Today, 17 September 2011, Australia Zoo will launch stage one of the African development which will cover 24 acres. This will take Australia Zoo to just under 100 acres, continuing Steve Irwin’s vision to build an African Safari.
Stage One of Australia Zoo’s African development plans, the African Safari; is a first for Queensland. The savannah will be an open range field where visitors can watch exotic animals such as Zebra, Giraffe and Rhino interacting from the comfort of a Safari Shuttle. People will be able to step on board the free Africa Safari Shuttle and experience the only Giraffe and Zebra in Queensland and keep theirr eyes peeled for the brand new baby Rhino.
Steve Irwin’s dream was to build an African Safari Park, where animals roam free in open plains and state of the art walk-through enclosures; where the public can watch these animals interact as they would in the wild; and where people can have their own unique experiences with these wonderful animals.
Visitors will be able to see one of three giraffes -: Rosie, Penny or Forrest, as they graze the Savannah and use their amazing blue tongues pull leaves from the trees.
Building and Construction Manager, Mark Niven has had all hands on deck for the construction of the massive 24 acre exhibit which will be the largest of the Australia Zoo exhibits.The construction team has been busy laying roads, installing fencing, and building shelters for our zebra, rhino and giraffe.
They have already built state-of-the-art night yards with heating and including specialised features such as electric hay feeders for the Giraffe – it’s hard to get the hay up that high so their feeders are attached to electronic pulley systems!
Behind the scenes of the African Safari has been a hive of activity with construction."The construction team has built new rhino, zebra and giraffe shelters in the savannah which is covered in mock rock so they have that authentic African feel. Our in-house sculpture artist has been busy creating themed pieces for the Africa display, including a drinking hole for our rhino, zebra and giraffe which reflects the native Boabab Tree found throughout Africa” Mr Niven said.
Having an open plain savannah field where African animals will roam free requiresd some heavy duty and flexible fencing to cater for the wide rhinos and tall giraffe.“The detail that has gone into building an African savannah that will house such a variety of animals has taken a lot of planning. We have constructed a 4-way gate system which will allow rhinos to enter the savannah and once they are out, the gates can be reset to allow vehicles through,” he said.
“When Africa opens in September, I am sure the general public will be as impressed with the finished product as we will be.”
Owner of Australia Zoo, Terri Irwin is proud to be opening the Australia Zoo’s African Safari first exhibit on September 17. “Australia Zoo gives visitors an exclusive opportunity to experience theses beautiful African animals as we are the only home to Zebra and Giraffe in Queensland,” Terri said.
Australia Zoo is supporting tourism by encouraging Queensland residents to holiday at home with a very special offer for residents to celebrate the opening of the African Safari. Australia Zoo is also offering Queensland residents an African adventure of a lifetime by allowing them to purchase tickets online and receive unlimited entry to Australia Zoo until Christmas
Australia Zoo is in Australia Zoo is located at 1638 Steve Irwin Way, Beerwah, Queensland 4519 Australia.. For more information see the website http://www.australiazoo.com.au/
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