After a short 10-minute ride from the Gunns Plains Cave, we eagerly peeled off our rain gear,…read moresweaters, and hiking boots to warmer yet Autumnal cool weather and sunny skies, then roamed the open-air family-owned Wings Wildlife Park. We looked forward to seeing native and unique Tasmanian animals such as Tasmanian Devils, platypuses, wombats, quolls, Tammar wallabies, and Tasmanian pademelons.
Soon after passing through the park's entrance, we were allowed to cuddle a Tasmanian Devil. The animal wasn't fully mature, was about the size of a small dog, and didn't seem to be vicious or aggressive. However, we passed on the chance because we had read about the Tasmanian Devil's bite strength, which could crush the bones of its prey, and continued into the park. Soon after passing the meerkats, we encountered a large grassy area surrounded by a 4-ft-high wooden fence that housed at least six Tasmanian Devils. We could clearly see several of them bearing their "battle scars" and wandering about growling, barking, and screaming. I suppose their noises were just their way of communicating with each other, not attack sounds. Also, their ears were not bright red which would have indicated their aggressiveness.
The next Tasmanian native animal we looked for was the wombat. By their generally shy, calm, and plant-eating nature, wombats are nocturnal. We worried that we wouldn't be able to see anything above ground. However, we searched the enclosure until we finally caught sight of two sleeping wombats. We learned that in the wild, these cuddly, chunky, and calm animals can be aggressive, strong, and fast runners, capable of knocking a person over.
We wandered further along, viewing cages of native birds and other birds from around the world, when we came across an albino wallaby behind a fence and at least eight kangaroos roaming freely among other visitors. We got close enough to feed a couple of kangaroos, and they seemed docile.
My expectations of having a close experience with a koala bear came true at this wildlife park. However, we were only allowed to pet or pat the koala bear, who calmly nestled himself in the fork of a tree. This experience was exciting and was indeed a highlight of our visit to Australia.
There were exhibits of reptiles, but we didn't go in to see them.
Wings Wildlife Park is family-owned and run. They maintain the animals and their enclosures, and the park, very well. All the animals appear healthy and unstressed in captivity.
