Parndana is a small town almost smack-dab in the middle of Kangaroo Island. It has a few shops and a pub, plus one of the few petrol pumps on the island. But it biggest claim is, just outside town on the Playford Highway, is Kangaroo Island’s only fauna park.
Originally a farm, the owners converted part of the property into a fauna park some years ago and, although other places on KI display animals (Hanson Bay Koala Park, Paul’s Place, Kingscote Marine Centre), Parndana is the place to come if you want a ‘zoo’ experience.
When I visited two-and-a-half years ago I was not overly impressed. The main building combining entrance and souvenir shop was fairly new, and a new area – the Wetlands – was being developed, but many of the other exhibits and enclosures were looking old and needed an upgrade. On this visit I found not a lot had changed; in fact something I saw and then heard from the staff appalled me.
Being a farm there are some quite large paddocks for some of the mammals – Kangaroo Island Kangaroos (and the obligatory emus), a few different varieties of wallabies, and deer. And the Wetland exhibit is in a large fenced off area to itself. These paddocks tended to be around the edges of the park, while all the smaller cages and enclosures were in the centre, within 100 metres of the carpark/entrance.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cape-barren-geese-143968/
Laminated maps are available but must be returned, and they aren’t as detailed as would have liked, but at least I was able to ensure I saw everything. Trying to be methodical I started with a bank of 20 parrot aviaries tucked away behind the Entrance building.
These parrot aviaries reminded me of a professional parrot breeder’s setup – each individual cage was about a metre wide and maybe three or four metres deep. They were steel frames with half-inch by one-inch mesh set on concrete footers. The rear part of the aviary roof was solid and there was teatree brush lining the walls in the shelters. Only about half of the individual cages had basic labels and some of them were wrong. Mostly Australian Parrots, but some exotics, were displayed, some were colour mutations.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/row-parrot-aviaries-143950/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/label-143976/
The floors of each cage were eroding away exposing holes under the footers and mice had setup residency. I know from experience this is a given – a late friend of mine once told me “If you’re gonna keep birds in an aviary, you’re gonna have mice.” The trick is to manage your aviaries to keep the numbers as low as possible.
Parndana was managing theirs at the time. I could see in the back of all twenty cages was an ice cream container with small mouse sized holes cut in the side, containing a rodenticide. And in each aviary there were dead mice on the floor, one aviary had six! Some had obviously been there for several days, one mouse I saw was alive and moving around but obviously very sick.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/floor-parrot-aviaries-143952/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/dead-mouse-floor-aviary-143953/
Moving on from these aviaries were some larger ones containing lorikeets, a galah and blue-winged Kookaburras, plus two large mixed species aviaries containing cockatiels, budgies, Neophemas, rosellas and other commonly kept parrot species.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/kookaburra-aviary-143956/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/galah-aviary-143958/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/lorikeet-aviary-143959/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cockatiel-aviary-143962/
Elsewhere in the park were more banks of aviaries (again looking in desperate need of replacing), one containing different species of cockatoos – have a look at the brilliant yellow underbelly colouration of the female Yellow-tailed Black – and another displaying owls and raptors (and a few more parrots).
