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The Victorian Government has announced that the management of the Kyabram Fauna Park in the Goulburn River Valley will be taken over by Zoos Victoria.

From October, the regional wildlife park will join Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary, gaining access to $3 million in Victorian Government funding that will benefit the resident wildlife, deliver improved staff opportunities and increase tourism to northern Victoria.

Secured after several years of negotiations, with the facility to be officially transformed into the state’s fourth zoo.

Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Action, Lily D’Ambrosio announced yesterday that the takeover is a “win for tourism and jobs”, noting “Victorians can be really proud that we’ve got a fourth zoo here. This is really a fantastic win for every Victorian.”

From October, the existing Kyabram Fauna Park will join Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Open Range Zoo and Healesville Sanctuary under the Zoos Victoria banner.

Zoos Victoria’s management of the Fauna Park will see it added to the Victorian Government’s $20 million Kids Go Free offer, where children under 16 receive free admission to Victoria’s Zoos on weekends, public holidays and school holidays, and members of the two zoos will have access to both.

The 55-hectare parkland and wetland Kyabram Fauna Park site is two and a half times bigger than Melbourne Zoo and has more than 600 animals, the largest collection of Australian animals in Victoria after Healesville Sanctuary.

The extensive collection of Australian animals includes Tasmanian Devils, quolls, dingoes, koalas, kangaroos, wombats, echidna, emus, flying foxes and southern cassowary along with an impressive collection of reptiles and birds.

The Park has looked after wildlife and delivered conservation programs since 1979, planting more than 7,000 native trees and plants to create a range of habitats to provide food and shelter for free-ranging wildlife and encouraged the return of 35 species of birds to the local Kyabram area.

The two wildlife organisations already share close strategic alignment across animal welfare, conservation, sustainability and visitor experience. The transition process is now underway, with full integration to be complete within the next 18 months.

Zoos Victoria Chief Executive, Dr Jenny Gray noted “Zoos Victoria will work hard to ensure a smooth transition, and we are thrilled to have an even broader reach to connect community with nature right across the state of Victoria, to secure a future rich in wildlife.”

The Victorian Government has invested more than $305 million in Zoos Victoria since 2014.

Images: The Kyabram Fauna Park will become the fourth zoo managed by Zoos Victoria.

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