Bindi turns 11!

Crikey! Bindi Irwin turned 11 on Friday July 24, and Australia Zoo went glamorous for the occasion, hosting a Masquerade party fit for a Wildlife Warrior princess.

Even Australian Idol favourite, Jessica Mauboy, came to the party for a very special Bindi's Birthday performance in the Crocoseum! The former Idol contestant was excited to be performing at Australia Zoo, and enjoyed a FUN performance, which included four of her hits, and her soon to be released single, Up Down, as part of the celebration.

"It was exciting to help Bindi have a brilliant party and to help create a very unique and special day to remember," said Jessica.

The pop star also expressed her appreciation for Bindi and Australia Zoo's efforts towards wildlife conservation, and enjoyed the opportunity to get up close to some of Australia Zoo's cute and cuddly.

Thank-you to every one who helped celebrate Bindi's 11th birthday- our Wildlife Warrior princess had a spectacular day!

What a stand out!

Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors trainee Saira Manns is a shining example of what can be achieved when you knuckle down and focus - this young lady is blazing trails.

Saira joined the Australia Zoo crew as a young school-based trainee last year, studying for her Certificate II in Business through the Sunshine Coast TAFE, whilst completing high school at Beerwah State High. A driven and dedicated Saira was able to achieve her Certificate II in just over 12 months (this usually takes twice as long) and is now onto her Certificate III - Crikey! Saira is highly active within her school, being elected for the role of school captain in her final year, and also participates in many community and sporting activities. Saira was even nominated for Australia Zoo Staff Person of the Month in March 2008.

Saira was recognised for this tremendous effort at the Queensland Training Awards on Saturday 18 July when she won the ‘School Based Trainee of the Year' for the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay region. Saira will now go on to compete in the state finals in September. Australia Zoo wishes Saira all the best for these awards, and in continuing her traineeship.

The fastest animal on land is running out of time

Conservation Conversations are a series of free information sessions about Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors and the wildlife conservations projects we support within Australia and around the world.

Learn about some amazing animals and how you can make a difference to our environment and wildlife.

The next information session will be held:

Date: Thursday 30 July, 5:00pm-6:00pm

Where: Australian Wildlife Hospital conference centre

Topic: Cheetah Conservation - the fastest animal on land is running out of time.

Brooke Mundey, Australia Zoo's Senior cheetah handler, has extensive experience handling these gorgeous big cats. Brooke is passionate about the conservation of the cheetah and has recently visited Southern Africa to see first hand what is being done to save the cheetah from extinction.

Amber Gillett, Australian Wildlife Hospital Veterinarian, has also made several trips to South Africa and has also worked at the DeWildt Cheetah & Wildlife Trust.

Come along to hear Brooke and Amber talk about the cheetah and its struggle for survival in the wild, and how Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors is helping to save this magnificent species.

Bookings essential.

For more information, download a flyer or contact Wildlife Warriors today!

Masquerade party fit for a Wildlife Warrior Princess

Crikey! Bindi Irwin is turning 11 on 24 July, and Australia Zoo is going glamorous for the occasion, throwing a Masquerade party fit for a Wildlife Warrior princess.

To help Bindi celebrate, Australia Zoo is inviting all kids 14 years and under to come along FREE on the day, with all of the glamour set to start at the extra early time of 8am!

The glamour won't get in the way of the fun though, with a massive ballroom and free dance lessons sure to get the kids into the swing of things.

Even Australian Idol favourite, Jessica Mauboy, is coming to the party for a very special Bindi's Birthday performance! That's right - just before she joins Beyonce on her Australian tour, you can see Jessica Mauboy perform in the Crocoseum, and then meet her and get her autograph!

The former Idol contestant is excited to be performing at Australia Zoo, and is looking forward to a FUN performance, which will include four of her hits, and her soon to be released single, Up Down, as part of the celebration.

"I am going to help Bindi have a brilliant party and create a very unique and special day to remember," said Jessica

The pop star also expressed her appreciation for Bindi and Australia Zoo's efforts towards wildlife conservation.

"I know that Australia Zoo is very special in giving animals a living experience as close to their natural habitat as possible," said Jessica.

