After 330 days, Sydney is finally facing its first day over 30 degrees, breaking a 140 year old record for the longest period of days below 30 degrees. On the NSW Central Coast, where temperatures are tipped to reach 32 degrees, the Australian Reptile Park is working hard to help their animals beat the heat with refreshing sprinklers, icy enrichment activities and delicious bloodsickles (blood ice blocks for the carnivores!)
Keepers at the Central Coast’s award-winning wildlife park strive to keep the animals as cool as possible during the hot Australian summer, whether it be putting sprinklers on, making ice blocks containing their favourite food or simply giving the animals a cool shower – the keepers spend hot days providing comfort for each individual animal.
It’s hard not to smile when you see how much Estrella loves being sprayed with the hose, cuddly koalas relaxing under the cool misters, the formidable cassowary fluffing its feathers in happiness, the Tawny frog mouths stretching their wings out for an extra splash of water, the dingos lighting up at the excitement of a freezing cold blood ice block (named a “bloodsickle” by the keepers) or Derek the Tasmanian Devil splashing around in his ice cold pond – it’s as cute as it gets!
Australian Reptile Park Operations Manager, Billy Collett said, “It’s gonna be an absolute scorcher here today! Myself and the keepers will be doing our best to help all our animals beat the heat – they absolutely love it when we turn on the misters and sprinklers. Now we just need to make sure we keep the keepers cool as well!”
These summer school holidays, the Australian Reptile Park visitors get to go back to the prehistoric period as the Park is running their Jurassic Zoo! promotion. A Tyrannosaurs Rex, Indoraptor and a Pachycephalosaurus are on the loose throughout the park! The three species will take daily walks where kids and adults are able to interact with prehistoric beasts and take photos aplenty. Visitors will enter the park through the infamous Jurassic Park gates and will immerse themselves into a land before time.