Ballarat Wildlife Park Explained

Zoo Name:Ballarat Wildlife Park
Location:Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Date Opened:1987
Num Species:60+
Num Animals:400

The Ballarat Wildlife Park is a wildlife park in Ballarat, Victoria. Opened in February 1985, it is privately owned by founder Greg Parker and his wife, Julia Leonard. The 10-hectare park holds over 300 animals, including Australian animalsthere are over 100 free-roaming kangaroosand an extensive collection of reptiles. It was once well known for housing Patrick, the common wombat who was the oldest known marsupial in captivity when he died aged around 30 years old in 2017.

History

Since buying his first python when he was ten years old, animal enthusiast Greg Parker amassed a collection of over 300 reptiles across 50 species. He got a job at Healesville Sanctuary in the late 1970s. After a year of planning, Parker bought 10ha of land in Ballarat, Victoria,[1] where he opened the Ballarat Wildlife Park in February 1985.[2] He incorporated his reptile collection into the wildlife park, while also branching out into mammals. Parker co-owns the park with his wife, Julia Leonard,[3] [4] and manages it with his family and a small team of permanent staff.

Park

Certified by the Zoo and Aquarium Association, the 10-hectare Ballarat Wildlife Park is home to around 300 animals and 40 species. It is located on the corner of York and Fussell Streets, in Ballarat East. All of the Australian mammals breed each year, and the establishment also breeds its reptiles. The park contains many different exhibits and a cafe. It holds wildlife education talks and "meet-and-greets" with some of the animals can be booked;[5] strict guidelines and time limits on handling the animals are in place.

The Ballarat Wildlife Park holds a number of Australian animals.[6] It is home to the largest colony of koalas in captivity in Victoria,[7] which has around 35 members.[8] It has contributed to a number of koala conservation campaigns,[9] [10] including fundraisers for planting eucalyptus trees.[11] Visitors can feed the over 100 free-roaming kangaroos by purchasing kangaroo feed. There are wombats, emus, cassowaries, quokkas, and special enclosures for endangered Australian animals such as Tasmanian devils. It was the first privately-owned park to breed Tasmanian devils on the mainland. The dingoes have their own large enclosures, as do the tree-kangaroos.

The park also contains animals not native to Australia, including six meerkats, a colony of little penguins, and a Komodo dragon. The reptile house holds snakes, lizards and frogs.

Notable animals

Crunch is a five-metre-long saltwater crocodile which arrived at the park in December 2013. Originally captured from the Lockhart River, he and a female crocodile named Bella were brought to the park as a replacement for Gator, his deceased predecessor.[12] [13]

Patrick the Wombat

The Ballarat Wildlife Park was once well known for housing the common wombat Patrick, who holds the record for the oldest known common wombat in captivity.[14] [15] Nicknamed "Paddy Cake",[16] he was also the heaviest known wombat; he weighed 84lb when he was 29 years old.[17]

In 1989, an injured Patrick was taken from the pouch of his dying mother, who had been hit by a car. He lacked the typical aggression of wombats.[18] Attempts to release him into the wild only resulted in him being attacked by wild wombats,[19] and so the wildlife park instead acquired a permit to house him. He became one of Ballarat's most popular attractions, riding around in a wheelbarrow when his enclosure was being cleaned.[20] [21]

In 2013, Patrick became popular online through a Reddit post. He amassed over 55,000 Facebook followers and got his own website. In 2014, CNN's Rachel Barth named him the third-greatest city mascot in the world, writing that he has been visited by celebrities such as Nicolas Cage, Kirstie Alley and Kim Cattrall. He also visited Parliament House.[22] [23] [24] Patrick received further media attention after the park created a promotional Tinder account for him.[25] [26] [27] Patrick died on 18 April 2017, aged at least 30 years and 200 days,[28] euthanized after a sudden decline in health.[29] He died a virgin.[30] [31] [32] He was listed in Guinness World Records as the "Oldest marsupial in captivity ever".

