Central Coast wombats find refuge at Featherdale Wildlife Park

Featherdale Wildlife Park has taken in several special evacuees as fires threaten an animal park on the Central Coast.

Kevin and Ros Holme from Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue sedating wombat Hippo from the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park in Calga, before being flown by helicopter this afternoon and taken to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

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Doonside’s Featherdale Wildlife Park has offered a helping hand to its Central Coast animal friends, taking in two wombats under threat from bushfires.

The furry marsupials, Aly and Hippo, were choppered down from the Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park at Calga on Monday afternoon to escape the threat of approaching fires north of Gosford.

The Hawkesbury River fire burning at Gospers Mountain, in the Wollemi and Yengo national parks, has forced the park to evacuate and relocate up to 200 animals.

With the help of Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue owners Ros and Kevin Holme, the wombats were sedated and hitched a ride with Sydney Helicopters for a 15-minute flight down to Kareela Reserve in Doonside.

WATCH THE WOMBAT EVACUATION HERE

They will remain at Featherdale until the threat of the fire passes.

Featherdale’s director of life sciences Chad Staples said the wombats were settling in well and would remain in quarantine until it is safe for them to return home.

“They’re all good so far. Obviously it’s a pretty scary situation and the fact there even had to be an evacuation was pretty intense,” Mr Staples said.

“Like anyone in these fire situations, if the fire is not where you are, you always wonder how you can help.”

Kevin Holme from Cedar Creek Wombat Rescue prepares wombat Aly for his evacuation to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Picture: Jonathan Ng

After receiving a call from the park, Mr Staples said Featherdale was only too happy to help out, taking in Tasmanian devils and a koala, arriving by road on Wednesday.

“I’m certainly glad we were able to help,” he said.

“We’ve been in contact with other zoos up in that area to offer assistance, to take animals short-term or provide transport boxes.

“We’re just assisting where we can.”

He said the widespread loss of wildlife during the recent bushfires had devastated the Featherdale family.

“It’s just incredibly sad. The koala has no way of escaping. If the fire comes through, they can only go high and hope the tree they’re in isn’t affected,” he said.

“It’s horrendous. It’s hard to watch.”

Staff at Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park load wombats onto the helicopter ready to evacuate to Featherdale. Picture: Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

The Calga animal park has spent the week busily preparing for the worst, with all animals having safe, offsite accommodation prepared. The park plans to start moving its emus, kangaroos and wallabies on Friday.

The park said the animals’ welfare was its number one priority.

“All animals now have safe offsite accommodation prepared and waiting for them,” a Facebook update from the park read.

View from the helicopter which transported Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park's wombats down to Featherdale Wildlife Park in Sydney. Picture: Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park clears leaf litter at the park to prepare for bushfire threat. Picture: Australia Walkabout Wildlife Park

“We have a 1000-litre water trailer, two water pumps and fire hoses on site.

“We’ve shifted tonnes of leaf litter.

“We checked that all animals offsite are safe and happy and their carers know to come to us for supplies when they need them.”