In the wild, tigers love to patrol their territories. Guided by their great sense of smell, they explore Asia's dense forests and endless waterways. Back at the Zoo, our nine tigers are offered a very similar experience.

Hidden behind the scenes - beyond the animal enclosures and exhibits at Australia Zoo - are many acres of undeveloped bushland; areas earmarked for future enclosures and Zoo expansions.

While these areas remain un-developed they provide the perfect place for our tigers to explore, graze and enjoy as their own - just as they would in the wild.

Australia Zoo's tiger handlers take our Bengal and Sumatran Tigers for walks everyday - individually, in pairs or with lucky Zoo guests. While exploring their territory, the tigers can go for a swim in one of the dams, observe other animals and look over large portions of the Zoo; taking in all the visual stimulants that pass them by.

As well as providing an excellent source of enrichment, exploring the bushland is a favourite pastime for our nine beautiful cats. They love it!

You can take a walk on the wild side with one of gorgeous tigers as they patrol their territory around the Zoo. Book a Tiger Walk now!

Animal related to this Zoo News:
Bengal Tiger

Shows related to this zoo news:
Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors
 

Excitement is in the air at Australia Zoo's cheetah quarters as celebrations begin for Cheetah Week.

With four worthy ambassadors - Foxy, Cleo, Echo and Sheeba - drawing crowds wherever they go, the cheetah team are on a mission to raise awareness about cheetah conservation during school holidays at the Zoo.

They are the fastest land animal in the world - but the cheetah is fast running out of time. With less than 10,000 left in the wild, cheetahs are critically endangered due to loss of habitat and cheetah-human conflict. Conflict occurs when cheetahs are wrongly blamed for livestock losses and subsequently killed by angry farmers.

In 2009, Australia Zoo contributed $30 000 towards cheetah conservation; providing vital funds to support the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust and Cheetah Outreach in South Africa.

Our goal in 2010 is to contribute $40 000 towards cheetah conservation. We need your help.

Cheetah Week is the prefect time to make a difference and help save cheetahs in the wild. Come along to Australia Zoo to join in the celebrations and meet our magnificent cheetahs and learn about their plight in the wild. All funds raised during the cheetah celebrations will go directly to cheetah conservation.

Everyday during the school holidays, the cheetah team will be showing-off their beautiful cats and chatting to guests about the plight of the cheetah.

We hope to ‘spot' you there!

Cheetah Week celebrations - check out the action!

Animal Adoption has never been so rewarding. Australia Zoo is offering the first 100 animal adopters a free day at the Zoo on July 11, plus an exclusive meet and greet with Terri and Bindi!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be cousins with a cheetah, brother to a Binturong, sister to Fierce Snake or related to a rhino? Adopt an animal today and make your favourite animal a part of the family!

Australia Zoo's Adopt an Animal program is the perfect way to make a difference to wildlife and conservation around the world.

Caring for over 1000 drop-dead gorgeous animals is a massive round-the-clock job. Australia Zoo receives no government funding so your adoption will play a vital role in our ongoing fight for wildlife through our international conservation projects.

Here at the Zoo, your adoption assists with our breeding programs, state of the art wildlife exhibits vital rehabilitation programs, veterinary requirements and general animal husbandry needs.

What are you waiting for? Check-out our Amazing Animals and adopt one today!

Australia Zoo's Free Flight Bird Show is world-class.

Everyday a vibrant array of native and exotic birds spread their wings in our 5000 seat Crocoseum. It is simply spectacular!

Amongst the colourful lorikeets, majestic macaws and soaring cockatoos that wow the crowds in the show, is our cheeky Pied Cormorant, Flipper.

Flipper is a veteran star of the water bird segment in the Free Flight Bird Show. And as much as he loves to be the centre of attention, it's time for him to take a well-earned holiday. Our Little Pied Cormorant, Scuba, is set to take the stage and fill Flipper's very big...flippers?

With lots of fishy rewards and a bit of hard work, Scuba quickly mastered her entrance through the infamous ‘love canal' into the Crocoseum to greet the crowds and show-off her skills. What a natural!

Australia Zoo delivers ‘conservation through exciting education' at every chance we get! And Scuba's segment in the Free Flight Bird show is the perfect opportunity for our water birds to spread a vital message and help save their cousins in the wild.

