By Parker McKenzie
Lilydale and surrounding residents are now able to enjoy the calls of nature and see some furry friends up close as a community zoo reopens to the public.
The Yarra Valley Nocturnal Zoo reopened on Monday 22 November to pre-booked tours and school groups, bringing back the joy of seeing native animals.
The zoo features an array of native Australian animals including kangaroos, wallabies, snakes, lizards, possums and owls.
Owner Steven Handy, who runs the zoo with his wife Loo Scoon, said they reopened once Victoria hit the 90 per cent vaccination benchmark.
“We do tours in the morning at 10.30am and 12:30pm in the afternoon that go for an hour and a half,” Steven said.
“Small groups like a family or two ladies with a few kids, we take them through the zoo to get up close and personal.”
For $10 an adult or $5 for a child, pre-booked groups can take a guided tour through the facility and pet koalas, feed kangaroos and hold a snake.
Most of the animals are nocturnal, so the zoo also runs night tours for people to see them when they are most active.
Visitors will get the chance to meet the inquisitive dingoes – who act more like dogs after being taught mannerisms by Red Dog, the Zoo’s friendly guard dog, while quolls, tawny frogmouths, quokkas and kookaburras are also housed at the zoo.
You may get the chance to spy on an endangered masked Australian owls.
“The reason they are so endangered is because they only breed in the old growth forests in the hollow logs,” Steven said.
“They are critically endangered because there are only 200 pairs left, but our females in there are sitting on two chicks.”
The owls aren’t the only threatened species the zoo is currently breeding.
“These are South Brush tail Wallabies. They are critically endangered with only about 60 of them left in the wild.” Loo said.
“To be able to breed joeys, which there are two of them in there at the moment, is pretty significant for Mount Evelyn.” Steven said.
The zoo serves a bigger purpose beyond caring for animals and protecting endangered species.
The couple run the zoo with funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme, supporting people with disabilities to help learn job skills, social opportunities and community integration.
“A lot of people ask why we only charge $10 for tours, we essentially do the tours so the guys can get some experience showing people around.
“All these guys are on the NDIS and are learning how to work with animals, but more importantly we teach all job skills to the guys at work.
Towards the end of the tour people will have the chance to visit the reptile enclosure, where snakes, lizards and even a crocodile make their homes.
Visitors are sure to learn plenty from the friendly staff through the tour, including about the Oenpelli python.
“This is the rarest snake in the world,” Loo said.
“He comes from Arnhem Land.”
“If you’re into snakes, this is the holy grail,” Steven said.
“We’ve had the guy who owns the Ballarat Zoo come down and his big ambition was to touch one.”
“For us it’s just a snake, like all the others we feed.” Zookeeper Adem Torey-Toth added.
Tours can be organised by ringing the zoo, or visiting their website at https://www.yarravalleynocturnalzoo.com.au/.
