Many people think of Green Corps as planting trees and weeding, but for the Green Corps participants at Monarto Zoo in South Australia, it is much more than that.
Monarto Zoological Park, 45 minutes from Adelaide, is a 1000 hectare natural wilderness sanctuary and open-range zoological park, combined in a centre for conservation and enjoyment of wildlife and nature.
Visitors are able to tour the Zoo on-board an ex-Adelaide public transport bus which takes you through African and Asian wildlife habitat areas where herds of exotic, grassland dwelling animals like giraffe, zebra, antelope and ostrich can be seen at close proximity. 500 animals live in the Monarto Zoo, including lions, the southern white rhinoceros, cheetahs and cape hunting dogs. The Zoo also offers guided walking tours that wind through mallee woodland to view the native birds and other wildlife in the area.
Greening Australia successfully approached Monarto Zoo about the possibility of a 6 month Green Corps project. Together they designed a project where participants learn about conservation and land management practices through hands-on involvement and observation.
Since November 2006, 10 young people aged between 17 and 20 have assisted zoo staff with a variety of tasks such as:
§ Landscaping and paving of the lion and cheetah enclosures
§ Landscaping the Tasmanian devil enclosure as part of a Zoo quarantine program
§ Building habitat enclosures
§ Restoration and construction of the ‘Old Shearing Shed’
§ Design and assembly of raised walkway within the trails section of the Zoo
§ Habitat management and removal of problematic weeds
§ Collection and propagation of harvested seed
§ Fodder collection and recycling.
In addition to learning new work skills each person receives accredited training in the Certificate of Conservation and Land Management.
‘Taking part in Green Corps at Monarto Zoo has been a great experience’ said participant Patrick Irvine. ‘The diversity in tasks keeps it really interesting and fun. One of the most amazing experiences was landscaping the lion enclosure, as we were only metres away from the free roaming big cats. Most of the time they were really friendly and would lie against the fence and just watch us work. It has been an experience I will never forget.’
