On the 1^st of June Magdalie Theron who is Lory Park Zoo bird keeper and Lien Bastiaenssens our Belgium student were invited to do a conservation talk at a venue in Glen Austin . The talk was based on  owl conservation . Lory Park is committed to this topic, as we get many causality  were we see first hand what is happening to the owl population around the Midrand area. The threats to these wonderful creatures are poisoning, fires and been injured by vehicles. Midrand used to have a flourishing  population of grass owls, spotted eagle owls and barn owls, but today grass owls are fast becoming one of South Africans  critically endangered  birds of pray. Lory Park Zoo is at present the only zoo in the region that is breeding grass owls and are planning on doing as much ex situ research on the breeding, rearing and diets of the grass owl as to help share the knowledge gained to get other institutions to start preserving these owls.

Magadalie brought with her two owls that had been brought into Lory Park Zoo as chicks, and are used in educational talks and for school visit to help  create awareness about the plight of owls in our country. The owls in the picture are an barn owl and a spotted eagle owl.  For more information on what you can do to help conserve our owls , email us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 "Leia the Black Jaguar is the new addition to the Lory Park Zoo family.

She rrived on the 25th of June from a Zoo in Belgium. Leia who was parent
reared is 11 months old.

Jaguars naturally occur in South America , but due
to habitat loss and the fur coat trade their numbers are plighting.

Lory ark Zoo has two other jaguars, Venus and Jupiter , thus Leia brings new
genetic to the park and the idea is to have her breed with Jupiter in the
future.  She is at present the only black jaguar in South Africa. "