OAKVALE Wildlife Park staff say they are "excited to have visitors back again" after what has been a difficult and uncertain year.
"It was always going to be a challenging time," head curator at Oakvale Wildlife Park Angela Lambert said.
"During the closure we still had four or five staff on each day to water and feed the animals, maintain the facilities and to ensure things were running smoothly."
Ms Lambert said now that guests are streaming in again, the staff and animals are much happier.
"Five keepers can't substitute the attention of around 500 visitors - especially for the baby lambs," she said.
"We are back at full strength now with all the permanent and casual keepers and educational officers back in."
The 25 acre property is home to over 350 animals from 82 different species according to Ms Lambert.
"They range from native and exotic to farm and livestock. We've got lemurs, wombats, wallabies, quolls, goats rabbits and guinea pigs," Ms Lambert said.
"We also have a lot of baby animals like koalas and kangaroos which are always a hit. We actually had a llama born last week."
As COVID case numbers grow in the area and venues become increasingly uncertain about what the holiday season has in store, Oakvale's Business development officer Elyss Larkham says the park has been "lucky so far".
"The whole area is geared up and ready to go for the holiday season," Ms Larkham said.
"We've had some cancellations from schools and OOSH groups but because we are an outdoor venue people still feel quite secure coming through."
Since restrictions eased on December 15, visitors to Oakvale are not longer required to wear a mask, check in or show proof of vaccination. While the park is adhering to the public health orders, Ms Larkham said the staff's primary focus is helping people "feel comfortable".
"We still have the QR code check-ins for people who like to track where they have been and monitor for cases. People are welcome to continue wearing masks - some of our staff members are still wearing them."
Angela Lambert said it feels good to have people coming back and enjoying the park after what has been a difficult year.
"We were closed two months this year and three months last year so we are really excited to have visitors back again," she said.
