Since Taronga Zoo, based in Sydney, was established in 1916, it has matured into a conservation and educational hub aimed at telling the story of healthy ecosystems, habitats, wildlife and communities across the world. Like the Taronga Conservation Society, the Ottomin Foundation believes that we all have a responsibility to protect the world’s precious wildlife.
Since 2015, the Ottomin Foundation has taken a special interest in a number of projects to protect wildlife and empower people to secure a sustainable future for the planet. These programs have included the sustainability of the Corroboree frog, the Platypus and the Sumatran tiger species, as well as supporting numerous capital campaigns including the Wild Futures project comprising new and state-of-the-art wildlife hospitals in Sydney and Dubbo as well as the Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, opened in 2018.
Visit Taronga Zoo at www.taronga.org.au/conservation-and-science
Saving the Southern Corroboree Frog
Frogs are often considered a barometer of an environment’s health. Fungus infection has claimed six frog species in Australia. This threat has also impacted heavily in the Southern Corroboree frog populations. Taronga became committed to this project in 2014, where the Zoo has been breeding and releasing the Corroboree frogs into the wild in a National Recovery Program to help save the species.
Protecting the Platypus
Taronga is leading the way in a world class rescue plan for the iconic Platypus. As its population declines, the Zoo’s refuge facilities, including its new Platypus Rescue HQ at Taronga Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, have taken on a heavier burden by focussing on restoring the wild’s population. With the goal to reduce extinction risk, the Platypus Futures program aims to improve the Zoo’s understanding of impacts of river system regulation, such as dams and diversions, and climate change on Platypus health and distribution.
CEO’s Collaborate to Protect the Sumatran Tiger
In 2017, Taronga organised the CEO Sumatra Challenge. This group of CEOs, which included the Ottomin Foundation’s Chairman, Richard Kovacs, travelled to the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an area that has undergone massive human development, deforestation and agricultural growth, which has seriously threatened the Sumatran tiger and its habitat. In Sumatra, Taronga remains involved in a regional conservation for the tigers, which includes breeding, fundraising, research and community action to support sustainably-produced palm oil. Click here to read Richard’s personal experience of the CEO Sumatra Challenge.
Capital Campaigns – Wild Futures project and Institute of Science and Learning
In 2021, the Ottomin Foundation committed $1 million to the Wild Futures project, comprising three new facilities – two world-class wildlife hospitals in Sydney and Dubbo and a state-of-the-art Reptile and Amphibian Conservation Centre at Taronga Zoo Sydney. Previously, the Ottomin Foundation has also supported the capital campaign for the Institute of Science and Learning which was opened by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in October 2018. The building is a living laboratory for conservation, education and scientific investigation, which is committed to facilitating new ways of collaboration, conservation and immersive learning.