http://www.zoochat.com/761/row-cockatoo-aviaries-143957/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/yellow-tailed-cockatoo-female-143990/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/little-corella-143977/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/alexandrine-parrot-143973/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/row-raptor-aviaries-143951/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brown-goshawk-143974/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/little-eagle-143978/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/masked-owls-143980/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/nankeen-kestrel-143981/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/peregrine-falcon-143982/
At the end of the cockatoo row was a large square aviary with the label for ‘Scrub Turkey’ on the door. The door was chocked wide open by a log and the Scrub Turkey was nowhere to be seen. However, inside were more than 40 galahs. “That’s innovative” I thought. Obviously the galahs were injured ones that had been brought in and couldn’t fly, and the Scrub Turkey must get a wander each morning as enrichment. But, there was no sign or barricade from preventing people from entering – maybe it’s a walk-in aviary for the visitors? So I walked in and headed towards the Galahs to take some photos. The galahs went mad and all took flight simultaneously, screeching maniacly at me. They flew around the aviary but all flew right past the door. I backed off to one side and they all settled down towards the rear. After taking my photos I left, a little puzzled.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-turkey-aviary-143965/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wild-galahs-brush-turkey-aviary-143966/
Not far away was a building consisting of several enclosures with wire fronts – I hesitate to call them aviaries – Pheasants, chooks, white peafowl, and domestic pigeons. Rather dark inside and looking like farmyard enclosures, with wooden poles and corrugated iron, converted for birds. I didn’t like them much, partly because they were too dark, partly because they displayed domestic species (apart from the pheasants), and partly because they were too much like a farm building – a shearing shed or similar.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/aviaries-pheasants-pigeons-143949/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/silver-pheasant-white-peafowl-143987/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/pigeons-143975/
Two much larger aviaries housed some large raptors, Black Kites and Wedge-tail Eagles. The birds appeared to be OK and the aviaries were big enough for them, although with Wedgies more space is always better. These cages are more recent constructions.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/black-kite-aviary-143954/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wedgetail-eagle-aviary-143955/
There were another two cages that looked like they may have been an experiment in cheap aviaries. A series of poles bent in a half circle with nylon mesh tied over the top and corrugated iron for low walls. These stood only a bout five feet high in the middle. They looked old, the mesh was sagging (torn and patched in places) and just didn’t look that well-maintained. As for keeping birds, I think they would be ideal for ground birds - especially things like quail, pheasants, rails and even pigeons – or small birds like finches and scrub-wrens in a planted aviary with a smaller mesh.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/bush-stone-curlew-thick-knee-aviary-143964/
One of these cages was planted and housed a pair of Bush Stone-Curlews (or Thick-knees) and it actually seemed quite suitable. However the other had no vegetation and housed a lone Pacific Gull plus two White Ibis – it looked very bare and was quite a sad exhibit.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-bush-stone-curlew-thick-knee-143963/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/pacific-gull-aviary-143960/
A very large well-constructed aviary housed White-bellied Sea-Eagles. This aviary looks like a fairly recently built structure and I don’t remember seeing it on my previous visit. It has a large Melaleuca growing in it and while this would be fantastic for any other bird, it does reduce considerably the amount of flying space the eagles have. They can still fly around it, they have plenty of room, but a tree like Melaleuca is pretty-well useless for an eagle and just takes up space. A few dead tree stags would be far better.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-aviary-143961/
Despite this, I saw something very sad when I looked into the aviary. There were two bowls of water – the only source of water – and one of the eagles was standing in it trying to bathe. The bowl was just big enough for the bird to get it’s head down around it’s ankles, turn it’s head sideways under water, then lift it up and try to rub moisture over it’s body.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-trying-bathe-143983/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-trying-bathe-143985/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-trying-bathe-143984/
A brilliant big aviary for a seabird and no pool. Even the Lorikeets had a pool (albeit, the water was green). Now, go back and look at the Pacific Gull aviary again.
The last bird enclosure I refer to as a Walk-through Aviary (and that’s what Parndana call it too), although it is more like a giant farm shed that has been converted for birds, with doors at one end, extensive plantings inside, a path and viewing platform, and a partially-wired roof to permit direct sunlight, rain and fresh air. It could better be described as a walkthrough pigeon aviary as pigeons make up most of the birds here. Wongas, Common and Brush Bronzewings, Emerald, White-headeds, New Guinea Grounds, Barbary, Cresteds, Barshouldered, Luzon Bleeding Hearts and even Talpacoti Doves are everywhere. Looking a little more closely you can also see King Quail, Zebra Finch (and mutations), Java Sparrows (and mutations), and several Red-rumped Parrots (with a lone Lutino). Lots of vegetation on either side of the path and a water feature in the middle. I spent 20 at least minutes in here, searching the undergrowth to see what else I could find (and to keep out of the rain).
