Zoo animals put painted paw forward

• From: news.com.au
• June 27, 2012 

An echidna, penguin, stork and seal paint at Taronga Zoo as a pledge for the wild promotion.

'Tuka' a Komodo dragon sticks out its tongue at his keeper's hand at Taronga Zoo. Picture: AFP Photo/Greg Wood

• Elephant, seal and penguin dip into animal-friendly paint
• Taronga funding elephant protection project in Thailand
• Photo gallery: Cutest critters to see in 2012

ANIMALS at Sydney's Taronga Zoo have dipped their paws, flippers and hooves into paint and smudged their prints onto canvasses in a bid to promote awareness of animal conservation.

Encouraged by their keepers, animals including an elephant, a Quokka, a seal and a penguin dipped their feet into animal-friendly paint.

Keepers have been collecting the prints of some of the 4000 animals at the zoo and Taronga Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo in north-western NSW over the past few weeks.

It comes as Taronga announces its commitment to an elephant protection project in Kui Buri National Park in Thailand.

Taronga is helping fund the $100,000 construction and maintenance project for two guard stations at key locations in a chain of outposts on the parks border to help prevent elephant-human conflict, in a joint program with Zoos Victoria.

Taronga Zoo director Cameron Kerr said by letting the animals make their mark they were visually signifying Taronga's commitment to wildlife conservation and we hope all our visitors and supporters will join us in this pledge.

Elephant keeper Gary Miller holds up a canvas showing the painted footprint of female elephant Pak Boon at Taronga Zoo. Picture: AFP Photo/Greg Wood
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