We’re nearing the end of the series for Taronga: Who’s Who in the Zoo, but we still have so many stories to tell. In episode nine, we briefly leave the Taronga Zoo grounds and head north to the Bellinger River on the mid-north coast of NSW. Here, viewers get to witness conservation in action, as we document the next stage in the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle recovery program. Since 2015 we’ve been working with our partners at Department of Planning, Industry and the Environment to recover this species after a mysterious virus wiped out most of the turtles in the river. This next stage if the program is perhaps the most exciting yet!

Also in the episode, we visit our Saltwater Crocodile Rin Tin Tin, to watch as vet Larry Vogelnest treats him for a dental issue, and we go into the treatment room at the Taronga Wildlife Hospital with one of our gorgeous fishing cats who is experiencing some mysterious hair loss. 

We also welcome a new member to our marine family! And you’ll meet more of the dedicated staff at Taronga, who are a rare breed themselves, with their mix of world-class expertise and laidback Australian spirit.

Air date: Wednesday 3 June at 7.30pm on Channel Nine.

In this episode we saw the culmination of years’ worth of work with the release of Bellinger River Snapping Turtles back to the Bellinger River, the only place this species is found and where it was almost completely wiped out by disease in 2015. But as Adam explains in this video, the work doesn’t stop once the turtles have gone home; this recovery program involves many partners working on various elements of the conservation project and all their efforts will continue for years to come.