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144010/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144011/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144012/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144013/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144014/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/barbary-doves-crested-pigeon-144015/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/talpacoti-barbary-dove-144016/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/barshouldered-dove-144017/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wonga-emerald-dove-144018/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-bronzewing-144019/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/crested-pigeons-courting-144020/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/new-guinea-ground-dove-144021/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-bronzewing-immature-144022/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-bronzewing-king-quail-144023/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-headed-pigeons-144024/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/redrump-parrot-male-144026/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/redrump-parrot-lutino-mutation-144025/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/java-sparrows-colour-mutations-144027/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-male-colour-mutation-144028/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-male-colour-mutation-144029/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-male-144031/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-female-nesting-palm-144030/
[Note: in a discussion in one of the photos I stated there were Nicobar Pigeons in this building. I can’t find any in my photos and I may have been mistaken. But the other species are certainly there.]
And in a nondescript aviary somewhere, with some common birds, I saw something weird running around, a species I had never seen before. I photographed it and then had to look it up in my books when I got home – a Chestnut Rail.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/chestnut-rail-143972/
There are only two species of reptiles (and about four individuals) on display at Parndana, and they have a building all to themselves. The enclosure, which takes up the entire floor area with a bridge leading over the middle, is for a Johnstone’s Crocodile. It’s pool also housed some short-necked turtles. The pool is big enough for the croc, but I’ve seen bigger pools for crocs in petshops. Most of the enclosure is sandy with some lush plants, and the croc has a shelter. The whole room is heated to, I guess, around 28 degrees.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/part-freshwater-crocodile-enclosure-143945/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/part-freshwater-crocodile-enclosure-143946/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/bridge-over-freshwater-crocodile-enclosure-143947/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/freshwater-crocodile-shelter-143948/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/short-necked-turtles-143986/
As far as mammals go there are relatively few. I have mentioned the deer, down the back of a large paddock. Fallow Deer, I think. Kangaroo Island Kangaroos and Emus are in another very large paddock, part of which has some Mallee trees growing. Like so many other fauna parks, you can purchase bags of animal feed but really only the Kangaroos and Wallabies would be interested. And the emus and cassowaries – they’d eat anything, even if it isn’t edible (like a compact camera).
http://www.zoochat.com/761/deer-yard-143991/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/deer-143992/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/emu-kangaroo-enclosure-143993/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/emu-kangaroo-enclosure-143994/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/kangaroo-island-kangaroos-143995/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/kangaroo-island-kangaroos-being-fed-143996/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cassowary-enclosure-143971/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cassowary-143970/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cassowary-143969/
A couple of enclosures had a few koalas and echidnas. Very simple, and satisfactory for the koalas, although bare for the echidnas.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/koala-echidna-enclosure-143997/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/koala-143998/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/echidna-feeding-143999/
Nearby is a wood and corrugated iron enclosure that on my previous visit held held quoll. Now it housed a potoroo and a Kookaburra. Surprisingly, the potoroo was awake. What was even more surprising was the food in its dish – along with watermelon, carrot, apple and tomato was some chips, peanut butter sandwiches and half a party pie.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/potoroo-enclosure-144000/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/potoroo-144001/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/potoroo-diet-144002/
I’m sure some people are curious as to this odd diet and, on first appearances it doesn’t look too good. Potoroos in the wild eat roots, tubers, grasses, fungi, insects, snails, grubs and other small creatures living in the soil. So I would expect a bit more vegetable matter than just a small carrot. Fruits – well, I can’t see a wild potoroo ignoring a fallen fruit on the ground. And many zoos include fruit in the diet with no problems, although I’d be more inclined to concentrate on harder fruits like apple, and less of the watermelon and tomato. A slice of bread is certainly not bad for macropods, and peanut butter has been used to bait traps for other marsupials, it’s quite tasty. Nuts also have a fair amount of protein (as do insects). The chips looked like plain rice chips. And to replace the small meat component of the wild diet (insects, snails, worms, grubs etc) many facilities have added small amounts of mince to captive diets. I probably wouldn’t use a party pie, but I can see it’s not quite as inappropriate as it first appears.
But there are two things I do have a problem with – firstly, I think there is too much here for one animal (although there may have been other individuals asleep and not visible); and secondly, having things like party pies and peanut butter sandwiches clearly visible in a facility that permits feeding of the animals, is sending the wrong message to the public and will encourage feeding of the wrong foodstuffs to the animals. Put the food bowl behind a log or something so the public can’t see the ‘treats’.
