David Fleay Wildlife Park

About

David Fleay Wildlife Park is a heritage-listed wildlife park at Fleays Wildlife Park Conservation Park, Tallebudgera Creek Road, Tallebudgera, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1952 to 1983. It is also known as Fleays Wildlife Park. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 23 February 2001. Established by Australian naturalist David Fleay in 1952, the Park today is home to many native animals, which are displayed in surroundings similar to their natural habitats. Managed by the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, the Park aims to raise community awareness about the need to protect native animals, especially rare and threatened species. The Park has a long tradition of breeding native animals and also includes an animal hospital for sick, injured and orphaned animals. After investigating areas around Brisbane and South East Queensland, Fleay selected the Tallebudgera Estuary as a suitable site for a fauna reserve in late 1951. He acquired land there for a reserve in 1952, and added further parcels of land to the reserve in 1958 and 1965. Fleay's Fauna Reserve, as it was originally known, was established as a place of scientific research and...

Current species at David Fleay Wildlife Park

Bird species include: Australasian darter ; Australian pelican ; Australian white ibis ; Barking owl ; Black swan ; Black-necked stork ; Brolga ; Bush stone-curlew ; Dusky moorhen ; Eastern barn owl ; Eastern bristlebird; Eclectus parrot ; Emu; Great egret ; Little black cormorant ; Magpie goose ; Nankeen night heron ; Plumed whistling duck ; Rufous night-heron ; Scrub turkey ; Southern cassowary; Tawny frogmouth ; Wedge-tailed eagle and White-bellied sea eagle.

Mammal species include: Agile wallaby ; Bilby; Black-footed tree-rat ; Bridled nail-tail wallaby ; Common ringtail possum ; Common wallaroo ; Dingo; Eastern grey kangaroo ; Fat-tailed dunnart; Grey-headed flying-fox ; Koala; Little red flying-fox ; Long-nosed bandicoot ; Long-nosed potoroo ; Lumholtz's tree-kangaroo ; Mahogany sugar glider; Northern brown bandicoot ; Platypus; Proserpine rock-wallaby ; Red-legged pademelon ; Red-necked wallaby ; Short-eared possum ; Southern greater glider; Spinifex hopping mouse ; Squirrel glider and Swamp wallaby.

Reptile species include: Carpet pythons ( Coastal, Jungle and Murray Darling ); Eastern short-neck turtle ; Eastern bearded dragon ; eastern water dragon ; Freshwater crocodile ; Green tree python ; Lace goanna ; Mary River turtle ; Olive python ; Saltwater crocodile ; Shingleback lizard ; Southern angle-headed dragon ; Water python ; Woma python.

The David Fleay Wildlife Park was established by David Fleay in 1951 as a place of research and education.

David Howells Fleay was born in Ballarat in 1907 and established an interest in the Australian bush and its wildlife at an early age. Fleay accepted a teaching position at Ballarat Grammar School and, in 1927, moved to Melbourne where he taught whilst studying for a Bachelor of Science degree and a Diploma of Education at Melbourne University. At Melbourne University he met fellow science student, Mary Sigrid Collie, and they married in 1931, the year in which David Fleay graduated in Zoology, Botany and Education.

Between 1931 and 1934, Fleay taught at the Ballarat Church of England Grammar School and at State primary and secondary schools, while continuing his private study of native animals. By 1934 his reputation as a "wildlife man" was sufficiently established that, when Melbourne Zoo decided to set up an Australian section as part of Melbourne's centenary celebrations, David Fleay was chosen to design and direct the section. He worked there for three and a half years, during which time he was able to achieve some significant scientific "firsts" such as the first breeding in captivity of emus, scrub turkeys, some birds of prey, the tawny frogmouth and a variety of marsupials including the koala. He constructed his first platypussary (a home for platypuses). His time, however, with the Melbourne Zoo was not particularly happy as he disagreed with management on matters of principle. Reflecting his naturalist's viewpoint rather than traditional zoologists' thinking, he insisted that native birds and animals should be fed what they would eat in the wild. He was dismissed over this issue in 1937.

By chance, the wildlife sanctuary at Healesville, about 90 kilometres (56 mi) north-east of Melbourne, needed to replace Robert Eadie, who had been the honorary Curator since the early 1930s. In 1937, Fleay was appointed at £ 7 per week, the first paid Director of the sanctuary, to develop Healesville's wildlife sanctuary on temperate rainforest on Badger Creek. Fleay introduced 95 large tiger snakes to the sanctuary which were displayed on an island and milked for antivenene purposes. At Healesville, Fleay recommenced his breeding and conservation programs in earnest, achieving worldwide recognition. His greatest achievement at Healesville was breeding the first platypus is captivity in 1943. He designed and built a new platypussary, and, in November 1943, "Corrie" the platypus was born. Despite numerous attempts by other scientist and sanctuaries, Fleay remains the only person to have successfully bred and reared a platypus in captivity.

In 1947, David and Sigrid Fleay travelled with three platypuses to New York's Bronx Zoo. The platypuses were accommodated in a new platypussary at the zoo, designed to Fleay's specifications. During the Fleay's stay in the United States, Fleay inspected the modern methods of housing and feeding animals at a number of zoos including the New York Zoological Park, Staten Island Zoo, National Zoological Park in Washington and the Golden Gate Zoo in San Francisco. It is not known whether he brought back with him from the United States any ideas which he intended to implement in Australia.

