Latest news with #AustraliaZoo
West Australian
16 hours ago
- General
- West Australian
World Giraffe Day: Celebrate at Perth Zoo with the beloved girl gang, baby Zahara, mum Kitoto and aunty Ellie
It will be a girls-only party at Perth Zoo on Saturday as the long-legged ladies strut their stuff on the ninth annual World Giraffe Day. Kitoto, daughter Zahara and Aunty Ellie make up Perth Zoo's giraffe girl gang. The tallest — nine-year-old Ellie — is the daughter of the world's tallest living giraffe, Forest, who lives at Australia Zoo in Queensland. The smaller Kitoto, 15, is the matriarch of the herd, according to Perth Zoo giraffe keeper Rowan Weaver. 'The three girls all have their own individual quirks,' Mr Weaver said. 'Kitoto has been a wonderful mother, having had three calves over the years, including Zahara. 'Ellie is very energetic and always quite curious to investigate what us keepers are doing.' Mr Weaver said three-year-old Zahara was the 'precious' diva of the herd. Giraffe populations in the wild have experienced a 40 per cent decline over the past 30 years and Mr Weaver said Saturday's celebrations raised awareness for the plight of giraffe in the wild. 'Our volunteer docents will run a special giraffe close encounter experience, where visitors can book in and get the chance to stand eye-to-eye with these incredible animals. 'Up-close, you really get a sense of how special, gentle and charismatic they can be, and it's these moments we hope form lifelong memories that encourage people to become passionate about saving wildlife.'
Perth Now
16 hours ago
- General
- Perth Now
A day of celebration for Perth Zoo's tallest ladies
It will be a girls-only party at Perth Zoo on Saturday as the long-legged ladies strut their stuff on the ninth annual World Giraffe Day. Kitoto, daughter Zahara and Aunty Ellie make up Perth Zoo's giraffe girl gang. The tallest — nine-year-old Ellie — is the daughter of the world's tallest living giraffe, Forest, who lives at Australia Zoo in Queensland. The smaller Kitoto, 15, is the matriarch of the herd, according to Perth Zoo giraffe keeper Rowan Weaver. Perth Zoo is celebrating International Giraffe Day on Saturday. Pictured are mother and daughter Giraffes Kitoto and Zahara (3) at the zoo. Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian 'The three girls all have their own individual quirks,' Mr Weaver said. 'Kitoto has been a wonderful mother, having had three calves over the years, including Zahara. 'Ellie is very energetic and always quite curious to investigate what us keepers are doing.' Mr Weaver said three-year-old Zahara was the 'precious' diva of the herd. Giraffe populations in the wild have experienced a 40 per cent decline over the past 30 years and Mr Weaver said Saturday's celebrations raised awareness for the plight of giraffe in the wild. Perth Zoo is celebrating International Giraffe Day on Saturday. PIctured is Zahara (3) and her mum Kitoto and aunt Ellie at the zoo Justin Benson-Cooper Credit: Justin Benson-Cooper / The West Australian 'Our volunteer docents will run a special giraffe close encounter experience, where visitors can book in and get the chance to stand eye-to-eye with these incredible animals. 'Up-close, you really get a sense of how special, gentle and charismatic they can be, and it's these moments we hope form lifelong memories that encourage people to become passionate about saving wildlife.'
ABC News
2 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Eddie the echidna released after surviving swim from Bribie Island to the mainland
A juvenile echidna which is believed to have completed an epic one-kilometre swim in waters off Queensland's Sunshine Coast has been released back into the wild. The female echidna, nicknamed Eddie, was returned to bushland on Wednesday afternoon after spending weeks in care. Eddie captured the imagination of residents after she was found in an exhausted state on a rock wall at Golden Beach last month. The echidna was believed to be the same one spotted a few weeks earlier stranded on the battered tip of Bribie Island where the ocean has broken through in three places since 2022. Eddie was released at Lighthouse Reach, about 5km south of the breakthroughs, with the location selected to give the native animal the best chance of survival. The release was coordinated by Pumicestone Passage Catchment Management Board (PPCMB) spokesperson Jen Kettleton-Butler and licensed wildlife carer Sybelle Foxcroft, with support from the Caloundra Coast Guard. "The last time I saw her, she was on her last legs. She is [now] looking fit as a fiddle," Ms Kettleton-Butler said. Caloundra resident Dave Cairns found the echidna lying on its back against a rock wall on May 24. He contacted Ms Kettleton-Butler, who had previously filmed what appeared to be the same echidna during erosion inspections on Bribie Island. The animal was taken to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where she was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia — a condition linked to water inhalation. Eddie required round-the-clock care in the hospital's intensive care unit, with a spokesperson saying she had "quickly stolen the hearts of everyone here". While it's a rare sight, echidnas are able to swim by using their back feet to paddle and steer themselves and using their tiny snouts like a snorkel. Wildlife experts believe the animal may have been swept off the island by rising tides, or could have entered the water in search of food. Before the rescue, Ms Kettleton-Butler and Ms Foxcroft had conducted dusk searches along the isolated northern spit, concerned for the echidna's safety as the land continued to erode. The echidna was not located at the time, but other wildlife, including reptiles and small marsupials, were observed on the ever-shrinking tip, which is now approximately 400 metres long and 20 metres wide. Coastal scientists monitoring the site have warned the entire tip could be lost over time, along with the reptiles and small marsupials that still inhabit it. "Eddie is our ray of hope," Ms Kettleton-Butler said. The state government recently allocated $20 million for urgent repair works to the island, which also acts as a natural barrier against storm surges for low-lying communities on the mainland. The works will involve pumping approximately 100,000 cubic metres of sand to infill the two most recent breakthroughs triggered by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred earlier this year. An inner sandbank will also be constructed inside the first breakthrough, caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Seth in 2022. The sandbank is aimed at reducing the wave energy entering the Pumicestone Passage. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie said Caloundra residents had been "rightly concerned about community impacts". "We are taking swift action to ensure they are protected," Mr Bleijie said. Ms Kettleton-Butler said it was a "bandaid" ahead of the next storm season. "These are just sacrificial sand dunes. If we get hit by a storm, there's no doubt they'll get washed away," she said. "But the whole idea is that these are the temporary measures that they can implement right now while we design the long-term solution, [which] is going to take a lot of planning, a lot of community consultation, and also a fair bit to get through the approval process."
