While they are beautiful to admire, they are also taking on the role of ambassador animals.

Although Milo and Misty are non-related it will still be a few years before they are ready to take part in the breeding program. 

Milo and Misty made their debut at the park last month after a long process to pass Australia’s strict biosecurity regulations. 

The unrelated pair were born at a conservation centre in South Africa and have been settling in well, making themselves at home in their purpose-built exhibit and bonding well with their new keepers.

As zoo owner Mark Stone explains, until then they have a very important job to do.

“Our main aim here at Billabong Zoo is conservation through education, and while many of our animals do participate in conservation breeding programs, all of our animals play a huge role as ambassadors for their species,” he said.

“People visit us and attend our keeper presentations which provides our guests with an opportunity to view the animals up-close during feeding or interactions with our staff. 

“It’s at this point that we can open the door for our visitors to make a connection with the animals.

“Our staff are on hand to explain about the plight of the animal, the threats it faces and which organisations they are best to support.”

Billabong Zoo has many conservation partners and actively promotes the work of The Snow Leopard Trust, Cheetah Outreach, The Red Panda Trust, Panthera and Lion Aid through fundraisers and the selling of merchandise. 

“Its not just the overseas organisations that we support, as we love to promote the local conservation groups,” Mark said.

In order for zoos to have a stable population of animals that have been bred in captivity, it is important to maintain strong genetic diversity and this is where the importation of new animals is crucial.

“The importation of our lions has been a massive expense for a small, privately owned zoo like ours,” Mark said. 

“If I was just interested in having animals on show I could have easily sourced lions from within Australia. I saw this as a fantastic opportunity to boost the genetics for the Australian breeding program.

“The hope is our young lions will end up breeding, and with other zoos in Australia already showing interest in their off-spring we believe we will be contributing to the viability of the Australian captive lion populations.”