Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve
Encyclopedia
Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve is a 53 hectares (131 acre) zoological park
outside Kuranda, Queensland
, Australia
. The park is privately owned and operated by Jenny Jattke, and is currently for sale. 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.
in England) as the Mareeba Wild Animal Park. It was forced to close and was liquidated in 2004 amid some controversy over permits to transfer animals from a zoo that was closing in the Norther Territory, and David Gill returned to England. Local volunteers cared for the animals in the park with donations from the public until ZooWorks consultants were hired by the zoos administrators. In September 2006 Udo and Jenny Jattke purchased the zoo and spent $100,000 upgrading the facility. It re-opened in September 2006 as Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve. Many of the volunteers were offered keeper positions by the new owners.. 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.
pride, primate
s, and rhinoceros
among other animals.
In 2007, Jattke negotiated with Sea World
in Gold Coast, Queensland
to populate Sea World's new hippo exhibit.
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, the cub died only 17 days later from severe gastroenteritis
.
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.
In March 2010 the zoos only Siamang
was joined by two males from Melbourne Zoo
.
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.
Zoo
A zoological garden, zoological park, menagerie, or zoo is a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and in which they may also be bred....
outside Kuranda, Queensland
Kuranda, Queensland
Kuranda is a town on the Atherton Tableland in Far North Queensland, Australia, it is 25 kilometres from Cairns, via the Kuranda Range road. It is surrounded by rainforest. At the 2006 census, Kuranda had a population of 1,611.-History:...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The park is privately owned and operated by Jenny Jattke, and is currently for sale. 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
The zoo was originally opened by David Gill in 2003 (who also owns South Lakes Wild Animal ParkSouth Lakes Wild Animal Park
South Lakes Wild Animal Park is a zoo established in 1994 by David Gill, and located in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, England.The park is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria and bills itself as one of the best conservation zoos in the country.-History:The zoo was opened by...
in England) as the Mareeba Wild Animal Park. It was forced to close and was liquidated in 2004 amid some controversy over permits to transfer animals from a zoo that was closing in the Norther Territory, and David Gill returned to England. Local volunteers cared for the animals in the park with donations from the public until ZooWorks consultants were hired by the zoos administrators. In September 2006 Udo and Jenny Jattke purchased the zoo and spent $100,000 upgrading the facility. It re-opened in September 2006 as Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve. Many of the volunteers were offered keeper positions by the new owners.. 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.
Main Attractions
The reserve maintains a large lionLion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
pride, primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s, and rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
among other animals.
Carnivores
- Syrian Brown BearSyrian Brown BearThe Syrian brown bear is a relatively small subspecies of brown bear native to Eurasia.- Distribution :Within the former Soviet Union, it occurs in Transcaucasia, Talysh, Northern Armenia, Abkhazia, Karabakh and Kopet Dag. Outside the ex-USSR, it occurs in Iran, Iraq and Turkey...
- CheetahCheetahThe cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
- Bengal TigerBengal TigerThe Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
- Sumatran TigerSumatran TigerThe Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
- LionLionThe lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
- Asian Small-clawed Otter
- ServalServalThe serval , Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal...
Ungulates
- HippoHippoA hippo or hippopotamus is either of two species of large African mammal which live mainly in and near water:* Hippopotamus* Pygmy HippopotamusHippo may also refer to:-Given names:...
- Pygmy Hippo
- White Rhino
- Rusa deerRusa DeerThe Javan Rusa or Sunda Sambar is a deer native to the islands of Java, Bali and Timor in Indonesia...
- Chital deer
- AlpacaAlpacaAn alpaca is a domesticated species of South American camelid. It resembles a small llama in appearance.Alpacas are kept in herds that graze on the level heights of the Andes of southern Peru, northern Bolivia, Ecuador, and northern Chile at an altitude of to above sea level, throughout the year...
Primates
- Ring-Tailed LemurRing-tailed LemurThe ring-tailed lemur is a large strepsirrhine primate and the most recognized lemur due to its long, black and white ringed tail. It belongs to Lemuridae, one of five lemur families. It is the only member of the Lemur genus. Like all lemurs it is endemic to the island of Madagascar...
- Japanese MacaqueJapanese MacaqueThe Japanese macaque , historically known as saru , but now known as Nihonzaru to distinguish it from other primates, is a terrestrial Old World monkey species native to Japan....
- Sulawesi Macaque
- SiamangSiamangThe siamang is a tailless, arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra. The largest of the lesser apes, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching 1 m in height, and weighing up to 14 kg...
- Spider MonkeySpider monkeySpider monkeys of the genus Ateles are New World monkeys in the subfamily Atelinae, family Atelidae. Like other atelines, they are found in tropical forests of Central and South America, from southern Mexico to Brazil...
Reptiles
- Woma pythonWoma PythonAspidites ramsayi is a species of snake found in Australia. Once common throughout Western Australia, it has become critically endangered in some regions.One of two species of Aspidites, the Pitless pythons, an Australian genus of the Pythonidae...
- Blue-tongued skink
- Bearded dragon
- Day gecko
- Green iguanaGreen IguanaThe Green Iguana or Common Iguana is a large, arboreal herbivorous species of lizard of the genus Iguana native to Central and South America...
- Saw-shelled turtle
Conservation
The zoo sends lions to other areas of Australia to participate in breeding programs.In 2007, Jattke negotiated with Sea World
Sea World
Sea World is a marine mammal park, oceanarium, and theme park located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It includes rides, animal exhibits and other attractions, and promotes conservation through education and through the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured or orphaned wildlife. The...
in Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
to populate Sea World's new hippo exhibit.
In 2008 the zoo started its Sumatran Tiger
Sumatran Tiger
The Sumatran tiger is a tiger subspecies that inhabits the Indonesian island of Sumatra and has been classified as critically endangered by IUCN in 2008 as the population is projected at 176 to 271 mature individuals, with no subpopulation having an effective population size larger than 50...
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, the cub died only 17 days later from severe gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is marked by severe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract involving both the stomach and small intestine resulting in acute diarrhea and vomiting. It can be transferred by contact with contaminated food and water...
.
In March 2009 Cairns Safari welcomed two Asian Small-clawed Otter's from UnderWater World
UnderWater World, Queensland
UnderWater World at Mooloolaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia is a marine mammal park, oceanarium and wildlife sanctuary. Underwater World is an institutional member of the Zoo and Aquarium Association .-History:...
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.
In March 2010 the zoos only Siamang
Siamang
The siamang is a tailless, arboreal, black-furred gibbon native to the forests of Malaysia, Thailand, and Sumatra. The largest of the lesser apes, the siamang can be twice the size of other gibbons, reaching 1 m in height, and weighing up to 14 kg...
was joined by two males from Melbourne Zoo
Melbourne Zoo
The Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Melbourne Zoo, contains more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world. The zoo is north of the centre of Melbourne. It is accessible via Royal Park station on the Upfield railway line, and is also accessible via tram...
.
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.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.