Thousands earmarked to boost wildlife park

Attention has turned to the Bunbury Wildlife Park as hundreds of thousands of dollars is expected to be spent in a bid to cement the facility’s status as a drawcard for the city.

Bunbury City Council will tonight award a tender for a nearly $500,000 project to construct a new animal care facility at the park.

The project is the latest upgrades work following a service review of the facility over the past 12 months.

Deputy Mayor Jaysen Miguel said the park was an important asset to the city and any investment into Bunbury’s tourism was worthwhile.

“It’s hugely important to make sure that we encourage people to come to the city, stay in the city and utilise our assets that we have,” Cr Miguel said.

“This has probably been the biggest contribution from the city (council), but it’s all good in that it draws people into Bunbury and that it can be a bit of a drawcard for us.”

The state-of-the-art, purpose-built animal care facility will focus on providing “exceptional” animal care and will include isolation rooms for sick and injured animals along with feed preparation areas.

The project will also include upgrades and expansion to storage facilities, new staff kitchen facilities and a new accessible toilet for the public.

It comes as the focus has been building at the park with initiatives such as a designated busking spot and the cafe opening for breakfast on weekends.

The council also spent a considerable amount of money to get dingoes Kaal and Marrick to the park nearly two years ago.

“They’re doing a fair bit of marketing and stuff to make that very much a drawcard into Bunbury,” Cr Miguel said.

“They’re doing a fantastic job and should be really good for us going forward.”

The park attracts about 50,000 visitors a year and its international tourist base is increasing, according to the council.

The latest project is expected to start next month to be completed by June.