AUSTRALIA ZOO FUNDRAISING

News Source: The Australian Fundraising, page 58-60, October-December, 2004

The world famous Australia Zoo is known for crocodiles, Steve Irwin. And it’s amazing efforts towards conservation of all wildlife. Australia’s major Tourist Attraction, (according to The 2003-2004 Australian Tourism Awards), has a team of hard core conservationists, environmentalists and naturalists, who constantly strive to change the world to make it a better place for humans and animals to coexist.

Australia Zoo’s motto is “Conservation through Exciting Education”. Every single day, the Australia Zoo crew strive to educate it’s visitors about wildlife and what they can do to help with their conservation. One of the ways Australia Zoo gets the public involved in fundraising for the conservation of wildlife is by encouraging them to adopt one of the animals!

ADOPT AN ANIMAL PROGRAM

The Adopt an Animal program has been operating since 2001 an its success rate is phenomenal. People from all over the world can log onto the Australia Zoo website and adopt an Australia Zoo animal! By making a donation of this kind, the generous person receives some cool gifts, including a photograph of and information about the animal they have adopted. “Steve and I are committed to making a difference by working to maintain the environment for future generations. Your donation or sponsorship helps Australia Zoo to take care of its wonderful animals”

All of the animals at Australia Zoo are ambassadors for their cousins in the wild and therefore, by making a donation to upkeep of the animals in the zoo, you are assisting in the conservation of those animals in the wild!

STEVE IRWIN CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

The Koala and Wildlife Hospital is the first project of the non-profit Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation (SICF). The Koala & Wildlife Hospital aims to raise awareness of this vulnerable Australian icon, but in actuality, treats all kinds of wildlife. It can house up to 100 koalas, however it is also a temporary home to many other species such as echidnas, birds, macropods, turtles, lizards and snakes. The veterinary staff care for all kinds of wildlife from frogs to tigers!

The Koala and Wildlife Hospital has been inundated with wildlife in need of veterinarian attention since March this year, even though it has yet to be officially opened. The Hospital has outgrown itself, with a need to extend its facilities and hire more staff to cope with the demand.

To help raise money for this project, Australia Zoo guests have the once in life time opportunity to witness this amazing work during their visit to Australia’s major Tourist Attraction! Australia Zoo is getting behind the cause, by running tours to the hospital daily, with all proceeds going directly back into the hospital.

Our native wildlife is in a bit of strife and needs your help! Next time you’re at Australia Zoo, make sure you check it out and see first hand the value of The Koala & Wildlife Hospital, located at Australia Zoo.

Those who cannot make it to Australia Zoo to participate in the tours can still help the Foundation’s noble goal of the conservation of the world environment and its precious wildlife by becoming a Wildlife Warrior!

A warrior is someone who is engaged energetically in an activity, cause or conflict. Visit www.siwf.com.au to find out what you can do to help and how you can become a wildlife warrior!

Steve Irwin says “I want to make people aware all over the world about the environment and just how precious it is… all of it.”

Now, more than ever, we are all becoming aware of the need to conserve our precious living heritage. We all need to take time to consider ways in which we may be contributing to the detriment of the environment and what we can do about it! Because we don’t own planet Earth, we belong to it.

Each and every one of us can be Wildlife Warriors on a local, national and international level fighting to protect our wilderness and wildlife.

TIGER CONSERVATION

Recently, Australia Zoo welcomed six of the most adorable, yet dangerous creatures in the world…TIGERS!

The tiger is one of the first animals we learn to recognise in early childhood and yet they are an animal that is now, by the hand of man, critically endangered.

A timeline:
1900 – healthy – 100,000 tigers world wide and 8 sub-species of tiger
1930 – vulnerable
1960 – endangered
1990 – critically endangered –

Today – estimated 4,500 tigers world wide and 5 sub-species of tiger and the way we are headed now, the prediction is … 2020 – EXTINCT!

Three Bengal tiger cubs and three Sumatran tiger cubs call Australia Zoo home. While these gorgeous little fellas spend their days playing with their keepers, they are obvious to the important role they play in the conservation of tigers in the wild.

Sumatran tigers in particular are in a lot of trouble. There is estimated to be just 300 – 350 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild. Last year alone, 50 Sumatran tigers were slaughtered. At this rate, the Sumatran tiger could be extinct in the wild within the next few years. The team at Australia Zoo are doing everything in their power to reverse the current trends and save these magnificent animals from extinction. Visitors to Australia Zoo have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the tigers and have the added satisfaction of knowing that the extra money they spend on this awesome once in a lifetime experience goes straight back into tiger conservation efforts. Additionally, all proceeds from tiger souvenirs sold at Australia Zoo are donated to helping to save the tigers.

HOW DOES AUSTRALIA ZOO HELP CONSERVE TIGERS WORLDWIDE?

In June this year, Australia Zoo sent a veterinarian representative, Dr Jon Hanger, to Sumatra as an emissary for wildlife and tiger conservation.

