The Kyabram Fauna Park has acquired several new residents in the hope of reigniting their breeding program.
The park, which has reopened after a COVID-19 shutdown, has welcomed two southern cassowaries, two eastern quolls, a spotted tailed quoll and a southern koala to their facility recently.
Kyabram Fauna Park General Manager, Lachlan Gordon, said they were excited to share their new arrivals with the public.
"It's been really great to have guests back in the park and appreciating our wildlife and wild places," he said.
Mr Gordon said the lockdown was tough, however working with animals was very therapeutic.
"We were able to get through it okay and the staff and all the animals are absolutely rapt to have people back in the park again to continue spreading that message of conservation," he said.
Breeding program to resume
Mr Gordon said the new species to the park are significant, particularly the southern cassowaries.
"The southern cassowaries are a brand new species to the park and something that people probably have never seen before," he said.
Each of the new species are all classified as endangered or vulnerable and it was hoped they will take part in the park's breeding program to help boost their populations.
"It makes spreading the message of their conservation and preservation a really important one," Mr Gordon said.
"At this stage we're just making sure they're happy and healthy in their homes and then we might look to find them a boyfriend or a girlfriend later on down the track."
Mr Gordon said it was a goal of the park to get their breeding program running again, particularly for the southern koala.
"The koala breeding program has laid dormant for a few years so we're hoping with this new arrival, [it] will help to bolster our koala's colony and also become an active member of our breeding program," he said.
A second home for endangered species
The new additions to the park have been sourced from wildlife parks around the country.
Mr Gordon said the park was particularly proud to be chosen to home the two southern cassowaries after their former park was impacted by bushfires earlier this year.
"Unfortunately they had to close after the bushfires earlier in the year, which was really sad," he said.
"The cassowaries really needed a new home to go to so we were really blessed and really lucky to be able to be chosen to bring them to Kyabram and provide a critically endangered species with a second home."
