Three New Quokkas Arrive At Symbio Wildlife Park – And You Could Help Name Them
Symbio Wildlife Park, in Southern Sydney, is thrilled to welcome three adorable new residents – a trio of quokkas, one male and two females! Fondly known as 'the Happiest Animal on Earth' thanks to their signature cheeky grins, these lovable marsupials are already charming staff and visitors alike.
To celebrate their arrival, Symbio is calling on the public to help name the newcomers. Everyone is invited to submit their most creative ideas on Symbio's official social media announcement! But this isn't just about being cute – it's about honouring the cultural and environmental heritage of the quokka's native home in Western Australia.
Native to a few small areas in Western Australia, including Rottnest Island, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is a small wallaby-like marsupial known for its friendliness and photogenic smile. Despite their cheerful appearance, quokkas are classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss and predation by introduced species such as foxes and feral cats.
In their natural habitat, quokkas play an important role in the environment by helping to disperse seeds through their droppings, contributing to the regeneration of native plants. Their presence is also a strong indicator of ecosystem health!
You'll find them settling in beautifully in Symbio's Farmyard precinct – so hop on down and be among the first to see them! Symbio Wildlife Park is OPEN all long weekend, from 9.30am - 5.00pm.
To submit your name ideas, head to @symbiowildlifepark on Facebook and Instagram and follow the entry instructions. Be quick – entries close June 19th 2025!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scoop
3 hours ago
- Scoop
Three New Quokkas Arrive At Symbio Wildlife Park – And You Could Help Name Them
Symbio Wildlife Park, in Southern Sydney, is thrilled to welcome three adorable new residents – a trio of quokkas, one male and two females! Fondly known as 'the Happiest Animal on Earth' thanks to their signature cheeky grins, these lovable marsupials are already charming staff and visitors alike. To celebrate their arrival, Symbio is calling on the public to help name the newcomers. Everyone is invited to submit their most creative ideas on Symbio's official social media announcement! But this isn't just about being cute – it's about honouring the cultural and environmental heritage of the quokka's native home in Western Australia. Native to a few small areas in Western Australia, including Rottnest Island, the quokka (Setonix brachyurus) is a small wallaby-like marsupial known for its friendliness and photogenic smile. Despite their cheerful appearance, quokkas are classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss and predation by introduced species such as foxes and feral cats. In their natural habitat, quokkas play an important role in the environment by helping to disperse seeds through their droppings, contributing to the regeneration of native plants. Their presence is also a strong indicator of ecosystem health! You'll find them settling in beautifully in Symbio's Farmyard precinct – so hop on down and be among the first to see them! Symbio Wildlife Park is OPEN all long weekend, from 9.30am - 5.00pm. To submit your name ideas, head to @symbiowildlifepark on Facebook and Instagram and follow the entry instructions. Be quick – entries close June 19th 2025!
