Birthday sanctuary’s push to save parrot

TO MARK its 15th anniversary, Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park opened its new 20 aviary orange-bellied parrot breeding facility on Thursday 22 September.
The orange-bellied parrot is one of the world’s rarest and most endangered animals.
With less than 50 of the parrot species left in the world, the new aviary gives a significant boost to the captive breeding program with the facility able to house 40 birds and breed up to 100 birds each year.
The specialised off-the-ground aviaries are designed as a quarantine facility to prevent the spread of beak and feather disease, which can affect these parrots in the wild, and feature two 12 metre long free-flight aviaries for non-breeding seasons.
Zoos Victoria has contributed almost $100,000 towards the development of the new aviary with the privately owned Moonlit Sanctuary also financially supporting the construction and ongoing maintenance of the facility.
Moonlit Sanctuary director Michael Johnson said the facility “helps us take a huge step towards growing the captive population of orange-bellied parrots for release into the wild”.
“We are thankful to the funding provided by Zoos Victoria – this contribution and partnerships between governments, community groups, zoos, and the orange-bellied parrot recovery team is key to the survival of this critically endangered species.”
One of only two migratory parrot species, these birds make the huge journey across Bass Strait each year, breeding in Tasmania over summer and migrating in winter to south-eastern Australia, including the shores of Western Port just 500 metres south of the Moonlit Sanctuary.
Moonlit Sanctuary has been a key partner in the orange-bellied parrot program since 2013 and is committed to spending $500,000 over the next 10 years to run the new breeding facility.
Zoos Victoria’s Acting General Manager of Threatened Species Dr Michael Magrath said the new aviaries provided a significant boost to the captive breeding program.
“Saving species is very much a team effort and it is terrific to have Moonlit Sanctuary substantially expanding on their involvement and commit to saving this iconic bird from extinction,” Dr Magrath said.
This spring, Moonlit Sanctuary will release three orange-bellied parrots from its captive-bred population at their breeding site in Melaleuca on the south coast of Tasmania.
The new breeding facility features a viewing platform for visitors, an educational space to learn about the species, and a nest cam to observe the breeding behaviours of orange-bellied parrots.
Moonlit Sanctuary also contributes to other threatened species recovery and breeding programs including regent honeyeaters, bush-stone curlews and spot-tailed quolls.