Releasing eight critically endangered plains-wanderer back into the wild was a historic and momentous occasion for Taronga Western Plains Zoo as well as for us zoo keepers who work behind-the-scenes to build the insurance population for this species.
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On the day the birds left Dubbo on a private charter for the Victorian border there were so many emotions going through us all here at the zoo.
It has been such a quick turn around for this program with us collecting our founder birds from the wild less than five years ago to releasing first and second-generation zoo-bred birds back into the wild this year.
It was such a proud moment to see the birds head off. At the same time, we would have loved to have been on the Victorian plains to see them be released, but border closures due to covid-19 meant that just wasn't possible.
The program may be in its infancy still but there has been a lot of work done during this time to get to a point where we have been able to release birds.
We are all really delighted to be where we are now with the program with over 37 Plains-wanderer chicks hatched across Taronga Western Plains Zoo and Taronga Zoo.
When the birds arrived, there was very little known about this shy and timid species, so we've built up our knowledge and husbandry practices during this time which has seen great breeding success.
The hope for these birds in the wild is that they not only survive but thrive.
They were released in pairs, so we hope they will stay paired up and breed.
There are still many months left of the breeding season and this spring the conditions are favourable with great habitat in the Victorian plains so seeing chicks on the ground from these zoo-bred birds will make us all jump for joy.
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Being part of a breed for release program like the plains-wanderer one is a career highlight for many keepers as well as myself. Knowing your contribution here at the zoo to the conservation program here at the zoo is making a big difference for the survival of this species is a very fulfilling.
