Kula Eco Park Kula Eco-park, Fiji

At the start of August I went over to Fiji for the purposes of birdwatching. On the last day we visited the Kula Eco-park, just near Korotogo (between Nadi and Suva). It is about an hour, or maybe an hour and a half, out of Nadi, so is easily accessible (by bus or rental car) even if only on a short trip to the islands. It used to be a general bird park but has now become a specialist collection of Fijian wildlife. There are still a few remnant exotics here (a blue and gold macaw, a pair of sulphur-crested cockatoos, and some Indian ringnecks, peafowl, guineafowl and geese) but for anyone who wants to see some native Fijian animals but who doesn't have the time or ability to find them wild, then this is a great place to come. Because we visited at the end of the trip, I had actually already seen most of the species here in the wild but it was still good. It is quite small though, so your average tourist probably goes away feeling it wasn't worth the price. The entry fee was a bit steep (Fiji$20) but as there were no prices posted at the entrance we did get the distinct impression that the fee may have been "flexible". They are an ARAZPA organisation but the guy at the desk didn't seem interested that we also worked at an ARAZPA place.

The exhibits are as follows. First a small pool for two hawksbill turtles (couldn't help but feel sorry for them), then the bird-of-prey aviaries for barn owls, Australasian harriers, Fijian goshawks and peregrines (the Fijian subspecies is surprisingly dark-plumaged). Then the parrot aviaries, first of all for the macaw, cockatoos and ringnecks, then walk-through ones for various of the native shining parrots (masked, Koro Island, Gau Island and Kadavu). After that is a walk-through with wattled honeyeaters flying free and aviaries along the sides for more red shining parrot subspecies (unlabelled), a male orange dove with a damaged wing (from the island of Vanua Levu), fruit bats (labelled as Pacific fruit bats but there was also a Samoan fruit bat in there as well), and both crested and banded iguanas (lots of them). Then another walk-through with collared lories, and then a mixed walk-through for a white-throated pigeon, a male golden dove (the sign says there are two males hand-reared from abandoned chicks, but they only have one left now) and at least one banded rail. Outside this aviary was a small but very well-maintained aquarium for local reef fish, and then a long row of wire hutches housing male crested iguanas bred at the park and destined for Australian collections. A largish mixed walk-through after that had guineafowl as well as purple gallinules and Pacific black ducks (the signs also said Fiji parrotfinches and Fiji white-eyes but there were none in the aviary). There were a lot of peafowl wandering around near this aviary, and also some domestic Chinese geese. Breeding enclosures for Fiji ground frogs could be seen further along but the frogs themselves remained hidden.

Back at the entrance there is a holding area where you can handle banded and crested iguanas, Pacific boas, and shining parrots (although when we were there the parrot cages in this area had signs saying not to touch because they bite).

The park has breeding programmes in place for several species, including the iguanas, ground frogs and peregrine falcons; and does education programmes for schools to teach the kids about their precious wildlife (and, for example, not to kill boas). Their website is at 2004 kula web
Something I found very interesting on their website is that one of the species shown in the video is a red-throated lorikeet which is close to extinction. There were certainly none on display when I was there so I'm not sure of the history of them at the park. There are breeding aviaries off-display though (you can see them from certain points along the path) so its possible they do have some red-throated lorikeets still.

I should also mention Orchid Island here. This establishment is closer to Suva (the sign is very prominent on the main highway, advertising culture and wildlife). They were the first place to breed crested iguanas (soon after the species was first discovered, and even before they had been christened with a scientific name). We didn't visit because a recent guide had said that the place was pretty much derelict now, although the staff there are still happy to take your entrance fee. I asked the guy at Kula about Orchid Island. He said there was a big flood a few years back and it destroyed quite a bit, and the rest has been falling apart since then. The taxi drivers in Suva still recommend a trip out there because they split the entry fee with the staff there!

There are photos of Kula on my blogsite.

 

have now finally uploaded photos from Kula to the "Other Zoos" section of the gallery

 

orange doves are on Vanua Levu, Taveuni and some of the surrounding small islands. Rabe is relatively large so they should be on there (I'm assuming it is Rabe you mean, off the eastern end of Vanua Levu's eastern peninsula?). They are quite common but like all the Chrysoenas species, more easily heard than seen. Keep an ear out for their call (its a really odd "tocking" noise, like water dripping slowly into a metal pan) and then follow it. The mature males are bright orange as per the picture in the gallery, the females and immature males are green. I actually found the orange dove the easiest of the three Chrysoenas to find.

The golden dove is found on Viti Levu, and sounds like a small dog yapping (not to be confused with the barking pigeon, which sounds like a big dog barking!). Males are brilliant gold.

The whistling dove is on Kadavu to the south. The call is a very strange and un-dove-like whistle.

All of these three pigeons are only found in forest, mainly in the canopy.

 

did you go to Fiji PAT?

 

wow, thanks for that. Looks like Ovalau will have to be added to the next trip to Fiji! Here are some links:
PHOTO IN THE NEWS: New Iguana Found in Fiji
Cryptomundo Fiji: New Iguana Species Discovered
New iguana find on Ovalau - Fiji Times Online

 

I've just been looking at what is held at Kula Eco-Park as of the end of last year, and this is the list.

MAMMALS:
*Pacific Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus)
*Domestic Horse (Equus caballus)

BIRDS:
*White-faced Heron (Egretta novaehollandiae)
*Pacific Black Duck (Anas superciliosa)
*Fiji Goshawk (Accipiter rufitorques)
*Swamp harrier (Circus approximans
*Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus)
*White-throated (Metallic) Pigeon (Columba vitiensis)
*Golden Dove (Ptilinopus (Chrysoena) luteovirens)
*Sulphur-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua galerita)
*Collared Lory (Phygis (Vini) solitarius)
*Masked Shining Parrot (Prosopeia personata)
*Red Shining Parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis tabuensis)
*Koro Island Shining Parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis koroensis) [no longer considered subspecifically distinct, hence now generally included in P. t. tabuensis]
*Taveuni Red Shining Parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis taviuensis)
*Crimson Shining Parrot (Prosopeia tabuensis splendens) [now treated as a full species by most authorities, i.e. Prosopeia splendens]
*Indian Ringneck (Psittacula krameri manillensis)
*Barn Owl (Tyto alba lifuensis)
*Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris) [these would probably be the main Fijian subspecies vitiensis]
*Wattled Honeyeater (Foulehaio carunculata)

REPTILES:
*Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
*Fijian Banded Iguana (Brachylophus bulabula)
*Fijian Crested Iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis)
*Pacific Island Boa (Candoia bibroni)