David Fleay returned to Healesville on 13 October 1947 to discover that the Board had fired him during his absence, for the alleged unauthorised donation of other sanctuary animals to the Americans. Whilst the accusation was false, this did not diminish the Board's hostility toward Fleay. After much public outcry, Fleay continued in a lesser role at Healesville as a consultant. Fleay continued to maintain his private fauna collection until 1951 when the Victorian Government banned private individuals from asking for and accepting admission fees from members of the public wishing to view personal collections of native fauna. This situation prompted Fleay to find a more suitable location which would enable him to carry out his research into the life and habits of native birds, animals and reptiles, and consequently, he and Sigrid Fleay moved north to Queensland.

In late 1951 David Fleay, after investigating around Brisbane and south-east Queensland, selected the Tallebudgera Estate as a suitable site for a fauna reserve. According to Fleay, the attraction of the site was the flood-free forested slopes and gullies, good run off, koala fodder gums with koalas in residence and the presence of fish, mammals and birds. The area at the time was used by small crop farmers who supplied the Victorian market in winter. The site preferred by Fleay comprised three properties owned by three separate individuals. Further, the land was not for sale and Fleay did not have the capital to purchase.

Persistence paid off, however, and Fleay steadily acquired the land in the names of DH and MS Fleay. He acquired Portions 20A (just over four acres), 21A (just over four acres) and 22C (just over nine acres) in May 1952. In July 1952, Portion 23A (just over seven acres) was purchased in Mary Sigrid Fleay's name. Portion 18A (just over twenty-one acres) was bought in October 1952. Further land acquisitions were made in June 1958 with the purchase of Portion 19A (just over 15 acres (6.1 ha)) and later, around 1965 a purchase of just over seven acres. This last portion became an additional car park.

Fleay's West Burleigh sanctuary was to be a place of research and education and David Fleay objected to descriptions of the place as a zoo. Fleay stated that "It's a place where the animals are kept in conditions as close as possible to the natural environment - where they can breed freely and be studied" and "We're not in the job of sacrificing animals for the sake of showing them and I don't have a lot of time for many modern zoos."

Many of Fleay's animals were transported from Victoria and so animal enclosures were built rapidly. By October 1952, Fleay had constructed an interim platypussary. This was a large concrete water tank with artificial burrows and straw at one end, based on his design at Healesville. Large aviaries for the sea eagles, wedge-tailed eagles and the peregrine falcons were constructed, along with accommodation for the barking owl, great eagle owl and white goshawk. The barking owls' cages were built close to the house so that David Fleay could hear them.

The original layout of the sanctuary was designed by Fleay, who used a compass to ensure that each cage received breezes and the morning sun. Fleay designed the cages and specified the dimensions and the "furniture". The cages were always painted "Lawn Green" with "Mail Red" roofs. The timber was not undercoated or chemically treated. Chickenwire covered the platypus tank and raptors' cages to keep out carpet snakes. The sanctuary opened its doors to its first visitors on Easter Sunday 1952. Steadily new cages were built by David Fleay and his volunteers. The wedge-tailed eagles had a large timber enclosure with a frame inside in which they could build a nest. The cages had an inner shell of wire netting to guard against cyclonic blows and carpet pythons.

In 1955, a new, outdoor variety platypussary was constructed. This platypussary was later taken over by scrub turkeys who buried it under mounds of earth. A new, superior platypussary was built in 1958 with money provided by the United States in return for three platypuses taken by David Fleay to New York's Bronx Zoo.

The sanctuary survived principally through the hard work of David Fleay and his family, and at times, with the assistance of the local community. The family tended the animals and Sigrid Fleay provided teas on the verandah of the house to visitors. Sick and injured animals were brought to Fleays at all hours of the day and night, and at its peak the sanctuary cared for 450 animals. Volunteer labour and donations were vital to the sanctuary's survival.

The Fleay house was the original farmhouse on the property and, by its style and details, appears to have been built around 1910. It was purchased by Fleay in 1952 and was used as both the Fleay family residence and the base of operations for Fleays wildlife park during David Fleay's running of the place. From the period 1952 to 1985 the upper floor was used principally as the Fleay's residence. The lower floor was used for a range of park activities. Sick and injured animals were treated; food for the animals was prepared, including breeding rats and mice for food and snake specimens in bottles lined the walls. After the handover of the park to the Queensland Government in 1983, Fleay continued to live in the house until his wife's death in 1987, during which time the house was modified. After remarrying in 1987, Fleay left the house and lived in another residence adjacent to the park. He returned to live in the house in 1991 until his death in 1993.

David Fleay's achievements at the sanctuary were numerous. In 1955, he achieved the first known captive breeding of the mulgara, followed in 1958 by the breeding of the planigale (a midget marsupial). In 1958 he successfully delivered a further three platypuses to New York's Bronx Zoo and later that year was able to construct a new and improved platypussary at the West Burleigh sanctuary with a small grant awarded to him by the New York Zoological Society. In 1959, he achieved the first captive breeding of the taipan. Possibly his best known successes at Fleays were with owls and other birds of prey. His was the first known captive breeding of the powerful owl (1968), sooty owl (1969), grey goshawk (1971), mainland masked owl (1971), grass owl (1972), crested hawk (1975) and the wedge-tailed eagle (1977).