There are several wallabies on display, some in a walkthrough area, others in their own paddocks or yards. They include Red-necked Wallabies, Swamp Wallabies, Agile Wallabies, Tammar Wallabies and a single Quokka. I leant over the fence and tried to get a closeup of the quokka and it jumped up and tried to bite me! Quite unhesitating and unprovoked. I’ve seen some aggressive quokkas before and although they look cute, pugnacious ones will jump and bite repeatedly, and it can be painful.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/magpie-goose-tammar-enclosure-143979/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/tammar-wallaby-144008/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/red-necked-wallabies-144004/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/swamp-wallabies-144005/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/swamp-wallaby-144006/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/swamp-wallaby-144007/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/agile-wallaby-144009/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/quokka-144003/
The last enclosure, right down the back of the park, is called “The Wetlands”. After going through a gate and walking through a Eucalypt plantation you come to a big pond with an island in it. On my previous visit this was occupied by a group of Pacific Black Ducks. This time round the only birds present were some Chinese Geese and domestic ducks, and I found the Brush Turkey here, having a drink. I noticed that beyond the pond was a large area of dense shrubs, and I thought this would be ideal for wallabies or kangaroos (or both). But what really surprised me was a clump of Pampas Grass – an introduced noxious weed with long, sharp edges leaves – that had a wire guard put around to protect it. I don’t think anything eats those leaves, not in Australia at least.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wetland-144032/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wetland-144033/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-turkey-143967/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/chinese-goose-144034/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/pampas-grass-144035/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/superb-blue-wren-male-wild-143988/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/superb-blue-wren-male-wild-143989/
I arrived back at the entrance and returned my map. I asked about the Brush Turkey cage and was told the Galahs were all wild, they had found there way in and were happy to stay because of the free feed. So the door was opened and the Turkey allowed to roam, and feeding in the cage stopped. That was three days before, and the Galahs still did not want to leave.
Just as I was going to leave I decided to tactfully ask about the dead mice in the parrot aviaries.
“Did you know you’ve got dead mice in those aviaries?” I asked in an offhand way.
“Yes” the lady replied “we started baiting last week. You can see the bait stations at the back of the cages.”
“It doesn’t look good” I said, “one aviary has six, and some have been there for a few days, they’re decomposing and the smell is quite obvious”.
“Well” she replied “if you want to go and remove them, you’re welcome to. We haven’t got time”.
I shrugged and said “No thanks” and then left. No point in starting an argument.
The silly thing is, one of the main reasons you don’t want mice is because they spread disease. But if you leave dead mice in an aviary – for over a week - it greatly increases the risk of disease to your birds, especially if your parrots are prone to feeding on the ground on spilt seed. However, I should point out that this only increases the risk – it does not guarantee sick or dying birds.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fauna Parks are not zoos. They do not have the funding or visitation of big zoos in major cities and it shows in many ways. Parndana Wildlife Park is a small park that relies primarily (maybe entirely) on visitation for its funding. And its found in a township in the middle of an island, an island with lots of competition for the tourist dollar.
Parndana has many old exhibits but also some newer and better ones. Should they have built the new ones or used the money to upgrade the old ones? That’s not a call I can make; only someone working in a similar place with the same constraints would be qualified to even consider offering an opinion.
People who are used to visiting large mainstream zoos must be aware that you CANNOT compare a smaller, privately run fauna park with a mainstream zoo. They are two different species of animal.
In all my zoo reviews I always stress the review is my opinion only, and I encourage people to visit and form their own opinions (and hopefully post their own review). I am aware that the above review is not as complimentary as other reviews I have done. In all my reviews I try to be as objective and impartial as possible, and especially so in this one. I will emphasize again the review is my opinion only.
And in case I haven’t made it abundantly clear, let me spell it out again:
For any wildlife enthusiasts I highly recommend a visit to Kangaroo Island. While there I also recommend a visit to Parndana Wildlife Park (unless you need to see giant immersion exhibits with expensive interps and the latest in high-tech design and construction features).
Anyone who has previously visited this park is encouraged to post their opinions in this thread.
Hix
Originally a farm, the owners converted part of the property into a fauna park some years ago and, although other places on KI display animals (Hanson Bay Koala Park, Paul’s Place, Kingscote Marine Centre), Parndana is the place to come if you want a ‘zoo’ experience.
