Tasmania’s koala population reached one recently with the arrival of two-year-old Monty at Zoodoo Zoo. Monty was bred as part of an Austra­lia-wide managed population of koalas. The maintenance of a population of koalas in hu­man care provides an import­ant insurance population to help guard against extinction threats, such as the catastroph­ic bushfires of early 2020.

Born at Ballarat Wildlife Park in Victoria, Monty needed a new home to free up more space for ongoing breeding in the managed population in accredited zoos. Monty’s new Zoodoo Zoo home was refur­bished and officially launched in December by Mr Brian Mitchell MP, Federal Member for Lyons and Brighton Mayor Leigh Gray. Zoodoo is thrilled to welcome Monty, and for vis­itors to see this special koala.

The zoo’s foray into threat­ened species conservation is an ongoing progression of their new strategic plan, to evolve into a conservation organisa­tion.