Perth Zoo will reopen to the public tomorrow, following its March closure due to COVID-19.
As an expansive outdoor environment, there is no capacity limit for the Zoo, however, multiple measures are in place to ensure visitors remain happy and healthy.
Visitors will need an online reservation and pre-purchased ticket which will ensure there is no cash handling at the Zoo entry and enable a mechanism for contact tracing by health authorities if required.
In preparation for the return of guests, the Zoo has:
- laid physical distancing 'paw prints' in various areas,
- installed multiple hygiene stations throughout the Zoo grounds,
- implemented one-way traffic flow in some areas,
- temporarily cancelled keeper talks but created virtual keeper presentations which can be watched on guests' personal devices,
- temporarily closed indoor exhibits including the Nocturnal House and Australian Reptile encounter; and
- completed mandatory COVID safe training.
Whilst the Zoo has been closed there has been a baby boom, so there is more to see than ever before. This includes a Javan Gibbon baby, two squirrel monkey babies, otter pups, emperor tamarin infants and more than 50 western swamp tortoise hatchlings.
The koala and tree kangaroo joeys are now sticking their heads out of their mother's pouches ready for their first look at Zoo visitors this Saturday.
More details regarding the reopening of Perth Zoo can be found at http://www.perthzoo.com.au/
As stated by Environment Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Perth Zoo holds a very special place in people's hearts so its reopening to the public is a cause for celebration.
"Many people in the community have greatly missed coming to the Zoo, myself included. I am also told many of the Zoo animals have missed the public.
"Our Zoo sits on an expansive 19-hectare site and is a safe open-air environment for families to reconnect with nature, keep children engaged and active and de-stress after what has been an anxious time for many.
"While the Zoo has been closed, our dedicated zoologists and horticulturists have been tending to the 1,300 hundred animals that call Perth Zoo home and also the botanic estate, ensuring that the Zoo is ready for the return of guests."
