Zoos breathe sigh of relief at massive support package

Steve and Steph Robinson at Darling Downs Zoo in Queensland have been relying on the generosity of their local community since social distancing rules meant they had to temporarily close.

Farmers in the drought-stricken areas of regional Queensland are still doing it tough, but they've been helping the zoo by donating bales of hay for the animals.

"People have been wonderful, we've got the actual pellets and grain that we need," Mrs Robinson said.

"Fresh fruit and vegetables, Corn Flakes because we used that for the monkeys – we've had all sorts of things brought in to us, and it's been absolutely fantastic." She said they would be "in strife" if the donations from the community dried up.

Feeding costs in zoos and aquariums are huge. A single lion eats about $250 worth of red meat a week – which adds up to $13,000 a year.

A large chimpanzee can cost more than $500,000 a year to maintain.

And at Sea World, one dolphin consumes $500 worth of fish a week.

Meanwhile, most daily routines are still taking place at these wildlife centres, including putting the dolphins through their "rehearsal" at Sea World.

"They do forget some of those behaviours, so it's always nice to run them through the routine," Sea World's head of marine sciences Wayne Phillips said.

Mark Stone from Port Macquarie's Billabong Zoo said the government's announcement was a "wonderful lifeline".

"Everyone's pretty excited that there's finally some assistance there for us," he said.

The government says it will be reviewing the re-opening of zoos and wildlife pars in the next couple of months.

Social distancing laws will still be enforced, and aquariums, being indoors, will be considered later.