Its been a great summer so far for Africa with our newest paddock member Sally the giraffe having made her public debut a week or so before Christmas.

Sally came from Monarto Zoo in South Australia and spent a few months in a quiet area off display where she could complete her quarantine period while settling into her new home. Sally was very shy when she arrived and took a long time to work up the courage to approach any of her keepers. Eventually, after lots of quiet time spent with her, she started coming up and handfeeding from us and from there she gained lots of confidence.

This was the first hurdle but we were quite worried about the next, even bigger hurdle - getting her out into a paddock with a boisterous group of rhinos out there! The last thing we wanted was for Sally to get frightened in an unfamiliar environment and possibly hurt herself in a panic. Fortunately, at around about the time we were starting to think about getting Sally out into the paddock, we had created a second giraffe yard inside the paddock. This yard gives us somewhere safe to call the giraffe into when the rhinos feel like a hoon around the paddock - those crazy rhinos can cause mayhem!

This also gave us the perfect opportunity to give Sally a first look at the paddock with the rhinos and zebra on the other side of the fence! Once she was relaxed here, we gave the rhinos a couple of days to chill out the back while we let Sally explore her new paddock. After a tentative first day, Sally has soared in confidence and follows her mates Forrest, Penny and Rosie around like she's been here from the start! She is such a sweet girl and so polite, always waiting back while we put food out for the group - not like her greedy friends! She's also met the rhino and zebra and took all of this in her stride.

So keep your eyes out next time you visit Africa at Australia Zoo - Sally is the gorgeous girl with light coloured spots and a short tail!

Crikey! What an exciting month's its been for big boy Bashii, one of six Sumatran tigers at Australia Zoo, when none other than Santa Claus stopped by to deliver some early Christmas presents to the Tiger Temple. Earlier in the month, Bashii celebrated his fourth birthday with a visit from the "Fighting Tigers" of the Australian Royal Navy and although Santa will be busy on Christmas Eve delivering presents to homes all around the world, Christmas Day was celebrated a little early at Australia Zoo as he made a quick visit to deliver gifts that would make any cat happy, let alone an excited 115kg Sumatran tiger!

Australia Zoo's Head of Tigers and International Conservation Manager Giles Clark said the gifts from Santa didn't last long with Bashii. "From the moment Santa entered the Tiger Temple, Bashii was ready to pounce on the big bag of gifts that included milk treats and blow up Christmas trees and balls for the pool. Like any four year old, Bashii was pretty excited to see Santa and they didn't last very long," Giles said.

Australia Zoo is in the fight to save the critically endangered species and work continues with supporting the Flora and Fauna International tiger protection and conservation units (TPCUs) around Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra.

You can make a difference to tiger conservation by sponsoring Australia Zoo's Sumatran Tiger Conservation Project or by adopting one of our awesome tigers.

Now that the weather is warming up here at Australia Zoo, our Elephant Department has taken up the challenge to beat the heat and make life more comfortable for the animals in their care! Our Red Pandas, native to the cold regions of the Himalayas, have a five star enclosure at the zoo, fitted with their very own air-conditioned tree hollow and water misters in each tree!

Our Elephants on the other hand, prefer to get down and dirty to beat the heat, sometimes making their keepers just as muddy as they are! Over the last few days we've bought in an excavator and built the girls a new mud wallow, which they've been in ever since! Siam's new favourite hobby is sleeping on the side of the wallow, whilst her servants (or keepers) rub the mud over her body. We also have an amazing pool in our Elephant enclosure, which the girls have been going in most days to cool down (as have a few Elephant keepers!)

In the wild Elephants use mud and water to regulate their body temperature, in addition to using their ears. Temperature control for elephants can be difficult as they have a relatively small surface area compared to their weight. Ears help regulate their temperature by filtering hot blood through veins and capillaries in the Elephant's thin ears, where it cools and gets sent back to the main body. Unlike a lot of other animals, elephants do not sweat to regulate their body temperature, they do however sweat to keep their nails moist and prevent them from drying out and cracking.

