Fantastic stuff. What does an encounter entail? Do participants get to wear the glove and have the owl perch on their arm?
Orange-bellied parrot fledges We are very proud to announce the fledging today of our very first orange-bellied parrot chick. OBP's are a Critically Endangered species and Moonlit Sanctuary is located within their historical range. We joined the breeding program last year, and we hope this is the first of many. The good thing for visitors is that he/she fledged in the display aviary, so visitors can get a close up view!
.well done. its a great acheivement and hopefully the first of many. it's a beautiful little bird balancing on the brink of extinction. every bird counts.
New Lizard and Turtle enclosure Moonlit Sanctuary has just opened a new outdoor lizard and turtle enclosure. Species displayed include eastern and Gippsland water dragons, blotched and eastern blue-tounges, and Cunningham skinks, and long-necked and Murray River turtles.
New encouter - feeding tawny frogmouths As from Monday, Moonlit Sanctuary will have a new encounter, hand feeding tawny frogmouths. The charge for this encounter is $15 with 2 people a day able to participate. The encounter will be held at 1 pm. At the same time keepers will do a free presentation on tawny frogmouths for all visitors.
I think you might be getting a visit from nanoboy very soon then! What are the frogmouths being fed on?
In the photo they are being fed strips of meat, however we offer the frogmouths a varied diet which changes every day. This included insects, mice as well as meat based concoctions.
Remodeled Lace Monitor Enclosure We have just completed the rebuilding of our Lace Monitor (Goanna) enclosure. It has been expanded, landscaped, and a full height glass window has replaced the perspex that had become cloudy with age. Pictures of the enclosure, and of our keepers releasing one of the monitors.
New Behind the Scenes Tour Moonlit Sanctuary will be running special behind the scenes tours this school holidays. Times: Run daily from 28th June-13th July 2014 at 12.00 and 3.00pm tour is 1hr. Cost: $35 per person; minimum 2 people – maximum 5 people (admission not included). Tour: Taken around by a keeper, find out about our animal diets in the kitchen, see behind the scenes facilities, and enjoy close encounters with: • Blinky the Dingo • Golden Tree Snake or Diamond Python • Sugar Glider • Lorikeet Feeding Enrichment – both making and giving it out. If any of the above animals are not be available – an alternative will be made available.
Accreditation Moonlit Sanctuary has been recognized for meeting positive animal welfare outcomes. Recently assessed by the Zoo and Aquarium Association’s (ZAA) new Accreditation Program, we have successfully achieved Accreditation. The Zoo and Aquarium (ZAA) Accreditation Program has lifted the bar for animal welfare standards, and is for all ZAA member zoos and aquariums. With a positive animal welfare focus, the new Accreditation Program is a world first for the zoo industry. Rather than simply making sure animals are not experiencing negative welfare states, the new program goes a step further to focus on delivering positive welfare outcomes. This contemporary framework looks at the Five Welfare Domains – from the four physical domains of nutrition, environment, health, and behavior through to the fifth domain of mental affective state.
Well-done to Moonlit Sanctuary! I know it's more difficult for a small facility to get accredited, so kudos to MRJ and his team for their effort! Hix
Orange-bellied Parrot on the way to the wild Today Moonlit Sanctuary dispatched the first orange-bellied parrot it bred to Tasmania, to be released this spring to help boost the wild population. The orange-bellied parrot is critically endangered with fewer than 70 still in the wild. Senior keeper Lisa can be seen preparing the transport box.
Baby quolls and dingo pups Our spot-tailed quolls have given birth to six hairless, thumb-sized babies. Mum is Desiree and dad is Quiggly. It will be several weeks before these babies grow big enough to emerge from mum's pouch. Also our two 12 week old dingo pups, Blaze and Scorch, are out on display. And for an additional charge visitors can enjoy a play session with them.