When I visited two-and-a-half years ago I was not overly impressed. The main building combining entrance and souvenir shop was fairly new, and a new area – the Wetlands – was being developed, but many of the other exhibits and enclosures were looking old and needed an upgrade. On this visit I found not a lot had changed; in fact something I saw and then heard from the staff appalled me.
Being a farm there are some quite large paddocks for some of the mammals – Kangaroo Island Kangaroos (and the obligatory emus), a few different varieties of wallabies, and deer. And the Wetland exhibit is in a large fenced off area to itself. These paddocks tended to be around the edges of the park, while all the smaller cages and enclosures were in the centre, within 100 metres of the carpark/entrance.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cape-barren-geese-143968/
Laminated maps are available but must be returned, and they aren’t as detailed as would have liked, but at least I was able to ensure I saw everything. Trying to be methodical I started with a bank of 20 parrot aviaries tucked away behind the Entrance building.
These parrot aviaries reminded me of a professional parrot breeder’s setup – each individual cage was about a metre wide and maybe three or four metres deep. They were steel frames with half-inch by one-inch mesh set on concrete footers. The rear part of the aviary roof was solid and there was teatree brush lining the walls in the shelters. Only about half of the individual cages had basic labels and some of them were wrong. Mostly Australian Parrots, but some exotics, were displayed, some were colour mutations.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/row-parrot-aviaries-143950/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/label-143976/
The floors of each cage were eroding away exposing holes under the footers and mice had setup residency. I know from experience this is a given – a late friend of mine once told me “If you’re gonna keep birds in an aviary, you’re gonna have mice.” The trick is to manage your aviaries to keep the numbers as low as possible.
Parndana was managing theirs at the time. I could see in the back of all twenty cages was an ice cream container with small mouse sized holes cut in the side, containing a rodenticide. And in each aviary there were dead mice on the floor, one aviary had six! Some had obviously been there for several days, one mouse I saw was alive and moving around but obviously very sick.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/floor-parrot-aviaries-143952/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/dead-mouse-floor-aviary-143953/
Moving on from these aviaries were some larger ones containing lorikeets, a galah and blue-winged Kookaburras, plus two large mixed species aviaries containing cockatiels, budgies, Neophemas, rosellas and other commonly kept parrot species.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/kookaburra-aviary-143956/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/galah-aviary-143958/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/lorikeet-aviary-143959/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cockatiel-aviary-143962/
Elsewhere in the park were more banks of aviaries (again looking in desperate need of replacing), one containing different species of cockatoos – have a look at the brilliant yellow underbelly colouration of the female Yellow-tailed Black – and another displaying owls and raptors (and a few more parrots).
http://www.zoochat.com/761/row-cockatoo-aviaries-143957/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/yellow-tailed-cockatoo-female-143990/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/little-corella-143977/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/alexandrine-parrot-143973/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/row-raptor-aviaries-143951/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brown-goshawk-143974/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/little-eagle-143978/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/masked-owls-143980/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/nankeen-kestrel-143981/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/peregrine-falcon-143982/
At the end of the cockatoo row was a large square aviary with the label for ‘Scrub Turkey’ on the door. The door was chocked wide open by a log and the Scrub Turkey was nowhere to be seen. However, inside were more than 40 galahs. “That’s innovative” I thought. Obviously the galahs were injured ones that had been brought in and couldn’t fly, and the Scrub Turkey must get a wander each morning as enrichment. But, there was no sign or barricade from preventing people from entering – maybe it’s a walk-in aviary for the visitors? So I walked in and headed towards the Galahs to take some photos. The galahs went mad and all took flight simultaneously, screeching maniacly at me. They flew around the aviary but all flew right past the door. I backed off to one side and they all settled down towards the rear. After taking my photos I left, a little puzzled.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-turkey-aviary-143965/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wild-galahs-brush-turkey-aviary-143966/
Not far away was a building consisting of several enclosures with wire fronts – I hesitate to call them aviaries – Pheasants, chooks, white peafowl, and domestic pigeons. Rather dark inside and looking like farmyard enclosures, with wooden poles and corrugated iron, converted for birds. I didn’t like them much, partly because they were too dark, partly because they displayed domestic species (apart from the pheasants), and partly because they were too much like a farm building – a shearing shed or similar.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/aviaries-pheasants-pigeons-143949/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/silver-pheasant-white-peafowl-143987/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/pigeons-143975/