"I really admire that Bindi wants to follow her father in teaching people to protect and preserve animals."

The birthday girl herself is very excited about celebrating her birthday in style with the pop star.

"This is so exciting! To have Jessica Mauboy come to my birthday and sing in the Crocoseum is so beaut bonza!" said Bindi.

"I love having my birthday at Australia Zoo. It's a day I get to share with everybody and say G'Day!"

Be sure to join in singing Bindi a happy birthday as she cuts her cake, and then get your very own piece!

For full event activities see:  Bindi's 11th Birthday Event

Today at the Zoo!

It may appear to be a glamorous job, but caring for the animals at Australia Zoo is hard and sometimes very smelly work. So, when TODAY show weather man Steve Jacobs decided to swap jobs with Bindi for the day, he discovered exactly what it takes to be a Zoo Keeper.

Steve's day as a keeper began with some basic duties. With Robert and Bindi's help, he fed the Red Pandas, cleaned the glass in the tiger enclosure and prepared some wormy echidna food. These were all light duties compared to his next task- the croc feed!

With Terri and Wes close by, Steve ran into the Crocoseum to meet one of our big salty crocs. For a first-timer, Steve did a ripper job helping out with the demo...he even got to hand feed the massive reptile! Wooo-hoo!

On the other side of the Zoo, our three gorgeous elephants were waiting to get their enclosure cleaned. With a wheel-barrow and over-sized shovel, our budding Zoo Keeper spent the rest of the day scooping elephant poop!

Bindi, normally a Jungle Girl, kept up her end of the bargain and took Steve's spot on the TODAY show as the weather girl. With her own aussie twist, Bindi was great and made Steve's job look easy!

Hook, line and sinker!

In 2008 The Australia Zoo rescue unit attended 191 fishing tackle related rescues - this is a staggering amount - that's more than one every two days!

Many of these rescues can be easily untangled, treated and released, but some, like Rafael the three flippered turtle, require constant veterinary care and months of rehabilitation.

The Rescue Teams most recent fishing tackle victim was a gorgeous Australasian Gannet.

The Australasian Gannet was caught up in a gang hook. He went diving after the fish then came up with the hook in his neck. The gentlemen reeled him in to his boat and covered him in a towel. Then proceeded to the boat ramp where he then called Australia Zoo. The Rescue Team headed straight there, and going on past rescues involving gang hooks, expected the worst!

They had a look at the hook and where it went into the neck and assessed the injury. Luckily the wound was superficial, so the Rescue Team were able to cut the hook and apply first-aid.

After the wound was clean, they applied Betadine and gave the Gannet an all over check for any other wounds or fishing line. Lucky for this little guy, he had no further injuries and was released back into the marina!
This is only too common with sea birds everywhere.

Hooks and fishing line are real killers if not treated straight away. Terrible injuries to these animals can be easily avoided; next time you're down at the beach or the boat ramp, look for any fishing line or hooks and put them in the bin...where they belong! Always discard unused or abandoned Crab Pots - they are killers!

If you see any injured or sick wildlife - call 1300 369 393 - 24 hours a day - 7 days a week!

Keepers claim victory!

For 364 days of the year, Australia Zoo's animal keepers work harmoniously with the construction crew to maintain a magnificent Zoo. But for one night, harmony goes out the window and ‘the khaki' is replaced with footy jerseys, as these two departments go head to head for the Slavko Memorial Shield charity match.

With months of after-work training under their belts, the two teams took to the field determined to take home victory. The keepers were desperate to hold on to the shield after a three-year winning streak, and the construction crew were eager to prove their strength.
After a minutes silence for Slavko, the game was underway and the competition was fierce.

Both teams went out strong but no-one could stop the keepers as they took the lead early in the game. Construction battled on but could not match the keeper's determination. For the fourth year running the keepers took home victory, defeating the construction crew 10- nil.

Celebrating with the animal keepers was the female touch-footy team, The Beauties, who claimed their second win against the zoo oldies, The Beasts, in a fierce touch footy game earlier in the night. Go girls!

The event was a great success, raising over $3000 for crocodile conservation, while celebrating the life of an extraordinary artist and dear friend, Slavko.