Our friends at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures are celebrating the 50th birthday of Adam the cassowary!
Adam the Cassowary. Looking great on his 50th birthday.
"Happy Anniversary to our beautiful boy, Adam the Cassowary, who celebrated 50 years at Hartley’s last week. He is a beautiful gentle soul much loved by our Wildlife Team," writes the team at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures.
In the wild, cassowaries live up to 40 years, and weigh up to 76kg. This impressive bird is more than just an eye-catcher. Dispersing the seeds of over 230 species of plants they are a keystone species vital to the health of the rainforest.
Adam's a resident at Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. The business began in 1934 and is one of the oldest running tourist attractions in the Cairns region. Hartley's Crocodile Adventures is located on the spectacular Great Barrier Reef Drive, 40 km north of Cairns and 25 km south of Port Douglas.
Happy birthday Adam.
The North Queensland Wildlife Trust (NQWT) was established in 2004 by the Freeman family, who own and operate Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, Kuranda Koala Gardens and Birdworld Kuranda.
For almost 20 years, the Trust has supported a wide range of wildlife causes including habitat restoration, wildlife care, and rare and endangered species research. We have received two grants from NQWT for the purchase and restoration cassowary habitat in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.
We are very grateful to the North Queensland Wildlife Trust for their financial support to protect and restore the Daintree Rainforest.
Since inception, NQWT has distributed in excess of $200,000 to local conservation groups with Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Status.
In 2021 and 2023, the trust provided a significant level of funding, resources and support for the wildlife carers in bushfire affected areas in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
Over time, NQWT has contributed to:
- Rehabilitation of cassowary habitat in Daintree and Mission Beach
- Restoration of tree-kangaroo habitat on Petersen’s Creek, Yungaburra
- Breeding for release of endangered Gouldian finches
- Construction of facilities and funded specialist training for wildlife carers
- Research into the prevalence of Northern Bettongs
- Expansion of the turtle hospital on Fitzroy Island
- Restoration of a wildlife corridor for spotted-tailed quolls
