Koala Sentinel Population Monitoring Program

Taronga has been engaged by the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water to deliver the Koala Capture and Veterinary Processing component of the Koala Sentinel Population Monitoring Program, part of the broader NSW Koala Strategy. The program involves conducting health assessments and fitting tracking devices to collect data on koala density, movement, disease, health, and genetics across six populations in NSW. 

Conservation ecology of Greater Bilby: survival, reproductive success and movement ecology in a breeding sanctuary in NSW

The Greater Bilby is an iconic, threatened marsupial that was once widespread throughout arid and semi-arid Australia, including NSW. Due to habitat loss and introduced predators and herbivores, the Greater Bilby has been locally extinct in NSW for more than a century.

Developing a scent-based management tool for Dingoes and other Wild Dogs in Australia

This project aims to develop biologically relevant predator management tools based on the dingo's natural communication system. Understanding how long particular critical signals persist in dingo scent marks under natural conditions is critical to applying these territorial signals to manage the movements of dingoes in key areas including around reintroduction sites and livestock areas.

Regent Honeyeater study: Impact of zoo-based life experience, health indices and demographics on post-release fitness and survival

The aim of the project is to identify trends in the relationship between zoo based experiences, health data and characteristics of post-release birds. The first trial release occurred in 2000 at Capertee, NSW.

Human-wildlife conflict program, Botswana

The welfare of humans and animals is impacted by livestock-carnivore conflicts. Dr Neil Jordan has several projects underway and under-development as part of his ongoing research program in Botswana within the broad theme of livestock-carnivore conflict mitigation.

Platypus futures

Multiple groups have been working hard to improve our understanding of impacts of river system regulation (dams, diversions) and climate change on platypus health and distribution, with the goal to reduce extinction risk.

Making the waves safe

For over 30 years, Taronga has housed the Australian Shark Attack File and has an established reputation for research in shark biology. In response to multiple human fatalities from shark attacks in recent years, the NSW DPI Fisheries, commissioned a review of current and emerging shark deterrent technologies and in 2015 convened a Scientific Shark Summit to address the issue of shark attacks.

Tracing origins, resource use and movements of green turtles in NSW

This study is using genetic and stable isotope analysis to determine the breeding origin of green turtles found in NSW waters and to identify foraging hotspots along the NSW coast.

Green turtles are listed globally as Endangered by the IUCN and are one of Taronga’s Legacy species. To date, research on marine turtles has focussed on natal breeding sites in Queensland, neglecting important resting and foraging grounds in NSW.

Movement, migration and social networks in wild shark populations

Sharks are apex predators and have played a key role in keeping our oceans healthy for millions of years. Our work on wild Port Jackson (PJ) sharks in Jervis Bay since 2012 using novel acoustic monitoring and genetic analyses has revealed important knowledge of their ecology and life history.

Reef Recovery

The Great Barrier Reef and other reef systems around the world are threatened by multiple processes, particularly ocean acidification and warming as a result of climate change. Reefs are complex life support systems and their degradation has devastating impacts on marine and terrestrial animal populations, including humans.

Frog Conservation Biobanking

Zoo-based amphibian conservation breeding programs play a critical role in supporting ongoing management and, in some cases, re-establishment of wild populations of several threatened frog species. Advances in amphibian assisted reproductive technologies are set to bolster conservation outcomes from breed-for-release programs primarily by ensuring populations remain genetically diverse and adaptive to the suite of environmental stressors that continue to drive declines. 

Norfolk Island Snail

For such a tiny animal, there is a huge diversity of snails on Australia’s offshore islands. Taronga Zoo Sydney is home to the first ever ex-situ breeding program for two critically endangered Norfolk Island snails.

Sensing the seascape

This project focuses on a biodiversity hotspot and also a literal climatic hotspot on the area on and around Montague Island on the south-eastern coast of Australia. The work involves assessing the effects of climate change on predator and prey species in this ecosystem and to use this knowledge to guide policies on human activities in the area.

