Project Penguin

Taronga’s Project Insitu is a highly successful community education program. It involves school children engaging their local community to take action in helping save a locally threatened species.

Past Project Insitu programs have included Little Penguins of Manly, Booroolong Frogs of Tumbarrumba, Regent Honeyeaters of the Capertee Valley and Chiltern and Platypus in the Western Regions. Projects run on varying scales depending on the funding available and the size of the region.

Each project is initiated by a visit from Taronga’s Zoomobile to make students aware of the plight of the chosen species. They are motivated to become a part of the solution and challenged to create awareness and behaviour change in their local community.

Students visit the Zoo and they go ‘in situ’ to hear from Zoo and community experts such as the local Office of Environment and Heritage, Council and community volunteers to learn about the current actions for the animal’s recovery and how the community could help if they were made aware.

In 2010 Project Penguin won the highly prestigious Zoo Aquarium Association’s Education Award. 

Regent Honeyeater Insitu Project 2013

The Regent Honeyeater Insitu project is a school and community-based project that, with the support of many partners, has established itself in the wider communities of the Capertee Valley, NSW and Chiltern, Victoria. The Taronga Zoo Education team is delighted at the chance to once again work with the communities from within Regent Honeyeater habitat.

Project Penguin at Taronga Zoo

‘Project Penguin’ is a Conservation Education Program delivered by Taronga Zoo’s Learning Centre in partnership with the Northern Beaches Learning Alliance.