Keeper Jessica Thomas holds Ember, who emerged just after the bushfires, while adoptive parent, Environment Minister Ryan Smith gazes on.
By Mara Pattison-Sowden
Twenty Tasmanian Devil joeys, 17 Helmeted Honeyeaters, 23 Orange-bellied Parrots, 524 Spotted Tree Frogs, 44 Southern Corroboree Frogs, 119 Northern Corroboree Frogs and 38 Mountain Pygmy-possums have been born at Healesville Sanctuary, as part of recent breeding programs.
Healesville Sanctuary director Glen Holland said three of the seven programs had reported their most successful breeding seasons.
“It is so important for us to be playing such an active role in fighting extinction and working hard to save some of the world’s most endangered animals,” he said.
Environment Minister Ryan Smith visited the sanctuary on Wednesday 7 September to show his support for its highly successful breeding program.
“Healesville Sanctuary’s programs aim to restore threatened species to the wild through captive breeding and release coupled with habitat management and restoration,” Mr Smith said.
He celebrated the day by adopting a platypus, and thoroughly enjoyed splashing around with his new friend.
“While the platypus has not hit the threatened species list yet, there has been widespread concern about their numbers,” Mr Smith said.
National Threatened Species Day was first held in 1996 to commemorate the death of the last Tasmanian Tiger in captivity in 1936 in Hobart.
