The Hospital

The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, named for Lyn Irwin. The first one opened in 2004 in an old avocado packing shed; a five million dollar replacement opened beside it in 2008 and is claimed to be the largest wildlife hospital in the world. Koala intake and rehabilitation, surgery, release, and the bushfire response. The animals-treated figures come from the zoo and Wildlife Warriors themselves, and the captions say so.

Part of Steve Irwin

95 moments in this segment.

  1. - Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2002. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  2. - P9020047. Australia Zoo at Beerwah, 2004. Australia Zoo now covers about 700 acres, of which roughly 110 are open to visitors, and it is still run by the family: Terri owns it, Bindi is chief executive and Robert is on the management team.
  3. - P1010078 - Flickr - AdaMacey. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2004. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  4. - P1010035 - Flickr - AdaMacey. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2004. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  5. - P1010035. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2004. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  6. - P1010078. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2004. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  7. - Injured Kookaburra on Rock. Photographed in 2005. Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors say the family now holds more than 450,000 acres of habitat across Queensland, a figure that traces to the family and the zoo themselves.
  8. - Koala - Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  9. - Koala park sanctuary, Sydney, Australia. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  10. - Koala - Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  11. - Baby Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  12. - Mama and baby koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  13. - Koala - Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  14. - Koala - Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2005. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  15. - Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  16. - Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  17. - Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  18. - Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  19. - DSC04416. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  20. - Koala Aus Zoo Aug06. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  21. - Koala @ Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  22. - Roos and Joey, Australian Zoo, Australia. Australia Zoo at Beerwah, 2006. Australia Zoo now covers about 700 acres, of which roughly 110 are open to visitors, and it is still run by the family: Terri owns it, Bindi is chief executive and Robert is on the management team.
  23. - Australia Zoo, Koalas. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  24. - Australia Zoo, Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2006. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  25. - Kookaburra Injured at Australia Zoo-04and. Australia Zoo at Beerwah, 2007. Australia Zoo now covers about 700 acres, of which roughly 110 are open to visitors, and it is still run by the family: Terri owns it, Bindi is chief executive and Robert is on the management team.
  26. - Koala, Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  27. - Koala, Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  28. - Australia Zoo Koala-01and. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  29. - Australia Zoo Koala-02and. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  30. - Koala having dinner-02and. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  31. - Australia Zoo Koala-01. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  32. - Australia Zoo Koala-02. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  33. - Australia Zoo Koala-04and. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  34. - Australia Zoo Koala-04. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  35. - Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2009. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  36. - Rian the Koala returns to the wild!. Burns from bushfire are one of the harder long-term cases the hospital handles, and koalas are its largest patient group. Robert Irwin's 2020 People's Choice win at Wildlife Photographer of the Year was for a bushfire image.
  37. - Tinsel the Magpie returns to the wild. Entanglement injuries are a steady part of the caseload. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital opened in 2004 and is dedicated to Lyn Irwin, Steve's mother.
  38. - Koala at Australia Zoo-1. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2013. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  39. - Koala at Australia Zoo-4. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2013. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  40. - Squirt gets released back into the wild!. Loggerhead turtle hatchlings are among the smallest patients the rescue unit handles. The hospital opened in 2004, dedicated to Lyn Irwin, and has grown into the largest of its kind in Australia.
  41. - Sunny the Green Sea Turtle gets released!. Green sea turtles nest along the Queensland coast and are a regular part of the hospital's marine caseload. The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit collects them and the hospital at Beerwah treats them.
  42. - Koala Bear at Australia Zoo, February 2014. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2014. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  43. - Koala at Australia Zoo 2. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2014. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  44. - Koala at Australia Zoo. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2014. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  45. - Timberwolf the koala gets released back into the wild!. Vehicle strike is one of the leading causes of admission. Koalas are the single largest patient group at the hospital, which opened in 2004 and is dedicated to Lyn Irwin.
  46. - Be brave and shave - Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital patient Taylor did!. Koala joeys are the hospital's most common young patients. The facility opened in 2004, named for Lyn Irwin, who hand-raised orphaned marsupials long before there was any hospital at Beerwah.
  47. - Hume the koala is finally released back into the wild!. Chlamydial disease is one of the biggest threats to wild koala populations in Queensland and long-term cases can take years of treatment. Koalas are the hospital's largest single patient group.
  48. - The famous Phantom and Lizzy koala duo released back into the wild!. Images of a koala joey clinging to his mother during her surgery travelled worldwide and became one of the hospital's best known cases. Koalas are its largest single patient group.
  49. - Help us, help them this Trauma Season!. Admissions rise sharply in the warmer months, when road traffic, dog attacks and breeding season injuries all peak. The hospital is funded substantially through Wildlife Warriors, which Steve and Terri founded in 2002.