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hudson . Sarah . October 15, 2014 . Greg Parker built the Ballarat Wildlife Park from the ground up . October 22, 2023 . The Weekly Times.
  2. Web site: Ballarat Wildlife Park . Ballarat Wildlife Park . 2023-10-22 . Visit Ballarat . en.
  3. Web site: Bell . Laura . September 13, 2018 . Koalas, kangaroos and wombats, oh my . October 22, 2023 . Vail Daily.
  4. Web site: 2015-09-01 . The five-year-old boy being called a ‘mini Steve Irwin’ . 2023-10-23 . Nine News.
  5. Web site: 2022-04-26 . Things you can only do in Ballarat . 2023-10-22 . . en-AU.
  6. Web site: Ballarat Wildlife Park Victoria, Australia Attractions . 2023-10-23 . . en.
  7. Web site: Williams . Edwina . July 17, 2023 . Koala campaign for conservation . October 23, 2023 . Golden Plains Times.
  8. Web site: Ballarat Wildlife Park . October 23, 2023 . Ballarat Wildlife Park.
  9. Web site: Elg . Hayley . 2021-11-10 . How can we save the koala population around Ballarat? . subscription . 2023-10-23 . . en-AU.
  10. Web site: Hopkins . Ben . 2019-11-26 . Ballarat Wildlife Park raising money for nation's iconic koalas . subscription . 2023-10-23 . . en-AU.
  11. Web site: Foletta . Alison . 2023-07-30 . Tree Planting Day at Ballarat Wildlife Park for koala feed . subscription . 2023-10-23 . . en-AU.
  12. Web site: Partland . Lily . 10 January 2014 . Crunch the croc makes his jaw-dropping debut at the Ballarat Wildlife Park . October 23, 2023 . ABC Local Radio.
  13. Web site: Peake . Jacqui . 9 January 2009 . How to steal a crocodile's eggs . 2023-10-23 . ABC Local.
  14. Web site: 2017-08-21 . Explore Ballarat and Sovereign Hill near Melbourne, Australia . 2023-10-23 . . en.
  15. Web site: Van Estrop . Chad . July 22, 2014 . Patrick the wombat, one of the oldest of his kind, claws out a legacy as a world-great mascot . October 23, 2023 . The Weekly Times.
  16. Web site: April 19, 2017 . Patrick the celebrity wombat dies at Ballarat Wildlife Park . October 23, 2023 . Herald Sun.
  17. Web site: August 28, 2014 . World’s oldest wombat celebrates birthday (Photos) . October 23, 2023 . WTOP-FM.
  18. Web site: Peacock . Sue . 19 April 2017 . Fans mourn death of Patrick, the world's oldest captive wombat . October 23, 2023 . ABC News.
  19. Web site: Partland . Lily . 28 August 2014 . The oldest wombat in captivity, Patrick, celebrates his 29th birthday . October 23, 2023 . ABC Local Radio.
  20. Web site: Locker . Melissa . August 27, 2014 . Happy 29th Birthday to What Is Believed to Be The Oldest Wombat in Captivity . October 23, 2023 . Time.
  21. Web site: Allaoui . Therese . April 3, 2017 . Meet Patrick, the wombat with a wheelbarrow . subscription . https://archive.today/20231023053030/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/meet-patrick-the-ballarat-wombat-with-a-wheelbarrow/news-story/c3e824897b253604e76077a016a6e6cd?amp&nk=578bfde83f4d23da298f8fa582e063b4-1698039049 . October 23, 2023 . Herald Sun.
  22. Web site: Barth . Rachel . October 6, 2014 . 8 greatest city mascots around the world . October 23, 2023 . CNN.
  23. Web site: August 25, 2015 . Famous Victorian wombat joins Tinder . October 23, 2023 . SBS World News.
  24. Web site: Ryan . Rowena . August 27, 2014 . Australia’s oldest wombat Patrick turns 29 years old . October 23, 2023 . News.com.au.
  25. Web site: Murphy . Flynn . 24 August 2015 . World's oldest captive wombat goes in search for love on Tinder . subscription . October 23, 2023 . The Telegraph.
  26. Web site: Shying . Olivia . August 25, 2015 . Patrick the wombat: He’s 30 and ready to hit Tinder . limited . October 23, 2023 . The Sydney Morning Herald.
  27. Web site: Judd . Bridget . 25 August 2015 . World's oldest captive wombat Patrick joins Tinder in bid to find love . October 23, 2023 . ABC News.
  28. Web site: 18 April 2017 . Oldest marsupial in captivity ever . October 23, 2023 . Guinness World Records.
  29. Web site: Gray . Rachel . 2017-04-19 . World famous wombat Patrick dies at Ballarat Wildlife Park . 2023-10-23 . . en.
  30. Web site: Novak . Matt . April 20, 2017 . Facebook Fans Mourn The Death Of Patrick The Wombat . October 23, 2023 . Gizmodo.
  31. Web site: Lieu . Johnny . April 19, 2017 . Social media mourns world's oldest bare-nosed wombat, Patrick, dead at 32 . October 23, 2023 . Mashable.
  32. Web site: 19 April 2017 . Patrick the wombat dies, and Zara criticised for 'Pepe' skirt . October 23, 2023 . BBC News.

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