Two much larger aviaries housed some large raptors, Black Kites and Wedge-tail Eagles. The birds appeared to be OK and the aviaries were big enough for them, although with Wedgies more space is always better. These cages are more recent constructions.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/black-kite-aviary-143954/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wedgetail-eagle-aviary-143955/
There were another two cages that looked like they may have been an experiment in cheap aviaries. A series of poles bent in a half circle with nylon mesh tied over the top and corrugated iron for low walls. These stood only a bout five feet high in the middle. They looked old, the mesh was sagging (torn and patched in places) and just didn’t look that well-maintained. As for keeping birds, I think they would be ideal for ground birds - especially things like quail, pheasants, rails and even pigeons – or small birds like finches and scrub-wrens in a planted aviary with a smaller mesh.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/bush-stone-curlew-thick-knee-aviary-143964/
One of these cages was planted and housed a pair of Bush Stone-Curlews (or Thick-knees) and it actually seemed quite suitable. However the other had no vegetation and housed a lone Pacific Gull plus two White Ibis – it looked very bare and was quite a sad exhibit.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-bush-stone-curlew-thick-knee-143963/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/pacific-gull-aviary-143960/
A very large well-constructed aviary housed White-bellied Sea-Eagles. This aviary looks like a fairly recently built structure and I don’t remember seeing it on my previous visit. It has a large Melaleuca growing in it and while this would be fantastic for any other bird, it does reduce considerably the amount of flying space the eagles have. They can still fly around it, they have plenty of room, but a tree like Melaleuca is pretty-well useless for an eagle and just takes up space. A few dead tree stags would be far better.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-aviary-143961/
Despite this, I saw something very sad when I looked into the aviary. There were two bowls of water – the only source of water – and one of the eagles was standing in it trying to bathe. The bowl was just big enough for the bird to get it’s head down around it’s ankles, turn it’s head sideways under water, then lift it up and try to rub moisture over it’s body.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-trying-bathe-143983/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-trying-bathe-143985/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-bellied-sea-eagle-trying-bathe-143984/
A brilliant big aviary for a seabird and no pool. Even the Lorikeets had a pool (albeit, the water was green). Now, go back and look at the Pacific Gull aviary again.
The last bird enclosure I refer to as a Walk-through Aviary (and that’s what Parndana call it too), although it is more like a giant farm shed that has been converted for birds, with doors at one end, extensive plantings inside, a path and viewing platform, and a partially-wired roof to permit direct sunlight, rain and fresh air. It could better be described as a walkthrough pigeon aviary as pigeons make up most of the birds here. Wongas, Common and Brush Bronzewings, Emerald, White-headeds, New Guinea Grounds, Barbary, Cresteds, Barshouldered, Luzon Bleeding Hearts and even Talpacoti Doves are everywhere. Looking a little more closely you can also see King Quail, Zebra Finch (and mutations), Java Sparrows (and mutations), and several Red-rumped Parrots (with a lone Lutino). Lots of vegetation on either side of the path and a water feature in the middle. I spent 20 at least minutes in here, searching the undergrowth to see what else I could find (and to keep out of the rain).
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144010/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144011/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144012/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144013/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/interior-walkthrough-aviary-144014/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/barbary-doves-crested-pigeon-144015/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/talpacoti-barbary-dove-144016/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/barshouldered-dove-144017/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wonga-emerald-dove-144018/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-bronzewing-144019/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/crested-pigeons-courting-144020/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/new-guinea-ground-dove-144021/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-bronzewing-immature-144022/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-bronzewing-king-quail-144023/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/white-headed-pigeons-144024/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/redrump-parrot-male-144026/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/redrump-parrot-lutino-mutation-144025/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/java-sparrows-colour-mutations-144027/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-male-colour-mutation-144028/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-male-colour-mutation-144029/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-male-144031/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/zebra-finch-female-nesting-palm-144030/
[Note: in a discussion in one of the photos I stated there were Nicobar Pigeons in this building. I can’t find any in my photos and I may have been mistaken. But the other species are certainly there.]