So there you have it...How elephants regulate their body temperature!

Until next time,

The Elephant Crew

For those of you have recently visited the zoo, you may have seen our delightful rhino calf Savannah who has been enjoying hanging out in Africa with her mum Caballe, our lovely female Inyeti and the awesome male DJ. Savannah currently weighs in at a whopping 350kg, but when you compare that to her mum who is about 1620kg - she's still got a LOT of growing to do! Caballe has been a brilliant mum to little Savannah and although she is very protective when she needs to be, she is also happy to let Savannah explore and play with her other two rhino paddock mates - and sometimes cause a lot of mischief! The fact that she is such a good mum is to be expected considering Savannah is Caballe's fourth calf! She had three other healthy babies that were born and raised at her previous home in New Zealand and this experience means that she can give Savannah the best chance of growing into a well adapted and confident adult rhino.

Meanwhile we have all got our fingers crossed that our gentle giant DJ may become a father to his own calf in the near future. The gorgeous Inyeti has been in season a few times and they have had some encouraging matings recently so here's hoping that we may soon have a mini DJ running around too! Both of these individuals have such sweet temperaments that we are sure the resulting calf would be an absolute delight. However, even if Inyeti does fall pregnant, it will be a long wait till we get to enjoy a new calf, with rhino pregnancy's lasting anywhere from 16 to 18 months. Crikey!

When Inyeti or Caballe are in season, you may notice that the giraffe don't join the rhinos and zebra in our African exhibit. This is simply due to the fact that DJ becomes very protective of his girlfriend over the couple of days that they are courting and we wouldn't want a cheeky and inquisitive giraffe getting caught in the middle of a rhino love in!! The zebra meanwhile are perfectly happy to mind their own business and get on with the important business of eating all that yummy grass....

In the meantime, come on down and visit our gorgeous African animals and enjoy our beautiful, crazy baby rhino Savannah!

Manu - Head of Africa

On Thursday 13 October, the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit responded to a call for help from Moreton Bay Koala Rescue Inc. regarding an injured koala in Kippa-Ring, north of Brisbane, that had sustained facial injuries of which the cause was unknown. The male koala named Fleet was assessed by wildlife veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett. Assessment revealed a six year old male koala who sustained injuries consistent with a slug gun. X-rays revealed seven pellets littered throughout his body; one pellet lodged in his skull, lower back and behind his ear as well as one pellet in each limb.

On Thursday 20 October Fleet underwent further assessment by Dr Amber Gillett, who checked him over and cleaned up his wounds following surgery to remove three pellets.

One week after arriving at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital the infection to Fleet's hind leg has cleared, and Dr Amber is happy with Fleet's progress.

Fleet is likely to move out of the Intensive Care Unit and into an outdoor enclosure at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital within the next week to continue his recovery.

Due to overwhelming public concern already, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital has set up an Everyday Hero page for Fleet and others like him in care at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. To help Fleet please donate www.everydayhero.com.au/event/koala

Staff at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital urge the public to call their 24-hr wildlife emergency hotline on 1300 369 652 for any wildlife emergencies.

What a week it has been for the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit and the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital!

Meet Rian, the female koala who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Rian is a seven-year-old healthy female koala who was caught in a bushfire on North Stradbroke Island at the start of September.

The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit received a call for help from local wildlife rescuers on the island after Rian was spotted high in a burnt-out tree, roughly three to four weeks after the fire.

Cory and James from the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit geared up for the journey to North Stradbroke which requires a one-hour boat trip to get to the island. Upon arrival at Rian's location, both rescuers could clearly see the desperate situation Rian was in and knew the urgency of getting Rian safely down the tree so she could be rushed to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for emergency treatment.

After an hour-long rescue, Cory and James were able to catch Rian and safely transport her back to the hospital.

