This 300 hectare site began as the research and breeding facility for Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo. It now houses a collection of over 1100 animals from all parts of the world and is having great success breeding many of the world's endangered species, such as the Tahki horse (sometimes called Przewalski's horse from Mongolia.

tahki horse This species is thought to be the original wild horse, and was on the verge of extinction until Western Plains and San Diego zoos began their breeding programs. These are the horses that Ghengis Khan and his descendants rode across the steppes in the 12th and 13th centuries.

All of the approximately 1,200 takhi alive today are descended from 12 that were caught in the wild around 1900. Western Plains recently sent a herd of tahki back to the wild in Mongolia and continue to work to reintroduce these animals to their native habitat.

You can read more about the zoo and its work here. This is the transcript from an ABC show about the endangered species at the zoo and how these animals are being bred and cared for.

The zoo has seven African-style lodges available for visitors who want to see behind the scenes. Click here for more details about this. This is the country's only zoo-based accommodation and I can thoroughly recommend it! Zoo keepers take you to the animals' night pens, where you can see them up close, hear fascinating stories about them and even get to feed a couple of the less dangerous species.

The staff are friendly and full of stories about the zoo and it's four-legged inhabitants (all are zoo keepers as well as acting as tour guides and resort staff). And then there's the food - delicious 5-star menus are prepared every night and served in the eco-resort's main house. There's a salt water pool for hot summer days and a log fire for winter visits. If you're looking for something different - this is it.

Travel to Australia

Western Plains Zoo