Sustainability
Our philosophy
The Cairns ZOOM & Wildlife Dome is committed to providing a quality tourism experience and product which has minimal impact on the natural environment. The attraction is a spectacular all-weather wildlife immersion exhibit that provides an interactive environment for humans and animals to mingle in a spacious natural setting. Guests can immerse themselves in a rainforest environment whilst parrots, cockatoos and other birds native to the Wet Tropics region fly freely around. Guests can also learn about Australian wildlife through our informative wildlife talks and show presentations.
Sustainable and responsible treatment of our natural resources is fundamental
Energy consumption
- We don’t use the aircon in the park to ensure healthy plants and wildlife
- We converted most lights to energy-savvy LED globes
Recycling
- We recycle our plastic bottles and cans and encourage our visitors to do the same
- Cardboard gets recycled
- Compost and mulch are used as fertiliser
Treatment of resources
- We buy local wherever we can to reduce our carbon emission footprint and prefer firms operating under an environmental policy
- Our focus is on biodegradable cleaning products
- Unusable fruit from the local supermarket is collected weekly and provides food for the birdlife
- Purchasing products in bulk amounts to reduce packaging
- Our enclosures and boardwalks are designed to reduce water usage
Our animals
- Our animals’ health and well-being is our top priority – birds and other wildlife can move freely around in the park
- Our employees observe our wildlife and ensure the appropriate behaviour of our guests
- Spaces away from our guests allow our animals to hide and rest
- We set up donation boxes for TARC and the Australian Koala Foundation
- Photo sessions with our animals are regulated under the Queensland Government Code of Practice of the Australasian Regional Association of Zoological Parks and Aquaria
Our visitors are valuable and deserve a high-quality experience
- We ensure an authentic experience – all of our wildlife is native Australian, and the weather conditions make the visitors experience the tropical climate
- The park can be enjoyed in all weather conditions without impacting the quality of the experience
- Our employees provide interpretational and educational experiences and tours
- We track our visitors’ experience and actively engage with them in feedback discussions to improve our performance
- We encourage visitors to leave feedback on social media
- Visitors can nominate the most helpful staff with our staff accreditation box
- The park is available for team building programmes, external and internal functions
Support of our community and other local businesses in the Cairns region
- We offer educational and interpretational programs for school groups
- Locals enjoy a 20% discount rate
- Our annual pass provides unlimited entry for our four parks for an entire year
- We work together with Bad Fishy Jet Boating Cairns and cooperate with ARC Disability Services
- Our volunteering programs offer young people with the prospect of becoming a wildlife keeper the opportunity of a first-hand experience
- We regularly donate to the Cairns Organisation United for Cancer Health (https://couch.org.au)
- Our focus lies on locally owned, operated, and sustainable business partners and Australian made souvenirs
Decent employment opportunities and quality education
- We offer stable employment and (re-)training opportunities for the local community
- Indigenous employment is actively encouraged and desired
- Our training centre provides multiple accredited training courses in the hospitality and tourism sector
- CaPTA developed and implemented an Indigenous Employment Strategy in 2008 to increase employment for local Indigenous people
