They remind us that together we have the power to protect wildlife, restore habitats, and even bring species back from the brink of extinction.

So, in honour of National Threatened Species Day on 7 September, we are sharing seven stories of hope for animals in our backyard.
 

Breeding for conservation

For a quarter-of-a-century, Perth Zoo has partnered with Parks and Wildlife to establish and run a Native Species Breeding Program.

Through the program, more than 4,000 animals bred at Perth Zoo have been released into protected wild habitat, to secure a future for native species on the brink of extinction!

Let us introduce you to some of these special species.

Western Swamp Tortoises

For more than a century, these tortoises were believed to be extinct.

By chance, they were rediscovered by a schoolboy in 1953 in two small habitats near the Swan Valley!

Through our collaborative program we’ve been able to breed record numbers of swampies here at Perth Zoo, to re-establish populations in the wild. How incredible is that?

Since 1989, Perth Zoo has bred more than 1400 Western Swamp Tortoises, with more than 1125 released in the wild.

Hairy Marron

This native and critically endangered crayfish species is being brought back from the brink of extinction through a new collaborative breeding program!

Wild populations of Hairy Marron have declined dramatically, so for the past two years Perth Zoo Science staff have been working relentlessly behind-the-scenes in the Native Species Breeding Program in an effort to bolster population numbers.

Staff have been supporting pairs of marron through the courting, mating and egg-laying stages. The eggs are hatched as teeny tiny little juveniles and held under the mother’s tail (pictured above) until they’re big enough to become independent.

While these little craylings still have a long journey ahead of them, they represent a big 'pinch' of hope for the future of this species!

 

Dibblers

Last year, after 26 years the collaborative Dibbler breeding program was successfully completed!

​Across the program 1,173 Zoo-bred Dibblers were released into wild habitat, with 203 individuals released on Dirk Hartog Island.

Dibblers had previously vanished on the island due to introduced predators, but with through the Return to 1616 project, the island was completely eradicated of feral cats, sheep, and goats.

Now these marvellous marsupials are thriving on their own!

Native frogs

Australia has more than 200 species of frog, nearly all of which are totally unique to us!

But 15 of our frog species are threatened, including three that are endemic to WA.

• the White-bellied Frog
• the Orange-bellied Frog
• the Sunset Frog

To get these species hopping back to full strength, the team collects frog egg nests from the wild, raising them in a safe, predator-free environment.

Once they’ve grown, they’re released back into the wild, and now the three species have been jumping up in numbers!

Since this work began, 2498 frogs have been released back into the wild, AND we had a world-first, with Orange-bellied frog eggs laid at the Zoo!

That’s a HUGE leap for conservation.
 

Numbats

Perth Zoo is the only zoological institution in the world that breeds Numbats for release, with more than 300 Numbats released into safe habitat since 1993!

The Numbat program grows stronger every day, and this year we even celebrated the first birthday of a hand-raised pair, that were given a second chance at life by our dedicated animal carers!
 

Black Cockatoos

It takes a village to protect threatened species, and cockatoos are no exception!

We work in collaboration with a bunch of different passionate people and organisations to give hundreds of black cockatoos a second chance for life in the wild.

Together, we rescue, heal, rehabilitate, and release endangered black cockatoos back into the wild where they belong.

This year we are celebrating a MAJOR conservation milestone, with the total number of banded birds released soaring to 1000!
 

Western Ground Parrots

These elusive birds are critically endangered, with less than 150 estimated left in the wild.

But every day our dedicated animal carers are working hard on research projects to better understand them.

Perth Zoo is working hard to bring these birds back from the brink, creating a specialised aviary with 24-7 CCTV monitoring to understand their breeding.

We will save wildlife together!

On this day (7 September) 88 years ago, the Tasmanian Tiger slipped over the extinction line.

Now, it’s a day to celebrate our amazing Australian species and reflect on what we can do to protect them!

Thankfully, the smallest actions can make a HUGE difference, when we do them as a team.

With your support, we can continue our vital conservation work, and protect threatened species in the wild!