Caring for Australia's Sick & Injured Wildlife

1. Caring for Australia's Sick & Injured Wildlife

2. Since Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary was started in 1947 by Alex Griffiths, caring for sick and injured Australian wildlife has been one of the park's key areas of focus. Griffiths, who started feeding the local lorikeets because they were destroying his flowers, was a beekeeper and gardener, but soon became the founder of what is one of the largest collections of Australian wildlife in the world.

3. The Sanctuary originally started as a place for birds, but the name changed to include wildlife in 1995 as a way to better reflect what was on display there. While thousands of tourists and locals visit the Sanctuary each year to get up close and personal with the local wildlife, one of the leading attractions is the Currumbin Wildlife Hospital, where more than 8000 wildlife patients have been admitted and over 50,000 have been treated and released back into the wild.

4. The Wildlife Hospital

5. Despite the fact that the veterinarians and other staff at the Sanctuary's hospital are working to protect the native wildlife, the hospital doesn't currently receive any consistent or continuous government funding. Instead, the hospital provides free care for injured and sick wildlife and is operated on funds received from individual donors and corporations.

6. In addition to helping local wildlife, what's so amazing about the hospital is that it gives visitors the chance to watch the veterinarians and other hospital staff in action. Through large windows on one side of the hospital, visitors can watch sick and injured wildlife receive treatments like surgeries, x-rays and other procedures. This is a great opportunity for anyone who's interested in becoming a veterinarian!

7. Other Park Highlights

8. While a trip to the Sanctuary isn't complete without a peek at the hospital, there are tonnes of things to see and do here. Whether you love birds, reptiles, bizarre animals or huge saltwater crocodiles, you will discover all these things and more, at the Sanctuary. Twice each day, visitors have the opportunity to feed beautiful lorikeets, the birds that were the reason for the Sanctuary's founding.

9. There are tree top adventures, segway safaris, a new conservation trail, and even croc feedings. See one of the exciting shows, like the Aboriginal dance or free flight bird shows. See an Aussie sheep shearing or learn something new at Dr. Do-Lots' fun and educational show. There's so much to explore that one trip just might not be enough!

10. If you have the chance to visit the Gold Coast, don't forget to plan a day at the Sanctuary.