Crown Princess Mary paid tribute to her Australian roots at a sod-laying ceremony at the Copenhagen Zoo on Wednesday.
Accompanied by her twin children, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine, Crown Princess Mary helped begin the construction of ‘Mary’s Australian Garden’ at the Copenhagen Zoo.
Announced as part of her 50th birthday celebrations, ‘Mary’s Australian Garden’ will be an exhibit at the zoo housing Australian animals—a nod to the Crown Princess’s early years spent in Tasmania.
The Danish Royal House notes that the eponymous garden was made possible by donations from the Augustinus Foundation and the Knud Højgaard Foundation and will be the third part of an already-planned facility dedicated to Australian animals, including the cockatoo, rock kangaroos and the laughing bird.
The Copenhagen Zoo’s chief executive officer, Jørgen Nielsen, said in a press release last month that “[C]ompletely in the spirit of the Crown Princess, the gift will thus be both a joy and a benefit for a collection of Australian animals, and for the many families with children who this summer can experience a small selection of the Crown Princess’ homeland up close.”
The Copenhagen Zoo notes that ‘Mary’s Australian Garden’ will set new standards for animal care and guest experiences and that they “want to draw [guests] even closer to the animals and the day care of the animal keepers, and the hope is that our commitment and efforts to take care of the world’s animals will spread to both children and adults.”
An aviary will be erected in the new space alongside pre-existing facilities for kangaroos and Tasmanian devils.
During their visit, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Vincent and Princess Josephine helped feed penguins and enjoyed traditional birthday celebrations like singing and cake.
Crown Princess Mary is the patron of the Copenhagen Zoo. Celebrations for her 50th birthday continue throughout the weekend in Denmark.
