Mark Stone, the owner of Billabong Zoo on the NSW Mid North Coast, said it was a big blow for his family-run business.

"Basically, with the animal side of things, we're business as usual which comes at a very high cost," he said.

Costs are still incurred

"At the moment I'm just bouncing from pillar to post and trying to work out what our next step forward is and how we can save money and all those sort of things to make sure that we can last through this."

"We can't close down the zoo and close down expenditure."

Mr Stone said there was a lot of expenditure in looking after the animals including their feed and welfare concerns.

"All of those things are our high priority and the commitment does not change whether we are open or closed.

He said it was not just the costs of the food and wages for the keepers but the enclosures needed to be maintained and the gas and electricity paid.

"The pond in the crocodile enclosure has to be heated to 28 degrees Celsius and at all times."

Bushfires and then this

After surviving the January bushfires, the Mogo Zoo, south of Batemans Bay on the NSW South Coast, has been forced to shut its doors less than a month after it re-opened.

On New Year's Eve, zoo staff evacuated smaller animals and stayed to defend the lion and tiger enclosures. All 200 animals were saved.

Zookeeper Chad Staples said it felt like 2020 had not started for them.

"Honestly just feels like it's been one thing after another," he said.

"Potentially, the animals think maybe they've got another Christmas Day where there's no-one around," Mr Stone said.

He said it was important the animals' routines were not interfered with and for the keepers to maintain everything to keep the animals healthy.

Working without pay

Wildlife HQ on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has seven koalas and nearly 200 other animals to care for, including a Sun bear.

CEO Jarrod Schenk said his 12 staff, on being told about the closure, decided they would continue to help the animals without pay.

He said even though one of the zookeepers, Rachel Ives, was battling to pay her rent she was wanting to continue to be "part of this".

"Our zookeepers are not considered essential services, but without them the animals wouldn't survive."

Mr Schenk said koalas were the hardest animals to look after.

"The keepers need to get up to 2,000 gum leaves per koala per day and we have 17."

Story by | Luisa Rubbo, Claire Wheaton, Kathy Sundstrom and Rob Blackmore