Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve

Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve

Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve Logo
Cairns Wildlife Entrance
Date opened	2003 (as Mareeba Wild Animal Park)[1] 2006 (as Cairns Wildlife Safari)
Location	Kuranda Queensland
Land area	53.16 hectares (131 acres)[2]
Coordinates	16°54′03″S 145°34′16″E / 16.9009°S 145.5712°E / -16.9009; 145.5712Coordinates: 16°54′03″S 145°34′16″E / 16.9009°S 145.5712°E / -16.9009; 145.5712
Number of animals	92
Number of species	25+
Major exhibits	22
Website	cairnswildlifesafarireserve.com.au

Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve is a 53 hectares (131 acres) zoological park outside Kuranda, Queensland, Australia. The park is privately owned and operated by Jenny Jattke, and is currently for sale.^[2] It was formerly known as "Mareeba Wild Animal Park" and "Out of Africa Reserve".

The park maintains a collection of both exotic and native animals.

History

Cairns Wildlife Safari Kuranda Highway entrance sign

The zoo was originally opened by David Gill in 2003 (who also owns South Lakes Wild Animal Park in England) as the Mareeba Wild Animal Park. It was forced to close and was liquidated in 2004^[3] amid some controversy over permits to transfer animals from a zoo that was closing in the Norther Territory,^[1] and David Gill returned to England.^[4] Local volunteers cared for the animals in the park with donations from the public until ZooWorks consultants were hired by the zoos administrators.^{[citation needed]} In September 2006 Udo and Jenny Jattke purchased the zoo and spent $100,000 upgrading the facility.^[4] It re-opened in September 2006 as Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve.^[4] Many of the volunteers were offered keeper positions by the new owners.^{[citation needed]}. The Zoo is currently for sale with an asking price of around $2 million amid controversy over the failure to pay staff and the ownership of some of the animals.^[2][5]

Main Attractions

The reserve maintains a large lion pride, primates, and rhinoceros among other animals.

Animals

Carnivores

• Syrian Brown Bear
• Cheetah
• Bengal Tiger
• Sumatran Tiger
• Lion
• Asian Small-clawed Otter
• Serval

Ungulates

• Hippo
• Pygmy Hippo
• White Rhino
• Rusa deer
• Chital deer
• Alpaca

Primates

• Ring-Tailed Lemur
• Japanese Macaque
• Sulawesi Macaque
• Siamang
• Spider Monkey

Birds

• Ostrich
• Galah

Reptiles

• Woma python
• Blue-tongued skink
• Bearded dragon
• Day gecko
• Green iguana
• Saw-shelled turtle

Conservation

Zookeeper with otter

The zoo sends lions to other areas of Australia to participate in breeding programs.^[6]

In 2007, Jattke negotiated with Sea World in Gold Coast, Queensland to populate Sea World's new hippo exhibit.^[7]

In 2008 the zoo started its Sumatran Tiger breeding program in line with recommendations from the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA). The Zoo's resident male tiger and a female on loan from Perth were paired together. In 2009 the female gave birth to a cub on 13 December,^[8] the cub died only 17 days later from severe gastroenteritis.^[9]

In March 2009 Cairns Safari welcomed two Asian Small-clawed Otter's from UnderWater World at Mooloolaba.

In November 2009 Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve was granted Full Institutional membership by the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA). It is one of only three Zoo's in Queensland to obtain ZAA accreditation.^[10]

In March 2010 the zoos only Siamang was joined by two males from Melbourne Zoo.^[11]

Incidents

In September 2006 an adult male African lion escaped its enclosure through a break in the fence. Tim Husband, the Zoo Curator at the time, secured the animal in a holding area until Vets arrived to tranquilise it and return it to its enclosure.^[12][13]

In May 2010 it surfaced that staff at the zoo were going without pay and had been on pay cuts for around six weeks to ensure the animals did not go hungry. Staff complained to a local newspaper about the issues.^[14][15]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Main Committee Statement by Members: Mareeba Wild Animal Park: Speech". parlinfo.aph.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia House of Representatives. 24 March 2004. http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/genpdf/chamber/hansardr/2004-03-24/0136/hansard_frag.pdf;fileType%3Dapplication%2Fpdf. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve on the market". cairns.com.au. Knight Frank Cairns. 13 January 2011. http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/01/13/144235_local-news.html. Retrieved 21 January 2011. 
3. ^ "QLD: Creditors of Mareeba Wild Animal Park meet". highbeam.com. HighBeam Research. 7 June 2004. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-95292281.html. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "New look zoo reopens doors". abc.net.au. ABC Australia. 28 September 2006. http://www.abc.net.au/news/items/200609/1750936.htm. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
5. ^ "Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve Sale". zoochat.com. ZooChat. http://www.zoochat.com/24/staff-going-without-pay-so-lions-150467/index3.html. Retrieved 16 April 2011. 
6. ^ "Lions purring in Perth". The Cairns Post: pp. 5. 14 June 2007. 
7. ^ "Sea World's on a hippo safari". The Gold Coast Bulletin: pp. 3–4. 28 July 2007. 
8. ^ http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2008/06/03/4312_local-news.html
9. ^ http://bigcatnews.blogspot.com/2010/01/tears-as-tiger-cub-indah-dies.html
10. ^ http://www.arazpa.org.au/ARAZPA-Institutional-Members/default.aspx
11. ^ http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/03/04/97365_local-news.html
12. ^ "ZooWorks Media". zooworks.net. ZooWorks. http://www.zooworks.net/media.htm. Retrieved 17 September 2010. 
13. ^ Stannard, Damien (24 September 2006). "The lion king". The Sunday Mail (Qld). http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,20457474-3102,00.html. 
14. ^ Bateman, Daniel (20 May 2010). "Cairns zoo staff forced to cut pay to feed lions". Cairns Post. http://www.news.com.au/business/business-smarts/cairns-zoo-staff-forced-to-cut-pay-to-feed-lions/story-e6frfm9r-1225868947321. 
15. ^ "Staff at Australian Zoo Go Hungry to Feed Lions". foxnews.com. Fox News. 19 May 2010. http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/05/19/staff-australian-zoo-hungry-feed-lions. Retrieved 20 May 2011. 

External links

• Official website