PAC Public Meeting 14 December 2016 Jake Burgess Managing Director - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Jake Burgess – Managing Director PAC Public Meeting 14 December 2016

Key focus of our team is animal welfare

The Sydney Zoo Team

• Sydney Zoo has assembled an expert team to develop the facility and assemble our animal collection

with animals being sourced domestically and from abroad

• Team members include:
• John Burgess (Executive Chairman) – Founding CEO of Sydney Aquarium. Lead the operations

Sydney Aquarium from 1986 to 2004. Master planned Sydney Wildlife World at Darling Harbour.

• Craig Sowden (GM Life Sciences) – COO of Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World from 1986 to
• 2008. Former head of operations at South East Asia Aquarium. President of the New South Wales

Fauna and Marine Parks Association in 2008. Member of the NSW Exhibited Animals Advisory Committee in 2006 and 2008.

• Liz Romer – formerly at the Australian Museum. Department of Environment and Conservation

(NSW) where she ran the Animal Ethics committee. She is currently teaching Animal Studies at TAFE in Queensland. Current president of International Congress of Zookeepers.

• Rick Webb - Featherdale Wildlife Park 1983 to 2014 (Park Manager from 1997).

Ministerial appointed position as a representative for the Exhibited Animals advisory committee for two consecutive 3 year terms. Former member of the NSW Exhibited Animals Advisory Committee.

A source of pride for the wider Western Sydney community

The Sydney Zoo Vision

• Sydney Zoo will be a world-class zoo located in the heart of Western Sydney – accessible to

Sydney’s growing population

• 16.5ha safari-like setting located adjacent to the 200ha Bungarribee Super Park creating
• ne of Western Sydney’s main recreation and tourism attractions
• Sydney Zoo will be a family-oriented destination that offers visitors the opportunity to

learn about their natural environment in a relaxing and enjoyable manner

• Our mission is to protect the animals of the world through education. Education promotes

awareness and an affinity with animals, increasing the willingness in our society to value and protect animal species

• Sydney Zoo will run a strong schools and education program, covering Aboriginal culture

and global conservation issues

Sydney Zoo Masterplan

Entry Building

Central Boulevard –view looking North

Central Boulevard –view to Boma

Boma Restaurant

Elevated Boardwalk

Australian Walkabout precinct

Reptile House (within Australian Walkabout precinct)

Animal Welfare is a Key Priority

Animal Welfare

• Sydney Zoo has deliberately chosen a strategy for a smaller number of larger exhibits.
• The exhibits will be natural in presentation.
• Sydney Zoo will use advanced behavioural enrichment and husbandry methods
• Sydney Zoo exhibits exceed statutory minimums by the highest margins of any

metropolitan Zoo in Australia

• We are building a highly experienced team with specialised animal management skills
• Our veterinary care, feed quality and behavioural enrichment strategies will be of the

highest possible standard

• Sydney Zoo is a member of ZAA, the peak industry body for zoos and aquaria in Australia

We have sought to minimise impact on the natural environment

Flora and Fauna

• Sydney Zoo is located on an unused site adjacent to the Bungarribee Super Park
• We have modified the carpark design to ensure no impact on the riparian bushland
• We are retaining the highest quality stands of Cumberland Plains Woodland located on the

site and developing a management plan for the improvement of those stands, including replenishment of mid-story and understorey plants, and fenced off protection

• The facility will affect 0.24ha of degraded CPW on the site. This will be offset by

purchasing biodiversity credits and improvements to retained CPW

• Our biodiversity management plans will include the establishment of nesting boxes in the

riparian fringe

• We will not be introducing any noxious weeds or African Grasses - the name

refers to the precinct designation, not the vegetation type

Sydney Zoo Masterplan

Car Park redesigned Retain, increase and actively manage these existing CPW stands

Education is a cornerstone of our

• perating ethos

Education

• Sydney Zoo will be a place of learning, conservation and community
• We believe in instilling conservation values through meaningful, respectful and memorable

interactions with animals that foster empathy and understanding of conservation issues

• Discounted groups and student entry - 50,000 school students per year
• 3 education officers
• We are in the process of developing age appropriate interactive and interpretive education

materials that will be suited to the school curriculum and promote better learning

• utcomes

Education Under- standing Affinity Protection

• We will have a strong schools program covering:
• Local and international conservation issues
• Urban bushland and bush regeneration
• Aboriginal cultural perspectives
• We will look to offer a school incursions

program

We will employ 120+ people across multiple industries and disciplines

Community Engagement and Employment Aboriginal Employment

• Sydney Zoo has mandated a 10% FTE Aboriginal employment target

Youth Employment

• We will offer a number of flexible rostered entry level positions for students and those

people looking to enter the workforce Work Experience

• We will have a strong work experience program for school students

Local Employment

• We are in early stage discussions with Blacktown Council about local youth job placement

and work experience programs TAFE qualifications

• We are in discussions with TAFE about delivery of vocational education

and training qualifications

Thank You