Shambala Animal Kingdom in Cairns to go to auction, with animals potentially homeless if zoo doesn't sell

A PROBLEM-PLAGUED zoo will go to auction next month.

Zoo owner, Elaine Harrison will close Shambala Animal Kingdom, formerly Cairns Wildlife Safari Park

TWENTY-four lions and a collection of tigers, hippos, cheetahs, rhinos, gibbons, lemurs and monkeys will be homeless in a matter of months unless a buyer steps forward to save a problem-plagued Cairns zoo.

Shambala Animal Kingdom at Koah will go to auction next month, with new owner Elaine Harrison citing family and health issues in her decision to sell the business.

Despite her efforts to freshen up its image, Ms Harrison could not stem the financial loss.

"For someone to come in with a good marketing budget and marketing savvy, this place could be second to none in Australasia," she said. "It is an amazing facility. It is a beautiful park."

The zoo opened in 2004 as the Mareeba Wild Animal Park after years of problems surrounding finances and construction.

Founder David Gill was charged and the zoo closed less than a month later, almost $3 million in debt, after it was revealed a cheetah and a lemur had escaped from their enclosures and other animals had reportedly died.

The business remained in administration for almost two years, during which nine lions escaped their enclosures, before it was purchased by former Glencorp director Udo Jattke.

The property will go up for auction on December 15.