Upon arrival at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Wildlife Veterinarian Dr Amber Gillett was waiting to assess the female koala.

Dr Amber immediately anaesthetized Rian so she could thoroughly assess the badly burnt koala. Dr Amber's assessment revealed red and bleeding tissue around both of Rian's eyes and the entire surface of her nose. Rian's fur was singed and the hairs appeared to have melted on the ends in most areas.

It is still early days for Rian but Dr Amber is happy with her progress. Rian has left the Intensive Care Unit and moved in to an outdoor enclosure to continue her recovery. Rian's appetite is very impressive which is a great sign for a healthy recovery.

You can donate towards Rian and other koalas like her in our care by visiting www.everydayhero.com.au/event/koala

Although we're understandably over the moon at the opening of our new African exhibit, focus was brought back to the plight of one of our native species this week as an Australian Senate inquiry into the decline of koala numbers across Australia recommended it be listed as a vulnerable species in certain areas!

2011 has already been a devastating year for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital with over 3,300 wildlife patients admitted. Now in the middle of koala breeding season, wildlife veterinarians are heartbroken at the number of seriously injured koalas that are being admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

In the past 12 months, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital has treated almost a 1000 koalas from all around Queensland, many from the Sunshine Coast and Morton Bay regions.

Koalas are being admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital at one of the worse times in the year for koalas, breeding season, otherwise referred to as trauma season. Koalas are currently on the move looking for new habitat and breeding partners which is the most likely time when they come into conflict with domestic pets and vehicles.

With koala populations in South East Queensland on a rapid decline, this is when healthy males and females need to be breeding to add to the dwindling koala gene pool.

"Seeing young, healthy koalas presented to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in such a terrible conditions is heartbreaking for everyone here. Koala populations in South East Queensland need all the help they can get, and taking just one healthy koala let alone 763 koalas out of that gene pool will have a massive effect on these already struggling animals" said Dr Amber Gillett, Wildlife Veterinarian for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

There have been some dramatic and heartbreaking cases in the last 12 months:

• Friday 5 November, 2010 - Koala joey Frodo is admitted after being shot with a shot gun. Frodo sustained 15 shotgun pellets throughout her body

• Wednesday 29 December, 2010 - Koala Meryl is admitted again, less than 12 months after being released from suffering shot gun wounds. Meryl was a lucky survivor of a deliberate shot gun attack, her joey at the time, Doug, sadly died from the extent of his injuries

• Monday 10 January, 2011 - Koala Amity Amy and joey Jetson are admitted after being severely injured by a car strike. Amity Amy suffered a fractured leg which required surgery

• Thursday 24 March 2011 - Koala Heath is admitted again, suffering anemia

• Friday 29 April, 2011 - Koala Blair is admitted again, suffering cystitis. Blair has been admitted on three separate occasions, once mauled by a dog, and twice hit by a car

• Wednesday 8 June, 2010 - Koala Julius is admitted after being mauled by two dogs and sadly dies from the extent of his injuries. CPR was performed on Julius for 30 minutes in a desperate to save his life

• Thursday 14 July, 2011 - Koala Asha is admitted suffering horrific injuries after being hit by two cars. Asha needed surgery to insert a plate into his jaw

Head of the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit, Brian Coulter says rescuing these sick and injured koalas stays in the mind of rescuers.

"The last 12 months has seen some pretty dramatic rescues. We had Frodo who had been deliberately shot with a shot gun and had 15 pellets throughout her body. That was a tough case for us, knowing that someone had deliberately shot her and that veterinarians weren't sure she would pull through; that was an anxious wait, she was lucky to survive" Brian said.

"Our most recent rescue was Julius who had been viciously mauled by two dogs and had somehow managed to free his arm and escape up a high tree. Julius' arm had virtually been shredded and he was suffering immense shock. We were heartbroken to find that his injures were so severe that he could not be saved."

Dr Amber Gillett has operated on a number of the koalas that have been admitted in the past 12 months and is concerned for what the following moths will bring.

