Eikelboom Family

Wanneroo Lion Park 1971 we lived on the park premises with our two sons for 12 years.... We hold many cherished memories and photos.
 

Could u tell me information about the park when opened and closed and why
 

The Wanneroo Lion Park opened 21 August, 1971. Closed mid 80's.
Due to high cost of feed & public Liability insurance.
Two male persons died between this period one person decided to walk out of his car and walk among the lions and the other person was clawed by a lion he died the following day. He had a bad reation to the pre-op needle and he bleed to death.
 

I remember a sign at the park that said Poem on pushbikes admitted free this was around 1975
 

Actually the second guy who was clawed by a lion actually was allergic to penicillin, that caused his death, he was my cousin, because of this his family were the first to receive the medic-alert bracelets warning of their condition.
 

These are some great photos. Can anybody tell me what happened to the lions after the park closed?
I work for the City of Wanneroo Museum and we're interested in gathering any information about the park that we can.
Please feel free to email me at museum@wanneroo.wa.gov.au
Thanks for sharing these photos.
 

The sign at the Lion Park "Poms on pushbikes admitted free. Except on the Queens birthday". The sign was displayed on the large entrance gates to the Lion Park by the Lion Park manager at the time. The bike belonged to my very young son.
 

They should bring it back Perth got nothing now
 

Wow cant believe i found this. My Nanna was actually the manager of the park for over 10 years. Unfortunately when the park closed the lions were put down, for the main reason that they couldnt be put back into the wild and also prides of lions dont mix (they would've killed each other). After the lion park closed my nan actually became the first WA circus ever and performed at adventure world with cockatoos and a goat i believe. It was only small. I should get her to look at the photo with the person in the cage feeding the lions she may know them or it could be her! They also had some monkey's and she had a pet one, and she also helped raised, along with my mum, aunties and unlces a few lion cubs. She has quite a few pictures.
 

You must have been a very difficult child to put to sleep, as you were told some very funny bed time stories. Jack
 

Western Australian news Paper PERTH, Wednesday. — A man who died in Royal Perth Hospital after being mauled by a lion died from a rare disease triggered by a general anesthetic, not because of his wounds. This was the finding of the City Coroner, Mr. Wicken
 

I always had a memory of some guy getting out of a car to change a tyre and was killed in front of his family.

But maybe this is just a child hood memory, remember the sign about the poms on pushbikes.
 

I think u need to do your homework a little better, although youre on the right track, but it was my dad who was manager as i spent the first 10yrs of my life living there, the sulphur crested cockatoos he owned and. trained . We lived at adventureword where my dad was caretaker/animal trainer and we had 3 monkeys that lived in our back yard the last monkey (pricilla) passed away on 4/8/15. So unless your my child and my mum is your nanna then youve gotten the story a bit muddled up.. and we have a lot of photos and newspaper articles that prove this
 

Hmmm, you must be one of John sons!
Ever thought that it might be one of Marion's Grandchildren you shot down in flames!
For those of you who want to know what happened to the lion park, the manager at the time left after nearly 6yrs and went to live in the UK. Stafford Bullen decided not to train anyone else to run the park. The Lion's were transferred to his other park in NSW after the Bullen's family won a $50 million zoo contract in Saudi Arabia. The other animals had been sold off, Diseylamb Park would have purchased some. The lion park it is now a plant nursery.
 

Marion Colmer? I was best friends with her third daughter Leeanne and have lost touch. Can you get Leeanne or Sharon to call me? 02 4336 5418. They'll know who I am, thanks 🙂
 

I worked for a period of time at Wanneroo Lion park. The manager John lived on the park property. John had two sons living with him and his wife Francis. My daughter Rachel was about the same age as the eldest boy -Dean , Jason was a bit younger . Rachel used to send some time playing with Dean.

John was involved in the Wanneroo Bush fire bragade and a member of the Wanneroo Lions club. He was also heavily involved with Telephon as the park was partly owned by TVW channel 7.

