• Comment: Thank you for declaring your affiliation to the topic. Upon closer look, there are some issues that need addressed prior to resubmission. The first is hyperlinks. These need to be removed and turned into references if they are supporting content. Here is an example of one I did for you so you have something to work from. Another issue is promotional tone. There is an entire section on "social enterprise" referenced to the official website of the topic. This is likely something they want to see, but you need to ask yourself if this is something that Wikipedia readers would like to know. If the preserve is noted for this, then it is likely covered in numerous reliable secondary sources so please use them instead of the company website. If it is not something it is widely known for, I would suggest removing it. Finally, the references seem to discuss the topic, but not in great detail. They basically talk about it in context with another topic. Are there any references you can provide which show that the preserve is covered in-depth or the primary focus of the article? CNMall41 (talk) 04:42, 10 January 2024 (UTC)

Wildlife Wonders is a wildlife sanctuary in Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia.

It provides an experience for visitors to connect with the region's flora and fauna. It was established with a focus on environmental conservation and education and directly supports environmental conservation of the Otways region, through the parent organisation, the Conservation Ecology Centre . It is also Advanced Ecotourism certified by Ecotourism Australia..^[1].

In 2022, the National Geographic's 'Best of the World' put Wildlife Wonders in the top Places to Enjoy Nature.^[2]

Wildlife Wonders is 5kms outside of Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia

History

Wildlife Wonders received approval from Colac Otway Shire in 2017 and commenced construction in 2018 with $1.5 million in Victorian state government support^[3]. It began its journey conceived as a response to the growing need for conservation initiatives in the face of environmental challenges and officially opened in February 2021. Conceived and founded by Lizzie Corke OAM and Shayne Neal of the Conservation Ecology Centre (CEC), an environmental NGO^[4]. The purpose behind Wildlife Wonders was to "create a model in which the CEC can engage people with the wonder of nature and generate funding to address our most urgent conservation challenges, which are not going away any time soon.” - Lizzie Corke OAM^[5]

Wildlife

• Koala - koalas are still relatively abundant in the Otways region, and the grounds of Wildlife Wonders offer them a safe haven^[6].
• Eastern Grey Kangaroo - there are several species of kangaroo. The kangaroos you’ll see at Wildlife Wonders are eastern grey kangaroos.
• Swamp Wallaby - smaller than a kangaroo and usually seen in bushy areas.
• Tasmanian Pademelons - very small nocturnal wallabies.
• Eastern Bettong - also known as Kangaroo Rat, they feed on fungi, seeds, roots and insects.
• Southern Brown Bandicoot - small, nocturnal marsupials with backwards-facing pouches.
• Long-nosed Potoroo - often confused with a bandicoot, but they hop like kangaroos.
• Sugar Glider - small, squirrel like animals and travel between treetops by gliding.
• Otway Black Snail - a carnivorous air-breathing land snail only found in the Otways.
• Feathertail Glider - their feather-like tails act as a rudder during flight and they can glide more than 25m between trees.
• Southern Boobook - smallest owl in Australia, also called a Mopoke.
• Laughing Kookaburra - iconic Australian birds with a distinct call that sounds like laughing.
• Superb Fairy-wren - males are easily spotted with their bright blue plumage.
• Gang-gang Cockatoo - can be seen frequently at Wildlife Wonders and they have a call like a creaking gate.
• Eastern Yellow Robin - robins’ nests are bound together with spiders’ webs and lined with fine material and leaves.
• Common Blue-tongued Lizard - a backyard favourite in Australia with bright blue tongues to scare off predators.
• Southern Brown Tree Frog - noisy but agile hunters, they will leap to catch insects in fight.
• Souther Right Whale - between May - November you may be lucky enough to spot one from Wildlife Wonders.

The making of Wildlife Wonders

The creation of Wildlife Wonders involved planning and collaboration among environmentalists, conservationists, and community stakeholders. In this team was Brian Massey, an Art Director of ‘The Hobbit’ films, and landscape designer of New Zealand’s award winning Hobbiton experience^[7][8]

1.4km of fencing encloses an area of more than 30 acres, creating a safe haven for the bandicoots, potoroos, koalas and other native species, protected from the feral predators – cats and foxes – which would otherwise prey upon them and destroy habitats.

Wildlife Wonders as a Social Enterprise ^[9]

Wildlife Wonders, through their social enterprise ecotourism model, offers an alternate funding source for the work of the Conservation Ecology Centre.

References