Wanneroo Lion Park facts for kids

The Wanneroo Lion Park, also known as Bullen's African Lion Safari Park, was a special kind of zoo in Carabooda, north of Perth, Western Australia. It was an "open-range" park, meaning animals could roam freely in large areas. The park was open for 17 years, from 1971 to 1988.

Park History

The Wanneroo Lion Park first opened its gates on 21 August 1971. It was started by two brothers, Ken and Stafford Bullen. They worked with the TV station TVW7 and Michael Edgley to create the park. This happened after their circus, Bullens Circus, closed in 1969. They were inspired by other successful safari parks in New South Wales.

What Was It Like?

When the park opened, it had 32 lions and four lion cubs. These lions lived in two separate groups called prides. Visitors could drive their own cars or ride in special tourist buses through the park. The lions would often come very close to the vehicles, sometimes even climbing on them!

It was important to keep car windows closed tightly. Lions might try to bite things attached to the cars, like windscreen wipers or tyres. There was also a separate area with other animals. The park even had circus shows with clever cockatoos and monkeys.

Helping the Community

The Wanneroo Lion Park helped raise money for the local Lions Club of Wanneroo. Young lion cubs from the park would sometimes appear on the Telethon, a TV event that raises money for charity.

Lion cubs also visited events in other towns. For example, in 1976, two cubs went to the FeNaCl Festival in Dampier. There, they became honorary members of the Dampier Lions Club.

Safety and Animal Care

The park often appeared in the news, especially when there were reports of incidents. In 1971, a visitor was injured by a lion. In 1977, some lions got out of their main area. They caused harm to other animals like goats and a donkey. There were also reports in the mid-1980s that a lion had escaped the park, which police investigated.

In 1981, the famous American actress Tippi Hedren visited the park. She shared her concerns about how the lions were being cared for. In the same year, the RSPCA, an animal welfare group, looked into the animals' conditions. This led to the park making improvements to how they cared for the lions.

Park Closure

The Wanneroo Lion Park closed down in 1988. This was mainly because it became very expensive to run. The costs for insurance and feeding the many animals were too high. There were also concerns from animal rights groups about the welfare of the animals. When the park closed, the lions had to be euthanized because there was no suitable place for them to go.

Remembering the Park

In 2014, the City of Wanneroo's Regional Museum started collecting stories and items about the park. They recorded interviews with former park workers, John and Fran Gilbertson, and Marion Colmer, to preserve its history.

As of 2018, the Wanneroo Lion Park is the only open-range zoo that has ever operated in Western Australia. There were plans in 2011 for a new open-range zoo near Perth. The premier at the time, Colin Barnett, wanted Perth Zoo to run it. However, these plans were stopped after a change in government in 2017.