kenya, empowering them with a source of income that doesn’t harm the local environment. Proceeds go directly to the artists to support them, their families , as well as supporting community conservation efforts.
📿 You can purchase a Beads For Wildlife product during your next visit to Taronga or from our online store at
https://zooshop.taronga.org.au/collections/beads-for-wildlife
📹 Keeper Ruby
#forthewild
Lemur troop hug
How many Lemurs can you spot?
It’s officially the first day of winter down under, and our Ring-tailed Lemurs know how to keep it warm and cozy! 😊
📹 Keeper Kat
Giraffes get photo-bombed
Giraffes photo-bombed by Nige the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo - only at #tarongawesternplainszoo #forthewild
📹 Keeper Glyn
Savannah Safari Tour at Taronga Western Plains Zoo
A safari adventure in the heart of NSW ❤️🦒🦏🦓 only at #tarongawesternplainszoo #forthewild
World Otter Day
Here at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, we’re home to a family of Asian Small-clawed Otters: Harry, Jafar and their son Tai.
The smallest of the 13 otter species, Asian Small-clawed Otters are extremely dexterous, and Keepers are always trying to come up with innovative and enriching ways to encourage foraging, activity and play. But some days, the otters just want to play with a rock 🦦🪨
Happy World Otter Day! 😅
📹 Keeper Amy
What does volunteering mean to you?
It's National Volunteer Week, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing dedication, passion, and vital work of our volunteers and say a huge thank you! 🙏🙏
We asked a couple of #tarongawesternplainszoo volunteers, Phil Barclay and Lauren Nott, what volunteering means to them!
We're so excited to announce that two of our Black Rhinos are expecting calves later this year!
Bakhita's fifth calf is expected from July, while Mesi is due to have her first calf from August.
Stay tuned for future updates about our conservation breeding program for this critically endangered species. 🦏🧡
#taronga #forthewild
Munch munch crunch crunch!
This is our youngest Bongo, Masikio, munching away on his vegetables 🥦🥕🥬
Masikio (meaning ears in Swahili) will turn 2 later In November - he's grown so much!
📷 Keeper Glyn
Competition alert 📣 Pledge your commitment to Koalas this Wild Koala Day! 🐨
To continue our critical Koala Conservation, we are so excited to announce Visa just pledged to support Taronga through an exciting partnership! To celebrate, we’ve got WILD prizes for you to win when you pledge with us!
Simply make a pledge through the link below to go in the draw to win a WILD Taronga prize, including an overnight stay at Wildlife Retreat at Taronga or one of 100 family passes to the Zoo. Every prize winner will also receive a Zoo Parent Koala Adoption - Visa’s thank you for making a pledge too!
To make your pledge this Wild Koala Day, head to https://taronga.org.au/get-involved/donate/become-koala-champion
🐨
SOUND ON 🔊 Meerkat Jenkins savouring every last taste, and even helping Keeper KJ with the cleaning! 😂
Black Rhino Dafari is 9 today 🥳🦏 Here he is showing off his impressive prehensile top lip!
This adaptation allows Black Rhinos to feed on trees and shrubs - or in this case to reach the delicious treats that Dafari knows Keeper Brent is carrying!
Enter the lions' den at #tarongawesternplainszoo
Hop on board our purpose-built Pride Lands Patrol truck with our experienced guide and safari into the three-hectare habitat where eight African Lions roam!
See six-month-old cubs Bahati, Jabari and Zawadi as they learn to become little lions with dad Lwazi, mum Marion and their three big sisters, Amali, Imani and Mara.
It's the largest pride we've ever had on our large Lion Pride Lands habitat.
Bookings are essential and cost in addition to Zoo entry. Learn more at the link in our bio 🔗
Enter the lions' den at Taronga Western Plains Zoo
Enter the lions' den at #tarongawesternplainszoo
Hop on board our purpose-built Pride Lands Patrol truck with our experienced guide and safari into the three-hectare habitat where eight African Lions roam!
See six-month-old cubs Bahati, Jabari and Zawadi as they learn to become little lions with dad Lwazi, mum Marion and their three big sisters, Amali, Imani and Mara.
It's the largest pride we've ever had on our large Lion Pride Lands habitat.
Bookings are essential and cost in addition to Zoo entry. Learn more at https://taronga.org.au/dubbo-zoo/must-see/pride-lands-patrol
Goanna goes home
This Lace Monitor, or Tree Goanna, was recently brought into the Taronga Western Plains Zoo Wildlife Hospital after being rescued from the side of the road.
But as the Wildlife Hospital team soon discovered, being hit by a car was the least of its worries 😳
Now, after weeks of treatment and care from our amazing team, he has been returned home! 🤩
If you're hitting the roads these school holidays, please watch out for wildlife. If you do find an injured animal, contact your local wildlife rescue organisation who can point you in the right direction 💪
Big yawn! 🥱
It may not mean much to nocturnal Chuditch Yarrah, but the humans of #tarongawesternplainszoo are sure looking forward to an extra hour of sleep tonight - refreshed and ready to greet our guests on Sunday! 🤩
📹 Keeper Steph
