ZooTube
Zoo Members, welcome to ZooTube! Here, you’ll find videos and podcasts sharing incredible stories about our animals, behind-the-scenes glimpses into our zoos, educational content for all ages, and updates on how we’re working to protect endangered species.
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Koalas Peach and Pretzel: A recipe for cuteness
There's a new koala joey at Melbourne Zoo! Born to first time mum Pretzel, the joey is a female named Peach. She is now 7 months old and is starting to climb on mum's back.
Published 5 October 2025
TASMANIAN DEVIL JOEY UPDATE FROM HEALESVILLE SANCTUARY
Four Tasmanian Devil joeys have tumbled out of the pouch and straight into mischief at Healesville Sanctuary. It marks a huge conservation success for the endangered species.
The six-month-old youngsters, whose sexes are yet to be determined, are sticking close by to second-time mum, Mocha, riding on her back, learning how to eat meat, and sleeping cuddled up in their warm den. Members can now visit and watch them as they grow into little devils - Bring your babies to visit ours!
Healesville Sanctuary Carnivores and Reptiles Coordinator Grace Rouget said 211 devils have now been born at the Sanctuary as part of the recovery program. “Often new joeys are quite shy, but these four little terrors are so confident and love running around the habitat together” Mrs Rouget said. “They’re so fluffy, have the most adorable tiny ears and are so cute they could make anyone feel warm and fuzzy.”
As they grow, the joeys will often hitch a ride on their mother’s back, clinging on as she moves through her habitat foraging for food. “Mocha is such a great mum. She’s very fierce and protective and loves cuddling with her joeys,” Mrs Rouget said. “They won’t be small for much longer, so it’s a great time to visit Healesville Sanctuary to see them grow and gain their independence.”
Once widespread across mainland Australia, Tasmanian Devils now survive only in Tasmania, where their numbers have been severely reduced by Devil Facial Tumour Disease, placing them at risk of extinction.
Healesville Sanctuary is a member of the Save the Tasmanian Devil program, working with zoos and conservation partners across Australia to safeguard the future of Tasmanian Devils.
Published 30 September 2025
MALU ENJOYING AN ICY TREAT AT MELBOURNE ZOO
Now that the weather is slowly warming up, our 22-year-old orangutan Malu has taken to enjoying some frozen treats! Keeper Yvette caught him licking his icy vegetables in the dappled sunlight, an enrichment item that keeps Malu cool and stimulated on hot days. Make sure you visit Malu on your next visit to Melbourne Zoo.
Published 30 September 2025
Melbourne Zoo’s gorilla family flourishes
Melbourne Zoo’s new blended gorilla family are getting to know each other, with chemistry flying and new bonds forming. Twenty-four-year-old Otana, our 187kg silverback gorilla, and his daughter, 10-year-old Kanzi have welcomed three female Western lowland gorillas from Taronga Zoo into the fold: Frala (44), Johari (25) and Mbeli (22).
The patchwork troop have spent these early days on habitat pairing off and tentatively forming bonds, with Otana puffing himself up to impress the ladies (and immediately bonding with an eager Mbeli) and little Kanzi following Frala wherever she went, mirroring her movements and sharing food.
Make sure to say hello to the family on the Gorilla Rainforest trail during your next visit to Melbourne Zoo.
Published 25 September 2025
LION ZUBERI SEES THE DENTIST
Melbourne Zoo’s eight-year-old lion Zuberi fractured a “big fang tooth” or a canine in the lower left side of his mouth. Keepers noticed the damage and quickly summoned Dr. David Clarke, a Specialist Veterinary Dentist.
Dr. Clarke performed the pulp capping procedure in about 30 minutes, which involved taking a small amount of nerves and blood vessels from the fractured tooth and putting a cap on it to keep the tooth alive.
Zuberi recovered well and was feeding normally the next day.
Published 19 September 2025
the baillieu myer oration 2025
This special event pays tribute to the late Baillieu Myer AC, whose legacy lives on through the Baillieu Myer Internships. The Internships were established with a gift from the Sidney Myer Fund in early 2023 to empower young scientists with the skills and experience needed to protect Victoria’s most threatened species.
Published 08 September 2025
stories of hope on national threatened species day
September 7th is National Threatened Species Day. A time to reflect on the good fight, and celebrate the hard fought conservation wins. Every time you visit one of our four zoos, make a donation, become or continue to be a Zoos Victoria Member, you're helping us Fight Extinction.
Published 07 September 2025
Melbourne Zoo goes bananas for new blended family
Melbourne Zoo is celebrating the arrival of three female Western lowland gorillas from Taronga Zoo, joining 24-year-old Otana, our 187kg silverback gorilla and his daughter, 10-year-old Kanzi. The eldest of the new girl group is Frala, a 44-year-old gorilla. Mbeli is a 22-year-old gorilla who loves to climb high. Johari, who is 25 years old, was actually born at Melbourne Zoo.
Published 26 August 2025
JEREMY CAMERON stayed the night at Werribee Zoo... and so could you!