Once she is centre stage, Scuba darts through the water collecting rubbish to teach everyone how easy and important it is to keep our waterways clean.

Each year the Australian Wildlife Hospital at Australia Zoo treats hundreds of water birds just like Scuba, who have fallen victim to careless littering.

Great news! Winter is upon us and the Humpback Whales have started their migration extra early this year. To make sure you don't miss a minute of the action - we're starting early too!

June 19 marks the start of the 2010 whale watching season aboard Steve's Whale One.

Tipped to be the most spectacular season to date, guests can expect an extraordinary marine adventure with countless Humpback Whale sightings and up-close encounters.

Cruise the spectacular coastline of Queensland's Sunshine Coast aboard our luxurious 115 passenger catamaran - Steve's Whale One. Enjoy 360 degree views, a delicious lunch and guaranteed whale sightings!

Don't miss your chance to see the gentle giants of the ocean, up-close and personal, as they journey along the coastline.

Join us for a magical whale season - book your ticket online now.

The perfect gift: Spoil your special someone with a day of whale watching aboard Steve's Whale One! Buy gift tickets now!

A sighting of three-flippered Loggerhead Turtle, Rafael, has come just in time for Australia Zoo's Rescue Unit, ahead of World Turtle Day on Sunday.

The Rescue Unit received a report that a dive instructor had seen a Loggerhead Turtle with three flippers and a blue box (satellite) attached to its back, swimming near North Stradbroke Island.

"Its great news to hear that Rafael has been sighted doing well," said head of the Rescue Unit, Brian Coulter.

"Rafael's progress has continued to be tracked following his release in June last year, and we can see from his tracking map that he lives around the North Stradbroke Island area."

Rafael was the first turtle to be tracked under a joint project between the Department of Environment and Resource Management, University of Queensland and Australia Zoo, after undergoing surgery to amputate a flipper. Following the success of his surgery, rehabilitation, release and subsequent tracking in the wild, a second turtle, Green Sea Turtle Minka, also joined the tracking program.

World Turtle Day, an international day recognised annually on May 23, provides an opportunity to highlight the plight of sea turtles in our oceans, with the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit calling on people to be more cautious with their rubbish.

Marine debris poses a huge threat to marine wildlife around the world, and can consist of plastic containers, shipping equipment and general rubbish, with discarded fishing nets, known as ghost nets, posing a significant threat to wildlife due to their ability to capture and entangle marine wildlife.

"Both Rafael and Minka were victims of fishing gear entanglements, which in both cases resulted in a flipper being amputated," said Brian.

"It is concerning to see the number of marine wildlife that is entangled by marine debris, that is both washed up and still in out in the ocean."

Check out Australia Zoo's Turtle Tracking project to see Rafael and Minka's latest movements, the places they have visited and how far these two amazing three-flippered turtles have travelled.

Australia Zoo is excited to announce the name of our gorgeous giraffe...Rosie!

Selected by Terri, Bindi and Robert, Rosie is a perfect fit for this quiet, and much loved young girl.

Terri said the new name was fitting in several ways.

"We liked the name Rosie the best but, coincidently, it is also the name of Bindi's best friend," she said.

Terri, Bindi and Robert chose this name out of over 630 entries, received from as far away as England! But the winning name came from a five-year-old girl who lives just 20 minutes from the Zoo. Congratulations Mackenzie Henricks!

Mackenzie and her family will receive a free day at the Zoo and a special opportunity to meet Rosie and her friends Forrest and Penny. Wooo-hoo!

As Australia Zoo prepares to celebrate our mothers, keepers at the Zoo are getting the nursery ready for the arrival of our first wombat joey in almost five years! Fifteen-year-old Common Wombat Minibus has given birth to her second joey, which will continue to develop in her pouch for the next five months.

While it is still early days in the development of the joey - we won't see limbs and head out of pouch until around July - Australia Zoo is preparing for the arrival, with the special joey expected to be out and about by October.

Australia Zoo's head of native mammals, Tammy Forge, is excited to share the news of the birth, and is looking forward to seeing another joey at Australia Zoo.

