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Baby dingoes call Queensland home
A Gold Coast wildlife park is now home to Queensland’s newest dingo pups, and National Parks Minister Steve Dickson wants young Queenslanders to give him a hand in choosing their names.
Mr Dickson said the brother and sister pups were a fantastic addition to the Gold Coast’s David Fleay Wildlife Park, and had been winning over visitors in the few weeks they’d been exploring their new home.
“Our rangers have been busy making the pups feel at home, and now that they’re ready to meet the public we’ll need some names for the pair,” Mr Dickson said.
“The dingo siblings are set to be a major attraction to the park, teaching visitors a little more about one of Australia’s most fascinating and iconic animals.
“It’s also nice to bring them home to Queensland, the pups were born in New South Wales as part of an Australian Dingo Conservation Association breeding program, but are actually the young of wild dingoes from Cape York.”
Mr Dickson said a naming colouring-in competition would be launched today, with the winners to receive a yearly family pass to David Fleay Wildlife Park.
There will also be 12 yearly family passes to be won for outstanding entries in three categories (under 5 years, 5–8 years and 9–12 years).
“This is a chance for Queensland kids to have a say on the state’s newest dingoes, and have some fun getting creative,” Mr Dickson said.
Member for Burleigh Michael Hart said David Fleay Wildlife Park encouraged community awareness, appreciation and understanding of Queensland’s protected areas and native wildlife, and inspired people to share in their conservation.
“The park is also home to many native Queensland species, from the unusual tree-kangaroos and cassowaries which live in tropical northern rainforests to the better known platypus, koalas and kangaroos,” he said.
Entries for the naming competition can be downloaded at www.nprsr.qld.gov.au and submissions close on 15 November.
David Fleay Wildlife Park is located on West Burleigh Road, West Burleigh and is open from 9am to 5pm each day.
[Ends] 18 October 2013