Forensic science and native animal conservation

Huge discrepancies have bee identified between the number of apparently ‘captive-bred’ animals being exported overseas, and the capacity of actual breeding programs. Up until now there has been no scientific tool available to test if an animal has been raised in captivity or taken from the wild. Taronga’s Forensic team has developed an exciting, novel method to identify the origin of the animal.

Amphibian IVF

Assisted reproductive techniques (ART), similar to that used in humans, have been adapted for many species of wildlife around the world. Now, we hope to develop and use ART with four critically endangered Australian frog species.

Semen collection and cryopreservation in the Eastern Water Skink

To our knowledge, there are only four published reports of successful semen collection in lizards: common geckos, green iguana, brown anole and McCann's skink; and only one detailed study of reproductive physiology and ejaculate traits.

Christmas Island Habitat Health

Christmas Island is home to several highly threatened species of reptiles, two of which have since become extinct-in-the-wild. Highly successful captive breeding programs were established on Christmas Island and at Taronga in 2009 and have rescued both species from extinction, and re-introductions are currently underway in predator-proof “soft release” sites on the island.

Do Koala Retrovirus variants alter immune function in captive koalas?

This project aims to determine whether there is any detectable impact of Koala Retroviruses on the immune system of the Koala. 

Health Assessment and translocation of Long-nosed Potoroo, Southern Brown Bandicoots and Eastern Quolls

At least 36 Long-nosed Potoroos will be translocated over three years into Booderee NP following veterinary evaluation and health assessment provided by the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health at Taronga. It has been more than 100 years since Long-nosed Potoroos roamed Booderee NP.

Satellite tracking of Sea Turtles

Satellite tracking of rehabilitated sea turtles will provide a better indication of release success, especially if the satellite tags remain functional for an extended period of time once the turtles are released to sea. Tracking can help indicate the level of impact of marine pollution/human interaction on turtles and provide critical information about habitat use.

Bellinger River Snapping Turtle: mortality investigation, virus ecology and husbandry

Following the collaborative project that led to the rapid detection and diagnosis of the diseases causing the Bellinger River Turtle decline, this project will understand the ecology of the virus to assess risks posed to other species and waterways and build an experimental model and diagnostic tests to inform the development and assessment of disease control methods, including the potential development of a vaccine.

Origins and potential impacts of a multisystemic bacterial infection emergent in Christmas Island Geckos

An unusual Enterococcus species has been identified as the cause of severe facial swellings and multi-systemic infection in Christmas Island Geckos. There are grave concerns that the infection could become established in the last remaining endemic reptile species on the island, the Christmas Island Giant Gecko.

Administering Safe Pain Relief to Koalas

Koalas suffer painful conditions from burns and other injuries, as seen during the Black Summer fires. In collaboration with the University of Sydney, we investigated how koalas absorb, distribute and metabolise pain medications, specifically paracetamol and tramadol.

Dining with Dasyurids

Healthy populations of threatened dasyurid marsupials at Taronga like the Tasmanian devil and the northern quoll are crucial for ongoing wild reintroduction programs.

Brush-turkey adaptation to human-modified landscapes

Brush Turkeys are increasingly being seen as a pest around suburban Sydney. The aim of this project is to gauge public perceptions around turkeys in general and study the basic behavioural profile of those Brush Turkeys within the zoo grounds. 

Building the next generation of analysis tools for animal tracking data

Tracking animals with electronic telemetry devices to gain insight into where they go, how they use their environment and their interactions with other animals has become a major research focus in ecology. However, a lack of statistically sound and intuitive analysis tools has meant that the true potential of animal movement data is often unexplored.

A silver spoon start to life: investigating the effect of dietary carotenoids on fitness-determining traits in the critically endangered Southern Corroboree Frog

Taronga is a partner on an investigation into the effect of dietary carotenoids on fitness determining traits in the critically endangered Southern Corroboree Frog.