Western Ground Parrots are almost extinct with fewer than 150 birds left in the wild. With your help, Perth Zoo is helping to bring them back from the brink of extinction with a captive breeding program.

How can you help Perth Zoo save the Western Ground Parrot?

The Western Ground Parrot was once found across the whole coast of south-west Australia. However, now they are only found in Cape Arid National Park and Nuytsland Nature Reserve on the south coast of Western Australia. The biggest threats to the Western Ground Parrot are fire and predation by feral cats.

The Department of Parks and Wildlife, Perth Zoo and the Friends of the Western Ground Parrot are working to save them from extinction through population monitoring, feral cat control and breeding studies. A small number of Western Ground Parrots are housed at Perth Zoo with the hope that we can breed this critically endangered species and provide an insurance population in case they disappear in the wild.

Of the last areas where the Western Ground Parrot naturally occurs, fire suppression has been improved and introduced predator control, in particular feral cats, has been a focus. Once threats have been addressed – and if the birds are able to be successfully bred at the Zoo – we hope they can be released back into national parks within their natural range.

What Does My Donation Go Towards?

One hundred percent of your tax deductible donation will help protect wildlife as Perth Zoo covers all administration costs. General donations to Perth Zoo help us in our goal towards saving wildlife, including through our Native Species Breeding Program.

In 2012, Perth Zoo provided over $9,500 for Western Ground Parrot conservation work which included providing microchips for monitoring birds in aviaries. A small number of birds were moved to Perth Zoo in 2014 to learn about their husbandry and attempt to breed them. This work continues.