July 15th, 2022Zoo takeover

Minister for Environment and Climate Action Lily D’Ambrosio has announced that the management of Kyabram Fauna Park will be taken over by Zoos Victoria, supported by a $3 million grant.

Kyabram Fauna Park joins Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, benefiting the resident wildlife, delivering improved staff opportunities and increased tourism to northern Victoria.
From October, Kyabram Fauna Park will be included in the $20 million Kids Go Free offer, where children under 16 receive free admission to Victoria’s Zoos on weekends, public holidays and school holidays, and members of the two zoos will have access to both.
The 55-hectare parkland and wetland Kyabram Fauna Park site is two and a half times bigger than Melbourne Zoo and has more than 600 animals, the largest collection of Australian animals in Victoria after Healesville Sanctuary.
The extensive collection of Australian animals includes Tasmanian Devils, quolls, dingoes, koalas, kangaroos, wombats, echidna, emus, flying foxes and southern cassowary along with an impressive collection of reptiles and birds.
The Park has looked after wildlife and delivered conservation programs since 1979, planting more than 7,000 native trees and plants to create a range of habitats to provide food and shelter for free-ranging wildlife and encouraged the return of 35 species of birds to the local Kyabram area.
The two wildlife organisations already share close strategic alignment across animal welfare, conservation,
sustainability and visitor experience. The transition process is now underway, with full integration to be complete within the next 18 months.