In Australia, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, there is a zoo. It sits on about 45 acres of lush rainforest with the Glasshouse Mountains and the Sunshine Coast hinterlands as a backdrop. It is a place where conservation lives through exciting education. Over 750 rescued, exotic, native animals and reptiles — including crocs, and lots of them — call it home. It is, after all, the home of the Crocodile Hunter and the Crocodile Hunter Diaries. Welcome to the Australia Zoo.
The Australia Zoo's story began way back in 1970 when Steve's parents, Bob and Lyn Irwin, decided to start a wildlife sanctuary. Their home had grown too small for their collection of rescued reptiles and family of five. So they moved to the Sunshine Coast and purchased four acres of land where they opened the Beerwah Reptile Park. Admission prices were 50 cents for adults and 5 cents for children.
From the very beginning, Australia Zoo's main aim was to promote conservation through education. By choosing to display predominately reptiles, the park was always fighting an uphill battle when it came to public opinion. Never ones to back away from a challenge, Bob and Lyn took on the job of educating Australians about local reptiles and they soon became well known for their knowledge of native wildlife. Bob was recognized and respected globally as a herpetologist who helped pioneer reptilian husbandry in Australia. Lyn also became one of the first people to rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife in southeast Queensland.
Throughout the years the zoo expanded and eventually became known as the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. In 1992, there came yet another change when Bob and Lyn retired, leaving the management of the facility to their son Steve and his wife Terri, who renamed the park Australia Zoo.
Steve and Terri Irwin were quick to follow in Steve's parents' footsteps promoting dedication to conservation. They became involved in different zoological associations leading to breeding programs and conservation efforts, including the establishment of the Australia Zoo Endangered Species Unit and Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Unit.
The Endangered Species Unit has been established to develop and implement breeding and management programs for endangered species, not only from Australia, but from around the world. The zoo has seen the first-ever births of a rare canopy goanna, the crested iguana and the bilby.
The Australia Zoo's staff is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond to any wildlife emergency. Known as the Australia Zoo Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Unit, they are called upon every day to rescue and treat the sick, rehabilitate the injured, raise the orphaned, and release healthy animals back into the wild.
Since Australia Zoo began, its aim has remained constant, to promote: "Conservation through exciting Education!"