"Veterinarians and rescuers from the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital and the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit are pleading with members of the public to closely watch your pets, slow down when driving in wildlife areas and report all sick and injured wildlife to our 24-hour wildlife emergency hotline by phoning 1300 369 652" Dr Amber said.

If you've ever been to Australia Zoo, you'll agree that one of the best parts of the Zoo is South East Asia (not that we're biased!). South East Asia at the Zoo is home to our Sumatran Tigers, Bengal Tigers, Asian Elephants and more recently two male Red Pandas.

Over the last few months the Elephant crew have been busy learning how to take care of the Red Pandas, because lets face it - they're right next door and they're pretty awesome! Now that we've learnt how to prepare their diet and look after them we've adopted them into our department, so don't find it unusual if we write about them in our Elephant updates!

Yoddah, meaning 'Warrior' in Nepalese, is our oldest Red Panda at 9 years old, although he's the oldest, he's definitely the quiet one of the two. On the other hand we have Pasang, his name means 'Born on a Friday' in Nepalese. Pasang at 5 years old is a typical teenager; sleeping in, not eating his veggies and refusing to go to bed when asked to by his keepers!

If you would like to get to know more about our Red Pandas, you can come and check them out at South East Asia, along with our Tigers and Elephants...and if that's not enough, you can book a Rascally Red Panda Encounter and come into their enclosure to get up close and personal with our gorgeous boys!

Until next time..

Remember, Elephant AND Red Pandas RULE!!

Kermit the Green Tree Frog had a close encounter with a wheelie bin in Cashmere, north-west of Brisbane, resulting in an injury to his leg.

"Kermit has sustained some soft trauma to the right leg after being run over by a wheelie bin" explained Dr Amber Gillett, Wildlife Veterinarian at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

"We don't see many green tree frogs at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital so to see a nice healthy one like Kermit is great."

"Weighing only 13 grams, Kermit's leg would be a little sore but I've administered pain relief to help alleviate that pain."

Kermit will spend a couple of days resting at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital before being returned to the wild. Unfortunately frogs in general are becoming rarer as a result of a contagious disease called ‘Chytrid fungus', which has already caused extinction in many frog species in Australia.

For any sick or injured wildlife, no matter how small - please call the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital 24-hour hotline on 1300 369 652

With spring just around the corner, Australia Zoo is celebrating the arrival of five Tasmanian Devil joeys, whose arrival marks the most successful Tasmanian Devil breeding season ever at Australia Zoo. Wooo-hoo!

The five-month-olds, who have been named by Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin, are out of their mothers' pouches and have joined our growing devil family. The three boys have been named Des, Troy and Brian, with the two girls named Ebony and Raine.

"As they're marsupials, the joeys have spent the past five months in their mothers' pouches," said Tammy Forge, Head of Native Mammals.

Wild Tasmanian Devils suffer from what is known as the Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), an infectious cancer that can now be found across 70% of Tasmania, killing Tasmanian devils in the wild at an alarming rate. DFTD is unique, being only one of three cancers that can spread like a contagious disease.

"Every joey is hugely important to keep the Tasmanian Devil insurance population on the increase, as well as to introduce new genetics into the pool. With predictions the species will be extinct within 10 to 15 years due to DFTD, the birth of each new devil is a positive for the species." explained Tammy.

It is hoped the cute new arrivals will help to change public perception about the species. "There is a big misconception that Tasmanian Devils are aggressive, but in fact they are quite shy and timid," Tammy said.

Australia Zoo runs Tasmanian Devil animal encounters to educate the public about the species, and to raise funds for research programs to help keep them around for future generations.

How YOU can help save the Tasmanian Devil species:

• Sonsor our Tasmanian Devil conservation project
• Adopt one of our gorgeous Tassie Devils!
• Find out more about our Tassie Devil Conservation Project
• Get up close and personal to our soft-coated Darling Devils