  50. - Bindi Irwin's 19th birthday celebrations!. Bindi Irwin turned 19 on 24 July 2017. She was born in 1998, the year the park was renamed Australia Zoo, and is now its chief executive.
  51. - 280 Pound Tiger Is Sedated For Eye Surgery | Crikey! It's The Irwins | Animal Planet. Veterinary care extends to the zoo's own collection as well as wild patients. Tiger Temple is one of the named precincts at Australia Zoo, which says it holds over 1,200 animals.
  52. - Bindi Irwin's 20th birthday celebrations at Australia Zoo!. Bindi Irwin turned 20 on 24 July 2018, the twentieth year of the park carrying the Australia Zoo name. She became its chief executive a couple of years later.
  53. - I thought I am too lasy until i have found Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2019. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  54. - Mother and child. Australia Zoo at Beerwah, 2020. Australia Zoo now covers about 700 acres, of which roughly 110 are open to visitors, and it is still run by the family: Terri owns it, Bindi is chief executive and Robert is on the management team.
  55. - An adorable joey saved | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Hand-raising orphaned kangaroo joeys is the same work Lyn Irwin did as a wildlife rehabilitator in the 1970s and 1980s. The hospital that now does it at scale carries her name.
  56. - A 165kg sea turtle! | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Green sea turtles reach well over a hundred kilograms and are among the largest patients the hospital handles. Marine work sits alongside the koalas as the main caseload.
  57. - Adorable baby turtles back to the wild | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Sea turtle hatchlings are among the most common marine patients. The hospital's whole purpose, from the day it opened in 2004, is to return animals to the wild.
  58. - That was a tough rescue! | Wildlife Warriors Missions. The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit works across south-east Queensland and sometimes alongside local emergency services. Everything it collects goes to the hospital at Beerwah.
  59. - Bindi and Chandler check on a miracle patient | Irwin Family Adventures. Sugar gliders are among the smallest mammals treated at the hospital. Bindi Irwin is chief executive of Australia Zoo and Chandler Powell, her husband, works there with her.
  60. - Robert Irwin on an epic turtle release | Irwin Family Adventures. Loggerhead turtles are endangered and nest on the Queensland coast. Robert Irwin has worked the rescue unit and the hospital since childhood and is now a board director of Wildlife Warriors.
  61. - A day in the life of our amazing Wildlife Warriors | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Wildlife Warriors is the organisation Steve and Terri founded in 2002 and it funds the hospital and the rescue unit. Robert Irwin is now a board director.
  62. - Australia Zoo Rescue Unit in action | Wildlife Warriors Missions. The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit works across south-east Queensland and no two callouts are alike. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital it feeds treats up to 10,000 animals a year.
  63. - Everone in!. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2021. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  64. - Everone in!. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2021. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  65. - Robert Irwin and Chandler join the rescue team | Irwin Family Adventures. The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit answers calls across south-east Queensland and feeds the hospital at Beerwah. Chandler Powell married Bindi Irwin in March 2020 and works at the zoo.
  66. - Robert Irwin's Wildlife Hospital Tour | Irwin Family Adventures. Robert Irwin was born in 2003, a year before the hospital opened, and has grown up alongside it. It is dedicated to his grandmother Lyn Irwin and is now the largest wildlife hospital in Australia.
  67. - Rescue unit saves a bat | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Flying foxes and microbats are regular patients, often after entanglement in netting or barbed wire. The hospital opened in 2004 and is dedicated to Lyn Irwin.
  68. - This precious tube-nosed bat loves to wiggle | Wildlife Warrior Missions. Tube-nosed fruit bats are among the smaller and stranger patients that come through. The hospital takes every native species that arrives, not only the ones people recognise.
  69. - Robert Irwin Rescues an Entangled Black Swan | Crikey! It's the Irwins. Entanglement in fishing line and netting is one of the most common human-caused injuries the rescue unit deals with. Everything it collects goes to the hospital at Beerwah.
  70. - Robert Irwin and Team Help Save a Bleeding Snake! | Crikey! It's the Irwins. Snakes come into the hospital as often as mammals, usually after dog attacks or garden machinery. Reptiles are where the family enterprise started, with Bob Irwin's collection and the 1970 reptile park.
  71. - Robert Clarence Irwin holding a Koala. A koala at Australia Zoo, 2022. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in the country. Koalas are its single largest patient group.
  72. - How can you help save sea turtles? | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Marine debris, boat strike and entanglement account for much of the sea turtle caseload. The hospital at Beerwah is the largest wildlife facility of its kind in Australia according to Australian Geographic.
  73. - An influx of owl patients | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Owls arrive in waves, usually after vehicle strikes or secondary poisoning. The hospital, opened in 2004 and named for Lyn Irwin, takes every native species that comes in.
  74. - A critical moment for Australia's smallest owl | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Southern boobooks are Australia's smallest owl. The hospital treats every native species that comes through the door, not just the photogenic ones, and is funded largely through Wildlife Warriors.