And in a nondescript aviary somewhere, with some common birds, I saw something weird running around, a species I had never seen before. I photographed it and then had to look it up in my books when I got home – a Chestnut Rail.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/chestnut-rail-143972/
There are only two species of reptiles (and about four individuals) on display at Parndana, and they have a building all to themselves. The enclosure, which takes up the entire floor area with a bridge leading over the middle, is for a Johnstone’s Crocodile. It’s pool also housed some short-necked turtles. The pool is big enough for the croc, but I’ve seen bigger pools for crocs in petshops. Most of the enclosure is sandy with some lush plants, and the croc has a shelter. The whole room is heated to, I guess, around 28 degrees.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/part-freshwater-crocodile-enclosure-143945/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/part-freshwater-crocodile-enclosure-143946/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/bridge-over-freshwater-crocodile-enclosure-143947/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/freshwater-crocodile-shelter-143948/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/short-necked-turtles-143986/
As far as mammals go there are relatively few. I have mentioned the deer, down the back of a large paddock. Fallow Deer, I think. Kangaroo Island Kangaroos and Emus are in another very large paddock, part of which has some Mallee trees growing. Like so many other fauna parks, you can purchase bags of animal feed but really only the Kangaroos and Wallabies would be interested. And the emus and cassowaries – they’d eat anything, even if it isn’t edible (like a compact camera).
http://www.zoochat.com/761/deer-yard-143991/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/deer-143992/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/emu-kangaroo-enclosure-143993/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/emu-kangaroo-enclosure-143994/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/kangaroo-island-kangaroos-143995/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/kangaroo-island-kangaroos-being-fed-143996/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cassowary-enclosure-143971/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cassowary-143970/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/cassowary-143969/
A couple of enclosures had a few koalas and echidnas. Very simple, and satisfactory for the koalas, although bare for the echidnas.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/koala-echidna-enclosure-143997/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/koala-143998/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/echidna-feeding-143999/
Nearby is a wood and corrugated iron enclosure that on my previous visit held held quoll. Now it housed a potoroo and a Kookaburra. Surprisingly, the potoroo was awake. What was even more surprising was the food in its dish – along with watermelon, carrot, apple and tomato was some chips, peanut butter sandwiches and half a party pie.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/potoroo-enclosure-144000/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/potoroo-144001/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/potoroo-diet-144002/
I’m sure some people are curious as to this odd diet and, on first appearances it doesn’t look too good. Potoroos in the wild eat roots, tubers, grasses, fungi, insects, snails, grubs and other small creatures living in the soil. So I would expect a bit more vegetable matter than just a small carrot. Fruits – well, I can’t see a wild potoroo ignoring a fallen fruit on the ground. And many zoos include fruit in the diet with no problems, although I’d be more inclined to concentrate on harder fruits like apple, and less of the watermelon and tomato. A slice of bread is certainly not bad for macropods, and peanut butter has been used to bait traps for other marsupials, it’s quite tasty. Nuts also have a fair amount of protein (as do insects). The chips looked like plain rice chips. And to replace the small meat component of the wild diet (insects, snails, worms, grubs etc) many facilities have added small amounts of mince to captive diets. I probably wouldn’t use a party pie, but I can see it’s not quite as inappropriate as it first appears.
But there are two things I do have a problem with – firstly, I think there is too much here for one animal (although there may have been other individuals asleep and not visible); and secondly, having things like party pies and peanut butter sandwiches clearly visible in a facility that permits feeding of the animals, is sending the wrong message to the public and will encourage feeding of the wrong foodstuffs to the animals. Put the food bowl behind a log or something so the public can’t see the ‘treats’.