I was at the park when the Bullen family with Michael Edgly brought the Gretest Circus on earth to the Edgly Entertainment centre-the Bullen bros -Stafford and Jules along with Staffords son Mark (I think ) worked the animal acts.

I only seen John twice after leaving the park , but carry fond memory's of my time there , and even after close to 40 years latter photos with Ferocious the Lion and a young lion called Stumpy sit proudly on the wall.

I can't identify the ranger in the feed truck from the photo , but most of us took turns in doing that job as we did with all our jobs.

These days I have lots of photos that get dragged out from time to time and shown to my children , along with some fond memories of an exciting and rewarding time in my life.

If John or Dean or Jason are reading this post then please know that time spent at the lion park was among some of the best times of my life

 

Yes.I remember that sign. I had a photo but unfortunately lost it.so funny
 

Story reads after the Parks closed down; Stafford Bullen kept many of the Lions Let’s put the story striate for once and for all The Lions at Wanneroo were all put down. Remember, Stafford had 2 large Lion Parks closer to home e.g. The Warragamba Lion Park in N.S.W. which was situated just up the road from Stafford’s home, plus the well-established Beenleigh Lion Park, Queensland; these two Park would have exceeded well over 60 adult lions each. Other Bullen’s Lion Parks were Wanneroo, 50 Lions, Deer Park in Victoria 50 Lions, another at Two Wells in South Australia 40 Lions.
If Stafford kept all these Lions he would have had approximately 260 to 300 Lions with an estimated feed bill of around $1,500 per Day What establishment in Saudi Arabia would have taken 2 Hundred Lions? Or even 50 of the Lions, None!
If you Google up Saudi Arabia Animal Zoo, you will find they have only a dozen or so Lions. I am very sure they would have purchased them from Stafford
The Lions from the Wanneroo Lion Park would still be at the Wanneroo Lion Park in a big hole, with a bullet between their eyes.
What you said Clare sounds nice, but google up Saudi Arabia Zoo you can count their Lion on one hand.
Therefor the $50 million Dollar for the Bullen’s animals would be pie in the sky stuff; if they took 10 adult Lionesses and one (1) adult male Lion; they could have breed their 200 lions in very quick time, as we know the gestation period for a Lioness is 101 days allowing each Lioness to have 2 and a quarter litters per year, say with an average of 3 cubs per litter that would be 7 cubs per Lioness per year; let’s be kind and say 5 cubs per year, if you do your sums right that would be 50 cubs, 3 years later those 50 being their first litter would produce around 100 cubs, why I say 2 and a quarter litters per year, as after the female has given birth and nurtured her cubs it is a couple of months for her to come back into season
I know Stafford had Tigers and a few black cats, and collection of Primates a Zebra a few Bison buffalo’s. The Elephants and several other of the animals went to the Australian Zoo in Queensland so they were not sold. So what other animals would attract the cost of $50 million dollars, Camels and Goats the Saudi’s would have plenty of them.
If you followed Stafford, he travelled Europe 1985 with his son Craig to stock the zoo in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia so most of the Animals to stock the Saudi Zoo came from Europe. Bullen's Animal World closed in 1985 and the African Lion Safari Warragamba closed in 1991. The family continued to maintain a private menagerie at the Bullen's rambling hacienda at the Bullen's Animal World site in Park Road, Wallacia, So perhaps a little more water with the Scotch may help
JG
 

Hello Collin,
we are still at the same address in Mandurah.
Although both Dean and Fran are no longer with us they have both passed away. Also Marion she and Fran died within a week of each other regards John
 

What happened to all lions when park closed ???
 

I have wonderful memories of spending time time with family including you Uncle John. Aunty Fran, Dean ( Ding Dong) and Jason. I can't tell you how many families have Beautiful memories including ours of the Lion Park.
 

Hi there I worked with your cousin at Vox Adeon’s in West leederville in the early 70’s. Can’t remember his name but he was a truly lovely man. Johnny? He was a tv repair man. We were all devastated!
 

The name John Baker comes to mind 🤔