"This is the second joey for Minibus, and the fourth Common Wombat to be born at Australia Zoo," said Tammy.

"We have been keeping an eye on Minibus since she gave birth in January, and we're really looking forward to seeing more and more of this little joey as time goes on."

"With the pouch life for wombats being nine to ten months, we're expecting to see our little joey out and about by September or October."

After a wombat gives birth, the joey is attached to the teat permanently in the pouch for around four months before growing fine fur and teeth. Limbs and the head can be seen protruding from the pouch at around six months, with the joey out of the pouch for short periods of time at seven months.

The joey will be permanently out of the pouch and at heel at around nine to ten months, and will make a welcome addition to Australia Zoo's growing wombat family.

After arriving at Australia Zoo in 2001, Minibus gave birth to her daughter, Burrow, in 2003, with her second and current joey being born in January this year.

The joey's father, Tonka, was also born at Australia Zoo in 2005, and is a half-brother to the beautiful Burrow!

"While this sounds like a sordid love affair, with Tonka being 10 year younger than Minibus and also half-brother to Minibus' first born, this is perfectly acceptable in the wombat world!" said Tammy.

Minibus is continuing to live in her on-display enclosure at Australia Zoo, and visitors will be kept up to date with the progress of the joey.

"We're certainly excited, and will let everyone know when we've got a little joey wombat running around," said Tammy.

Australia Zoo is on the lookout for a name for one of our gorgeous giraffes, and we need your help!

The beautiful female giraffe arrived at Australia Zoo in November 2009, and has settled in to her new home wonderfully. She is now two years old and already weighs over 520kg.

Arriving at the Zoo as a shy and quiet giraffe, our girl has become a confident socialite. She loves interacting with people and has taken a particular liking to our handsome male giraffe, Forest. The two are inseparable! We have high hopes that love will blossom, and the pitter-patter of tiny hooves will be heard in the future. But first- we need a name for this tall beauty.

In a Queensland first, we recently launched our Giant Giraffe Encounters, giving guests the chance to meet our three magnificent giraffes. The person who submits the perfect name for our young girl will win the opportunity to meet her, and her two giraffe friends, Forrest and Penny. Plus, all entrants will go in the draw to win one of five family passes to visit the Zoo and meet our tallest residents!

With only a week to think of the perfect name - it's time to get crackin'! Check out our Amazing Animal profiles for inspiration - we have stacks of animals here, including Graham, Monty and Meg!

The winning name will be selected by Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin and announced on May 15. Entries close May 8.

Good luck!

Name our giraffe now! 

Note: Transport to Australia Zoo is NOT included in the prize.

She's big, beautiful and the Matriarch of Australia Zoo's Asian Elephant herd. All hale to the magnificent Sabu!

Sabu is one of three Asian Elephant's that call Australia Zoo home. She is not the oldest, or the biggest, but her strong leadership skills have earned her the position of Matriarch, to Siam and little Bimbo.

As the leader of the pack, Sabu is in charge of making important decisions and protecting Siam and Bimbo from any danger that might arise. While her role as Matriarch comes with many important responsibilities, it also means Sabu can be extra cheeky, especially when food is involved.

Food, food, glorious food! Weighing-in at 4300kg, Sabu can eat a whopping 200kg of food everyday! As the Matriarch, she receives her meals before the other elephants. She also gets away with stealing a few of her favorite pieces of the sweeter fruits when her keepers aren't watching. And that's just the beginning!

A typical female; Sabu has a weakness for anything sweet. She has long preferred the unhealthier (tastier) options like sweet potato and bananas, but always ate the other offerings...until recently, that is.

Already a curvy girl, it is important that Sabu eats a healthy mix of vegetables, as well as her favourite fruits. Lately, our cheeky Matriarch has become an extremely fussy eater. She leaves her veggies and takes extra fruit from Bimbo and Siam. Her keepers even spotted her throwing carrots away - literally!

Not even a Matriarch can get away with throwing vegetables away, but how do you get a very stubborn, 4300kg Asian Elephant to eat her vegetables? Well, Sabu's keepers are working on it!

In the mean time, come along to Australia Zoo to hand-feed the magnificent Sabu at 10:30am and 3pm everyday. And remember to watch out for the flying carrots!