ZOO NEWS

Crikey, 2012 was a ripper of a year at Australia Zoo! Check out just some of the awesome achievements and milestones during the year that was...

• Bindi returned to TV with the first season of Bindi's Bootcamp on ABC3! Australia Zoo made its triumphant silver screen homecoming with brand new episodes of Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors, and we had nightly trips down memory lane with 7two airing classic episodes of Crocodile Hunter Diaries.

• Robert catches his first ever Logie nomination for Most Popular New Male Talent, and Terri and Bindi are also up for Most Popular Female Presenter! Steve Irwin's Wildlife Warriors is in the running for Most Popular Factual Program.

• Australia Zoo scooped the award for Major Tourist Attraction at the Queensland Tourism Awards after being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009.

• Rian the koala, Matilda the green sea turtle, Elmo the emu and Muggles the puggle were just some of the wildlife patients successfully rehabilitated at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and released back into the wild.

• The crew topped off another annual croc research trip with the capture and tagging of the 102nd croc since the project began! These crocs will provide vital information for the largest croc research study ever conducted.

• The Steve Irwin Gala Dinner kicked off Steve Irwin Day celebrations, with special guests John Waters, Olympic gold-medallist Melanie Schlanger, and Margie Cummins from The Biggest Loser joining us on the day. Darren Percival rocked the Crocoseum, Terri signed two Memoranda of Understanding with Environment Minister Andrew Powell, and the Royal Australian Mint launched its very first collectors coin featuring Bindi the saltwater crocodile!

• Bindi and the Jungle Girls returned to the stage for the first time in two years with an African Dance Party, featuring two brand new songs! Bindi also continued her acting career, filming the motion picture Nim's Island 2 on the Gold Coast.

• We said hello to our new cheetah cubs Josh and William (all the way from South Africa), celebrated little Savannah the rhino's first birthday, and farewelled Lilly the reticulated python.

• Bindi had a knock-out bootcamp-themed 14th birthday party and opened the Bindi's Bootcamp playground, giving kids the opportunity to get involved in their favourite challenges from the show! Robert unveiled a life-size model Sarcosuchus imperator as his 9th birthday surprise during a dinotastic birthday bash.

• We fed Charlie the saltwater crocodile a whole entire pig in the Crocoseum for the very first time! And speaking of debuts, Robert also tried his hand at feeding our snappy little American alligators and freshwater crocodiles... those guys are feisty!

• The South African cricket team and Queensland Reds rugby union team were just some of the sporting guests to visit Australia Zoo throughout the year, as well as our conservation-supported TPCU tiger rangers from Sumatra, and the Mee family as featured in We Bought a Zoo.

Phew! We're excited just thinking about what's in store for 2013 - Happy New Year!