Join Jeremy on his Slumber Safari, a fully hosted two-day escape filled with wildlife wonders. From exploring the open-range savannah on a late-afternoon safari to meeting some of Africa’s most iconic animals up close… this could be you next!
Published 26 August 2025
"Scrumptious little noodle" Melbourne Zoo’s giraffe calf has a name!
In just a few short weeks, Melbourne Zoo’s giraffe calf has gone from wobbly newcomer to star attraction — the first born at the Zoo in nearly 20 years. Members and visitors have watched him snuggle up to mum Nakuru, discover his legs with some spectacular zoomies, and grow bigger every day, stacking on 25 kilos in three weeks he now tips the scales at more than 100 kilograms. But every giraffe needs a name, so the vote was put to Zoos Victoria members. The three choices were: Tambi, meaning “noodle” in Swahili, Tamu meaning “sweet” and Enzi meaning “power” or “might”.
The winning name is Tambi [pronounced: Tum-bee] winning 48% of the votes!
Published 22 August 2025
Relax with the Elephants 🐘 at Werribee Open Range Zoo
Need a break from the chaos? Escape into the world of elephants at Werribee Open Range Zoo. Let the slow movements of these gentle giants, paired with soothing sounds, guide you into a state of deep relaxation and calm. Whether you're working, meditating, or drifting off to sleep, this peaceful scene brings nature’s quiet magic to your space.
Published 20 August 2025
Baby giraffe zoomies into the spotlight!
He’s 87kg (and counting), nearly two metres tall, almost two weeks old and now Melbourne Zoo’s giraffe calf has taken his first steps out on habitat to the delight of visitors and keepers alike. The son of first-time mother 13-year-old Nakuru and six-year-old father, Klintun, has leaped into the big wide world, trotting curiously behind Nakuru and showing a real enthusiasm for exploring.
Published 13 August 2025
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE: GIRAFFE CALF TRIES WATER FOR THE FIRST TIME AT MELBOURNE ZOO
Please enjoy this update of Melbourne’s newest (and cutest)! Our 11-day-old giraffe calf has been busy nursing and stacking on weight. Here you can see him learn to sip from a water drinker, with mum Nakuru looking on.
Published 12 August 2025
mEMBER EXCLUSIVE: GIRAFFE BORN AT MELBOURNE ZOO
In this rare vision you’ll see new Mum, Nakuru spending quality mother/son time in the Giraffe Barn at Melbourne Zoo. A word of warning, it is the cutest video you'll see.
Published 5 August 2025
mEMBER EXCLUSIVE: Lupo the loveable dumpling
Melbourne Zoo is excited to welcome Lupo, the super social South American Tapir! The two-and-a-half-year-old with the big personality has had an exciting first few days at Melbourne Zoo, loudly munching on crunchy vegetables and galloping around his habitat, after his long journey from Zoo Schmiding in Austria.
Published 21 July 2025
mEMBER EXCLUSIVE: Snow Leopards like it spicy!
Nine year old male Snow Leopard Kang-Ju enjoys smelling and rolling in spices. As well as masking his natural smell the spice also stimulates an interesting physical response – one that you may see your household cat doing. He curls his lips and bares his teeth in what looks like a mischievous grin. This is known as the Flehman response.
Published 14 July 2025
MEMBER EXCLUSIVE: Free-flight training a Barking Owl
Keeper Shaun takes us behind the scenes of how they train a new bird for their free-flight Spirits of the Sky presentation. Keepers use visual cues to give the birds information so they understand what they are being asked to do, and use food as positive reinforcement so they can learn when they get it right.
Published 6 June 2025
MEMBERS EXCLUSIVE: Corella Beak Trim Training
Join us as Keeper Jessica works with Fergie to manage her irregular shaped beak. Female Long-billed Corella, Fergie, participates in beak filing training sessions in the Spirits of the Sky arena at Healesville Sanctuary. Fergie wouldn't survive in the wild with her irregular beak, so filing her beak is part of her regular health care.
Published 27 December 2024
hope in action
Hope in Action is a powerful video playlist that shines a light on Zoos Victoria’s conservation work and the incredible people driving it forward. From protecting threatened species to creating lasting change for wildlife, each story is a reminder of the hope we can create together.
Published 8 October 2025
Trail Of The Elephants - A New Home For The Herd
Trail of the Elephants – A New Home for the Herd is a special three-part mini-series created just for members, following the incredible journey of Zoos Victoria’s Asian Elephant herd. It begins by celebrating some of the herd’s most memorable moments, from the arrival of bull Luk Chai and the birth of three calves to the heartbreaking farewell to Man Jai, before looking ahead to their exciting new chapter at Werribee Open Range Zoo. You’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at the dedicated team preparing for one of the biggest animal moves in Zoos Victoria’s history, and share in the emotional farewell at Melbourne Zoo as the herd makes their historic journey to Werribee. The final episode captures the touching first moments as the elephants explore their expansive new home, a milestone you won’t want to miss.
Published 14 April 2025