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Australia Zoo

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Australia Zoo

Date opened 1970
Location Beerwah, Queensland, Australia
Land area 100 hectares
Coordinates -26.837512, 152.960844
Number of animals 2000+
Number of species 200+
Major exhibits 35+
Official website

Australia Zoo is located in the Australian state of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains. It is owned by Terri Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin, whose wildlife documentary series The Crocodile Hunter made the zoo a popular tourist attraction.

Contents

[edit] History

Australia Zoo was opened by Bob and Lyn Irwin in 1970 under the name Beerwah Reptile Park.[1][2] Bob Irwin is a world renowned herpetologist, who is regarded as a pioneer in the keeping and breeding of reptiles. His wife Lyn was one of the first to care for and rehabilitate sick and injured wildlife in southeast Queensland.[1]

Bob and Lyn passed on their love and respect for wildlife to their children, especially to their son Steve, who had helped his parents since childhood to care for crocodiles and reptiles and to maintain the growing number of animals in the zoo. Over a decade later the park was renamed to the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and the area was doubled with the purchase of another 1.62 hectares. In 1987 the Crocodile Environmental Park was opened in an effort to aid saltwater crocodile protection. By the 1990s the Crocodile Environmental Park had become very popular and was seen as unique for its display of crocodile feeding within the park.[3]

In 1991 Steve Irwin overtook management of the zoo. In 1992 the park was renamed again, becoming Australia Zoo. Currently, the zoo maintains more than 1000 animals and over 550 staff.[4]

Australia Zoo won the Australian Tourism Awards for 2003-2004 in the category Major Tourist Attraction.[5] Australia Zoo Retail has also won the Tourism Retailing Award from Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.[6]

On 16 March 2008 the Brisbane-based newspaper, The Sunday Mail, claimed there are plans to sell Australia Zoo to Animal Planet and create a $100-million Disney-style wildlife theme park.[7]

[edit] Animals

[edit] Mammals

[edit] Birds

[edit] Reptiles

[8]

[edit] Zoo development

In the meantime, the zoo has encompassed a large area of 100 hectares,[9] (this will be expanded to over 2 km2 - 202 hectares - in due course), in which many animals live. In order to reduce long walks, a 'modified trailered bus' has been utilised, named Steve's Safari Shuttle, which operates on a bitumen roadway circuit.[10]

At the zoo there is also a stadium, named the 'Animal Planet Crocoseum', which has a capacity of approximately 5000.[11] At the time of its construction, it was the first in the world where snake, bird and crocodile shows were conducted. Australia Zoo calls these shows 'Wildlife Warriors 101'.[12] Visitors can also view a crocodile feeding and participate in an elephant feeding (the elephant feeding can be participated in during the mornings on the roadway circuit at the first crossover to the internal section of the zoo or in the afternoons at 'Elephantasia' (Australia's largest Elephant exhibit[13]) around the back of the zoo near tiger temple).[14]

There is a running space for kangaroos that visitors can feed,[15] and there is often an opportunity to pet a koala. The zoo's sponsored charity Wildlife Warriors also run a rescue operation and care station for any native wildlife who may be injured in accidents outside the zoo.[16][17]

As of the end of 2008, the elephant enclosure and water pool has been completed and 'Elephantasia' officially opened on December 26, 2006. Furthermore, a construction of an artificial island (to represent the Island of Madagascar), began in 2006, which will accommodate African animals such as tortoises, lemurs and other species not yet represented, This section will open Mid 2009. The South-East Asian Precinct will also be improved with the introduction of Orangutans, and transfer of the Komodo Dragons and Otters, which inhabit an enclosure near to the entrance to create a more complete Bio-Climatic Asian Region.[18]

Construction on the Australia Zoo Safari Lodge began mid 2008 and was due to be finished and operational by the end of 2009. However due to the economic situation, Australia Zoo decided to put all of its expansion plans on hold, as well as terminate employment of 26 staff members (mostly guest services staff).

A number of high-profile people have contributed to or supported Australia Zoo, including Justin Timberlake[19] and the Dalai Lama.[20]

[edit] Criticism

In March 2008, the Zoo was accused of animal 'cruelty'[21] and of breaking Australian law 13 times[22] by not releasing koalas within their prescribed habitats. The Environment Protection Association said that they are now monitoring and investigating why the Koalas were not released correctly. Zoo officials have defended their actions on the grounds that injured koalas found near busy roads or in urban developments cannot safely be released to the same areas.

[edit] Tiger Attack

In January 2009, a Senior Keeper was attacked by a male Bengal Tiger. The keeper suffered a deep bite wound to his left calf muscle tearing part of it, requiring 18 stitches.

A second incident two months later involving a Sumatran Tiger also saw a keeper taken to hospital. This attack was only minor, and the keeper only required two stitches.[23]

[edit] See also

The Irwin's Australia Zoo

Steve Irwin

Terri Irwin

Bindi Irwin

Wes Mannion

[edit] Gallery

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Australia Zoo

Sign near entrance to the zoo

Crocodile show in the Crocoseum at Australia Zoo

Aviary at the Australia Zoo

Harriet, the second oldest tortoise ever authenticated, lived at Australia Zoo

Guy Sebastian meeting one of the residents before his LIVE 'n' WILD concert [24]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Australia Zoo - About Us - Media Center
  2. ^ Australia Zoo - About Us - Good Old Days
  3. ^ Australia Zoo - The Crocodile Hunter - Things To See and Do - Sunshine Coast - Queensland Holidays
  4. ^ Australia Zoo - About Us - Zoo Gossip
  5. ^ Tourism South Australia
  6. ^ Qantas Australian Tourism Awards
  7. ^ 'Zoo sale' report in Bob Irwin and Terri Irwin rift - Sunday Mail, Sunday, 16 March 2008
  8. ^ http://www.australiazoo.com.au/our-animals/amazing-animals
  9. ^ Australia Zoo - Get Involved
  10. ^ Australia Zoo - Our Animals - Animal Diaries
  11. ^ Australia Zoo - Visit Us - The Crocoseum
  12. ^ Australia Zoo - Visit Us - The Crocoseum
  13. ^ Australia Zoo - Visit Us - Elephantasia
  14. ^ Australia Zoo - Our Animals - Feed The Animals
  15. ^ Australia Zoo - Our Animals - Feed The Animals
  16. ^ Australia Zoo - Conservation - Programs
  17. ^ International Crocodile Rescue - The Crocodile Hunter - Australia Zoo
  18. ^ Australia Zoo - About Us - Zoo Gossip
  19. ^ See www.news.com.au and tickets
  20. ^ Dalai Lama visits Irwin's Australia Zoo - National - theage.com.au
  21. ^ Australia Zoo accused of animal 'cruelty' - Scopical, 13 March 2008
  22. ^ Irwin zoo broke law 13 times - minister - Australian Associated Press, 14 March 2008
  23. ^ [1]
  24. ^ Sunshine Coast Daily. 4th January 2009

Coordinates: 26°50′15″S 152°57′39″E / 26.837512°S 152.960844°E / -26.837512; 152.960844

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