While in Sumatra, Dr Hanger attended Kerinci Seblat National Park (KSNP) to conduct several workshops on treating wildlife emergencies. Local vets, wildlife rangers and anti-poaching officers were some of those who benefited from Dr Hanger’s vast experience as a top wildlife vet. He also worked alongside ‘Fauna and Flora International’, (FFI – a UK registered charity and the oldest conservation organisation in the world), that has been working on tiger and habitat conservation in KSNP since 2000.

The poaching of animals such as tigers is a huge problem in Sumatra. The FFI team has witnessed many animals viciously caught in snares, horrible traps that seriously maim and kill the unfortunate animals that cross their paths. One of Dr. Hanger’s main initiatives in his workshops is to address the issue and deal with how to catch, handle, treat and release these animals.

Many tigers are being poached every year for their bones and body parts to be used in traditional Chinese medicines. Illegal trade sadly continues due to poor law enforcement and lack of political support.

Last year, Dr. Hanger, along with one of Australia Zoo’s tiger handlers, organised for three field kits to be distributed to KSNP and last month, furthered its support for the FFI by donating a much needed 4x4 vehicle to be used for the ever important anti-poaching patrols.

Time is running out – the Sumatran tiger is the last of Indonesia’s tigers – the Javan and Balinese subspecies are already extinct, lost in the last century – forever. To save the Sumatran tiger, action must be taken immediately.

HUMANITARIAN AID

Not only are Steve, Terri and the Australia Zoo crew, the leaders in animal rescue and conservation, but they also actively support many worldwide humanitarian organisations. Every week they receive hundreds of requests to support these organisations, and they are more than happy to lend a helping hand.

JUST TO NAME A FEW…

Since January 2001, Australia Zoo has been raising funds for Cystic Fibrosis. This disease affects some 50 families on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Through the Glasshouse Mountains Rotary, Australia Zoo provides the funding necessary to cover the costs associated with their medical treatments that the government funding does not cover. The families also have a free day out at Australia Zoo. Funds are also being raised to provide equipment essential to the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis. Australia Zoo receives thousand of requests every year from various organisations, such as Make a Wish Foundation and the Starlight Foundation, helping to make terminally ill children’s wishes come true. Australia Zoo is more than happy to make each an every one of these wishes come true, with their very own special wildlife experience where they get up close and personal with both native and exotic wildlife.

These special children along with their family receive a behind the scenes tour hosted by our very own ‘Wish Fairy’ and leave not only with an awesome Crocodile Hunter gift pack and a photographic journal of their day, but also many unforgettable memories.

Every year in July Australia Zoo celebrates ‘kids Day’! This is an extra special day a Australia Zoo for families who cannot normally afford to pay for their children to go on outings. On this day Australia Zoo admits all children from 3-14 years free of charge! Even more exciting is the special friends who turn up to excite the masses! In the past, world-wide superstars, the Wiggles, have come along to wiggle it up, Humphrey B. Bear has made an appearance, Bob the Builder rocked the house and just this year, Dorothy the Dinosaur, Henry the Octopus, Wags the Dog and Captain Feathersword wiggled it up with a Very Wiggly Dance Party! Kids get their face painted for free, enjoy free rides, enter competitions for free, enjoy free rides, enter competitions for free and win cool Crocodile Hunter gear and loads of other prizes plus loads more!

THE GREAT GARAGE SALE

The idea for this community project comes from the mastermind of none other than Terri Irwin. Terri had a vision of the community of Beerwah, surrounding Australia Zoo, to band together to make a huge annual event for the sole purpose of having the rest of the Sunshine Coast and beyond stand up and notice Beerwah for the great little town it is.

Here’s the go – Australia Zoo got together with the local business association and asked every single business association and asked every single business to participate in Beerwah’s Great Garage Sale by offering specials or discounts for the particular day of festivities. Residents were also invited to participate by holding their own garage sales in their homes on the day. They would then register with Australia Zoo, who would provide them with red balloons to display at their business as an indicator to the public of where the could bag the best bargains in town. All participants were offered free advertising in local rags for which Australia Zoo foots the bill. The monies raised by all of the business and residents that participate stay with them, but Australia Zoo uses the opportunity to raise some funds! The 460 odd staff all pitch in by raiding their homes for unwanted items to donate towards the massive car park sale held in the car park of Australia Zoo, because as they say – one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!

Beerwah’s Great Garage Sale kick off for the first time last November . It was a huge success and Australia Zoo raised funds for area schools. This July saw even more residents join in and even the local schools took a leaf out of Australia Zoo’s book and had the students and their families donate pre-loved items for a huge garage sale to raise much needed funds. Whole streets joined and raised some money towards their Christmas street parties! It was an incredible event this year even saw some more sponsors to come aboard! For more information on this event visit – www.beerwahgaragesale.shineoutdesigns.com.au

Australia Zoo is not just a tourist attraction, it is a force actively getting out there and making a difference.

For more information on anything Australia Zoo has to offer and further details on all conservation projects and humanitarian aid it is involved in visit: www.australiazoo.com.au