Kyabram Fauna Park facts for kids
Entrance
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| Date opened | 1976 |
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| Location | Kyabram, Victoria, Australia |
| Land area | 55 ha (140 acres) |
| Coordinates | 36°19′27″S 145°2′56″E / 36.32417°S 145.04889°E |
| No. of animals | 600 |
The Kyabram Fauna Park is an awesome wildlife park in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia. It covers about 55 hectares, which is a really big space! This amazing park is home to over 600 animals. It's a fantastic place to learn about Australian wildlife and even meet some animals up close!
Contents
The Park's Story
How the Park Began
Before 1967, the land where Kyabram Fauna Park now stands was just empty farmland. It had been unused for many years. People in Kyabram started talking about what they could do with this land. It had been sitting empty for about 80 years! Everyone agreed it was time to make it useful.
Part of the land was only used for rainwater to drain away. Then, someone had a great idea: why not turn it into a wildlife park? This idea was accepted, and soon, work began to build the Kyabram Fauna Park.
Opening and Growth
The park officially opened in 1976. It was started as a non-profit place, meaning it doesn't aim to make money for owners. Instead, any money it earns goes back into caring for the animals and the park itself.
Today, the park is a safe home for over 600 animals. You can see many of them, and sometimes even interact with them!
Meet the Animals
The Kyabram Fauna Park has lots of cool animals. You can walk through a special aviary (a big bird enclosure) and visit a warm reptile house. In the reptile house, you'll find snakes, different kinds of lizards like lace monitors, and even freshwater crocodiles!
Other animals living at the park include:
- Alpine dingoes
- Flying foxes
- Echidnas
- Tasmanian devils
- Quolls
- Wombats
- Koalas
- Sugar gliders
- Kangaroos
- Parma wallabies
- Emus
- Cassowaries
- Wedge-tailed eagles
- Cockatoos
- Cape Barren geese
Recently, the park welcomed its first animals from outside Australia: meerkats! Even though meerkats are from Africa, not Australia, they have become super popular with visitors.
A Historic Cottage
The park is also home to a special old cottage. This cottage was built in 1867 by a French adventurer named Theodore Hazleman. He was a sailor and soldier who even survived the American Civil War. Later, he settled in Kyabram as a wheat farmer and had 13 children! His cottage is a cool part of the park's history.
Joining Zoos Victoria
In July 2022, Kyabram Fauna Park became even more important. It officially joined Zoos Victoria. This means it's now the fourth official zoo in their group, helping to protect and care for even more animals.