Otago Daily Times
a day ago
- Otago Daily Times
‘Brand new' event coming next year
Despite having to justify the Easter influx of 65,000 visitors, Wheels at Wānaka general manager Allan Dippie intends to bring to town another event in 2026. In April, Wheels at Wānaka brought in its biggest crowd and Wānaka's biggest crowd in one day to an event, with 50,000 visitors on the Saturday of the long weekend. The flood of people to town meant roads were blocked and some inconvenienced locals took to Facebook pages airing their concerns about traffic lines. While some locals complained about being held up, the event brought in millions to the local economy and businesses across town reeled in record sales. Still, post-event, the Queenstown Lakes District Council approached Mr Dippie to explain why the event exceeded the predicted numbers and why nothing was done about limiting those coming to the event. The event caused extreme traffic congestion on Wānaka roads during the long weekend, which upset some locals, despite the event being announced two years in advance. Mr Dippie and his events team had predicted about 45,000, going by previous years. "There has been a bit of a discussion about Wheels at Wānaka from the council. "Since the event, council sent us a 'please explain' email and started getting a bit toey about things and threatening possible enforcement action. I think one of the local councillors might have been the driving force behind the email." This is in reference to Wānaka councillor and deputy mayor Quentin Smith, who has been vocal about traffic congestion around the show. Mr Dippie wrote back to the council, explaining that the wet weather forecast over Easter had meant much of the crowd showed up to the Saturday event, and so crowds were not evenly spread. The event did not account for the huge number of children with their parents, he said. "They wanted to know how we were planning on stopping so many coming, which is kind of not possible with a family event of this nature. "We had over 50,000 people in one day, which has never been seen in Wānaka before and probably not likely to be seen again for a long time. "People were being rarked up on Facebook by one of the local councillors," he said. While Mr Dippie has taken an apologetic approach to the traffic issues, he is also very pleased with how the event turned out and has labelled it a huge success. "I think council might be out of step with people at times but in general events are great things and the community welcomes them." He said most of the businesses he spoke to in town had broken record sales over the Easter weekend. The council accepted Mr Dippie's explanation and will not be taking matters any further with any sort of prosecution or investigation. A spokesperson said the event was a welcome boost to local hospitality and retail businesses. "Wheels at Wānaka in particular attracted many people to town. We're certainly aware of the heavy traffic which caused disruption in the township and roads leading into it at peak times. Wheels at Wānaka's organisers confirmed beforehand that this would be their last event. "In general, council considers the requirements of all events regarding their demand for services and potential impact on local infrastructure such as roading as part of each resource consent application." The council added that Warbirds Over Wānaka, which is held every second Easter, was likely to attract the same number of people next year, but its location at the Wānaka airport would mean less inconvenience in town. "Events of all sizes continue to be important economic drivers for the Upper Clutha and our district as a whole." The Wheels at Wānaka event is run by the Wheels at Wānaka Charitable Trust and donates its surplus back into the community each year, across several community focused groups. The trust would be announcing the recipients later this month and at this stage things were looking very positive for record community donations, Mr Dippie said. "You can imagine the trust getting fined by the QLDC and incurring legal costs would have would not have gone down so well, so I'm glad common sense has prevailed." Mr Dippie confirmed he was in the early planning stages of a 2026 event for the town but was tight-lipped about what that would be. "We are not easily put off and I do encourage council to not put others off and actually encourage events. You don't want to be the council that makes it hard for events. "We will be announcing a future event but a different type of event. The community should be standing by for something brand new, next year, another event, 2026. "We always said we would try to do new and different things."
1News
3 days ago
- 1News
Pop singer Jessie J says she's been diagnosed with breast cancer
The English pop singer Jessie J says she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo surgery after her performance at the London music festival Capital's Summertime Ball next weekend. Jessie J, 37, shared the news in an Instagram video. 'I was diagnosed with early breast cancer,' she said in the clip. 'Cancer sucks in any form, but I'm holding onto the word 'early'." 'It's a very dramatic way to get a boob job. I am going to disappear for a bit after Summertime Ball to have my surgery, and I will come back with massive (expletive) and more music.' The annual Summertime Ball will be held at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, June 15. ADVERTISEMENT She told her social media audience that she felt compelled to share her diagnosis. Cold coming, PM's press secretary scandal, science of sleep (Source: 1News) 'I just wanted to be open and share it,' she said. 'One, because, selfishly, I do not talk about it enough. I'm not processing it because I'm working so hard. I also know how much sharing in the past has helped me with other people giving me their love and support and also their own stories. I'm an open book. It breaks my heart that so many people are going through so much similar and worse – that's the bit that kills me.' The Grammy-nominated Jessie J has long been celebrated for her robust soprano and R&B-informed pop hits, like the 2014 collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande, Bang Bang, and 2011's Domino. She has released five albums across her career, most recently, 2018's Christmas album, This Christmas Day. She has been releasing new music in 2025, including the singles Living My Best Life and No Secrets. A new album is expected later this year. ADVERTISEMENT She has a son, Sky Safir Cornish Colman, born in 2023.
