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Ballarat Wildlife Park

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Coordinates: 37°34′11″S 143°53′33″E / 37.5698°S 143.8926°E / -37.5698; 143.8926
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Ballarat Wildlife Park
Wombat and joey
Map
37°34′11″S 143°53′33″E / 37.5698°S 143.8926°E / -37.5698; 143.8926
Date opened1987
LocationBallarat, Victoria, Australia
Land area37 acres (15 ha)
No. of animals400
No. of species60+
Websitewww.wildlifepark.com.au

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 animals—there are over 100 free-roaming kangaroos—and 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

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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 10 hectares (0.10 km2) 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,[1] 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.[1]

Park

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Certified by the Zoo and Aquarium Association, the 10-hectare Ballarat Wildlife Park is home to around 300 animals and 40 species.[1][3] It is located on the corner of York and Fussell Streets, in Ballarat East.[5] 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;[3][6] strict guidelines and time limits on handling the animals are in place.[3]

The Ballarat Wildlife Park holds a number of Australian animals.[5] 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.[7][11] Visitors can feed the over 100 free-roaming kangaroos by purchasing kangaroo feed.[3][8] There are wombats, emus,[8] cassowaries, quokkas,[5] 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.[3]

The park also contains animals not native to Australia, including six meerkats,[6] a colony of little penguins,[2] and a Komodo dragon.[5] The reptile house holds snakes, lizards and frogs.[2]

List of animals

Notable animals

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Crunch is a five-metre-long saltwater crocodile which arrived at the park in December 2013.[1] 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

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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 84 pounds (38 kg) 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,[18] 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.[18][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".[28]

References

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