On the outskirts of the country town of Dubbo in New South Wales Australia, is the Taronga Western Plains Zoo. The 1,000 acres of Australian bush provides a safe environment for many threatened animal species.

And it’s a setting that offers more than just a stable existence for its inhabitants. The zoo’s Life Science Manager, Paul Metcalfe, explains.

[Paul Metcalfe, Life Science Manager]:

“The zoo has been involved in a number of endangered species breeding programs for some time now, particularly we focus on rhinos. We hold three species of rhino here at the zoo, including black rhino, white rhino and the greater one horned rhino.”

The rhino horn on the black market is valued at thousands of US dollars per ounce.  With the increasing danger of extinction, a good breeding program is all the more important for their survival.

[Paul Metcalfe, Life Science Manager]:

“In the past year since the program was established, we have bred 10 black rhinos and 11 white rhinos. That's quite successful.”

These Mongolian horses are also facing extinction.

[Paul Metcalfe, Life Science Manager]:

“We successfully raised a number of animals which we relocated back to Mongolia to be released back into the wild as they are extinct in that area.”  

The zoo also manages Australian species. This Aussie Echidna looks like he’s gathering groceries for dinner.

[Paul Metcalfe, Life Science Manager]:

“The zoo is not just about exotic species, it is certainly very much involved in the Australian species management… We have been breeding mallee fowl over the years to put back into the wild. We have successfully done that over the years.”

And not to be outdone for international fame are the ever popular giraffes. 

[Paul Metcalfe, Life Science Manager]:

“We have a very successful breeding program for giraffes, probably one of the best in the country, if not the world. But I mean, certainly we seem to produce a number of giraffes. We have at least three on the way, currently, so between now and the end of the year, we'll have some more giraffe carbs on the ground.” 

This open range zoo is certainly playing a vital role nationally and internationally, as a sanctuary for species management. 

Philippa Rayment, NTD Dubbo, Australia