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Robert Irwin wears a $23,750 Rolex as he makes a very stylish arrival in Sydney after very famous A-list star gifted one to his sister Bindi
Robert Irwin made a very stylish arrival at Sydney Airport on Tuesday. The celebrity conservationist, 21, looked chic in a cream sweater paired with black pants and bright white Nike sneakers. But it was the wildlife warrior's timepiece that really caught the eye, with Robert wearing $23,750 Rolex Deepsea watch on his wrist. The watch may well have been gifted to him by Russell Crowe, who gave a Rolex to his sister Bindi two years ago. Robert flashed a smile as he strolled through the terminal, talking on his smartphone and carrying a black shoulder bag. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Robert Irwin made a very stylish arrival at Sydney Airport on Tuesday and wore a $23,750 Rolex Deepsea watch on his wrist He topped off the stylish look with a black baseball cap and classic aviator sunglasses. Gladiator star Russell, 61, famously gifted his sister Bindi at Rolex back in 2019. In June 2023, the actor played one-off gig with his band Indoor Garden Party at the Irwin family's Australia Zoo. Bindi shared a video of the performance to Instagram, thanking the actor for the concert at the Queensland sanctuary. 'Incredible day @australiazoo. Thank you @russellcrowe, Indoor Garden Party. Music that moves your heart and soul. We love you!' she wrote. In the accompanying video footage, the actor belted out some tunes before addressing the crowd. Russell said that Australia Zoo is 'one of the best places in the world' for punters to get up and close with wildlife. The Oscar-winner is a long-time supporter of Australia Zoo and friend of the Irwins, with his friendship to matriarch Terri sparking decades worth of romance rumours which she has ardently denied. In 2021, Terri thanked the Hollywood star for his donation to Australia Zoo, which resulted in the rescue of an ailing kookaburra called Archie. The year before, he gifted Bindi and her husband Chandler Powell a fig tree as a wedding present. To celebrate his 56th birthday from afar in April 2020, the newlyweds hugged the tree in a sweet Instagram picture, since they couldn't see him in person. In 2021, Terri denied she was dating Russell saying she was 'very very single'. She told Access Hollywood in 2017: 'In all honesty, he (Russell) and Steve became friends many years ago, and after Steve passed, you find out who your true friends are. And Russell has been very loyal as a great friend.' The mother-of-two hasn't dated anyone publicly since her late husband Steve tragically died aged 44 in a freak stingray accident in 2006.
Sky News AU
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Wild quarrel over Queensland croc culling bill emerges as Bob Irwin Snr unleashes on maverick politician Bob Katter
A fierce debate over a controversial Queensland crocodile culling bill is heating up, with Bob Irwin Snr not holding back about his feelings towards federal politician Bob Katter. The Crocodile Control and Conservation Bill 2025 introduced to Queensland's parliament by Katter's Australian Party (KAP) in February would legalise the culling of crocodiles in the state. Debate over the proposed legislation has now boiled over, with Mr Katter and KAP now publicly trading jabs with the Irwin family following a lengthy submission on the bill by Australia Zoo. The father of Australian conservationist icon Steve Irwin has told The Courier Mail he thinks Mr Katter is 'a d***head', telling the masthead to 'put it on record'. '....and you can actually tell him who said it as well,' Mr Irwin said on Wednesday. 'He's not listening to the people that know, he has no idea of how the environment works, and that's his problem.' The heated comments from the 86-year-old came after he appeared at Queensland's parliament for a hearing regarding crocodile management, according to the masthead. The Australia Zoo founder's daughter-in-law Terri Irwin has spoken out about the culling proposal, calling the bill "lazy and sloppy" in a submission on the bill. She claimed the legislation would increase the likelihood of crocodile attacks on people, and slammed the proposal as being an attempt to 'recycle old draft legislation'. Mr Katter last week hit back at Ms Irwin for her criticism of his party's bill, calling out Australia Zoo for keeping the reptiles in captivity. 'She knows all about it, well I'm a bit fascinated by that. How would you know about crocodiles if you live in Brisbane?,' the federal member for Kennedy said in a video posted on social media. 'Oh that's right, she's got them all locked up in a cage in Brisbane, I'd forgotten about that.' The maverick politician's son and KAP leader Robbie Katter took to social media on Wednesday to address Ms Irwin over the remarks detailed in the submission. 'You make money out of crocodiles by keeping them in cages. I don't know what qualifies you to give advice on the way we live up north,' the party leader said in a Facebook post. Earlier on Wednesday, a cartoon was posted on the KAP Facebook page that appeared to show Ms Irwin, the ghost of Steve Irwin, and a crocodile angrily staring at a KAP member holding a gun with 'Cull Plan' written on it.
