Healesville Sanctuary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Healesville Sanctuary, or the Sir Colin MacKenzie Fauna Park, is a zoo specializing in native Australian animals. It is located at Healesville on the outskirts of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and has a history of breeding native animals. It is one of only two places to have successfully bred a platypus, the other being Sydney's Taronga Zoo.
The zoo is set in a natural bushland environment where paths wind through different habitat areas showcasing wallabies, kangaroos, and over 200 native bird varieties.
Conducted tours, bird shows and information areas are available to visitors.
Dr. Colin MacKenzie (knighted in 1929) set up the Institute of Anatomical Research in 1920 on 78 acres (316,000 m²) of land which had formerly been part of the Coranderrk Aboriginal Reserve. The Reserve passed to the Healesville Council in 1927 and became the Sir Colin MacKenzie Sanctuary in 1934.
The first platypus bred in captivity was born at the Sanctuary in 1943.
[edit] External links
|
|
|---|
|
Conservation biology | List of zoos | List of zoo associations | Zoological Garden | Menagerie | Tourist attraction | Wildlife Conservation | Endangered species |
