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  • It’s a Dog’s life at Featherdale as the Wildlife Park celebrates the arrival of a litter of Alpine Dingo Pups.

Name our dingo pups and win a family pass to Featherdale!

For your chance to win a family pass to Featherdale, visit our Facebook page and give us your ideas.  There is a post on the page giving information about the competition, so here is where you should put your ideas.

It’s a Dog’s life at Featherdale as the Wildlife Park celebrates the arrival of three Alpine Dingo Pups.  The litter of pups were born to proud parents Tia and Ernie on the 27th May.  During these school holidays (29th June to 14th July), visitors can get right up close and meet these gorgeous pups with encounters daily.

Commonly mistaken for the domestic dog, Dingoes have many differing characteristics. They do not bark and breed only once a year whereas the domestic dog can have two breeding cycles. 

Featherdale houses two breeding pairs of Dingoes yet it is a rare occurrence to see pure Dingoes in the wild.  The cross-breeding of the species with domestic dogs is one of the biggest threats facing Dingoes, with researchers believing that the species will become extinct if drastic measures aren’t taken to protect them. 

The pups will be out and about entertaining visitors for the school holidays at 12.15pm and 3.15pm daily but hurry, they won’t stay little for long.  A family pass is just $79 for 2 adults and 2 kids (3-15 years).

  • Arrival of rare Chicks

  • Love at first bite for rare chicks
Article from St Marys-Mt Druitt Star
Kylie Stevens

Staff at Featherdale Wildlife Park have been rather clucky ever since a pair of eastern grass owl chicks appeared.
 
They were hatched earlier this month and opened their eyes for the first time last week.
 ‘‘They are ravenous and love their food,’’ said wildlife keeper James Fong, pictured with the then 13-day-old chicks.
 
 ‘‘They look forward to dinner time and will grow very quickly,’’ he said.
 ‘‘They get very defensive by clapping their beaks.’’ 
 
Some feathers will be plucked in the next fortnight to send down to a Victorian lab to determine their gender. Eastern grass owls live on the Australian east coast and nest on the ground, unlike other species.  ‘‘They have exceptional hearing, which they use to hunt for rodents,’’ Mr Fong said. The chicks came from one of the two pairs of breeding owls at Featherdale. The eggs were incubated for 40 days before the chicks hatched.
 
 The owls will make their public debut within the next month.  ‘‘We have eight owl species at the park,’’ Mr Fong said. ‘‘We get a good public response to the owls as people don’t get to see them close up very often.’’ It’s uncertain whether the chicks will remain at Featherdale long term.  ‘‘Because they are such a rare animal, we may send them elsewhere to spread the love,’’ Mr Fong said.

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  • Brainwave visit to Featherdale

  • Day of fun at Featherdale for some very special children

Day of fun at Featherdale for some very special children
Story by Nick Soon

FURRY and slimy residents of Featherdale Wildlife Park in Blacktown helped heal vulnerable children with brain illnesses and brain injuries last week.

Brainwave — a charity supporting children with brain illnesses or injuries — hosted the day of fun as part of a care program to support families.

Child psychologist Sandy Rea said such days provided psychological benefits to children affected by disability and long-term illness.

“Cuddling animals is a wonderful way for children to reduce stress, decrease a sense of loneliness and anxiety, and have a sense of connectedness to a living thing,” she said.

“Therapeutically, the animal/child relationship assists children who endure emotional distress as well as physical problems.

‘‘Children often use animals to derive emotional support where they talk to them when they are feeling sad, happy, and angry and even share secret experiences.”

Spokeswoman and founder of Brainwave, Jo Nicholls, said for some of these families, such days were their only fun outings.

“When children are sick, life is serious,’’ she said.

‘‘These children embrace wholeheartedly the opportunity to participate in fun-filled activities.’’

All activities are supervised by Brainwave volunteers and professional trainers.

Article from Rouse-Hill Stanhope Gardens News