Grant Award View - GA149027-V1

This project targets two critically endangered species, the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle (Wollumbinia georgesi) and Regent Honeyeater (Anthochaera phrygia). This project will:
- Expand the existing program for the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle conservation facility at Taronga Zoo, through the construction of quarantined breeding facilities, hatchling and juvenile rearing facilities. The proposed outcomes include an increase in the size of the captive population, kept as both an insurance population and for release to the wild purposes (including a 400% increase in release capacity to 150 individuals per year, noting the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle reference group have estimated that up to 150 young turtles need to be released into the wild each year to ensure the persistence of the species in the wild).
- Expand the existing program for the Regent Honeyeater, through (a) the continued breeding  of future release candidates at Taronga Zoo during the 2021 breeding season; (b) genetic sampling of all individuals in the captive population; (c) research on factors that influence post-release success (song learning, predator awareness and social interactions at multiple ex-situ sites and in the wild); (d) a Recovery Team workshop/AGM focused on future translocation planning; and (e) pre-release health screening, transport and release husbandry and some post-release monitoring if a release goes ahead in 2021. The proposed outcomes include better planning for translocations of the species, better information and data to inform release decisions, and an increased understanding of kinship in the captive population and improved genetic viability.