What's New at Billabong Sanctuary
Cool Koala Comes Courting
Meet Ray Charles, one cool koala.
As you can see, he is totally at home in his very own enclosure, down by the lace monitors.
Poor old Ray has had a difficult life. He was hand-raised at Australia Zoo after his Mum was killed by a car. They were able to successfully release him into the wild, where he apparently thrived for 4 or 5 years.
Then just recently, he was brought back into the animal hospital after being attacked by a dog. Zoo staff knew it was their old mate because he had been microchipped on his previous visit.
This time, however, he had been left blind in both eyes by his injuries, so his days in the bush are over.
We are happy to be able to provide him a safe and comfortable haven where he can live out his days. Koalas don’t have particularly good eyesight anyway, relying more on that big nose to guide them around, so he will manage very well, clambering around on his perches, and selecting the freshest leafy green tips.
He is a beautiful koala, much larger than his northern counterparts, with an easy-going disposition. Penny collected him at the airport after a long day of travelling, and right away he was happy to give her a gentle hug. That was when she knew he was one cool koala, and promptly christened him with a name to match.
Ray Charles is going to be a valuable addition to our breeding colony, contributing much-needed genetic diversity. Of course, we’ll have to introduce his mates to him once breeding season arrives, but we have no doubt he will be totally cool in his new role.
Meantime he is happy in his new home, munching fresh blue gum leaves, and dozing in the warm tropical sun.
Feed Me!!
Billabong Sanctuary is about to offer thrill-seeking visitors the most awesome experience imaginable: the chance to personally feed one of our mighty estuarine crocs!
This is a rare opportunity for you to come face to face with one of the most powerful predators on earth.
Here’s how it will work:
First we give you a crash course in croc feeding: a thorough orientation briefing by our Rangers. Then they strap you into a safety harness (lightweight and comfortable) and step out with you onto the special reinforced platform at the edge of Nipper’s pond. You’ll be less than 2 metres above the water; somewhere below you lies a hungry 3½ metre crocodile.
You dangle a chunk of meat, tethered to a bamboo pole, high over the water. At first nothing happens. The surface of the lagoon is disturbed by only a few ripples.
Tension mounts.
Then suddenly the huge reptile surges up out of the water. With a resounding clap the powerful jaws slam shut and he crashes back into the water with his meal.
You’ll be left shaking with a surge of adrenalin like nothing you’ve ever felt before: You’ve just fed a fully grown crocodile, standing within metres of jaws that snap shut with a tonne of force, powerful enough to crush a beast the size of a water buffalo. Doesn’t get much more exciting than that!
The strength behind that leap out of the water is phenomenal—a 450 kg beast with half of his body length out of the water, powered by one mighty thrust of its tail.
Nipper is one of our larger estuarine crocodiles; he’s been with us for about 15 years, and has been training to take food at his platform for the past several weeks.
Even though he is cold-blooded, Ranger Vince reckons he’ll welcome a feed pretty much any day throughout the year. His new enclosure gets lots of sunshine, and you can see him soaking it up on the bank with his partner Tipper.
Our new croc-feeding adventure will be launched on June 1st.
The cost is only $300 for a thrill you’ll never forget. These exclusive feeding encounters will be limited to only 1 per day, and you must be over 12 years of age. If you’d like to be one of the special few to have such a mind-blowing experience, contact us now to make a booking.
The Billabong Sanctuary Wildlife Experience just got a whole lot wilder!
New Faces in the Mob
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| Say g’day to Debra and Tisharni, whose smiling faces greet visitors as they arrive at Billabong Sanctuary. | |
Debra Vallance comes to the tropics all the way from Tasmania, where she grew up on a strawberry farm. After school she worked in a chocoholic’s dream job, as a tour guide and later merchandising manager for the Cadbury’s factory in Brighton. Now living in Burdell with her family, Debra is glad to be back working with the public. As well as making visitors welcome and helping in the cafe, she plans to add heaps more Billabong Sanctuary souvenirs to our gift shop.
Tisharni Haig grew up surrounded by animals on a small farm at Pittsworth near Toowoomba. She earned her TAFE Certificate III in Hospitality while manager and part owner of her family’s café. Deciding she needed a sea change, Tisharni recently moved up to Townsville, and loves the idea of working in this beautiful wildlife park. Sharni would like to make good fresh food and good coffee a feature of everyone’s visit to Billabong Sanctuary.
Very good, well laid out and informative – Al Matland-Stellart, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) |