As the Black Saturday bushfires raged towards Healesville Sanctuary, zookeepers were faced with a terrible dilemma.

Either leave the bulk of the world's remaining orange-bellied parrots to perish or risk the birds dying of stress while evacuating them to safety.

Built as a sanctuary for many of our most critically endangered native animals, the zoo was on the verge of becoming a death-trap.

For veterinarian Phillipa Mason, whose house was destroyed in the deadly 2009 blaze, evacuating her children from childcare was more straightforward than the situation at the zoo.