  75. - The most beautiful part of animal rehabilitation, the release | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Treat, rehabilitate, release is the sequence the hospital exists to complete. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that it now handles up to 10,000 animals a year.
  76. - A day in the life of an Australia Zoo Keeper | Australia Zoo Life. Australia Zoo says it employs more than 500 staff across a property of about 700 acres, a figure that comes from the zoo itself. Keepers are the continuity of the place across five decades.
  77. - Rehabilitating a Stranded Loggerhead Turtle | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Loggerhead turtles are an endangered species that nests on the Queensland coast. Marine patients are a substantial part of the hospital's work alongside the koalas.
  78. - An unfortunate accident turns into a beautiful story | Wildlife Warrior Missions. Koalas are the single largest patient group at the hospital. The building carries Lyn Irwin's name, which ties the family thread directly to the conservation work.
  79. - Unbelievable survival story | Wildlife Warriors Missions. Release is the point of the whole facility. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital now treats up to 10,000 animals a year, up from the zoo's own earlier figure of over 7,000, and is the largest of its kind in the country.
  80. - Emergency Situation For One Of Our Kangaroos. Emergency surgery on native wildlife is routine work here. Australian Geographic reported in 2026 that the hospital treats up to 10,000 animals a year, making it the largest facility of its kind in Australia.
  81. - Busy Day at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. The Australia Zoo Rescue Unit collects injured animals across south-east Queensland and brings them to the hospital at Beerwah, which now handles up to 10,000 patients a year according to Australian Geographic.
  82. - A Very Colourful Release. Unexplained illness in wild bird populations is one of the harder problems the hospital confronts. Bindi Irwin is chief executive of Australia Zoo and Chandler Powell works there alongside her.
  83. - From Surgery to Flight, our Jabiru's Story. Black-necked storks, known in Australia as jabirus, are among the larger birds treated here. Surgery, rehabilitation and release is the whole cycle the hospital was built for in 2004.
  84. - Grace Visits the Wildlife Hospital. Seabirds and turtles come in from the Queensland coast throughout the year. Grace Warrior was born in March 2021 and is the fourth generation of the family at Beerwah.
  85. - Grace Tests Her Turtle Feeding Skills. Sea turtles are a large part of the hospital's caseload. Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, born in March 2021, is growing up around the work the same way her mother and uncle did.
  86. - Grace Helps Her Turtle Friend Return to the Wild. Grace Warrior Irwin Powell was born on 25 March 2021 and is the fourth generation of the family at Beerwah. Sea turtles are a regular part of the hospital's caseload.
  87. - Complex Patients Receive Vital Treatment. Vehicle strike, dog attack, disease and habitat loss are the recurring causes behind most admissions. The hospital was built in 2004 to handle exactly this volume of ordinary injury.
  88. - Robert Irwin on the Importance of Protecting our Baby Wildlife. Robert Irwin is a board director of Wildlife Warriors, the organisation Steve and Terri founded in 2002, which funds much of the hospital's work.
  89. - Meet Our Noisiest Patients | Bindi Irwin & Chandler Visit Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital Patients. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital opened in 2004 and is dedicated to Lyn Irwin, Steve's mother, a maternity nurse who became a wildlife rehabilitator and died in a car accident in February 2000.
  90. - Bindi Irwin & Chandler Introduce You To Sonny | Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital Patients. Orphaned wallaby joeys need hand-raising, which is precisely the work Lyn Irwin did as a wildlife rehabilitator before there was ever a hospital. The building carries her name.
  91. - Bindi Irwin & Chandler Visit our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital | Dennis the Ringtail Possum. Possums are among the most frequent urban patients. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital opened in 2004, is dedicated to Lyn Irwin, and now treats up to 10,000 animals a year according to Australian Geographic.
  92. - Baby Blue Tongue Lizards | Bindi Irwin & Chandler Visit Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital Patients. Blue-tongue lizards are among the most common reptile patients, usually after dog attacks or lawnmower injuries. The hospital opened in 2004 and is dedicated to Lyn Irwin.
  93. - Dunk's Second Chance at Life! | Green Sea Turtle Hatchling Caught in Netting. Entanglement in discarded netting is one of the most common human-caused injuries in marine patients. The hospital treats and releases them as a matter of routine.
  94. - Two Koalas Found Covered in Mud | Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Koalas make up the largest single group of patients at the hospital, which opened in 2004 and carries Lyn Irwin's name. Wildlife Warriors, founded by Steve and Terri in 2002, funds much of the work.
  95. - Grace Visits the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital with Bindi Irwin & Chandler. Grace Warrior Irwin Powell was born on 25 March 2021, the fourth generation of the family at Beerwah after Bob and Lyn, Steve and Terri, and Bindi.
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