Taronga Pride Out In Force at Fair Day 2016

Taronga Pride Out In Force at Fair Day 2016

Sunday 21st February, saw a group of Taronga staff and volunteers participate in one of the community’s most-loved Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras events - Fair Day.


Attracting close to 80,000 people down to Victoria Park in Camperdown, Taronga Pride was out in force.Our community ZooMobile also made an appearance during the day with a number of educational ambassadors interacting with visitors. Lynx the Short-beaked Echidna, The Duke and Lybos our Chaco Tortoises and Baywarra our Diamond Python were among some of the crowd favourites.


At Taronga, we believe that wildlife and all of humankind, including the LGBTQI community, can share this planet harmoniously with compassion.


This year we asked visitors to ‘Lend Your Eyes To The Wild’, asking if they or someone they know was travelling through South East Asia soon and encouraging them to download the free Wildlife Witness app from Google Play or the App Store and report wildlife crime.


This conservation message comes at a critical time for the future of a number of Taronga's 10 legacy species which call the Indonesian island of Sumatra home. All these species are considered trade target species and are at risk of extinction.


Taronga’s commitments will hopefully see us raise $1 million over our Centenary year for the Sumatran Rhino, Pangolin, Sumatran Tiger, Sun Bear and Asian Elephant, as well as five Australian species including the Marine Turtle, Corroboree Frog, Regent Honeyeater, Greater Bilby and Platypus.


This money will help Taronga's in-situ and ex-situ conservation programs throughout Australia and Sumatra.


2016 is looking like a colourful year for Taronga and our visitors. Don't forget to keep an eye out for our float in this year’s Mardi Gras Parade on Saturday 5th March!


By Kiah Wilson - Taronga Pride