Today we welcomed Jacinda Goodwin, who was introduced by Pam Crockett. Jacinda works for Zoos Victoria, and has been a zoo keeper at Werribee Open Range Zoo for nine years.
She started by giving us an update on the Werribee Open Range Zoo, which covers over 200 hectares just outside of Melbourne. She gave us an insight into their Vision for conservation, as the Zoo offers a fascinating voyage into the animal world. The Zoo has three main streams: an African Trail with gorillas, lions, hippopotomuses and cheetahs, an Open Air Safari Bus to see giraffes, zebras and rhinoceroses, and an Australian Trail with kangaroos, emus, koalas and orange-bellied parrots. A new Elephant Sanctuary will open later this year.
Jacinda herself assists in overseeing the whole natives team working with a variety of native Australian species, including - Tammar wallabies, koalas, orange bellied parrots, kangaroos, emus, tortoises, some reptiles and the very special, extremely endangered bird known as the Plains-wanderer.
It is a small ground-dwelling bird that lives in native grasslands, and is often mistaken for a 
quail. It is mainly found in North-western Victoria and NSW Riverina, and numbers are reduced by cultivation and overgrazing. They prefer to live in grasses under 10cm tall.
Jacinda described the Captive Breeding Program, where they collect birds from the wild, breed them in a secure environment, and then release to the wild and monitor their progress. The breeding season is September to March, and females produce clutches of around five eggs several times a year. The males incubate the eggs, while the females set off to seek another mate. She makes a low-sounding "ooom" to attract males.
Questions from the aud
ience revealed that there is a high birth-rate, but the chicks have a low survival rate, being hunted by birds of prey, cats and foxes. Their protective habit of flattening themselves and “freezing” gives some protection against birds of prey, but not the scent-hunting cats and foxes.
Jacinda briefly mentioned her involvement with the Orange-bellied Parrot in Tasmania, and Penguins.
Chairman Pam thanked Jacinda for her interesting talk, which will perhaps encourage members to visit Werribee Open Range Zoo.