There are several wallabies on display, some in a walkthrough area, others in their own paddocks or yards. They include Red-necked Wallabies, Swamp Wallabies, Agile Wallabies, Tammar Wallabies and a single Quokka. I leant over the fence and tried to get a closeup of the quokka and it jumped up and tried to bite me! Quite unhesitating and unprovoked. I’ve seen some aggressive quokkas before and although they look cute, pugnacious ones will jump and bite repeatedly, and it can be painful.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/magpie-goose-tammar-enclosure-143979/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/tammar-wallaby-144008/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/red-necked-wallabies-144004/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/swamp-wallabies-144005/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/swamp-wallaby-144006/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/swamp-wallaby-144007/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/agile-wallaby-144009/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/quokka-144003/
The last enclosure, right down the back of the park, is called “The Wetlands”. After going through a gate and walking through a Eucalypt plantation you come to a big pond with an island in it. On my previous visit this was occupied by a group of Pacific Black Ducks. This time round the only birds present were some Chinese Geese and domestic ducks, and I found the Brush Turkey here, having a drink. I noticed that beyond the pond was a large area of dense shrubs, and I thought this would be ideal for wallabies or kangaroos (or both). But what really surprised me was a clump of Pampas Grass – an introduced noxious weed with long, sharp edges leaves – that had a wire guard put around to protect it. I don’t think anything eats those leaves, not in Australia at least.
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wetland-144032/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/wetland-144033/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/brush-turkey-143967/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/chinese-goose-144034/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/pampas-grass-144035/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/superb-blue-wren-male-wild-143988/
http://www.zoochat.com/761/superb-blue-wren-male-wild-143989/
I arrived back at the entrance and returned my map. I asked about the Brush Turkey cage and was told the Galahs were all wild, they had found there way in and were happy to stay because of the free feed. So the door was opened and the Turkey allowed to roam, and feeding in the cage stopped. That was three days before, and the Galahs still did not want to leave.
Just as I was going to leave I decided to tactfully ask about the dead mice in the parrot aviaries.
“Did you know you’ve got dead mice in those aviaries?” I asked in an offhand way.
“Yes” the lady replied “we started baiting last week. You can see the bait stations at the back of the cages.”
“It doesn’t look good” I said, “one aviary has six, and some have been there for a few days, they’re decomposing and the smell is quite obvious”.
“Well” she replied “if you want to go and remove them, you’re welcome to. We haven’t got time”.
I shrugged and said “No thanks” and then left. No point in starting an argument.
The silly thing is, one of the main reasons you don’t want mice is because they spread disease. But if you leave dead mice in an aviary – for over a week - it greatly increases the risk of disease to your birds, especially if your parrots are prone to feeding on the ground on spilt seed. However, I should point out that this only increases the risk – it does not guarantee sick or dying birds.
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Fauna Parks are not zoos. They do not have the funding or visitation of big zoos in major cities and it shows in many ways. Parndana Wildlife Park is a small park that relies primarily (maybe entirely) on visitation for its funding. And its found in a township in the middle of an island, an island with lots of competition for the tourist dollar.
Parndana has many old exhibits but also some newer and better ones. Should they have built the new ones or used the money to upgrade the old ones? That’s not a call I can make; only someone working in a similar place with the same constraints would be qualified to even consider offering an opinion.
People who are used to visiting large mainstream zoos must be aware that you CANNOT compare a smaller, privately run fauna park with a mainstream zoo. They are two different species of animal.
In all my zoo reviews I always stress the review is my opinion only, and I encourage people to visit and form their own opinions (and hopefully post their own review). I am aware that the above review is not as complimentary as other reviews I have done. In all my reviews I try to be as objective and impartial as possible, and especially so in this one. I will emphasize again the review is my opinion only.
- When I go back to Kangaroo Island in a few years, will I visit the park again?
Yes.
- Are the animals mistreated, malnourished or uncared for?
No
(although some conditions could be improved, in my opinion).
(although some conditions could be improved, in my opinion).
- Are there any management practices I would change if this were my park?
Yes,
but that’s one of the benefits of owning your own park, you can run it the way you want. That doesn’t mean the current practices are wrong, just different to what I would do.
but that’s one of the benefits of owning your own park, you can run it the way you want. That doesn’t mean the current practices are wrong, just different to what I would do.
And in case I haven’t made it abundantly clear, let me spell it out again:
For any wildlife enthusiasts I highly recommend a visit to Kangaroo Island. While there I also recommend a visit to Parndana Wildlife Park (unless you need to see giant immersion exhibits with expensive interps and the latest in high-tech design and construction features).
Anyone who has previously visited this park is encouraged to post their opinions in this thread.
Hix
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